How We Ended Up In Swindon
Anyhow, we'll get on a little bit. Did I ever tell you about how we come to be landed in Swindon?
Well, Dad used to work for a farmer, see. Dad was working down this place. Worton actually, Potterne. He was a bit of a farm labourer. And he used to go into Devizes now and again and there was an old man in there by the name of Cullen. He used to go into the market square and do a bit of auctioneering - old pots and pans and things like that. Anyhow Dad was in there one day
“What d'ya want then, lad - want a job?”
“Ah, I can help yer” Dad said
“Right then, you pop down there” the old chap said to Dad, “and you sell the old pots and what have yer…”
Anyhow he took a fancy to Dad, Dad was doing alright with him. So he said
“Look here, Lad. If you want a job any time, you come to Swindon.”
Course, Dad had heard a lot about the railway works off of him then, you see. Dad had decided to go to Swindon but he wasn't going to work for this old chap, oh no, he was going in the railway works. Well, one morning Dad gets up, puts a bit of something to eat in his pocket. He says to the old farmer:
“Well, I'm off”
“Where do you reckon you're off to?”
“I'm off to Swindon”
“Swindon .... what for?”
“Get a job. I got a better job in Swindon than I'll ever get here, Guv'nor."
“You stop here and milk those ....." "Ah, you milk the damn things yerself” he says, “I ain't gonna stop here with the milking. That one with a tassle on his belly, mind you go steady, he kicks like hell. He won't care for thee....”
And away Dad went. And that's how we come to be in Swindon. I don't know if it was on some old pushbike or something he come in on, I don't know how he got to Swindon. He had a job and he stuck it all his life then, in the railway works, well that is a fact, that's how Dad come to be in Swindon.
