Working Lives

Work

Remember when ... Schoolteachers and midwives often rode bikes but, for modesty's sake, they attached a piece of elastic to the hem of the skirt and looped it over their foot.

Deryn Jones - born 1937 "In l957, I started a new job in AC Delco in Kirkby, making parts for cars. The factory was only partly built and the room I worked in had only three walls, the fourth was a sheet of tarpaulin. There were no washing facilities, even though we worked with grease and oil. It was assembly line work, which meant we had to be relieved by another worker if we wanted to go to the toilet. We had various saving schemes - perm clubs, hamper clubs and the money club. I remember spending my savings at C and A Modes, where I bought a coat, two dresses and two taffeta skirts, complete with underskirts - for £25. Although 90 percent of the workforce was women, it was not until l992 that the first forewoman was appointed".

Work

Remember when ... Tram drivers worked exposed to all the elements with no shelter.

Barbara Harrison - born 1932 "I started work at 14, as a stripper. I had a lot of fun telling people about my job - which was far from the glamorous image it created - I worked at Ogdens, sitting on a box all day stripping tobacco from the stems of the leaves. We wore strips of cloth around our fingers to stop them from bleeding. The smell of tobacco stayed in your hair and clothes all the time".

Fashion & Leisure		Children's Lives		War Time & Evacuees
Where we lived		Working Lives		Changing Times