| Description | An interview with Joan SMITH, a single woman with no children, who is a Retired credit controller, born in Birmingham and now living in Birmingham. Joan SMITH’s father was a Lamplighter, born in England and her mother a Gilder & scratchbrusher born in England. In the interview, she talks about …
'JOAN SMITH MS2255/2/077 Logged by Lorraine Blakemore
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My name is Joan Smith and I was born in Ladywood on the 16th April, 1929. Father was a lamplighter. Died when Joan was 5 years old.
1.21 Loved reading. Attended St. George’s School in Edgbaston.
1.58 In the mid-1930s we had a new pupil one day and when we went out into the playground, we all rushed round this new pupil because he was wearing a turban….he was absolutely terrified…and we were touching him….we had never seen a black person….
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About 3 years ago I decided that I’d like to have a walk around Edgbaston and Ladywood and I went back to St.George’s…I happened to be there when all of these children came out to play and it was totally different because…at least 75% of the children there were all coloured…
59” How Edgbaston and Ladywood have changed.
2.05 We lived in these back-to-back houses. It never bothered me…and I wasn’t envious of other people…Describes living in a back-to-back.
4.27 Experienced being mugged.
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49” Relates attending a school reunion and being reminded of a fellow pupil.
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Moved to St. John’s School when she was 9 years old.
2.00 Describes the girls’ secondary school she attended.
3.45 Memories of the war.
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Continued.
37” Liked the theatre and remembers The Old Rep.
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An only child whose mother had to go to work.
1.11 My mother worked in the Jewellery Quarter. She was a gilder and scratchbrusher…
2.23 Memories of the Jewellery Quarter.
07
Recites a poem about schooldays.
1.32 Never experienced going on holiday as a child.
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I was born within walking distance of the Edgbaston Reservoir. That was our holiday when we were children…
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I used to go to the cinema 3 times a week….you were transformed into this world where there were these lovely ladies with beautiful hairdos in evening dresses….it was all a dream…
1.03 Childhood stars of the screen.
1.53 We used to go to the city centre, to the Bull Ring. In those days it was full of character…Describes the environment.
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Describes her house in more detail.
1.25 I left school at Easter 1943 and my first job was at Frank Wilton….at the top of Broad Street…a ladies outfitters….very strict, Victorian kind of place….The manageress was tall and always wore black….
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The customers that came into the shop were mostly high class people that lived in Edgbaston….Sometimes I was sent out with parcels for them….and I would find myself in front of an enormous house…
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And after that I was a credit controller…Describes her role.
38” At Joseph Lucas for 20 years.
1.00 Credit controller at Bristol Street Motors until retirement.
2.55 Work environment at Lucas.
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When I was 19 I joined the Beacon Little Theatre…
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Memories of plays performed.
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Rules at work.
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At Lucas we were all girls together…Anecdote about colleague’s pet fish.
2.10 Offices and factory separate. No mixing.
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I retired at the age of 60…in 1989…and most of the time I’m so busy it’s ridiculous….
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I do Birmingham Tapes for the Handicapped….Describes the programme she works on.
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When we moved from Ladywood, it was in 1961, and we moved to Billesley. It was 16 years of sheer hell. It was a maisonette…we had a couple with 4 children….you had the children racing around….people coming and going at all hours….Moving from there into the house where I am now was quite traumatic because I never married, I lived at home with my mother….she was very sick….The area at the moment is changing. .Discusses the neighbours.
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Continued.
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ENDS. |