Nance Loses A Ten Shilling Note
Then there was the time when I remember Nance. Winter's evening again it was, just after tea. Course the shops was open then, I don't know what time…..she had to go up the Co-Op, up Rodbourne Lane.
Anyhow, Nance goes up Rodbourne Lane with a ten shilling note clutched in her hand, and a big rush bag thingy, I forget what you call 'em now, rush baskets I think we called 'em. She only been gone quarter of an hour and she comes belting back, and bawlin' her head off,
“Oh what’s the matter, what's gone wrong?”
“I've been and lost me ten shilling note, Dad, Been and lost the ten!”
Well oh dear, that was it. Well, when you think about a ten shilling note, I was gonna say that was about a third of his wages then. Ah, all of us was out, we was searching up and down Rodbourne Road - honest! We were all out there, well four or five of us anyhow, up and down Rodbourne Lane.
But we never found that ten-bob note.
I think we all went on half rations then for a week, must have done.
Course you might think Nance going up on her own on evening like that, y'know, and she was only a little titch. But in those days, oh it was safe enough, I mean kids could roam the streets not like now, I mean they can't go out in the daylight let alone the dark. Everything was safe, y'know, you could leave yer doors open and never think about locking yer doors up. Cor blimey, go up town and leave the key under yer mat perhaps sometimes,
But not very often we'll be sat indoors here and all of a sudden, perhaps the kitchen door would open like....
“Ello Fred! I thought I heard somebody coming in”
“Ah well, the door was open so I thought…..”
And that was how it used to go on. Like, I'll give you an instance…
Dad dressed himself up one night,“think I'll pop up and see young Peater.”
“Ah alright” says Mum.
So off he goes. Dad gets up, Redciffe Street she lived then, hadn't long been married, only a young married woman like then. Dad gets up there, opens the door, walks in, sits down, waited five minutes, nobody abou. Well - funny. Goes out and opens the scullery door, kitchen scullery door whatever you like to call it and there's a woman there washing up
“Hey! What do you reckon you're all up to” she says
“Well” he says, “I might ask you the same question" he says. Where's our young Peater?”
“Where is your young Beater?”
“Mrs Harvey” he says
“Two doors down the street, chump, yer in the wrong house. Shut the door on yer way out!”
Well, that was it, it was as easy as that in those days, honest.
Well, you could go out you know, and nowadays you've got to lock your bikes up and one thing and the other. But years ago you could put yer bike up against the kerb and if you forgot him, he stopped there all night! You'd come back next morning and your bike was still there!
Not like now, they'd pinch yer tracks out yer back yard now wouldn’t they?
