Bikes Stored 'Inside'
But we used to have some fun. We used to have what we called a football team. Iffley Road football team. Well, we used to play Telford - that was the only other team round about here. Rodbourne lads, you know - Rodbourne Road. They were a bit too rough for us, so we always played Telford. We used to get out there you know, pick our team. Of course, Eric and Ivor Pope - the Pope family that was - they were always picked, they were pretty good see, they were always picked. Why we picked them , I don't know.
After we'd been playing perhaps an hour, an hour and a half it might have been, come about quarter past five, I looked round, they were missing. Eric was gone. Ivor was gone. Course, we always go a tanning, always got beat, course we did - we was two men short all the time. Eric did go to put the bikes out. Ivor had to go and shift the nanny goats or else take them in - all according to what time of year it was.
See this bike business, you weren't allowed to take any cycles into the railway works then. And the workmen used to ride their bikes up to the lockhouse, that was up the cinder track there, the cycle track. They used to sort the bikes out, put them inside, and at half past twelve, and again at half past five, get them all out, put them all in position ready for the fellas to pick up. And they knew just who each bike belonged to, where to put them an how to put them. And they did that all for about tuppance a week I think - I don't say charge but the fellas used to give them tuppance or perhaps thruppance - I don't know, it weren't a lot but there it is I thought I'd better explain that little bit.