I was born to Edward and Mary King on 24th January 1934 at 10 Lytton Street Beswick. On the outbreak of War, September 1939, I was evacuated to a place called Mayfield in Staffordshire. I lived with a lovely lady for almost five years but came home in 1943 to where 10 people lived in a two up two down house. It was what you would call today ‘a culture shock!’ I’d been living in a large country house with all ‘mod cons’.
Back home I attended Birley Street School in the 11+ class, where I was bullied for my ‘posh accent’ the bullies used to put my long plaited hair into the inkwell. I soon learnt to cope with this.
In January 1944 my father died so life was really tough for my mother left to bring up eight children (4 boys & 4 girls) but mother was a really strong person. My two elder brothers got jobs delivering coal in 1cwt bags, pushing a cart loaded with 8cwt at a time! My sister Ada and I got paper rounds,-up at six o’ clock every morning and then again after school delivering the evening paper. The pay wasn’t much but it all helped to keep us together as a family.
We children all passed the 11plus exam but was unable to take up Grammar School Education – just not any money to spare.
We had lots of good things outside the home that we could do and places to go to e.g. Philips Park, Platt Fields, Boggart Hole Clough, Daisy Nook and lots of other places where we were safe and if we had a bottle of water and a jam butty what a good day out it would be. Going to the fountain in Philips Park for fresh cold drink and the bits of mischief we got up to-the parkie chasing us off the grass near the flower beds! My brothers and their mates running a pram with my younger brother in it, into the lake! There wasn’t much water in the lake but my little brother Ted would get a nasty bump on the head!
When I left school in 1949, I went straight to Kaye and Lees in Allum Street, Ancoats where I trained in mens’ tailoring. I hated it! I suppose I was a bit of a rebel, I always opened my wage packet to buy 10 fags! (cigarettes) I never forgot my years at Mayfield and kept in touch with Miss Shirley until she passed away. I was 39 years old and it was the first funeral I had ever attended.
Well I could go on and on but I will say we came from a poor area but our mother lived to the grand age of 95 years and she lived to see all her children do well in life, sure mistakes were made but we have to move on. Incidentally I am now living about 15 miles from where our mother was born.
Eunice O’Dwyer
