MEMORIES OF
CATTLE LAITHE, KNOTTINGLEY
by JEAN NORFOLK
PART THREE
One
of my dads more inspired purchases at Selby market was an ancient
wireless set which stood for many years on the shelf above the sink in
our cottage. It was powered by a battery and an accumulator. The
batteries measured about nine inches square and four inches deep and
lasted for about two months.
The
accumulators were made of glass and were about ten inches tall and about
five inches square. They were filled with acid and lasted for about a
week depending on how much the wireless was used.
The
dead accumulators were taken to Mr. Proctor who lived in Vale Terrace,
Pottery Lane, for re-charging. For sixpence a time he would take our old
accumulator and exchange it for a freshly charged one. Shelves along one
side of his garage displayed rows of them, all connected by a series of
wires to the electricity supply, which fed new life into each one. Dad
usually made the trip to Pottery Lane, as he didn’t like us to carry
them in case the acid leaked out and burnt us. When I got older however,
I was sometimes allowed to go, if dad was working.
The
wireless was our lifeline, especially during the war when everyone was
hungry for news, however grim or upsetting it might have been.
Four
aeroplane engine-testing sheds were built next to the old bone-mill on
Cattle Laithe lane and to Mr. Bugg and my Dad, who sometimes worked
night-shifts at the glass works, they were a nightmare. Invariably, the
ear-splitting din went on for two or three days and night’s non-stop,
making sleep almost impossible.
Dad
and Mr. Bugg used to help out in the fields at harvest time to
supplement the family incomes. I can remember them coming home after
their shift at the glassworks at 2 o’clock and then going straight out
to work in the fields until 10 o’clock at night.
Harvest
time was a treat for us children, especially if our dads were working
there. We were allowed to help pile up the sheaves of corn which were
then left to dry out – if the weather was favourable – until the
threshing machine arrived.
We
would watch the reaper go round and round the field starting on the
outside edge and gradually, the waving corn was replaced by a blanket of
short golden stubble dotted with string-tied sheaves of wheat.
Before
the final two or three yards of wheat were cut, we were ordered out of
the way to allow the farmer to shoot the terrified wild rabbits that
were now hiding in what was left of the swiftly diminishing crop. I used
to pray that they would escape, but they rarely did.
We
were sometimes allowed to ride on the backs of the huge carthorses when
work was finished. I remember clinging on to the horse’s mane for dear
life, terrified in case I fell off. One of these horses was named Bob
and no one ever dared to walk immediately behind him because he suffered
from Flatulence!
In
those days we children would visit Fishers Farm on a regular basis. We
wandered around most times without being challenged, and only on rare
occasions would we be asked to leave, such as if the huge bull was to be
released into the farmyard.
We
watched the cows being milked (by hand in those days, no milking
machines then) and saw the milk being poured through the cooler, and
transferred into huge milk churns to await collection. Then we would
help to hose down the floor of the dairy and leave the place spick and
span when milking was over.
We
helped to collect the eggs and occasionally would find a hidden cache of
a couple of dozen or so when a hen had been ‘laying away’ for some
time. In a barn, or a hole in the wall, anywhere quiet really.
My
mum worked out in the fields too doing seasonal work. Lifting potatoes,
mangolds or sugar beet etc. She worked for some time at Isle’s Farm in
Darrington and seemed to have found her ‘niche’. She enjoyed the
work but following the death of the farm owner and the sale of the farm,
she had to leave and began working at Fisher’s Farm. She didn’t
enjoy the change of employment and missed her old workmates so she left
after a short time, although she still went out pea-picking each year.
Dad
bought me a Coventry Eagle bicycle and I recall feeling guilty for weeks
afterwards because I let him know how disappointed I was when he
presented me with it. I wanted a Raleigh with shiny chrome handlebars;
this one was black all over. It cost him nine pounds and five shillings
and it must have taken him ages to save up enough money to buy it. Years
later, I reproached myself many times for being so ungrateful. I soon
discovered that as long as you had two wheels it didn’t much matter
what colour your bike was!
Olive
Skinner and I covered quite a few miles together on our bikes, and I did
get my Raleigh with chrome handlebars a couple of years later, thanks to
dad.
Doveroyd
Farm was now occupied by Mr. Jim Ross and his wide and children.
Margaret was the eldest girl followed by Joan and Mavis, and the two
sons were Kenneth and Peter. Sadly, Kenneth died some years ago. Peter
the youngest son founded Ross Travel, which is based in Featherstone.
As
kids we all played together. The Ross families, June and Olive Skinner,
The Scotts, The Wakefield’s, George Barker, the Beltons. We played
Kick-Can, climbed trees, rode our bikes, walked and explored the woods
and fields around us. Life was idyllic for us although maybe not so for
our parents.
One
evening we were playing a game of cricket and it was my turn to bat. I
whacked the ball and started to run, but I fell and cut my knee badly.
Fortunately, Mr. Sutcliffe (father of Pete, the barber from Ferrybridge)
was sitting down chatting to my dad whilst they watched us play. Mr.
Sutcliffe was an experienced ‘First Aid’ man and quickly told my mum
not to bathe it, but to get me to casualty as soon as possible. I was
put into Mr. Ross’s car and taken to Pontefract General Infirmary
where I had four stitches put in my knee. Two weeks later Olive came
round to call for me and showed me her newly bandaged hand. She had cut
it the previous night and had to have stitches too!
On
numerous occasions Mr (Jim) Ross, who drove a battered, muddy old car,
would give us a lift up the lane. He never simply ignored anyone and
drove past them, no matter who it was, but you had to be prepared to
share the back seat with a piglet or two – or a box of chickens!
I
remember Mrs. Ross as a lovely, kind woman who always wore a gentle
smile and always had time to stop and listen, not only to her own
children, but to me too on occasions! I recall being invited to the farm
one day by Joan and when I arrived I saw Mrs. Ross sitting outside the
kitchen door in warm sunshine making butter. Since then whenever my
thoughts stray back over the years I have a picture of Mrs Ross sitting
there turning the handle of that wooden butter churn.
Once
a week every Wednesday, we had a delivery of groceries and provisions
from a shop named ‘Broughs’ in Featherstone. The driver was a Mr.
Parker. He drove a green painted lorry with waterproof curtain covers
that protected his boxes of groceries from inclement weather.
Each
one of his customers received their orders, which they paid for and then
gave him a new order for the following week. Consequently, Wednesday was
a day that was always eagerly looked forward to by everyone.
Mum
always ensured that a large chunk of fruit slab cake was on her list,
everyone loved it. Of course, during the war a considerable part of the
order was often unobtainable. Some items would be in such short supply
that we didn’t get the amount we had ordered, or they would be
substituted with something else or crossed off the list altogether.
I
recall one occasion when a packet of biscuits led to a misunderstanding
between my Mum and Mrs. Bugg. After the usual orders had been delivered
and Mr. Parker had left, Mum and Mrs Bugg were comparing notes on what
they had received that week. Mum said she had got a packet of Lincoln
Cream biscuits in her box. Mrs. Bugg angrily said, "Well! the
cheeky beggar told me they didn’t have any cream biscuits!" Mum
explained that Lincoln Cream biscuits were not in actual fact cream
biscuits, but were plain biscuits with a creamy taste.
When
I was almost 12 years old Mrs Bugg asked my parents if they would let me
take George top Pontefract Statice. Having younger children to look
after she didn’t have time to take him herself. I remember she gave us
ten shillings to spend at the fair, a huge amount in those days, plus
our bus fares there and back. I don’t remember much about the fair but
I remember our journey home very well.
When
we got to the Knottingley bus stop outside Pontefract Market Hall, a
thick fog developed. We waited in the queue for ages then an inspector
arrived and told us that there would be no more buses that evening; they
had all been cancelled because of the fog.
We
had no option but to set off and walk home in pitch darkness, hardly
able to see where we were going. Outside Wilkinson’s sweet factory,
just before we reached the three arched bridge on Knottingley Road, we
heard the sound of voices and a truck pulled up beside us. A soldier
with a torch in his hand jumped off the truck and asked us where we were
going. I told him and he said "follow me" He walked in front
of us all the way, shining his torch to guide us, until we eventually
reached the roundabout at the crossroads. He left the truck and his
mates outside what was then Oxley’s Garage, to see us safely across
the road to the bottom of Cattle Laithe lane. There waiting by the fence
with his trusty old bike was my Dad. I don’t think I was ever more
relieved to see him!
The
soldier explained to dad how he came to be with us, and Dad thanked him
for his kindness. As we set off up the dark lane, now simply guided by
Dad’s bicycle lamp, my Dad said, "They were Americans".
George and I of course had no idea that they were American G. Is. To us
they were just soldiers who showed us the way home.
A
visit to ‘The Palace’ on a Saturday afternoon was a fairly regular
treat for us children. I usually got a shilling to spend - sixpence for
sweets and sixpence to get into the cinema.
The
sweet shop opposite The Palace was the most popular place to spend our
precious coppers. Sometimes we couldn’t resist the choice of goodies
and ended up spending most of our money on stuff to eat. Our parents
gave us money for seats in the circle and we would only be able to
afford the ‘chicken run’ because we had overspent on sweets. We soon
learned to be less impulsive though when we discovered it wasn’t much
fun sitting on the front row downstairs looking up at the screen until
your neck ached! We sometimes walked back home through ‘The Greenhouse’
which was then a series of winding paths between colourful flowerbeds.
A
drink from the water fountain at the entrance was a must, especially
after all the sweets and chocolates. Then we walked up Spawd Bone Lane
and across the fields past Simpson’s Farm where there was a flock of
geese keener than the most vigilant guard dogs, and even though we tried
to pass by quietly, we never succeeded in fooling them. When we reached
the half way mark across the field, the geese would come charging at us,
wings outstretched and hissing loudly, as they voiced their indignation
at our intrusion on their territory. Now and again we would go directly
down Simpson’s Lane instead, past Kershaw Row and the Morris family’s
cottage.
Just
beyond the brow of the hill was a small spring, where crystal clear, icy
cold water bubbled out of the ground and formed a small stream that ran
down the left side of the lane. The water was quite safe to drink and
many times we cupped our hands together and slaked our thirsts there on
a warm sunny day.
I
recall Simpson’s Lane as being quite a steep hill and on one occasion
after I had been to my Grandad’s at Good Hope Cottages, my Dad gave me
a lift back home on the crossbar of his bike. As we rode down the hill,
the brakes on his bike failed and Dad couldn’t stop. He shouted
"Hold on tight – were going to come a cropper here!"
We
shot past the rear entrance to Greggs Foundry and right across Cattle
Laithe lane where we ended up on the grass verge looking down into the
water filled ditch. A narrow escape and apart from a couple of grazes we
were fine.
Jean Norfolk (nee Hobman)
February 2004
Other articles by Jean Norfolk
Christmas at Cattlelaithe
Charles Burton Hobman
Mrs Madge Holman