January 1956
THIS IS MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY
WRITTEN
BY
YOUR DADDY
**I WAS BORN IN POVERTY
Many things must happen in the life of a person who has lived more than 60 years, and since I never kept a diary it will be impossible for me to remember all the incidents in my life.
However, I did keep some records in my little black book which I made after I left England to come to Canada in 1920. That is why I am able to record some dates. I cannot know when I will die, and since I have asked you. not to read this till I have gone, it may be of little value to you.
I have brought you along to this stage, and you are now grown young men. You were not pampered and spoiled,
but I did try to give you a happy childhood. I could not send you to college or university, but I put you to trades. Were It behooves each and every one of you to read good books and in this way
you can gain much knowledge. Ignorance extols a high price, and if you should go through life ignorant you will suffer much. If my book is ever published I hope you read it.
You are young with all your life before you and going through life is like traveling through an unknown land, you cannot know what is in your pathway. Intelligence will help to steer you clear of the hard spots and pitfalls and bring you through with less bruises and suffering.
I was born June 23 1894. On that same day the first child of the Royal family was born. The newspapers and the people made a lot of fuss over the new Prince, but mother was not interested, she had a prince of her own. But there was a difference, I was not the first child of my parents, I was the fourth.
There was also another difference, my parents, were very poor and another child would not help them, but my father and mother were good Catholics.
My father was born in Bradford of Italian parents and could speak their language very well. I wish he had taught me the Italian language, but mother would not let him do that. In my father's boyhood days education was not compulsory and his parents thought it was more important that he earn money than go to school, therefore he never learned a trade, he never even learned to read or write.
Italians were the first people to make and sell ice cream in England, and that is what my father
did in his young life. When he grew up, it was the only way he knew how to make a living. He fell in love with an Irish girl named Mary Mullen, and when they got married he sold ice cream.
Father had a cart which he pulled by hand through the streets of Bradford on a Saturday and a Sunday. If there was a fair within twenty miles of Bradford he would go. Every year at one time of the year he would go to Bolton in Lancashire to sell ice cream for a man there.This man had a business and he always called on my father to help him during his busy season. Father worked hard and earned good money, but he could only sell ice cream during the summer time. In the winter he could do nothing. He might get an odd job like delivering bills, and when the snow came, he went snow shoveling
Mother had worked many years at Lister's in the gasing before she was married, but when they had a family to take care of mother had to go back to the mill in the winter time. Under such conditions it was difficult for them to feed their family. In those days there were not the helps for needy children like we have today; people kept their poverty much to themselves and struggled on the best way they could. Babies and young children didn't have a chance right from the start, that is why so many children died. I was one of those unfortunate children.
Before I was two years old I had rickets. When I began to walk the bones in my legs were too soft and could not support my body, consequently, my legs bent.
There were no radios in those days to give mothers useful hints on the care of the baby, but after a mother had brought two or three: babies into the world she thought she key all there was to know about babies. My mother took me to the Children's Hospital one day a week for many months.
I must have been very young because mother pushed me to the hospital in the carriage. Although I was so young I remember it quite well. I remember the horse trams that ran on Manningham Lane. Every night before I was taken to bed I remember mother putting me on the table and straping splints on my legs, then she would carry me upstairs and put me in my little cot. This went on a long time, but eventually by bones became strong enough to support my body and the splints were no longer necessary, but I had not grown much in this time.
I don't remember how I went on from there, but I suppose I drifted along like all other young children.
We only had two chairs, one for father and one for mother. At meal time all the children stood around the table. Each of us had a big pot, and it wasn't filled with milk, it was filled with tea. We all dipped our bread in our tea because it very often was dry bread. We had lots of pea soup because we could fill up with bread. Sometimes we would have dry macaroni, and that was a treat.
I think I went to school between the ages of three and four. My eldest sister, Agnes, would take me to school and not having any time to spare herself she would see me into the covered playground then run off to her om classroom. Sometimes I would not go to my class room, I would run back to see if my sister had gone then I would make my way back home again.
Very often other children would come into our house and we would play in a corner of the kitchen. We would put the two chairs round and pretend we were in school. I called it the kitchen, but we only had one room to do everything in, It was our living room, dinning room and wash room all in one. One day mother would do her washing in the corner. We had no hot water so mother had to heat the water on the fire. If it was winter time she had to do her washing at night because she was working in the mill during the day. There was a line went all around the room close to the celling and mother would hang her clothes on this line, and it would always be late when she went to bed. The kitchen would be draped with hanging clothes for many days, but we had been brought up with it and never took any notice.
Every year when Christmas was drawing near it was clean up time. Father would take down all the pictures and then make whitewash. He would put more on the floor than he put on the ceiling, and mother would rage and storm about this, but father was very quiet mannered and wouldn't say much. Then we would all help to wash the pictures, and when they were put back on the walls they would be adorned with holly and mistletoe.
We would have a Christmas tree, but it would only be a little one. This would be placed on the long table in front of the window. I don't think Santa clause knew where I lived, he didn't seem to come very often. I suppose I got little toys of some kind, but all I can remember getting was a checker game.
I didn't know anything about checkers so I would stand the board up on the table and roll the pieces in.
I was not the last child born. Mother had ten children, therefore six children were were born after me, but unfortunately four of them died very young.
Mother worked hard, and when father was making ice cream she lifted a big iron pan full of milk onto the fire, and when it boiled, she took it off. I believe that pan held five gallons, and mother was a very small woman. They did their best, but it was difficult to support eight of us. We did not live, we just existed, and what little we had did not last out till the end of the week.
Very often on Friday noon I would go back to school without a bit to eat because their wasn't a morsel of food in the house. We had to wait till mother got home with her wage before we could eat.
Then an organization was formed in the city that gave free meals to needy children. Mother was always quick to take advantage of anything that would help us, and so she went to see these people. The result was that my two brothers and I were given a brass check with a hole in it. The purpose of the hole was to put a string through it and hang it around the neck so we would not lose it.
Every night we would go to Wapping school and stand in line till the door was opened. We might stand there an hour or more because the closer we were to the door the sooner we got in, and it wasn't very cheerful standing there in the cold winter months, especially when it was snowing, but we put up with all this discomfort because we knew there was food waiting for us inside.
It was mostly corm beef sandwiches, but once or twice a week we got buns. During the winter months they would put on a concert for us on a Saturday night and when we left we were given an orange. This organization, known as the Cinderella Club gave clothes away too. I believe I got one or two suits from them. Then the Cinderella Club built a home at Morecambe and mother got me away to this home for two weeks .Two years in succession.
There was a big boy lived down the street, his name was Andrew Benedetti. He was very religious and he liked to play with me. He would cut a hole in a newspaper and use it as a vestment and pretend to say Mass. I acted as server.
Our pop bottles had a glass marble in them and they rattled. I would use one of these bottles as the bell. Andrew took fits, but he did not fall. He would stand still in one place with his eyes fixed on one spot and he could not speak.
He once took one of his fits standing in the car lines in Otley Road and I had to stop the street car.
There was another organization in Bradford known as the Charity Organization Society although I don't know when this started. These people sent children away to the country for three weeks. Mother went after these people and I went to Amotherby for three weeks. I can see that farm house now and the good lady that fed us real good meals. There was a little chapel in the village and although it was a protestant chapel we all had to go on Sunday. There was one little store that sold stamps, and I can remember buying stanps there for the postcards I sent home to mother.
A great pass time we had was to play marbles although we never call them marbles, we called them tors. Another good pass time was to play with a top. We would wind a string around the top and throw it to the ground and it would spin.
We would mark a square on the sidewalk with a piece of chalk and put buttons in, and while the top was spinning we would get it onto our hand and then throw it at a button to knock it out of the square, bigger boys put coppers in the square, they had more fun gambling with their tops. My brothers and I used to play in the house, but sometimes the top would stick to the string and fly into the air. When this happened mother would clamp down on us and we had to quit.
We hadn't much, but we had some nice pictures and mother was afaid we would break them.
Mother always bought my boots at Stead & Simpson. Their store was at the corner of Otley Road and Colburgh Street, One pair of boots I got were too tight and gave me a bunion. I never noticed it when I was out playing, but when I was taking my boots off to go to bed, it gave me a lot of trouble. I would take all the lace out of my boot, but it would be half an hour or more before I could get that boot off. I would cry before I got that boot off.
When I was about ten years old I was stricken with rheumatism. I was crippled in every joint of my body even my fingers were cued up. I lay in bed like a piece of wood for nine weeks. When I did get up I was stiff for a long time.
If I sat down for ten minutes or more I found it difficult to get up and walk. Somebody would have to help me for a while before I could walk alone.
The next winter I was down again exactly the same way, But this time it lasted five weeks. When I was able, I went out and played with the boys and forgot about it. I was young and liked to play, therefore I could not let these things interfere with my childish pleasures.
It seemed as if rheumatism had become a member of the family that liked to visit me onee a year because he came a third time, but I must have given him the cold shoulder because when he came the third time he only stayed three weeks.
Father would press my knees down in bed, and the pain would make me scream. Father thought he was helping me by loosening my joints. This did not make any difference because no matter what position I was in I would stay in that position, I could not move. My parents and I had one consolation, the periods of time were getting shorter. Although I was not confined to bed again it was some years before I got rid of all my rheumatism. Every winter my joints would get stiff and I found it difficult to walk about. One Saturday night I went to St. Georges's Hall and a man came to me and said, what is the matter with you boy?
When I told him I had rheumatism he said, it looked very much like it to me, but I am surprised to see a boy so young with rheumatism. I guess it was un-usual, but I was an unusual boy.
When school children reached the age of 12 they went half time. That meant, they went to work half a day and school the other half. When I reached the age of 12 I was very small and suffering the effects of rheumatism so mother would not let me go to work. Not until I was 13 did I go half time, Bradford being a woolen centre the principle work was the spinning mill, and like most other childen I went to the spinning mill. Our work commenced at 6 a.m. and in order to be at work in time it was necessary to get up at 5.a.m. That was a little early for a kid of 13 to get up and in the evening I was sure to be sleepy. We had a sofa, but that was used to hold the fender and I had to sit on a stool. My eldest sister and two brothers were working and I was working, therefore we had a stool now, and so I would sit on the stool. Many times I have fallen off that stool and struck my head on a table leg of the floor.
About this time my eldest brother took me to Park Avenue. The first game I saw was rugby, but very soon it was changed to soccer. I soon became very interested in this game, and the boys I played with were interested in it too.
When I was 14 I went full time. I had finished with school and was now going to work all day. After working at Rouses a while I left and went to try Mills on Thornton Road near Preston Street. That picture you have seen of me as a boy was taken outside Try Mills.
I left Try Mills and went to Smith's in Preston Street in the mule spinning. After working there a while I left and went to the Tin Canister Shop. I never told my mother when I was leaving one place to go to another, but I never lost any time, I just walked out of one place into another. But right from the time I went full time, my weeks work was not over when I got home on Saturday noon .
My father was waiting for me and I had to go with him. I helped to push his cart and stay with it when he went into the football fields where young men were were playing. He would fill the biscuit tin lid with sandwiches and go among the spectators to sell them. On Sunday it would be the same thing, I would have to go with him again. It deprived me of playing with the boys, but my father said I had to go, and so I had to go. I had learned my catechism at school and the fourth commandment said I must obey my parents.
Bradford City had been playing football a few years and the game was well know. The game had such a hold on most boys that it seemed natural for them to kick something about. It might be a bone or a stone, but they had to be kicking something. The boys I played with would sometimes buy a rubber ball for 2d. Then We would find some place to play. I might be on North Wing, Heap Lane or even in the street, but mothers didn't want us to play in the street, they were afraid we would break their windows. We also had to watch for the bobby because we were not allowed to play in the street.
Sometimes we would buy a bladder from the pork shop for a Ld. then go down to Spencers and beg a nail bag. We would put the bladder in the nail bag and blom it up. It wasn't round, but it was much bigger than a 2d. ball. As we got a little older we saved up and bought a football and on Saturday we would go to the Park and play. On King Charles Street there was a corn mill close to the end of the street. There was room for seven or eight of us on the steps and almost every night we would sit and tell stories. Then my eldest brother bought a mouth organ, but he had no ear for music and didn't bother with it , but I did. Every night when he went out I would take the mouth organ and try to play it.
I kept this up for a week and at the end of that time I could play it. It was my brother's organ so I bought one of my own. They only cost 6d. but in those days 6d was a lot of money. That was my spending money for a weeks work, but I was always careful with money. Out of 6d a week a bought two silver matches at Morleys .
Now when we sat on the corn mill steps I would play the mouth organ and the boys would sing. Some of the boys were on the choir, and with some songs they would sing.in harmony and it would sound nice. Very often a good number of people would gather at the street end to listen. Some nights we would stroll through Bolshaw Fields playing and singing. Now that the were are all working, things were not too bad. We were able to live better and mother was able to buy things for the home. When I was 17 mother bought a piano. Like the mouth organ I could not leave it alone, and so I banged on it until I played it.
We were all growing up and our house was not big enough to accommodate us, so mother went hunting for a bigger house. Mother generally got what she went after and she got a nice house at the bottom of the street. We all liked the house, but it was in a rough neighborhood, there was a lot of fighting around there.
I had given up going out with father because he had given up the ice cream business, he was now working for the Bradford Corporation. What a pity he didn't get that job when we were youngsters. Now when it wasn't necessary for him to work at all, he got a good job.
Our family had been reduced by one because in 1910 my brother John got married, and 1913 he and his wife and baby went to Canada. We had quite a big farewell party for them at our house, it went on till four in the morning.
We went to the Palace Theatre nearly every Saturday night. Sometimes the would go to the Princes to see a play, at other times we would go to the Empire.
The Empire was then a musical hall and we could go in the gallery for 2d. On Sunday after Mass we would go to the boy's club. There we could play billiards, cards, chess or just sit around and talk, and you can be sure that talking was mostly about football. Brother Baldwin had three teams, and they had won many cups and medals. I had learned to play football well and I was included in one of the teams. At the club I never played cards, but I played a lot of billiard and chess, I also played the phonograph. Brother Baldwin liked me to play the phonograph because I always played good music.
When I started at the Tin Canister Shop I was working piece work and I gave my mother l4s a week whether I earned it or not. Some weeks I didn't earn it and some weeks I eamed quite a bit more. Being careful with my money I was able to save a little.
I worked there four years, and they were the happiest years of my young life. In 1914 the war came and food prices began to rise, in fact everything began to rise. There was little chance of getting any more money at the Can shop so I left and went to Lister's. To get this job I had to join the Textile Union.
Their rooms were on Sunbridge Road and being a member I could go in any time I liked. I often went in on a Monday aftenoon to watch them play cards or have a game of billiards.
Whilst working at Lister's I became friendly with young lady who lived in Beamsley Street, her name was Mary Murray. I knew her father and brother very Well, they both worked at Lister's.
I could only take her out at weekends be cause I worked on nights, but I would see her every night. After our first supper along with some of the other fellows we would go and stand at the bottom of Lillycroft Road and Mary would always come walking up. I would go along with her and talk a while, but I could only spend a little time with her because I had to get back to work.
Every Saturday evening I went to her home to take her out. One Saturday evening when I went for her she was not at home. Her mother thought she might be over at her married daughter's place and she sent her grand daughter to tell her aunt Mary that Hughie had come. When the little girl came back she said her aunt Mary had gone to the Woolcomber's with some other girls. I knew if they had gone there, they had gone to drink, and so that was the last time I went to see Mary.
I was not in love with Mary, therefore it was not difficult to give her up. When we went to the Palace there was sure to be some girls I knew close behind us. Two of these girls were sisters, they were Kitty and Lilly Lundy and their friend Sadie Jones, Sadie played the violin and she was a good player although she was still taking lessons. We invited ourselves up to the Lundy home and their mother was glad to have us because we brightened things up. They had a piano, but it was a pretty old one. I had to bang it hard to get music out of it. Every time I played it I was sure to knock some of the keys off, but Mrs Lundy didn't care. She would say, never mind the keys, give us some more music Hughie, I introduced Pat O'Mellia to the girls because I had known them a long time, Pat fell in love with Lilly and married her. Billy Gallagher became friendly with another girl whom he eventually married.
I was at Lister's about two years, but I didn't leave there I got fired. We always finished our work about 3.0 am. and then played cards. The foreman had told us not to play cards, but we liked to gamble. One morning he caught us and asked who owed the cards. The man who did own the cards was afraid to say they were his, so I said they were mine, The foreman said, you have finished. Most of the other fellows were going to quit, but I told them not to do because I was tired of night work, and I knew the Union would soon get me another job.
I was only out of work a few days when I was sent to Water Lane Dye Works. I started on night work, but that did not last long and then I was on days. It was hard work, but I soon got used to it, and as I always did, I worked fast. The men said I was the best man they had ever had on that job. I was keeping four machines going and they were going top speed. We worked in sets, and the money we made was shared out equally with every man.
Men could get board for 1.0.0 a week or the very most 25s a week. From the time I started at Listers I gave my mother 35s a week. I bought my own shoes and I paid 5.0.0 for a suit length of Botany Serge, then paid f3.10. to have it made up. It was a nice suit with two pairs of trousers and I kept it nice.
I had that suit a long time. I gave f3.10.0. for an overcoat, but mother paid me for this, so much a week.
A TURNING POINT IN MY LIFE
In the house at the bottom of the street we had a man rooming with us, his name was Dick. Every night when Dick cane in it was always the same story, the war. Up to this time the Government had depended on volunteers, but these were not enough so they brought in compulsory service. Three of my pals went into the army and one in the navy. I was not tall enough for military service and so I was left behind. I never bothered with any other fellows, I traveled alone.
I would go to the picture show some evenings and on Sunday I liked to take a walk in the country.
I often took the (street)car to undercliff then walked to Apperley Bridge and walked along the river bank and came out at Rodley near Leeds. Sometimes I would go to Saltair and walk over Shipley Glen. I don't remember when the Morley Street picture house was built and the
Alambra, but I know what it was like before they were built. That was a big piece of spare ground, and it was often used by a lot of quacks. One guy would be selling pills, another hair restorer, another would be drinking paraffin and blowing fire out of his mouth. We would watch and think it was a lot of fun, all this happened long before the war started so the Morley Street picture house and the Alambra must have been built before 19144.
I missed my pals very much because we had been pals a long time and I prayed hard that they would all come safely home. They all did come home, but two of them were wounded. Pat had a shrapnel wound in the back, and Joe had a shrapnel would in the head. They patched Joe up pretty good and sent him home. Pat remained in hospital a long time, and when he did get home he had to go to hospital again.
Joe didn't show any signs of being wounded and he had some good times in England and Ireland. When he was in England and not too far from home he would always come home for the weekend and then I had a pa1. Joe was a handsome young man and very attractive to girls. When he was home we might go to the picture show through the week, but we often booked seats for the Alambra for Saturday night.
We had booked seats for the Alambra and Saturday afternoon we took a walk in Lister Park. While sitting on a bench talking we saw two girls walking around the edge of the pond. It seemed that one of these girls had her eye on my pal because when we asked them to come over they didn't need asking twice.
Of course the girl wo had her eye on my pal made sure to sit next to him, and I had to take the other girl. This was May 27 1917. I had been out with many girls, but none of them had interested me as much as this girl did. I thought she was a pretty little girl and I was very much taken up with her. We arranged to meet them after supper. When I saw Joe he said he would take his girl for a walk and so he gave me his Alambra ticket and I took my girl to the Alambra. When I took her home I was not satisfied to say good night and forget about her, so I arranged to see her the next day, Sunday.
I didn't know and I didn't care how my pal had got along with his girl, I just wanted to be with my girl.
When I took her home after our Sunday night outing I still wanted to see more of her. She said she could see me on Tuesday evening, and so on Tuesday evening we went out again, This girl had done something to me. I could not think of anything else but her. As soon as I wakened in the morning she was in my mind. Many times through the day whilst I was at work she would come into my mind. What had happened? It was quite simple. I had fallen in love.
From then on I took her out four times a week, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.
I told her my name and she told me her name was Jessie Bowden. After a few weeks Jessie suggested that we start our outing on Sunday in the afternoon. There are many beauty spots around Bradford and we would select one and spend the day. We would take the car to Saltaire and walk over Shipley Glen and explore parts we had never seen before. Sometimes we would go to Apperly Bridge. We went to all the woods around Bradford, but Jessie would be sure to find some place where we could have tea, Jessie was not satisfied to have a plain tea, she was sure to order something expensive like lobster. Of course she would enjoy herself because I was paying for it. I took her to the best seats in the theatre, and I bought her expensive presents.
I never counted the money I spent because I was in love. I bought her a lovely gold watch, and that night we quarreled. When I gave it to her she did not make any fuss about it, she took it as if she had a right to it. When our holidays came in August I asked her to go to Blackpool with me.
But she did not want to go, so I went with the Lundy family. I brought her a beautiful gold broach back from Blackpool and that night she cried. The explanation she gave me for her tears was the broach. She said pearls meant tears.
But Jessie could cry any time, It was very plain to me that Jessie did not love me. I can not say my courting days were happy, but I forgave her all her shortcomings because I was always hopeful that one day she would love me. At that time I was young and didn't know much. Millions of people have made terrible mistakes just because they were young. We are not humble enough to admit to ourselves that we are ignorant. We cannot because we don't know we are ignorant. We learn to read and write and do arithmetic at school and he think this is enough to take us through life.
There are many problems awaiting us on our journey through life, and with out knowledge these problems can be very difficult. Knowledge can be gained only through learning, and this learning may take many years of our life.
It is natural to fall in love and because it is natural we think there is nothing to learn about it. Love is a great emotion and can, and often does blot out our reasoning powers then leads us on to disaster. In stead of being governed by emotion we should always be governed by reason. We can love with great passion, but that love can die. It can be trampled on and killed like the flowers in a garden, but unlike the flowers we cannot sow more seeds and grow a new love. When Love is dead that love will never live again.
I took Jessie home and introduced her to my father and mother, my brothers and sisters and many of my friends. Veronica, who had been living at our house a long time, accepted her, but she was not happy about her. Veronica had been in love with me a long time, but she kept it to herself. It was not until I went back to England in 1939 I learned that Veronica was in love with me.
Jessie did not take me to her home and she found it difficult to explain why. Eventually she told me. When her father lea med that his daughter was keeping company with a Catholic young man, he forbid her to ever bring him to his home,
They were Congregationalists and were bitter and narrow minded people. I said, don't let that upset you sweetheart, I am not courting your father, and if I cannot go to your home I will meet you outside. We arranged to meet at 7.p.m. on Tyrel Street every evening we were going out and 2.p.m. on Sunday.
It has been said that patience is a virtue. I must have been a very saintly man because she certainly tried my patience. When I look back I tell myself I must have had a screw loose to put up with all the waiting I did on Tyrel Street.
Every time, I would wait half an hour or more before she would show up. My patience would wear thin by the time she arrived and then we would set off on the wrong foot because I was burned up and it would be some time before I cooled down.
One Saturday evening whilst I was waiting, Bessie O'Brien came along. Bessie was a girl I danced with at many dances I went to. I had known her a long time and we were good friends. She guess I was waiting for a girl. I said, yes Bessie I am waiting for my sweetheart and I am sick and tired of waiting. I had two tickets in my pockets for the Theatre Royal. I looked at my watch and it was nearly half past seven. I said, look at my watch Bessie. I will wait till half past seven, and if she does not come by that time I will take you.
I meant what I said because I was so sick and tired of waiting I wanted to get away from that spot. Just then a street car came down and I waited till everybody had got off, and then I saw her tripping along. I said, "I'm sorry Bessie but the culprit is here.'
Her father was the caretaker of the chapel in Listerhills Road. Jessie often talked about her father and the chapel. I realized they were bigoted people but still I had made up my mind to marry her. I was fully conscious of a mixed marriage and I intended to avoid this if at all possible.
Talking with my pal Tommy about it he said, it will be a miracle if you ever make that girl a Catholic. I said, well Tommy I'm going to make a good try. At every opportunity I would bring our conversation round to religion. This caused Jessie to ask questions. Like many other non-Catholics she had some strange ideas of Catholics and the Catholic Church. When I corrected the these foolish ideas it lead her to ask more questions. I changed many of her views and this removed much of the bittemess she once had about Catholics. But
Jessie had been brought up in a Congregational home and her father had a lot of influence on her, I realized my task would be difficult, but I had placed my trust in prayer and I was confident I would succeed.
I never went to bed without my rosary.Then I had to suffer some more, but this time it is more mental than physical, I contracted a disease commonly called barber's rash.
I shaved myself as a rule, but odd times I would be shaved by the barber around the corner.
It spread rapidly and soon all my face, were the hair grew was covered. I didn't go to a doctor, I doctored it myself, but again I didn't know enough. It was impossible for me to shave so the best thing I could do was to cut my beard with the scissors and sometimes I would pull out the hair with tweezers. It made me very miserable because I was ashamed to show my face. I endured this for more than three years. By a stroke of luck my mother found a cure. A booklet was thrown into the house, which mother looked through. She found something that interested her and she decided to try it. It was expensive and took a long time to make. The ingredients were tree roots which I bought at the Herbalist. They had to be boiled five hours then strained and bottled. I had to drink half a pint of this mixture every day and bath my face with it. In the book it said the disease should be cleared up in three months. It was just about three months from the time I started using it that every trace of the disease had left my face.
I made sure that nobody ever shaved me after that.
It looked as is the war was going to go on for ever. We could not think of England losing the war, but we had to admit that Germany was a powerful foe. Their soldiers were well trained, and they were lead by great generals.
When conscription was brought in I got my papers, but I was rejected on account of my height. My mother was very upset when I got my a papers, but she was greatly relieved when I told her I had been rejected. Some time later this ruling was altered and the height was reduced. Then I got my papers again, and this time when I went up for examination I was classed Al, that meant I was fit for active service. When my mother heard this she was terrified. I cannot say I was happy about it. I was afraid if I went to war I might not come back and then I would never see Jessie again.
We were allowed to make three appeals to the local tribunal and one to the Appeals Tribunal. I appealed this classification, and after another examination it was changed to Bl. I prayed hard for my pals and also for myself. It became a battle of wits. Then you had an appeal in they could not send you your papers until you had heard your appeal, and it might be five or six weeks before you would hear your appeal. This meant time, and that is what I was fighting for.
I knew that Bl men would soon be called up although I still had two appeals for the Local Tribunal. But you had to have good grounds to make an appeal. Sure enough my papers came again and I put in another appeal. I don't remember what grounds I dug up for this appeal, but it meant time, I think I got a little time exemption on that appeal.
My papers came again and I put in my last appeal. This was turned down. When my papers came again, I appealed to the Appeals Tribunal. That was the last time I could appeal. It was the summer of 1918 and up at the Lundy home we were planning and preparing for another holiday in Blackpool.
My appeal was turned down. I asked them if they would let the have my holiday because I had made all preparations for it. They told me I had no business to make plans for a holiday at this time. My papers came, but they did give me time to have my holiday because I was not called up till the week after my holidays.
I forgot about the war and went to Blackpool. On Thursday of that week I got a telegram from my eldest brother telling me to get home on Friday. I didn't know what was wrong at home so I packed up and went home on Friday. My brother told me that Mr. Ahearst had got all Bl men exempted for a certain time, but I must get rid of my papers by tomorrow. Mr. Ahearst was the secretary of the Union.
So on Saturday morning I took my papers to the Central Bathe and got rid of them. The time of this exemption did not last long. I had used up all my appeals, I had nothing left to fight with, therefore when my papers came the next time I would have to go.
If my mother found my mail in the box she would always put it on the piano top, and when I got home from work I would look over at the piano to see if there was anything for me. One night when I got home I had a big surprise.
I had a letter from the Appeals Tribunal telling me they would hear my case on such a date. I was puzzled, I could not understand this. This was definitely a mistake because they had already heard my case, but it was a good mistake because it would give me more time. When I went before them, I thought it was strange they did not remember that I had been before then only a few weeks previously, but they never said a word about it. My appeal was disallowed like it was the last time.
The days went by and my papers did not come. This seemed like a miracle to me. How could they make such a mistake with all their records right there in front of them, and why hadn't my papers come?
I thanked God for this because it could only be through my prayers to His Blessed Mother that such a thing could happen. Everybody thought it was strange but only I knew the answer. The Mother of God had heard my prayers.
THE NIGHT I DIED
For some weeks past we had been reading in our papers about a disease that was sweeping over the country like a plague. It was a new disease and doctors knew nothing about it. They thought it was caused by dead bodies in France and men coming home had brought it with them. The name they gave this disease was the Spanish Flu. People were dying like flies. Two and some times three coffins were being taken out of one house at the same time. It spread across to Canada and United States. It took the lives of 20,000,000 people.
We often read of misfortunes happening to other people, but we never think they will happen to us. But one evening when I got home I got quite a surprise. My father was in bed sick. This was a surprise because I had never known my father to be sick a day in his life. However, mother took care of him and he was not in bed long because he would not stay in bed. He could not think that anything could keep him in hed, but when he did get up he would have to go back because he was too dizzy to stand on his feet. The Flu had come to out home and father was the first to get it.
But I don't think father's attack was very severe. I think he was up in about a week. He would get dizzy and have to lie down on the couch and it was about two weeks before he could walk out. Then ny eldest sister got it, and mother nursed her back to health. Then my other sisters got it. My eldest brother had been married about two years therefore he was not at home. My mother had been kept busy for some weeks, but they all got well and it was good to get rid of that scourge. I was not afraid of getting it because I was a young man. Perhaps I thought it only struck at old people and women, but one night I went to the Morley Street picture house and young lady was sitting next to me. She coughed and sneezed so often that she asked me to excuse her. She said she was a nurse and must have caught cold on convoy duty. Convoy duty was bringing wounded soldiers in from the railway stations and taking them to hospital. This was always done at midnight.
When I got home I didn't feel well. I felt as if I had a cold coming on. I asked my mother if she had any whiskey in because she often had a bottle stored away, but that night she did not have any so I went right to bed. The next morning I was unable to get up. It was very plain to see what was wrong with me. I had the flue. My head ached like it had never ached before. I was like a raving mad man in bed. I rolled and tossed about from one side and the other. My mother sat at ny bedside for hours keeping the covers on me because I was in a fever and she wanted to keep me warm. The fever got so bad I became delirious. I was talking, but did not make sense. This went on for days and my poor mother had a hard time taking care of me. My sisters and Veronica came up to relieve her from time to time, but they could only come up in the evening when they were home from work. A man who lived up the street named Jimmy Jones always past our window at the same time every day on his way home from work. While I was in bed he past our window much sooner one day because he was coming home sick. Four days later he was dead. However, I survived, and after 12 days I got up. Mother never called the doctor because I guess she thought she could manage the job herself, and no doubt she was a good nurse. She pulled us all through the Flu.
I did not realize how serious the disease as and what it had taken out of me, but my whole constitution had been weakened very much and it would take weeks for me to recover, but I did not know this.
I was anxious to get back to work, and after being up a week I was feeling quite well so on Monday morning I went to work. I got through my work all right, and when I got home I felt just as well as usual. I had my supper then sat in front of the fire to read the paper.
Agnes built up a big fire, then she and Veronica vent out, Mother and Teresa went to the Scala. The Scala vas a picture show then. By other sister Rosie and I were left at home. It was late October and it was cold outside so it was nice to sit before a grand big fire.
It had been three or four weeks since I was before the Tribunal, but still my papers had not come I could only say it was through my prayers they had not come.
I sat there reading enjoying the warmth of a nice fire when suddenly I felt a slight pain in my chest. It was not very much, but it effected my breathing. I thought I had been sitting too long in front of this big fire and I need some fresh air, so I went to the door and stood on the step for a while and took in some deep breaths. This did not make any difference, so I came in and closed the door. I told Rosie I had a slight pain in my chest and it was interfering with my breathing. I will go to bed and when mother comes home tell her about it. I am sure she will know what it is and will be able to put me right in quick time. I didn't want to give my mother any more trouble, I knew what she had gone through.
I was hoping she would give me something and I would be well in the morning.
I knelt down and said my prayers then got into bed. When I got settled down, it flashed into my mind what was wrong. I didn't claim to know anything about disease in those days, but I knew enough to know what was the cause of my little pain.
When mother came home Rosie told her and she came up to my room. I said, I know what is wrong mother. That little pain I have is pleurisy. My mother had had pleurisy in her young days, and remembering the treatment they gave her, she set about to give me the same treatment. She first soaked a piece of flanel in turpentine and put that on my chest. Turpentine gets very hot, and when it has been on the naked skin about twenty minutes it burns the skin. Mother had made a fire in the grate in my room and was preparing a linseed poultice. When that poultice was ready the flannel had been on my chest half an hour and my chest was raw and burned. Mother took the flannel off and put the poultice on. Putting that hot poultice on my buned chest made me scream. Rosie came running up the stairs and when she knew what mother was doing she begged her not to do it, but mother knew what pleurisy was, and she was going to do all she could to check it. Mother stayed with me all that night putting poultices on my chest.
It was just as if my mother had done nothing because the next day I was worse. That disease was going to have its own way no matter what anybody did. The lung is encased in a lining and pleurisy is inflammation of that lining. Inflammation nips and tightens the lining and prevent the lung from expanding, that is why it is so difficult to breath. It it cannot be checked, it will go on and strangle the lung and the patient dies gasping for breath, and it is a terrible death. On Tuesday when mother saw that all her work was in vain and I was much worse, she brought the doctor.
Some diseases work very fast. One night I was in a picture show and the next day I was in bed with a terrible fever raving like a mad man. Another night I was sitting before a nice big fire reading the newspaper and the next day I was in bed fighting for my life.
That little pain was no longer a little pain, it was a mighty big one. It had gone down my chest and round my side and gone tp my back making a horseshoe shape, but it was a mighty big horse. The pain was terrible to bear, but the most difficult part was my breathing. I gasped and gasped and then I would get a little air. This would force the lung and increase the pain. I could only groan because I hadn't the strength to scream.
On Tuesday night mother brought another doctor. I guess doctors didn't kmow as much in those days as they do today or those doctors would not have watched me suffer like that.
Everybody in the house came to my room. In my mind I can see my father now standing at the foot of my bed. He was struggling hard to prevent the tears from rolling down his cheeks. I was sorry for my father. I was sorry for all of them because it must have been terrible for them to stand there and watch me fight and struggle desperately for my life and not be able to help me. But the one I was much concerned about was my mother. She had nursed five of us back to health, and in so doing had lost many hours of rest. She had climbed up and down the stairs time without number and stayed up night after night. After all her labors I had brought it upon her once more.
I felt that I was killing my mother. When they had all left my room Veronica came back and stayed with me. Veronica stayed with me along time that night. She kept my lips moist with water, and once she bent over and kissed me. I had an easy chair in my room and Veronica sat close to me holding my hand and doing everything she could to comfort me. I could only whisper and it took me about five minutes to say one sentence. I could only whisper when I got a little air. Veronica was patient and would listen, but it was very seldom I spoke.
Mother had worn herself out and it wasn't easy for her to climb the stairs, but Veronica came to my bedside whenever she could.
It was late on Tuesday night when she left me, but Veronica had to get up to go to work. I struggled through that night and on Wednesday my condition grew worse. That evening when they came up to see me some of them could not hold back the tears. They knew I was dying, and they should have brought the priest, but some people are funny, even some Catholics are superstitious. They are afraid to bring the priest because they think it is a sure sign of death that is why they wait till the last minute.
When they had all gone Veronica came back again, I saw her wipe the tears from her eyes several times. She stayed with me a long time and would have stayed with me all night, but I told her in my whispered voice, not to stay all night be cause if you do mother will see you and then she will stay. I didn't want my mother to stay up all night, I wanted her to go to bed and get some rest, and that is why I would not let Veronica stay with me. I told Veronica not to let mother know how bad I was.
When Veronica left me I was all alone. How I lived through that night, I will never know. I forgot my sufferings. I forgot my very existence on earth. The world around me was blank. My thoughts went to God. I saw the Sacred Heart hovering over my bed and I was telling myself that soon I would be kneeling before Him in judgement. Would he take me into His Heaven?
I thought of groaning out loud to bring somebody to my bedside because I didn't want them to find me dead in the morning. I knew Veronica would come, but I was afraid of disturbing my mother, and it was better for met die than kill my mother. When I was dead, my mother could rest. Somebody must have prayed very hard for me because the next morning the miracle happened. God had already performed one miracle for me when He saved me from the army, and now He has performed another. I firmly believe that only a miracle could have saved me that night. I had given up my life to God, but He had given it back to me. God knew I had not finished my work here on earth. I had to get married and bring six lovely children into the world and bring them up good Catholics.
I did not think I would see the dawn, but I did, and what is more my breathing was a little better. I was still gasping for air, but I was getting it quicker than I got it before.
As the day went on my pain diminished and my breathing improved. When evening came my breathing was nearly normal, and when everybody came up to see me it did my heart good to see their sad faces change to a smile. They had lived through a terrible ordeal.
Jessie did not come to see me whilst I was ill because she did not know. I had given her up some months ago. That was the biggest thing I had ever done. I gave her up with the hope that she would think seriously of becoming a Catholic, but as I said before, Jessie did not love me, therefore giving her up didn't hurt her very much. She would miss the good times I gave her, but she was young and I suppose she was confident she get some other young man to take her out and spend his money freely.
My papers never came and while I vas in bed the armistice was signed. The men at work made a collection for me and one of the men, George Bentley, brought the money to our house.
Before I got up Tommy Glenn came to see me. Tommy was in the navy and he was home on survivors leave. They had shot the ship from under him. I think Tommy was dumped in the ocean four times and saw many men die, but I prayed very hard for my pals, and Tommy came safely home.
When I got up I was careful about going back to work, but I knew it would not be long before I would be out of work. The B.D.A. (Bradford Dyers Association) had guaranteed their workers their jobs back then they returned from the service.
That meant that all those men who had been talcen on during the war would have to go to make roon for the men coming back.
Early in 1919 I was given my notice. When the war ended trade in Britain was very bad, and when I finished at Water Lane it was impossible for the Union to get me a job. I was given 8s a week out of work pay from the Union and I was out of work one year. I had saved a little money, and for the first six months of that year I gave my mother the same wage I gave her when I was working, and that was 35s a week.
When I was about 14 years old I became interested in old watches. I became curious to know how they worked. I would play for hours with them on the table with a damming needle and one of my sister's curling irons. Girls used to use curling pins to curl their hair, and I would open one of these and use it for tweezers. In this way I learned a lot about watches. We had a clock on the mantle and it stopped going I was sure I could fix it, and after it had stood on the mantle a week I took it down. When my eldest sister saw what I was doing she nearly jumped on me. I was only about 15 or sixteen years old then.
When my father came in I asked him if I could repair it. My sister said, whet do you know about clocks, you are only a kid? We will take it to the watchmaker. My father said, let him play with it and if he breaks it we will buy another. That just suited me. If father said I can play with it, I was free to do what I liked. with it. I think it was about eleven o'clock that night when I put that clock back on the mantle and it was going, and it kept going a long time after that.
This was my first success and it gave me a lot of confidence. I then bought two books, one for watch repairing and one for clock repairing. With these books I learned all about tools. I then started to buy the tools, and with the proper tools I could do the job much better.
During that year I was out of work I did quite a bit of watch repairing. This helped me to give my mother 35s a week. I still had some money I had saved, but this was getting less. But I was very proud and did not like to eat my food without paying for it.
Early in 1920 the Union got me a job. I was sent to Jennings Weshes at the top of Burnett Street. I had never worked so near home before. I could go home for my lunch.
When I was out of work I gave my mother 35s a week for six months, and then I had to reduce it to f1.0 a week because my savings were getting very low.
Then John and his wife and baby went to Canada in 1913 they did not stay there two years before they were back again. John then joined the army.
In 1920 he got the feeling to go again, and he thought it would be good for me if I went with him.I was a little surprised that he wanted me to go with him because we had never been good friends. Perhaps he thought I would give him more courage than he had the last time he was there, I had experienced one year of unemployment and didn't want any more of that. Although I was now working I guess the fear of being out of work again caused me to make up my mind, and so I decided to go with him.
I had not seen Jessie for eight months and then one night I saw her talking with a young man near the Empire. I came to the conclusion she was courting again. I was greatly concerned about her and was anxious to know what kind of a young man she was courting. If she should marry him, would he make her a good husband? So I wrote to her and in her reply she told me it was quite an accident I had seen her. The young man was somebody she had met that night and was of no importance to her. I wrote her again and asked her to meet me. This started us going out again. We went on in the same old way because she had not changed a bit. When I told her I was going to Canada she was not very upset about it. She did take me into their chapel library and let me pick some books. When I was in there I got the history of Ireland. I loaned this book to Tommy Glenn, but he never gave me it back.
I told Jessie I would send for her as soon as I could, but she said she was afraid to cross the ocean.
Jessie did not come to my farewell party nor did she come to the station to see me off.
TO A NEW LIFE IN CANADA
On Oct 1 1920 we sailed for Canada. My father, Agnes and Veronica came to Liverpool to see us off. That was a very unhappy day for me. I was leaving my father and mother and my home; would I ever see them again? Mother could not come to Liverpool because she was sitting in a chair nursing a scalded foot.
Would I ever see Bradford and all my friends again? These were the thoughts going through my mind, and inside of me I was suffering a terrible agony. My brother said to me, what's the matter with you, you look terrible? If I looked anything like I felt, I certainly did look terrible.
When the ship moved out somebody played Auld Lang Synge on a bugle. My heart seemed to fall right out of me. I kept my eyes fixed on my father as far as I could see. I wanted to jump off the ship and run back, but I knew that was impossible. I was on a moving ship and I would have to stay on that ship until it reached port, so I settled down to make the best of it.
The next day I felt a little better, and then I looked at the whole situation in a more practical way. The ship was not going to turn round and go back. Our next stop was Quebec, and the sensible thing to do was get as much enjoyment out of the voyage as I could.
I walked around the ship finding places so that I would look where they were if ever I wanted them. When I look back at the accommodation we had on the Minnedosa and compare it with the accommodation I have had on other ships I must say it certainly was third class. In spite of the poor fare we had I settled down and had a very enjoyable voyage. I made a lot of friends on that ship. There were quite a number of foreigners traveling on the ship and some of them were good musicians.
On account of the large number of people traveling the Captain gate us the run of the deck on one side of the ship. At night I would line the musicians up and we would march the full length of this deck two or three times playing all the time. We would do this almost every night. We all enjoyed it and it helped me forget my troubles.
There was one who was not enjoying herself and that was John's wife, Nellie. She became seasick the second day and never left her bed all through the voyage. I did my best to cheer her up. I went to her cabin several times a day.
I had to remind her husband to go to her cabin, but he didn't like it. The smells from the kitchen got into their cabin and he made this an excuse for not going. I reminded him she was his wife and it was his duty to give her all the cheer and comfort he could, John was ignorant, therefore he was selfish.
He could not read. Nellie spent years teaching him how to read. Come night I saw a strange sight. All the sky was lit up in beautiful colour. A man standing beside me said, do you know what you are looking at? I said no. He said, you are looking at the Northern Lights. You will stand on your door step in Canada and see them many times."
We landed at Quebec City Oct. 9 and the next day we were in Hamilton, Nellie's mother lived in Hamilton and she was the person we were going there to. There was nobody at the station to meet us so we had to go hunting for the street where they lived. Because John and Nellie had been there before they had a good idea where it was and so it didn't take us long to find the house.
It was a little house in Houston Street in the north end of the city. We were a little crowded, but Mrs. Chapman said she would look for another house for herself and husband. It wasn't long before she got one, and then we had the house to ourselves. This did not last long. Fred, Mrs. Chapman's son and Nellie's brother came to live with us. I had a small bedroom, but when Fred came he had to share my room.
On Oct 18 I started work with Hills Construction Co. I was laboring of course, and it was a tough job. Towards the end of the day the superintendent of the Drawn Steel came to me. He said I can give you a better job than that, but I don't like to take a man from somebody else, I said, don't let that worry you. If you can give me something better than this I will take care of the rest.
I was paid up and the next day I commenced work with the Canadian Drawn Steel Company. It was certainly a much better job than the other one. I was working with a fellow just about the same size as myself, his name was Luke.
I used to get a lot of mail because I wrote a lot of letters. I wrote to Jessie every two weeks, I wrote to my mother, I wrote to Agnes and Veronica. I wrote to Rosie and Teresa, Billy Gallagher aná Pat O'melia.
One evening I got a surprise when I opened one of my letters. This letter had come from Ted Lundy. Ted was Mrs. Lundy's eldest son, but he was married and we didn't see much of him when we were at their house. When I had my suit made, I had two pairs of trousers, but when I packed up to come to Canada I left one pair behind. Ted was telling me in the letter he was bringing me the pair of trousers I had left behind. So Ted was on his way to Canada.
There was no room at our house for him, but when he landed John found some place for him. Of course John was looking after himself. The more boarders he get, the more money he would draw in every week.
Working at the Drawn steel I began putting money in the bank. I had dreams that in another year I would be able to send for Jessie and then we would get married. But my dreams just faded away. Instead of getting Miss Bowden I got misfortune. On May 27 1921 I was laid off.
It wasn't easy to get work, but I kept on paying $8.0 a week board just the same. I would send my mother a card for her birthday and always put a nice verse on for her. I did this a few years, but my troubles became so great I dropped off writing so many letters. . One day I was walking down King Street when I was attracted to a store window. There were a number of big cards in this window advertising trades that were being taught by correspondence.
I became interested. I had never learned a trade. My parents were too poor to put any of us to trade. The only trade I had was watchmaking, but as I had not served my time I did not consider it a trade. However, I did not think it was too late, I was still young. I had not been in the country very long and I was out of work. Without a trade I might go on like this for years. At that rate I would never have any money, therefore I would never be able to send for Jessie. So I went in and spoke to the representative and after a good talk I enrolled for a course in Mechanical drafting with mathematics. My class letters were D.Y.A. and my number was 419661. I was putting a lot of faith in the International Correspondence School and I made up my mind that I would work hard to make it a success. This was on June 16 1921. Soon I got my first lesson and then I closed myself up in my room and worked.
I sent my lessons to Montreal for correction, Right from the start I did well. I don't think any lesson I ever sent in was graded lower than 95% .I don't know how I got such good marks because I had a troubled mind. I was out of work and didn't know when I would get a job. Every day I searched the city, but it was always the same story. I was out of work eleven months and paid Nellie every week until all my money was gone.
On April 28 1922 I got work with the Brant Creameries, but this lasted only till June 3 then I was laid off. On July 31 1921, Pat arrived in Hamilton. Ted Lundy had landed and he was staying at our place. I don't know where he was sleeping. Pat got boarding's somewhere else. I had a pal, but I had no money. Pat and I went out a few times through the week, but I didn't want anything to interfere with my course.
Every two weeks I wrote Jessie long passionate love letters 28 and 30 pages long, and what did I get in return? I got short friendly letters that anybody could have read they were almost certain to be smudged. As the months went by her letters became worse, They got so cold that on Oct. 23 1921 I wrote and told her that she was under so obligation to write letters to me. It was very plain to me what had happened. I meant to her was somebody to give her a good time.
I was no longer there and she was missing those good times so she had looked around for somebody else to take my place. I never heard from Jessie again.
I went to the Sons of England Hall every Saturday night to play whist, and after the card game there was dancing. I became friendly with a young lady named Beatrice. I always stared the card game with her, and when the dancing started Beatrice was my partner. This went on for many weeks and then I discovered that Beatrice was jealous. She would not let me dance with anybody else.
One time when the dancing stopped she said she was going up stairs and would only be a minute. She was much more than a minute and when the dancing started again I got up to dance with another young lady. When Beatrice came down and saw me dancing with somebody else she was blazing mad. When I sat down with her she balled me out. I said all right my dear, if dancing with some body else is going to upset you so much I won't do it. And I never danced with anybody else,
Her friend Grace, was a nurse, and they lived together in a nice little flat in Dundas, One Saturday night when I saw her she invited me to spend the following weekend with her at her flat. She got me good sleeping accommodation
with Mr. and Mrs. Kane. After a good nights sleep Mrs. Kane had a good bæеaklast ready for me. While I was getting my breakfast Mrs, Kane said I did not expect
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