“It looks quite a big house, doesn’t it?” Ron said.

It was a three storey Victorian terraced house. Beyond the front door was a stained glass door beyond the entrance lobby. A large mahogany base stand beckoned the way to the turning stairway. Another stained glass window halfway up allowed the light to stream down the stairs, also upward to a further flight to the top. From the back room window we could see clear across to the sea. There were four bedrooms, a front parlour, dining room and a kitchen.

“But where’s the bathroom?” I asked.

“I don’t think there is one,” Ron answered me.

“Oh there must be one, surely.”

“Well, where is it?”

There were two cupboard doors at the end of the kitchen, one was a pantry and the other one was half full of coal.

“Dad wouldn’t buy a house without a bath,” I said.

As I was speaking Ron moved the kitchen table top and there underneath was the bath. The same taps which were on the basin at the end of the table also served the bath. The water was heated by a gas geyser, a gas oven was sitting in the old kitchen fireplace. The flush toilet was in the back yard, also a cold water tap and a soft water pump. There was no garden at all. Dad told us when we went back for tea that he would be able to have an allotment.

“How do you like the house?” Mam asked.

“Er, it’s different,” we both answered.

We knew Mam well enough not to say that we didn’t like it at all. We thought it was like going back to live in the olden days, which we had read about or seen in films. If it was going to make Mam happy, then she might be more amenable towards us. so we were prepared to let her believe we liked it.

Calling up papers arrived for Ron, and I would have to find a new job.

“There’s no need to hurry about that,” said Mam, “I can find you plenty to do here.”

I might have known this would happen, but I consoled myself that now I was in the town, and there was no bus fare needed, I might be allowed to go to night school. The buying of the house had been Hannah’s reason for her scrimping and saving every penny. Now that she had the house, she might let me go.

I decided to wait until she was in a good mood before venturing to ask. Ron had been sent to an army camp at Brancepeth, and wrote to me every week. I had the idea that he could send my letters back with my spelling mistakes corrected, with his letters. This should help my spelling. I was more anxious than ever, now that I needed to write letters. I might even write to Jim who had a Grammar School education. I wouldn’t like him to laugh at my mistakes like Ron did. Ron agreed to do this, so at least that was a start. I worked very hard in the house while Mam was out queuing for sweets and other things that were off the ration, and going to the pictures with her sisters and visiting her mother. I never went out except to do the shopping, I didn’t work so I got no pocket money. She did on rare occasions take me to the pictures and give me some sweets. Whenever I asked to go out she always said that I didn’t need to go anywhere, and someone had to stay in to mind the house.

Dad got his allotment so I was allowed to go with him sometimes, but this was not very often. Mam had stopped making her bread now, and still only making dinner on a Sunday. She cooked steak and bacon with mushrooms for dad, he liked grills better than dinners. So I think this was why she only did dinner on Sundays. Sometimes for tea she made us Egg and Chips. I still prepared all of the vegetables, and was even trusted to make the Yorkshire Pudding Mixture, but she put them in the oven. One Sunday Bernard’s girl-friend, Margaret, and her parents came to dinner. They arrived just as Mam was putting the Yorkshire Puddings in the oven, so we all sat chatting. I had already laid the table, so there was nothing to do until the puddings were ready. Mr. Wilson, Margaret’s father, was quite chatty and was interested in gardening, he and Dad got on quite well. Mrs. Wilson was quite genteel, and gave the impression that she was quite prim and proper. The date had been fixed for the wedding, it was to be in June, so Mrs. Wilson, Margaret and Mam chatted about dresses and the reception and so on. I was most surprised that I was to be a bridesmaid, being Bernard’s only sister I suppose that it was only natural, but I hadn’t given it a thought. Apart from her twin Gladys, who was already married, Margaret had a younger sister, Elsie and brother Wolf who were also twins. It was Lily her oldest sister who she chose to be her other bridesmaid. She was a lovely girl who was patiently awaiting her betrothed to return home. He was a prisoner of war in Japanese hands. She had not heard anything about him for over three years, but had never lost her faith that someday he would come back to her. Whilst all of this chattering was going on the puddings were completely forgotten. Mam suddenly remembering them jumped up and said

“Good God, the puddings.”

When she opened the oven door, through a cloud of blue smoke, forgetting herself and her guests by saying

“Oh no. Oh hell. These have burnt their bloody arses.”

When she realised what she had said she drew in her breath with a gasp, and turned to what she thought would be a disdainful look from Mrs. Wilson. She could not have been more surprised when Mrs. Wilson burst out laughing. She said when she calmed down that she had never heard such a funny expression, but made the point that she did not swear herself. We all enjoyed a hearty meal, without Yorkshire Puddings.

Now that we lived in West Hartlepool Bernard had to travel on his BSA motorbike back to Fishburn Pit. Margaret was to be released from the W.R.A.F. after they were married. They intended to live with us as we had a spare bedroom. I was overjoyed about this, at last I would have the companionship of a sister. The wedding was a very nice affair, Margaret looked so serene in her white wedding gown, Lily and I had pink dresses trimmed with maroon velvet. Sweet peas made wonderful bouquets with their sweet perfume. Ronnie was Bernard’s best man, he had been given only a weekend pass from the camp at Worksop, where he had only recently been moved to. He had to travel all night, changing trains two or three times, and waiting in stations two or three hours each time. It took him all Friday night to get to Margaret’s home in Darlington. Mrs. Wilson was very kind and insisted that he go upstairs and sleep for a few hours before the wedding, which was not until the afternoon.

My new sister proved to be a very gentle person, very easily hurt. She found her position in our household so intolerable with Hannah’s attitude towards her, she was becoming very nervous. Bernard had an almighty row with Hannah, it ended up with them going to live with Margaret’s parents.

Shortly after this was V.E. Day, the celebrations were fantastic, the whole town centre was lit up. Everyone was dancing in the streets, the war was over. Yes, the war was really over! Ron didn’t get home, he was sent to Italy.

I was now fifteen years eight months old, and had found myself a job in a little corner shop. I still had to ask permission to go out, even to the shops around the corner. I also did every bit of work in the house, and even had to ask if I could go to bed. I had become the household drudge which I’d always feared would happen.

One day whilst I was sitting in the dentist’s waiting room I heard two ladies discussing a mutual friend of theirs. I had been brought up to know that it was rude to listen to the conversation of others, but I found that what they had to say was very interesting. This third lady needed someone they said, someone young and good matured. She was having a very bad time with arthritis, and if only she could get a companion help to do for her, just to be with her, she would be very happy. She didn’t want a nurse bossing her about they said. She just needed a friendly help. One of these ladies was the dentist’s wife Mrs. Cassidy, who had stopped to chat to the other lady on her way out. I wondered, dare I, yes I would take the plunge and ask her.

“I hope that you will not think me very rude Mrs. Cassidy, but I could not help overhearing what you have just said. May I please ask you something?”

“Of course my dear, come in here.”

She took me into a small room just off the hallway.

“I was just wondering how old would this young person have to be?”

She smiled at me as she said “You mean that you would like to go.”

“Oh yes please, I would.”

“Well now, tell me your name, where you live, and how old you are.”

I quickly told her as much about myself as I dared.

“You do realise that you will be expected to live in, don’t you? That’s why it’s so difficult to get anyone these days, no one is prepared to live in.”

“I don’t mind that Mrs. Cassidy, in fact I think I shall quite like it.”

Mrs. Cassidy said that she would contact the lady, and make arrangements for me to go and see her.

“Will you come back and see me tomorrow evening about five o’clock?”

I didn’t sleep much that night, my mind was so full with anticipation. I decided not to say anything to Mam until I knew more about it. I could go straight from work before going home. I thought about what I’d been told about going away “to place,” but this wasn’t really going away as I would still be in the same town. At least it couldn’t be any worse than the situation I was already in. If only Ron was here, I could tell him about it. Bernard and him were both free now, and soon if all goes well I would be too.

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