The Last Chapter

by Robert Lawson

didn’t think he was doing anything wrong, but he did stop. Someone came from Wigan, a boss of an Engineering Co. and also boss of a chicken breeder co., he wanted to buy Knowsley Caravans and move it to Wigan. He poached a few men to start it off, I was asked but declined because Bill Ferris (my boss) had been good to me and I decided to stick with him. Inevitably, he had to fold up and he thanked all those who stuck by him.

  I went to Pemberton Caravans in Wigan and I was amazed how fast they were turning them out, the workmanship was terrible, they were knocking screws in with hammers and generally messing things up. The management were happy, they were coining it in.

  I’d had enough and decided to ring the manager at Knowsley and ask for a job, his name was Billy Ratcliffe. He knew me from Kirkby, and knew I was alright, I could see me back on erecting again. Come Monday morning he put me on making the side frames and ends, it was ok but not like erecting. We were on a bonus scheme and it was a case of the more you build the more money you make. But then they got a new manager from Hull, who was full of ideas, the upshot wad, the quality of work dropped. A consignment was sent to Holland and was examined by an inspection on arrival, lots of essential strengtheners had been left out and the general quality of the vans had dropped. We lost the contract and ended up on flat time, someone had to pay for the cock up in Holland.

  I mentioned to Marie, I was thinking of asking John for a job, he came in on the Friday night and I asked him, but he said there was nothing on. The following Friday, he came in and offered me the yard foreman’s job at Manchester yard. I’ve worked hard quite a lot in my working life but scaffolding is hard, and if I hadn’t have been doing weights immediately prior to starting, I’m sure I would have packed it in. It’s a young man’s game and if I hadn’t been as fit as I was for my age 38yrs I don’t think I could have done it. I was supposed to be yard foreman but I was out with gangs more than I was in the yard. I managed to keep the books in order when I could, but with going out it wasn’t easy. This went on for about 2yrs, in and out of boilers in Power Station, I hated it. After a couple of years I went to work in English Electric in Litherland, the foreman was Tommy Warburton an ex scaffolder who thought he knew it all. He was always knocking John every chance he got, apparently John sacked him and his gang for not finishing a job and he never forgot it.

  I used to go to the game every week with my dad and met John Duggan there, so Jerry joined up with us plus Bobby Skello. The atmosphere was great, we were all looking forward to the games and the banter was funny at times. I remember Jerry and I had stopped smoking for a while, when we decided to go to Stoke to see Everton v Port Vale in the F.A. cup. We went on his scooter and it was freezing on the back of the bike, we got in the ground easy, because Port Vale weren’t a very high profile team. Another reason was, Jimmy Payne had been transferred from Liverpool to Everton, and it was his first game for Everton. He had a suspect heel and Liverpool off loaded him and basically Everton got a pig in a poke, he was rubbish and didn’t play much more for the blues. I’d seen him earlier in his career when he played with Liverpool and he was being hailed as the next Stan Matthews . Jerry and I had a cigarette during that game, we won 2-1. Another time we went to Old Trafford on the scooter and came back in a snow storm.

  While we were living in Gorsey Lane, we often walked down to the canal bank with the kids and the pram, the pram was full of sandwiches we would proceed to walk to Crosby Shore. It was quite a long walk and coming back was the worst, because we were all tired but we’d enjoyed the day and were glad to get home. We didn’t have the luxury of a car and the only two buses that run didn’t go anywhere near Crosby. I used to cycle to work and I got home one day to Gorsey Lane, Tommy and Paul were missing, right away it was panic because of the canal 100yds away, as I said earlier a few children drowned in that canal while we were there. Eventually they turned up with a neighbours son who was a couple of years older, they had been walk about and if my memory serves me right Tommy had filled his pants.

  I remember riding home on my bike from Lambeth Road, when I got there one of the neighbours told us that Marie had taken Tommy to Stanley Hospital in Kirkdale, which was exactly where I’d come from. So I rode all the way back and they were just about to give him a needle, he’d fell on a nail in the fence and cut his chin open. They were going to stitch him u and although the doctor wanted me out of the way, I insisted he’d be better if I was there and so it was.

  I used to go on my bike to Lambeth Road Kirkdale from Gorsey Lane and sometimes Litherland Bridge was up, so that meant I would be late, it was quite a journey especially in the winter.

  I mentioned Jack Hussin earlier, he wanted a hand to cut a 12ft length of sycamore, and he wanted to cut it to 10” from 12” . He should have used to stick to push the timber through and didn’t, as I took it off after it came off the machine, I heard a ping and when I turned he’d caught his right hand on the saw blade, there was blood everywhere. I grabbed his arm kept it up and pressed on the artery , I called old Sid Gibman who was an officer in St. Johns Ambulance but he was too slow. I run him over to Stanley Hospital, it was a Saturday and New Year’s Eve, he lost two fingers and almost a thumb. Ironically, he was an accordionist and could read music and had actually played for me when I sung with Bill Gregsons band on New Brighton Theatre. A comic was the guest star that night, his name was Ken Dodd, and he’s funny now and was funny then.

  I’d been 5 yrs. at Dewhurst and enjoyed it, but the money wasn’t good enough, and I’d been thinking of getting somewhere else. I mentioned it to Jerry and right away he said “I’ll go with you, I need the experience”, I refused but he insisted, so I said “well if that’s what you want” ok. Austin who was the foreman at the time didn’t like it at all but he wished us luck.

  Jerry’s dad had some connections with Mersey Insulations and right away we got a start. Shipping work was short lived, you got a dead line date and had to work to it, Jerry and I worked in a few shipping firms, one in particular was “Crichton’s”. The joiners shop was spotless and the work was ships furniture, I’d said to Jerry “If they ask you if you’ve done this kind of work , say Yes”. “Hawsons” was another firm we worked for at the bottom of Sandhills, we were working there when the Manchester United team got killed in Munich Germany. These jobs were short term jobs but the money was good. Making ships furniture was good, the drawers were handmade dovetailed and you could take your time.

  Really and truly Gorsey Lane was a nightmare, the house was badly built, especially the fitting of the doors and we always seemed to have colds. With the kids so young Marie was restricted to where she could go. I know she actually walked to her mother’s other than struggle onto buses, the two buses on that route were 52 and 56.

  More often than not I always worked and Marie looked after the house and kids, I suppose it was a case of taking things for granted, but looking back I realise it was hard going. I remember getting home once and Marie told me Paul had pushed Bobby’s chair and his face was burnt on the bars of the fire, Paul panicked and screamed the house down. Later on that night she was nursing Paul and she fainted, Iris came in and after a drink of water she sat up. The whole thing had got on top of her and the doctor suggested we get the kids minded. My mother-in-law took the 2 youngest, and my mother took Tommy for a week. It gave Marie a break for a while, but we were glad to get them back.

  A neighbour 2 or 3 doors away had a television and when there was any sport on, he used to send for me. Either boxing, football or any sport we enjoyed the shows. When there were any films on, his wife would send for Marie. One time they asked us both in together, we were reluctant to leave the kids in bed. I said I’d come back every 15mins to check on them, I did that for the time were in there and everything was ok. But when we got home, they were lined up together on the top stair crying they thought we’d left home, we never did it again.

  Talking about T.V., them days to buy a television
you needed a big deposit and we had , bit by bit saved about £40 to get a T.V. Anyway, Marie had seen an advert in the “Echo”, a T.V. for sale with the new ITV Box on it for £40. It was up in Wavertree, John Duggan took me up in his old car, it was a posh area and we eventually found it. He showed us the set, both stations were perfect and I said I’d take it, I’d knocked a T.V. table up and bought a dipole aerial, so I was ready for the set. John and I got it home, put it on the table and turned it on, the sound was perfect, but the picture was taking it’s time, in fact there wasn’t any picture. I remember the Wimbledon Tennis was on at the time so it was summer, I rang the fella we bought it off, and told him about the set. He said “I’ll sent someone down” which he did and this chap worked on it. He then informed us it was a vital part that had gone and it would cost me £5. I told him I couldn’t afford £5 it was over half my wages, I said call your mate and tell him he’s got to pay. Good enough, he did and I had a picture, it didn’t last long before I had more trouble in fact it was always going off. I come across a T.V.