My Life Story by Colin Lloyd - Part 6

MFI Gatehouse security

By March, Margaret had been made redundant from Plessey and was working at a chocolate packing factory in Brackmills. I had been told I was being made redundant from MFI, as they had to lose one security guard and as I was only gatehouse security I would be the one to go. They offered me a job working in the canteen. I gave it a try but it affected my back, so after three weeks I told them I would take the redundancy. Whilst looking for another security job I worked for Kelly’s Agency at GE Lighting, packing light bulbs. This wasn't too bad because if you did overtime you got a free breakfast and that was full English.

GE Lighting

Lady's Lane

In June 1990, I applied and got a job with security at Barclaycard on Marefair. It was very interesting working on reception and I did the odd patrol at night. We did hourly patrols. We also covered the Barclaycard buildings over the bus station and the Crown Court in Lady’s Lane. I occasionally went to Golden Wonder at Corby. Whilst there we would be given vouchers for boxes of crisps etc. And sometimes I would come home with a full boot. Margaret was also bringing home bags of chocolates for 50p each so nephews never went short of crisps or sweets. 

Margaret and I continued going to Newquay for our holidays and we made friends with a disabled couple. I tried to teach Margaret how to play snooker, but the only thing she managed to pot was the white. We went to Land’s End in 1993 and went down into the cavern but I became claustrophobic and had to come out. (Photos 7,8 & 9) 

 

Margaret had a younger brother, Michael, who was born in 1940. When he was 4 years old he ran out of the house and because the sun temporarily blinded him, he smashed into the air raid shelter in the street. This caused him to suffer brain damage. Contact was lost with him until his brother Fred received a call from the General Hospital in 1990. Michael was in Linwood Nursing Home in East Park Parade. Whilst he was in hospital I went to visit him and often took him to see his mother. He died before his mother and was buried in Kingsthorpe Cemetery. 

We also took Uncle Bill and his wife to Bognor Regis to see Aunt Gladys, his sister. Margaret and I went into town so they could spend some time together. Margaret bought a watch for £4.99 and it was accurate right up to the time she passed away in 2009.

I received a phone call from the security manager at Barclaycard offering me a position as security at the stationary store in Quorn Way, just off St. Andrews Road. The stationary was going to be outsourced to a private company and they wanted someone to keep an eye on things. This meant that I worked as a picker and packer until they closed at 4pm and then going over to Barclaycard in Marefair until 7pm. I accepted this and it turned out to be very interesting as I learnt to operate a cherry picker. This was a ramp that would lift me up to the top of the warehouse shelving. The manageress of the stationary was Mrs Sue Heydon and all the staff there made me feel very welcome, plus the foreman at Quorn Way was John McDonald, who I had worked with while I was on the buses.                                                                                                                                                                   

We would also go and see Jenny’s in-laws at Mablethorpe.  Tina, the dog, was put in the dog run, but within 10 minutes, would be scratching at the door. We also kept having the family down for Christmas parties. Margaret’s niece had become engaged and she asked if she could bring her fiancé down to meet us. Because his name was Heath, Derek, Margaret’s brother, was convinced he was coloured. When they arrived I let them in. When Kerry got Margaret on her own she asked her what she thought of Heath. Margaret said, “I’ve only one thing to say”, Kerry’s face dropped, Margaret continued, “I wish I had met him first”. He was a lovely chap. They met when Kerry was working at Billing Mill behind the bar and he was a bouncer. 

Mablethorpe

I was made redundant at Barclaycard in Nov 1993 and was taken on by a company known as Ambassador Security. My job was as a security officer at a pc distribution centre in Sketty Close, which is situated on Brackmills Industrial Estate. This was boring because all I had to do was sit and watch the warehouse door for deliveries. Ambassador also had mobile security drivers who checked out the premises. I learnt later they carried keys and one of them started pilfering. And Ambassador lost the contract and I was made redundant on 30th April 1994. 

We continued to go to Mablethorpe to see Jennifer’s in-laws. We also took Phyllis and the dog. One day I took Tina down on the beach, next thing I knew she was running up to the top, near Margaret. She had found a patch of grass, had a wee and then came back down to me on the beach. On the way to Mablethorpe we always stopped at the same pub for something to eat and they always put a bowl of water out for Tina.

At Barclaycard we always took part in Comic Relief and other charity fund raising events. By December Rentokil, my employers, had lost the security contract. I immediately signed on with Staffline Agency and continued working as a picker/packer at the stationary store. The following year Ofrex Office Supplies took over the stationery for Barclaycard and employed us full time but it still meant working 12 hour shifts. They also provided a car, as I had to ferry the manager about. I also had to go to different suppliers to pick up some stock if we were short. I had to go to Croyden once just to pick up one small parcel. I left at lunch time but due to roadworks on the M25, I didn't get back until half past seven that evening. Another journey I used to make was to Ofrex Head Office in Droitwich, in Worcestershire.

Meanwhile, my eldest daughter, Jane was living with her future husband, Stewart. He was a gamekeeper and worked for a Mr Phillips They lived in a farmhouse that had been converted into three houses. He had 5 dogs, 4 were working dogs as they had a lot of pheasant shoots. One time, he let me have a go on his quad bike and I nearly rolled it over. 

Stewart had a son, Jamie and he came to stay with us in 1994. He arrived in time to see the balloon festival. He also came to Bognor Regis with us.

At the side of Stewart’s house was an old Victorian walled garden where Mr Phillips had an enormous collection of Iris's. Every time he went away, he brought back another species to add to the 200 plus that he already had.
At the back wall, were old greenhouses with vines that were over 100 years old and which still produced grapes. 

 

In October Jane and Stewart decided to get married and Janine, her daughter, was to be her Matron of Honour. Jamie and I were witnesses. We took our neighbour Phyllis with us but the weather was terrible, wet and very windy, but nevertheless it all went off without a hitch.

We were still going out at Christmas for dinner and we decide to go to the Globe at Weedon. The main meal was acceptable but we had chestnut soup, which I did not enjoy one little bit, so that put the dampers on the whole meal and we never went back.

On Mr Phillips land, a mobile phone company wanted to erect a mast in the woodland. He insisted that it was camouflaged and if you did not know it was a mast it looked exactly like one of the trees. Pity they can’t all be like that. 

We went to Newquay again in 1996 and it was so hot that all the grass had turned brown. We went to the seal sanctuary at Gweek. When Margaret got out of the car she said it was as if the bushes were going round in circles. The following morning at breakfast she had to leave the dining room because it was as if the chandeliers were coming down. The hotel arranged for us to see the doctor, who said it was the weather, but when we got home she kept feeling dizzy and our doctor diagnosed Meniere’s Disease.This is an illness that affects the balance in the inner ear and put her on tablets that did help. That was the last time we ever went on holiday as it had frightened her. When Margaret went to see the doctor he called her “Duchess of Duke Street”. He is a very good and caring doctor. If I ever experience any problems, I just have to give him a call.

It was in 1995 or 1996, that Kerry and Heath got married, the exact year, I'm uncertain of.

 

In February 1997 Margaret’s brother suffered a severe stroke that left him paralysed down the left side of his body, affecting his speech and movements. He was a patient in Northampton General Hospital and we used to visit him while he was in there. As it got warmer, we used to wheel him downstairs to the main entrance for a change of scenery. After about eight weeks he was transferred to a rehabilitation centre at Rivermead on the outskirts of Oxford. We often went over to see him at weekends and I used to take him down the pub for a drink. (Photos 32 & 33)

 

Derek and his wife lived in a first floor flat in Cartwright Road and because of his disability they decided to sell the flat and bought a bungalow in North Western Avenue. Derek was allowed home at weekends and as the bungalow was being converted Margaret and I decided he could stay with us as we were in a downstairs flat, which has been designed for disabled people.

In 1998 Derek, his wife, Margaret and I decided to go to Newquay, where we stayed at the Kilbernie Hotel. The staff there were very good to us, putting ramps down so he could get in and out in his wheelchair. We took him out regularly and one day went down to the harbour. The only snag was pushing him back up the hill to town. By the time I got to the top I was absolutely knackered (pardon my French). We often took him and his wife out with us on Saturday evenings, along with Phyllis. 

I had finished at Barclaycard and was working at the job centre in Sheep Street. (Photo 35) My previous wife’s nephews worked there, Mark Holmes and his brother Simon. Mark lived in St James and his home was one of those affected when the 1998 flooding occurred. 

In 1999 the four of us went to Babbacombe, to a hotel that catered for disabled people. It wasn’t too bad but I wasn’t impressed by the meals or the level of service. One evening Margaret came down to the bar and asked me to go upstairs. When I got there she had been ironing and stood the iron up on the carpet. Apparently a bus went past and the iron fell flat on the carpet and had burnt it. I called one of the staff and explained and she said don’t worry about it as the carpet peeled off the iron. It fitted back into the bare patch. Margaret and I went to see the miniature village. It was marvellous with all working models and I used a complete film taking photographs.

Margaret, Phyllis and I had found a lovely pub in Yardley Hastings, The Red Lion. The second time we went there, when we left the landlord came out after us and told me I had forgotten to pay. Phyllis said to him, “I thought it was a freehouse”. That broke the ice and we had a good laugh. Also we came through Brayfield and there was a gentleman waiting for the bus to go to the pub, so we stopped to pick him up. It turned out he was the actor Bryan Pringle, who had appeared in the film The Early Bird with Norman Wisdom and had also appeared in several episodes of Some Mothers Do ‘Ave them. He was a gentleman and always when he got out of the car he opened the door for Phyllis and Margaret. 

                                  

Margaret and I went for Sunday lunch and as I didn’t like carrots I had a double helping of cabbage with extra gravy. It was beautiful. The couple who ran it eventually sold it and it went downhill so we decided to try the Red Lion at Denton. This was quite entertaining as they used to run race nights. We also used to go to the Stretton Arms at Turweston where the barmaid who took the photos of our wedding had taken over the tenancy of the pub. They used to hold a duck race every year in the stream at the bottom of the garden.  
I eventually left the job centre and went to work at Francis House, for Group 4 security. Here, they dealt with Income Support and pensions. Before going there I had to go for a week’s training at the company Head Office in Wapping, by the River Thames. While I was there, I watched the filming of one of the James Bond films which included a river chase. I passed the exam and returned to Northampton to start work at Francis House, where here were 2 of us on duty. There were several nasty experiences here, one involved a girl who couldn’t get an emergency loan and in temper, she kicked the door in. 
This was in 1999 and I stayed there until I retired in 2001.

One day someone came in and told us a pheasant had landed in the bushes outside. We went out and managed to catch it. I put it in a large cardboard box and when we finished our duty roster, I took it to Rhodes Veterinary Surgery, on Queens Park Parade. They rang me the following day and said it was fine. One of the veterinary assistants lived in Chapel Brampton so she took it home with her and released it into the field nearby.

At the start of 2001 I was still working for the DSS at Francis House as security officer. Margaret was concerned at the amount of violent activity at the DSS. Quite often had to call the police to resolve some of the problems we were experiencing. One time we searched the waiting room and found two knives. On 1st March I reached the age of 65 and decided to retire. The day I left I was presented with many gifts from the DSS staff. I, though, was glad to get out.

After about four weeks I became bored so I went along to the job centre to look for a part time job. One that caught my eye, was working in a post room. I went to the agency and found that it was the post room at the DSS! I explained that I had worked there as security and asked the agency to make sure there was no objections to my working there, which they did. I got the job. It involved opening the post and sorting it into baskets for the relevant departments. The hours were 7am – 10am but we were usually finished by 9.30am. The post was delivered by TNT and there were several times when the post was late, so we used to stay until it was finished.

My duties meant that I also covered for the messenger, which meant delivering and collecting mail to and from both the Town Hall and Belmont House in Cliftonville. I used to use my car, for which I received a petrol allowance. In all there were seven of us working in the post room. Eventually a private company took over as part of the outsourcing policy and they took us on as regular staff. This meant we received holiday pay, which, when you consider I was drawing a pension and receiving pay for working, meant that everything in the garden was rosy.

In 2002 Margaret was on medication and I used to go to the Co-op to collect it. In August I went there and found that there was a note on the door advertising for a part time driver. I enquired after it and learnt that they wanted to start a delivery and collection service, i.e. collecting prescriptions and delivering to customers. It was for one hour a day, starting at 2pm. They were moving into the doctor’s surgery in Adelaide Street. I applied for and got the job. I commenced on 2nd October 2002. Melanie Ashton was the manager. the service started off slowly but after two months it went from one hour to two and by 6 months we were up to three hours a day. Being employed by the Co-op, I automatically became a member, receiving all the benefits. 

I found that working at both the DSS post and the Co-op was getting to be too much for me so I decided to resign from the post room and concentrate on the delivery service with the Co-op. I was, by now, delivering out of town, Pitsford, Collingtree, Duston, Moulton and Haringstone. Apart from that, we had contracts with Simon de Senlis and Grange Nursing Homes. Margaret used to come out with me for the ride and as I delivered each prescription she ticked them off the list.

One Friday I had several deliveries to make and as I pulled up at Queensview Surgery to collect prescriptions it started to snow. When I came out of the surgery everything was white, I could hardly see my car. I had a full load on for The Grange and I knew they were urgent so I rang the chemist and said I would go up the Grange and depending on the weather, I may have to leave the rest. I got to the Grange at about quarter past three. We left at three thirty and decided to return to the chemist. It took more than an hour and half to get from Kingsthorpe to the bottom of Kingsthorpe Hollow. I turned into St Andrews Road and from there it took me nearly half an hour to get to the chemist. It was 5.30pm when we left there and it took me three quarters of an hour to get home. That journey would normally have taken ten minutes. Luckily it was the weekend and by Monday the roads were fairly clear.

Margaret had been to the doctors with a blood clot and he had told her to stop smoking. She had had two cigarettes before seeing the doctor and after she came, out she never touched another one. Delivery work had become very busy and I was working nearly full time but I was enjoying every minute and made many friends with the patients. We lost the contract for The Grange but we had started delivering to St Crispin Retirement Village in Duston. I was given a special keypass to access all areas and finished up with about twelve deliveries for there.

I was being paid 40p a mile fuel allowance and was averaging about 200 miles a week. Once a month I also had to go to Bugbrooke Surgery,to pick up a prescription for a lady at St Crispin’s Village, so that to my added mileage.
By 2009 the company had decided to stop using our own cars and use a van. Owing to the insurance restrictions, this meant that I could no longer take Margaret with me so I decided to accept a redundancy offer they made. It was disappointing but I did not like to leave Margaret on her own. So we used to go out for afternoon rides into the countryside. Margaret used to love going to Gayton, where she had spent her childhood.On one occasion,I received a phone call from the chemist, asking me to help them out as the driver, Tony, was on holiday. This I did two weeks and was paid £25 a day.

On 22nd September, when Margaret woke up and said she had problems breathing, I phoned for an ambulance. A paramedic came to her and put her on oxygen before admitting her into hospital. I stayed with her and notified the family. When I went to see her on the 23rd, she seemed fine and the family also visited her. I left at seven in the evening. On Thursday 24th I received a telephone call at 5.15am from the hospital telling me to get down there as she had taken a turn for the worse. When I arrived they would not let me see her and a doctor took me into the office. They had had to resuscitate her eight times. I contacted Margaret’s sister and she came down straight away. The doctor said they dare not do any more resuscitation because of the damage to her heart. We stayed with her until seven in the evening. The neighbours were brilliant, feeding the cats for me.

On 25th I rang the hospital at 8am and was told she had a comfortable night, so I said I would go in to see her when I had done the shopping. At 10.15am, when I got home, I had a phone call from the hospital to tell me she had died. The first thing I did was to ring Margaret’s sister, Dolly and she told me to go straight up to her house. How I managed to drive up there I don’t know, I was in a daze.

When I arrived all of Doll’s family were there and they took me down to the hospital to see her. I had already rang my neighbours and they took care of the cats, making sure they were fed. Doll agreed to come with me on Tuesday to sort everything out, including registering the death, dealing with the banks and arranging for the funeral directors. I rang my daughter Jane to tell her. She was very upset but because of her illness she was unable to get back to town. The funeral took place on 7th October at The Counties Crematorium and her ashes were buried with her mother at Kingsthorpe Cemetery. Her name was added to her mother’s tombstone. Christmas seemed very quiet but my neighbour, Cis, cooked my Christmas dinner for me.

After Christmas I decided to contact my youngest daughter Jennifer. Margaret hadn't been able to get on with her so I hadn’t been in contact for 19 years.  My eldest daughter gave me her telephone number. I rang her and we decided to meet, so I drove over to Newton where she was living. She hadn’t changed one bit. She took me over to Haverhill to see my grandson, his wife and my great grandson Dylan, who was two. I had never seen him. We went into town for a meal and she said she would come over for a weekend and bring Dylan. I managed to obtain a single bed and they came over. We were planning to go to Harlestone Firs so Jenny put Dylan in the car. She shut the door and then realised she had left the keys on the front seat, the car locked automatically after one minute.

We had to call the fire brigade and they had to break the quarter light to get the keys. Dylan was a little frightened but the firemen let him sit in the fire engine so that pleased him. On Sunday we took him into town and went to see the lions in the town centre and then down to Becket's Park. Also that year my grandson Darren, his partner Ursula and great granddaughters called in on their way back home to Llandudno. As I hadn’t seen them for over 20 years, that was brilliant.

My brother-in-law’s grandson was getting married and I received an invitation to the wedding. As I didn’t want to go on my own Jennifer offered to come with me. I cleared it with the bride’s mother and I rang Doll. She wasn’t very happy about it as she thought Jennifer didn’t get on with Margaret. When I tried to explain, she said she didn’t want to know. In the end, I said, “Sod your family”, and I haven’t heard from any of them since. Jennifer also came to my neighbour Phyllis’s 90th birthday party, which was held at the Romany pub. It was packed as all the family came from all parts of the country.

On the anniversary of Margaret’s death Jennifer took me on a three day break to Lymington, in Hampshire. We stayed at a farmhouse belonging to a person who supplies mushrooms to royalty and the houses of parliament. Whilst there we went on the ferry to the Isle of Wight, visiting Alum Bay and The Needles. We also went to the glass blowing factory and then on the steam railway.

On the 23rd October Margaret’s brother Derek passed away. I didn’t go to the funeral as I did not want to see the family but his wife and I have kept in contact with each other.
On Christmas Day Jennifer came to collect me and we went to her friend Sallys' home where we stayed overnight and came back home on Boxing Day.

I had started to having trouble with my hands swelling, early in 2011 I was finally diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and went to the clinic at the hospital. The consultant was brilliant and I was given a steroid injection and put on tablets. Within 3 weeks all my swelling had gone down, the one snag is, I have to have monthly blood tests. Jennifer came over in July and decorated my living room for me. I had applied to have a wet room installed and was told it would be about a year.

In November I decided to buy a laptop and go on the internet. I saw one advertised and decided to buy it. Lee Murray was the person I bought it from and he came down to set it up for me. I have never looked back. He introduced me to Northampton Past and it was only by chatting to Mary Grant and saying I would like to write my life story with the help of Frank, I started, and now I’m on my final part. I have made contact with all my family now.

On my birthday in 2012 my granddaughter Angie came down with her partner Dean and my three great grandchildren. They came for three days, staying at the Travel Lodge. I met them at junction 16 and brought them into town. We had a marvellous three days. Jennifer came over on the Friday, so that put the icing on the cake. We all went to The Spencer Arms at Chapel Brampton.

My next door neighbour Phyllis passed away aged 91. I will really miss her.


On 5th June Angie came down again for a couple of days with Paddy and Oscar.


By July I had decided to stop driving when my car tax ran out, as it was becoming too dear to run the car. With the help of Lee, we sold it on EBay. I don’t really miss it, but I have kept my driving license. The only problem I have is walking, as I need a stick but last week Jennifer came over and took me to Argos and bought me a four wheeled shopping trolley. It has certainly made a difference with walking. My step son comes up weekends, picks up my shopping list and brings it in on Monday. He has been a great help. Before I got my wet room he would come up every Friday to help me in and out of the bath.

Well I think that brings me up to date. I hope you have enjoyed reading it. And to all my friends on Northampton Past...God bless you all.

Update – Great Grandson born 17^th September 2012, weighing 7lb 9oz.

A Portrait of a 1990s Husband

This light hearted portrait of my husband was written in 1990s when he had 'accidentally' bought a whole set of golf clubs on his way home from work!

Eric Jones 1965 -2003

Respite care needed urgently

This wayward chap is still fairly young, but his wilful and demanding nature places an impossible strain on his carers. He is friendly and outgoing, he enjoys meeting new people, and on first meeting his vices and limitations may not be obvious. He is fascinated by bathrooms and in particular by showers. If he is not closely supervised he will spend hours locked in the bathroom creating various splashing and wallowing noises. He loves toiletries of all kinds and enjoy lining up bottles and sprays on the shelf - it is not uncommon to find four or five open containers of the same item. His fascination does not extend to cleaning anything in the bathroom and when he eventually vacates the room a scene of devastation becomes visible as the steam and chemical fog slowly disperses. Breathing apparatus should be used in the bathroom for at least one hour afterwards.

He also has an obsession with clothes and even the strictest carers will struggle to manage this aspect of his behaviour. His belongings already fill three wardrobes and overflow in to the bedroom. At last count, his shirts numbered more than eighty but he still buys more! And even a centipede would not require as many pairs of trousers as this chap. He often tries on a number of outfits and leaves the evidence scattered all over the room - to be picked up by the good fairy perhaps! In his teenage years, he developed an obsessive relationship with the Next store, this was destructive and financially draining attachment. Sadly, increasing age has taken its toll and he is now less discriminating in his shopping habits, these days he likes to shop at Marks and Spencer and at Debenhams. There is little hope of improvement, usually when a condition has degenerated to this stage there is no cure. Carers are warned to prevent the purchase of corduroy or thermal undergarments at all costs!

He is known as "half a job Jones" with good reason. He comes from a remote and backwards region called Cornwall and has resisted all attempts to adjust to life in England. In particular he has difficulty with the concept of urgency or time management. To get him to attempt the washing up takes hours of persuasion and always leads to harsh words and raised voiced. When he finally gets to the sink he considers he has completed the task when he has put it in a bowl of soapy water. The good fairy then comes upon the unwashed pans and crockery in a soup of congealed, greasy cold water! No wonder there is a need for respite care.

He is deeply attached to a number of security objects, the most important being his mobile telephone and the television remote control. It is a pathetic sight to see him sprawled across the sofa with the phone in one hand and the remote control the other. He cannot sit in a chair, he has to sprawl so that he can conveniently fall asleep rather than converse with his family. He retains control of the TV even when asleep and his long suffering carers cannot recall ever watching a complete programme without a 'quick flash'.

Despite his age, he still has not understood the relationship between the cash point machine and the bank balance! Strict discipline must be enforced in this area. Be warned, he collects credit cards in the way other people collect stamps.

I will only make passing reference to the more unpleasant sounds and odours you must expect, and of course there are numerous anger management issues too. It is only fair to point out that his role model is Victor Meldrew - a half hour episode may be amusing but how would you feel about spending the rest of your life with him?

Are you up to the challenge?!

My Life Story by Colin Lloyd - Part 5

Before I start on my next part, I would like to mention that Frank, Mary (Northampton Past admin) and I went out photographing all the newsagents in the villages that I delivered to and out of 14 only 4 were still trading. Virtually all the others have been converted into private houses. At East Haddon there is no shop at all now and their nearest shop is Ravensthorpe. When we got to Long Buckby I had quite a shock as the newsagents shop hasn’t been altered since I used to deliver there in the 1970's.

In 1988 I took Margaret, her Mum and my wife Betty to Brighton to the Butlins Hotel for a week’s holiday. Little did I realise that three years later Margaret and I would marry. When I went to pick them up they had ordered a breakfast for me at the hotel. I didn't tell them I had just eaten one at a cafe around the corner from the hotel, so I ate that one as well. As we were about to leave, an old gentleman came and asked me if I knew the way out of Brighton I asked him where he was going and he said Nottingham. I told him to follow me to the M1 as I was going through London because of the roadworks on the M25. I told him not to "jump" any lights as I would keep sight of him in my mirrors. When we arrived at the services on the M1 he told me that it had been the experience of a life time.

Now as I said I had eight weeks holiday and after three weeks I decided to look for another job so I applied for a job with Compass Security at British Timken and was accepted. It turned out to be quite interesting. During the day most of our time was spent in the gate house but after 4.30 in the afternoon we took over the switchboard and we were receiving calls from all over the world. At night we did patrols both inside and outside the building. It seemed rather strange patrolling inside the factory when people were working. We also had to check on the social club and make sure everything was locked up and secure. There were two gatehouses, one at the main entrance where the workers went in and out of the factory and the other was nearer to Bants Lane. That was where lorries had to go to be weighed.

Great Russell Street

Compass also had security contract with the Chronicle and Echo. This was a job that no one seemed to want because it was said to be too boring, so I volunteered. Okay, there was not much to do during the day except opening the side gates for the lorries to deliver the reels of paper and then to let them out through the top gates in Great Russell St. At night, when everyone had finished, I would go to the library and get a bound volume of the Northampton Independent. They had all of them in yearly volumes from the early 1900's I would take it down to the gatehouse and read through it. If I found anything of interest, I would turn the corner of the page down and then, at about four in the morning, I would go and photocopy it. By the time I had finished I had six albums full of photographs of old Northampton. That is how I became interested in the history of Northampton yet while I was at school I hated history. When Alan Burnham brought out his first books of Northampton Past, I was fortunate, in as much as I managed to get him to sign them for me

By this time my wife had become more difficult to live with. She was causing trouble with the neighbours and I was being left to sort things out and this is how I became involved with Margaret, who was to become my third wife.

Manfield Hospital

One day I had a phone call from my wife to say that Margaret's mum had fallen off the front doorstep. As Margaret was working at Plessey at the time, I rang the company and explained what had happened. She came home and we subsequently discovered that her mother had broken her hip and had been taken to hospital. She was later transferred to Manfield Hospital.

By this time things were getting worse at home, my wife wouldn’t clean the house and after several arguments between us, she took an overdose and was taken to hospital. After she was discharged, she went to the doctors surgery where she was given her some tablets. I came home from work one particular Friday evening and she had vanished, not for the first time. I rang my daughter Jennifer in tears, not knowing which way to turn. She told me to pack some clothes and to get over to Sawston, where she was living. As I was packing my wife came in and asked what was I doing. I told her I had had enough and I was going to leave her.

Before I left, I went over and told Margaret what was happening and told her that I would ring her. I eventually arrived at Jennifer's at about eight thirty. Although my wife would not clean the house, she would do anything to help anyone, for example when my mother was alive, she would visit her at home, in Hardingstone, at least twice a week even in the snow. If mum needed anything, she would go into town to get it. I was very grateful for this.

As it was Friday night when I arrived at my daughter’s house, I rang the Chronicle & Echo the following morning and explained the situation I was in. At lunchtime, I received a phone call from the Chronicle saying my manager would ring me on Monday.

On the Sunday, I decided to go over and pick up the remainder of my clothes. I took my grandson Aron with me as I knew my wife would not cause a scene with him there. After I had loaded up the car she asked if we wanted to stay but I said Aron was tired and I would take him home. This was a lie, as I had arranged to meet Margaret at Manfield Hospital and after visiting her mum she would come over and meet Jennifer. Whilst we were at the hospital, the other ladies in mum's ward thought the world of Aron and really made a fuss of him. After Jennifer had met Margaret I drove her back to Northampton before returning to Sawston.

It was about ten o’clock one Monday morning when I received a telephone call from the manager of a company named Compass, offering me a post at Ciba Geigy at Whittlesford, which was only a fifteen minutes drive from Sawston. I accepted the offer. It was situated at Junction 9 of the M11, opposite Duxford airfield and museum. This was a very interesting job, gatehouse duties during the day and patrolling the premises through the night. There were always two of us on duty at night and four during the day, due to the volume of traffic. At night I used to take Jennifer's black Labrador with me, which I always took on the outdoor patrols with me.

When there was a show on at Duxford Air Museum, if we were fortunate enough to be working on the day shift, we were often able to watch the various aircraft practising. It was great to see the vintage aircraft in flight.

Jennifer was expecting her second child when I arrived and on the eighteenth she went into labour. While her husband was taking her to hospital, I took Aron over to see friends at Cambridge.

Duke Street

Luke was born on the nineteenth and we went to see them. When we arrived the sister said we could not go in but I told another white lie saying I had driven all the way from Northampton and had to be back for six o'clock to start work she relented and let us in. Back in Northampton, Margaret's mum stayed in hospital for three months and when she came out, they moved from Salcey Street to a two bedroom flat in Duke Street, opposite to where I lived.

In March I decided to move back to Northampton and managed to get a bed sit in Charles Street, just above where Margaret and her mother lived so spent most of my time with them only going back to my bedsit to sleep while I continued to work at the Chronicle and Echo

One afternoon when I was in their flat, I looked out of the window and could see thick black smoke. My first thoughts were that it was the Chronicle & Echo. I went there as quickly as I could and discovered that it wasn't the Chron. While I was there, the phone rang and it was one of the reporters asking if we knew where the fire was. I dashed up onto the roof and I could see that it was coming firm the Brackmills area. I went back downstairs and phoned the reporter to tell him. It turned out that the fire was at British Pepper and Spice

On the 25th of May 1989 my brother Malcolm became Mayor of Northampton and I received an invitation (sorry summons) to attend the annual Mayor Making Ceremony at 11 am at the Guildhall. As I stated before, my parents had adopted Malcolm when he was eight years old. In his speech he said he wished they could have been there to see him but unfortunately they had died before the occasion. I felt very proud.

By this time Margaret’s Mum was in a wheel chair but would not go out in it in case people stared at her. On Carnival Day I said I would take her down to the Savoy to watch it and she would see Malcolm. She reluctantly agreed and off we went as the Carnival went past she said he waved to me but I knew he was waving to everyone. Whilst we were there Margaret's brother and his wife came down and after the carnival had passed by, we all went home for tea.

The Garibaldi

After we had finished our tea, I offered to take Mum around town centre that Sunday as it wouldn't be crowded and she could have a look round, as she hadn't been to town for some time. On the day, we went to the market and back up Abington Street. I thought it would probably take about an hour but she wanted to look in every shop and it finished up taking two hours. On the way home we went into the Garibaldi in Balliff Street, as I had arranged to meet Margaret there at about eight o'clock. There was young girl in there who was also in a wheelchair and mum really enjoyed herself. Once she had got used to going out in the wheelchair we couldn't keep her in.

Chronicle and Echo

I left the Chronicle & Echo in the early 1990 when they decided to reduce our wages. I went to G M Lighting as a security guard but was there for only 3 months before I applied for a job as gatehouse security at M F I. for me, it turned out to be a very good move. The lorry drivers from France used to bring in duty free beer and brandy which was very helpful, to say the least.

In the meantime, while Malcolm was The Mayor, Princess Diana came to Northampton to receive the Freedom of the Borough. After first attending a service at St Sepulchres Church, they then went on to the Guildhall where she received the Freedom of the Borough Scroll and then took the salute at a march past. I asked Malcolm what she said to him , He said when they came out of the church she said "isn't that church cold"

Margaret and I never went out without taking Mum with us. One day we went to Bognor Regis to visit my aunt. On the way back Mum wanted to go to the loo so I drove into Newbury and found a pub. I went in and explained our situation and they were very obliging. I have never seen a person on a Zimmer Frame run so fast but she made it ok.

Another time, we went to see Jennifer's husband's family who lived in Mablethorpe. We took our next door neighbour Phyllis and her dog Tina. During the journey home, as we were approaching Market Deeping Mum, Phyllis and Tina were asleep in the back of the car. We came to a level crossing which I passed over a little on the fast side which made the car bounce a bit. This made all of them jump, including the dog but they were ok.

Phyllis was a brilliant neighbour. If ever Margaret and I wanted to go out she would come and keep Mum company. We usually went out for a meal on Saturday evening and we always took Phyllis with us.

One New Years Eve we went over to the Locks Pub at Welton where we were enjoyed ourselves enormously. We had taken Mum with us and I expected her to get a bit tired, so about 1am I asked her if she wanted to go home. Her reply was somewhat surprising as she said "no I’m enjoying myself". We eventually managed to drag her away at three o'clock in the morning...

Christmas at M F I meant that we had Christmas dinner served to us by management which was always very enjoyable.

At Mum's, we inevitably had all the family round for a party.

Before going into my next part I must mention the wild life I used to see. At G M Lighting, whilst watching cctv during the night, we would see foxes, hares, and rabbits but it was at M F I that I saw the best, all kinds of birds, bluetits, chaffinches and the like. We used to put nuts out for them and the squirrels used to come and steal them so we eventually put bowls of nuts near to the gatehouse where we could sit and watch them enjoy themselves.

By the end of 1990, Margaret and I had decided to get married and we set the date for early 1991. We were married at the Guildhall on the 21st January, with my brother and Margaret's sister as witnesses. All my family attended including my granddaughter Angie, who was in foster care. Her foster mother accompanied her. The only one not there was my middle daughter Denise. She had married my ex wife's brother and I gave her away but it was awkward, as her mother was there and I had to sit next to her at the reception. We didn't speak and after the toasts I went to the other end of the room to get away. We sent them an invitation to our wedding but they didn't reply and I haven't seen her since their wedding. When we came out of the Guildhall the bells were ringing at All Saints so for us, that made the day.

The reception was held at the Polish Club in Craven Street. One of our neighbours did the buffet and also made the cake. When we arrived, the decorations were still in place from the Polish New Year celebrations, so that really made it look great. After the reception mum went to stay with Margaret's sister for the night whilst Margaret and I spent the night in a hotel
After settling in at the hotel, we went for a meal at the Locks Pub at Welton. One of the barmaids there had attended our wedding and taken some photographs and when we arrived they were in an album with a miniature wedding cake and a bottle of wine so that made the event even more special.

Margaret's brother Derek was concerned, before we got married, that we would put Mum in a home but we were able to assure him that we were going to look after her thus putting his mind at rest.

The same year, Margaret's niece Michelle got married at Buckingham. We attended the wedding along with Mum. The bridesmaids wore yellow and Michelle's sister, Kerry, was chief bridesmaid and as she stood outside the church on the grass she said" I feel like a bloody daffodil".

In July we decided to take Mum on holiday and decided to go to Newquay in Cornwall We took the country route and stopped at the Little Chef at Taunton Dene for the night so as to break the journey for Mum. The staff there told us about a good pub which was nearly five miles from the Little Chef, called the White Swan. It was very good and they made us very welcome. The following morning we left Taunton at about nine thirty and arrived at our destination at about half past one. Our hotel in Newquay was called the Kilbernie and as supper wasn't until 7:00pm, we decided to have some sandwiches and a drink before we unpacked and got settled in.

We went for a walk along the cliffs and Mum seemed to be really enjoying herself. The hotel dining room was amazing with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the food was very good too. By the time we had finished our meal mother was feeling tired so I waited in the bar while Margaret put her to bed and then joined me down stairs for a drink. That was our first night.

In the bedroom was a sign saying please do not feed the seagulls as our room over looked the cliffs. The following morning there was a tap tap on the window and when I drew the curtain there was a seagull sitting on the sill. Margaret had some biscuits so she broke some and fed the bird and after that it was back every morning at the same time.

Every night except Saturdays the hotel had live entertainment which included line dancing.

On Sunday we decided to go for a walk around the town as we had never been there before. Our stroll meant that we had a good look round the town centre before we went down to the harbour. It was beautiful and very peaceful. We found somewhere to have a lunchtime snack and by about two o'clock, as mum was feeling tired, we went back to the hotel so she could have a rest before dinner. Margaret and I had a drink in the bar.

That Monday, we decided to take Mum to the zoo. When we arrived there I asked for 2 adults and a pensioner and the lady said wheel chair and pushers were admitted to the zoo free of charge. So I asked for 2 adults she told me that I was a wheelchair pusher so only Margaret had to pay. After leaving the zoo we went for a walk around the flower gardens, Mum loved that.

During the week we traveled all around the area, Mevagissy, Polperro and Fowey. It nearly broke my back pushing mother up the hill in Fowey.

One day we decided to visit the miniature village just outside Newquay. When we got there we paid full price for us and Mum got in half price. The following day we went to St Agnes where there was another miniature village. As we had been given vouchers to get in half price, it turned out that Mum got in for nothing and we only had to pay half price for Margaret and me.

We also went to Peranporth on the way back from St Agnes and I took Mum down on to the sand. We had only been there for a little while when I suddenly realised I was getting stuck luckily another gentleman was there and he helped me to pull Mum out.

After we left Newquay, to come home, we stopped at Taunton again and went to the same pub we had visited the week before.

In 1991 we all went up to my granddaughter who was in care at the time. And we also went down to the New Forest so mother could see the ponies and then went down to Milford on sea so she could see the Needles on the Isle of Wight. We were quite busy throughout 1991 the pub at Welton had closed so for our meals out, we decided to try the Wharf at Bugbrooke. Mother really liked it there.

On Sunday afternoons I used to take Mum and Uncle Bill out for a ride whilst Aunty Phyllis used to walk across the Racecourse to our flat and help Margaret get the tea ready. Now Uncle Bill had only seen hayricks before and he could not understand why they were wrapped in plastic. One Sunday, after we had just left Leamington Spa, we came up a hill and round a roundabout, there was a cafe. I pulled in and went inside to order and explained about mum and uncle and, bless her, the waitress brought our order out on a tray, complete silver service, it was a very nice touch.

One day we decided to take mother up to Matlock, in Derbyshire, so she could see all the scenery. Unfortunately she fell asleep and when we got to Matlock, I parked up and Mum woke up and asked "what god forsaken hole is this" but when we took her into town she brightened up, looking in the shops and walking by the river where we found a cafe and had a bite to eat.

Another laugh we had was when Mum's granddaughter Carol brought her son Scott down, he was only five years old. He went under the chair to stroke the cat and it scratched him. He went and told his Mum, came back, bent down and said "I'm bringing my gun and going to shoot your head off".

Christmas we took Mum over to the Wharf for Christmas dinner it was beautifully set out with all the trimmings including crackers; she was well pleased. On Mother's Day we decided to take Mum over to the Wharf and we invited an old gentleman who lived in the same block of flats he was 99 years old. He brought Mum a box of chocolates. When we arrived there was a party going on for an old lady. After we had our meal Frank went over and asked how old she was, they told him she was 94 and he said you are only a spring chicken they asked me how old he was and were surprised when I told them he was 99.

He was still swimming at the age of eighty and Anglia News came down and filmed him .They gave him a video of it and as he didn't have a video player so he came in to watch it. He celebrated his 100th birthday on 27th Jan 1993, the day Margaret's mother died. All the cobblers team came to see him when he was in St Edmund's Hospital as he once played for them, the year, I do not know!

We took my Mum to Whipsnade zoo and also down to Bognor Regis to see my Aunt Gladys in 1992.

We went down to Newquay again in 1992 but mother slipped in the bathroom at the Little Chef and was in so much pain they sent for the doctor he said we should get her home and get her x-rayed so we had to cancel the holiday. When we got home it revealed she had chipped her coxis bone.

That same year, Mum went to the toilet and slipped over, resulting in the zimmer frame jamming against the door so I couldn't open it. I had to call the fire brigade and when they came, they thought they would have to take the door off the hinges but then one of them, who was quite a bit smaller than the others said that he thought he could get through the bathroom window, which he did He was, though, worried about the mud down the wall but I told him that the cat made more mess coming in and out. Mum was taken for a check up and everything was fine.

Also Margaret developed C.T.S. (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) in her right hand and when we went to the doctor he told her that the waiting list for an operation was about a year. As I was working for M F I, I had medical insurance with H S A (a private medical company) so I told him to go through that company. We saw the consultant on the following Thursday and she had the operation on the Monday at St Matthews Nursing Home. When I went to pick her up the first thing she wanted was a cigarette and by the time she got home she had got through three. As it was her right hand she could not do very much for herself, so I helped out all I could. This went on for about six weeks but I didn't mind.

In the meantime, Margaret's Mum had been getting weaker and had to go to hospital twice. The second time was after she caught her heel and after being home for a week it began to go sceptic. At our doctors surgery there was a certain doctor who kept saying she should be in a home. One night, I had to call out the doctor and made it quite clear that we did not want this particular doctor to call on her. Within two days we received a letter from the surgery informing us that we had been removed from their list.

We enrolled with Dr Woolmore in Billing Road who surprisingly was the same doctor who had dealt with my children when we lived in Edith St. It wasn't too long before we had to call him out to see Mother. As soon as he had examined her, he sent for a district nurse who turned up the following morning. When the nurse saw mother he said "I'll be back in an hour" and when he came back he had with him a special mattress for mum. He also arranged for us to see a social worker so that we could get respite care. This meant that Mother went to Collingtree Nursing Home for what we thought would be for about two weeks. Mum always said that it was me that put her in there and sometimes she would not talk to me. When this happened I would wander off and talk to some of the other residents but she always got Margaret to fetch me back. We went to have Christmas dinner with her but she kept falling asleep.

On New Year’s Eve Dr. Woolemoore was called and he immediately ordered her to hospital. Gangrene had set in and on the same night her leg was amputated. Margaret and her Sister stayed with her all day. When she came to in the morning, she was delirious telling Margaret and me to go to school.
She returned to Collingtree but was getting weaker Margaret and her brother Derek took it in turns staying all day and all night.

I was at work when one of the security team came to tell me to go to Collingtree but when I arrived there Mum had passed away. The date was 27th January 1993. When we got home I told the family I would do the running round for them. The funeral was at St Sepulchres and burial at Kingsthorpe Cemetery.

So ended two and a half years of happiness and sadness...