St George's News

LOOKING BACK ON EIGHTY YEARS

RUBY'S MEMOIRS, PART 4 - FROM GENERAL STRIKE TO WORLD WAR 2

PART 1 - THE EARLY YEARS
PART 2 - THE GREAT WAR
PART 3 - THE TWENTIES
PART 5 -MARRIED LIFE AND THE CLOUDS OF WAR
PART 6 - OUTBREAK OF WAR
PART 7 - THE HEIGHT OF WAR
PART 8 - 1942-44: AMERICA DECLARES WAR
PART 9 - POST-WAR 1945-1950: RUNNING THE PUB
PART 10 - THE AFTERMATH OF WAR
PART 11: THE HOME COMING
PART 12: THE SIXTIES
PART 13: FROM HILDENBOROUGH TO DENMEAD
PART 14: TRAVELLING THROUGH LIFE AND DEATH
PART 15: THE LAST 25 YEARS

Part 4. From General Strike to World War 2

FIRST PUBLISHED IN SEPTEMBER 1996 ISSUE OF ST GEORGE'S NEWS

As we moved into the later twenties life became more frenetic, cars doing a speed of 25 miles an hour, motor bikes which roared round country lanes, wireless, which was the name for the radio, although only of the whisker type at first, a method by which you had to get 'the whisker', a very tiny piece of metal wire, on to the right spot of a small blob of metal, before there was any sound. It was a great achievement if you did manage something which was usually one of the big bands, or one of the well known classical singers such as Dame Nellie Melba, or the famous tenors such as Caruso or Chaliopine, but suddenly it disappeared and you had 'to tickle the cat's whisker' again to find another active spot. Fortunately there soon came another type, activated by a valve, which was much easier and programmes became much more varied. For all this one had to wear earphones.

Along with all these inventions came the other extreme, the workless, the hunger marchers and general discontent of wages even for those in work, and the feeling for most people that something was wrong but as there was little you could do about it, you just enjoyed the life you had. 'Dance, Dance, Dance little Lady' was the Tune, Syncopation was the Beat, and The Charleston was the Dance. This was beat of a very different kind, quite difficult to learn and then to dance it with a partner as was the only way you danced in a Ball Room in those days. A kitchen chair was the best help as it gave you support as you disentangled your feet. When this was achieved you were able to dance with a partner, flying round the room at breakneck speed. As well as Dancing there were some excellent shows such as Chu Chin Chow and many other spectaculars. Many cinemas of enormous size were built with the Wurlitzer playing organ music in the interval during the films which consisted of a Drama, a Comedy, A News, and adverts for coming attractions. The seats cost anything from a shilling to half-a-crown and were very comfortable after the gallery in the Old Theatres. Films from America were favourite but English films soon caught up on this at the Ealing and Denham Studios. Charlie Chaplin, the great English comic was soon captured by America but it was sometime before we caught up with D W Griffiths great dramas and Pathé's News. All this was great escapism for the hundreds who filled these theatres for years.

Meanwhile painful things went on and I once witnessed a march of the unemployed while waiting for a bus at Hammersmith Broadway when it was stopped by mounted police, with truncheons drawn and horses rampant, driving the marchers back from the Broadway. It was a truly horrific sight, and as all transport had been stopped we walked quickly towards the Bridge and the safety of the other side of the river at Barnes. This was only a small piece of the pattern of things that were happening and took the country into the general strike of 1926, when all the Transport Unions went on strike in sympathy with the Coal Miners who were already on strike.

The next morning everybody who went to work had to walk, cycle, cadge a lift from anything on wheels and the few people who had a car filled them with passengers as they went along. There was no danger in giving a lift in those days. The strike ended in ten days and achieved nothing. The Government ran lorries and coaches instead of buses and as usual the people accepted it and life went on as usual. Soon transport was back but the miners stayed out and started their own demise, sad to relate. Here the progress of the country towards equality took a further step backward, more unemployment and hardship for many.

For the majority again it was 'on with the dance' and music, but the music had its more serious side now, the froth had blown away, America was facing the biggest slump of its life, big business failed, banks closed and some very wealthy Americans who had lost everything jumped from their skyscraper office windows to their death on the pavement below. The world was stunned. The great Dollar had failed. This of course affected trade all over the world and that included England.

The bands were still playing their music, but among their songs were I want some money — Gimme some, Gimmie some, Gimmie Some Do! and Buddy can you spare a dime? were among the favourites. A Labour Government had been formed in 1928 but in the early Thirties a National Government came into power to help in this world crisis, but it was to be a long time before the wounds would heal and scores be settled, indeed if they ever were, today we still have the 'haves and the have nots'.

I began to take a bit of notice of politics after the right of women to vote came in 1928 and the suffragettes had at last reached their goal of 'Votes for Women', but life went on in the same way and it was to be years and another war before there was any significant change.

So things continued and the wheels kept turning and everything about politics seemed so complicated. I decided it was not for me. Instead I threw myself into sport, tennis was a great game in those days, nothing like today and one could reach a good standard in the local club. Wimbledon gave encouragement for the game instead of an impossible goal. There were only grass courts in the early twenties but hard courts were soon on the way as they could be played on most of the year. Ice skating had become very popular and as there was a rink at Richmond we had lots of fun learning to skate and even to dance the waltz with the help of a partner so this became a weekly exercise.

The tango had arrived in the Ball Room, a dance that was thought very erotic! I also played hockey in the winter and we had weekly matches on Saturday afternoons and arrived back in London for a visit to one of Lyons Corner Houses for refreshment before returning home to get ready for whatever evening entertainment was on. Once I had a bad encounter with a hockey ball which hit me in the mouth. Some kindly man who was watching from his shop near the pitch dashed over and brought a lump of steak which he insisted I kept on my mouth until I got home as it would take the bruise out. I travelled home doing just that, everyone thought I had been attacked, I had really but only with a ball. I don't remember much about it so I don't think I could have been very badly hurt. I think the cure must have been quite efficient even though rather crude, but I was always reminded from the team by 'Have you brought your own steak this time?!'

Sundays were still observed by the family although church going was no longer a must but having been confirmed my sister and I usually went to early communion at seven o'clock as it left more time for other activities. Lunch was always at one o'clock but this was easy as we had to help in its preparation, and do the washing up afterwards before going out in the afternoon. A favourite jaunt on a fine day would be a walk to Richmond Park and through to Richmond Hill for tea at The Maids of Honour, a tea house reputed to have been in use in the reign of Henry VIII. On a wet day there was always a tea dance somewhere, often at the local Palais de Dance. Few cinemas were open, but they had special films for Sunday viewing. In London there was far more choice, wonderful cinemas showing epic films and very cosy cafés for tea but far more expensive than the local 'flea pits' as they were called.

Evening Service was at six o'clock but was not usually attended by children. I remember going to well known London Churches for Evensong such as St Martin in the Fields in Trafalgar Square to listen to the sermons by the vicar known as 'Woodbine Willie' because of his kindness to the troops in the trenches during the war, also the Rev Tubby Clayton of the Church at the Tower Hamlets, who did such good work in the poorest parts of London, and also founded the Toc H Club for ex-service men, but he needed many helpers and being very persuasive and gave such support to people who really needed it he got helpers from every walk of life. You never knew who you would be working with.

So the 1920's bubble burst with very little improvement in the struggle for equality. This was the dream it carried right into the thirties and one realised that it would never become a 'Land fit for heroes to live in'.

There was a slight sign of improvement in the middle of the thirties but then came the death of our King George V and the abdication of the heir, the Price of Wales, Edward, after which peoples thoughts were turned away from the real troubles we were in to the rights and wrongs of this domestic strife. Perhaps we were a little more thoughtful but had no idea of what was to come in the near future although on hindsight it should have been abundantly clear.

this series of Ruby's "Memoirs" to be continued.

written by Ruby Bullock

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