| Description | Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger interview a group of travellers in Cobham, Kent, including members of the Smith family, about various aspects of their lives.
Track 1: a man discusses the traveller lifestyle of constantly moving on, and remembers an incident when the police forced his family to move on while his mother was away, and their efforts to leave markings for her so that she would know which way they had gone. He says that some police have been kind to him and his family 2.41 mins
Track 2: he thinks that people who are against travellers do not like them because they are different. He talks about people's suspicions about travellers committing crimes, but says that most of the crimes reported in newspapers are not committed by travellers. He considers what life might be like for his children, and expresses his hopes that they will follow the travellers' way of life 1.41 mins
Track 3: he talks about spending the last year in one place, and feeling ill for much of that time. He says that the air of the place does not suit him
Track 4: one of the women talks about the death of her daughter's baby who was born prematurely, and the poor healthcare they received because they were travellers 2.58 mins
Track 5: one of the men thinks that there are good and bad people everywhere, and that doctors and police are no different. He talks about his experience in trying to get a job 2.47 mins
Track 6: one of the women talks about her love for the travellers' lifestyle, despite the difficulties in getting water for washing and cooking. She mentions a Mr Dodge, who is trying to improve facilities for the travellers 1.41 mins
Track 7: one of the men talks about the number of caravans that travellers are allowed to have on sites, and the woman emphasises that Mr Dodge has tried to help them 1.47 mins
Track 8: the woman thinks that the lives of travellers would be better if there were more people like Mr Dodge who were prepared to campaign for sites for them. She expresses her gratitude towards Mr Dodge for his efforts in finding them somewhere to stay 1.27 mins
Tracks 9-10: she would like travellers to be able to move around during the summer, and find a place to stay during the winter so that their children can attend school. One of the men talks about his reluctance to be settled in a house because he would miss the fresh air. He describes his stay in hospital when he asked for the windows to be opened, and the attitudes of the nurses to his request. One of the women talks about being born in a house at Mitcham but not being able to sleep in a house now
Tracks 11-12: she talks about her unhappiness about the place they are camping in at the moment, partly because of the mud and poor situation. One of the men talks about travelling extensively in the south of England but never travelling north, and tries to explain why he keeps to the same southern counties. The woman discusses her hope that travellers will be able to camp on the open commons during the winter
Tracks 13-15: the man and woman describe their experience of being evicted from woodland that the council said was private property, being forced off the land by the police ahd having their caravans smashed, and the efforts of Mr Dodge to help them
Track 16: the woman discusses the failure of her efforts to get compensation from the council for the damage to her caravan 2.08 mins
Tracks 17-18: she talks about the refusal of a doctor to visit her daughter when she was in labour, and discusses the large families that many travellers have. She talks about having fifteen children herself who are now grown up and married, and her concerns about them now that they have moved away
Tracks 19-20: she discusses her faith in God that her children will be safe, and talks about a family member who married a man in Wales, who lives in a council house. She describes some of the customs of 'other gypsies' in Wales and talks about the good hygiene practices of travellers
Track 21: a fifteen year old talks about experiencing discrimination when trying to seek employment 1.56 mins
Tracks 22-24: one of the women talks about traveller girls who hid from American and Canadian servicemen during the war, and discusses how travellers conduct their relationships. She says that traveller men do not hurt traveller girls. She talks about a pub in Sevenoaks called the 'Bullfinch' that she and her husband used to visit, and her son's relationship with the owner's daughter which ended because she wasn't a traveller
Track 25: she talks about sleeping in 'pillboxes' or ditches for protection during air raids and the way they got around blackout restrictions. She says that no efforts were made to provide shelters for travellers during the war 1.27 mins
Track 26: one of the men describes his interrupted schooling, how he learnt to read and tell the time and starting to work on farms as a child. He describes going fruit picking with his wife and talks about the low rates of pay 2.10 mins
Tracks 27-28: he talks about his experience at a 'Borstal' in Yorkshire after being arrested for house-breaking with some companions when he was eighteen, being given a job in the stables there working with horses, and being treated fairly. He thinks he was better off then than he is now. He describes how he tried to get employment when he got out, and his eviction from a 'pre-fab'. He explains how he was arrested for stealing scrap metal, and sent to prison
Track 29: he talks about his prison sentence, his efforts to try several different jobs, and the impossibility of getting work at the labour exchange 1.27 mins
Tracks 30-31: the man's relative talks about stopped by the police and being beaten up after being mistaken for someone else. The men talk about regularly being chased by the police when out on the roads at night, and their feelings of persecution
Tracks 32-33: one of the men describes how his cousin was stopped with a car, beaten up by the police and fined. The other men join in to recount similar cases
Track 34: the men discuss the future for their way of life, and their feelings that they are treated unfairly by the settled community 2.43 mins
Total: 1.09.26 mins
Dubber's reference number: PLA KF549C0336380 |