Individual results

Interviewee: Harry Hartley
Interviewer: Helen Whitcombe

Track 1
Born 30 Dec 1947. Born in Bell Green, lived there until he got married. Then became a school caretaker and moved around Coventry a bit. One brother, got on Ok, occasional bullying. Father worked at Coventry Gas, Mother worked at Geisha CafÉ. Had tiny house with outside toilet. Moved to new housing estate in area aged 10 years old. Had own bedroom, not bothered one way or the other. Room was quite small. Good relationship with mother. Father died when aged 7 years old, didn't have much of a relationship with him.

Track 2
Wasn't allowed to go to father's funeral. Always had good relationship with mother. She was firm, but not strict. Did as he was told, didn't get into trouble. Parental influence, knowing right from wrong. Sharing their values, respecting and helping other people. Family didn't spend much time together. Went out walking on Sundays, in the countryside. When older they all tended to do their own thing. He played in a marching band. Started age 10 years old, joined Church Lads Brigade.

Track 3
Played in the band, after 25 years became Band Master. Rehearsed in school halls. Played a bugle, tenor drum, carried the mace. Marched in front of the Queen in Windsor Great Park. First time he saw Concorde that day. The band took up nearly all his time, practising and going out to competitions. Competitions, playing at the seaside. Bandmaster job involved teaching how to play instruments, administration.

Track 4
Won competition in Bradford, bands very good up north, they were the first Midlands team to win that trophy. Mother's family from Leicestershire, spending weekends with Auntie, playing in her garden. Didn't go on holiday with family, but went away with the band. Couldn't afford family holidays. Band went to seaside towns, like Morecambe, Great Yarmouth.

Track 5
First days at school, Foleshill Church of England School, the oldest school in Coventry. An old school, had coke fires. Quite a small school, got to know some of the teachers. Got the cane once at secondary school. Went to Foxford School, he was one of the first kids to go to a comprehensive school. A big, modern school.

Track 6
He was teachers pet, but gained no formal qualifications. Liked woodwork and metalwork. Didn't do any exams at school. On fifteenth birthday started work at a bakery, then did apprenticeship at Henley College for two years, with the bakery. Then got married. Not a lot of money in baking and long hours, so became an assistant school caretaker at Binley Primary School. Didn't want to give up being a baker, but needed the money. Job at bakery - in charge of making pastry and cakes. Made bread dough on Fridays.

Track 7
Would take cakes home, but wouldn't bother eating too many. Shift work, lost weekends through work. Social life - still in the band, didn't go out in town much. Looked forward to caretaker job because liked working with people. Now Chairman of Association at Cheylesmore Community Centre. Band occupied most of his spare time. Would go out drinking and to the cinema. Went to a pub called 'The Smithfield', near the theatre. Went to cinema on Foleshill Road. Liked watching almost anything. Meeting wife - band playing at Belgrade Theatre, met her there.

Track 8
Used to go to watch the football as she liked it, he wasn't that keen. Got married age 24 years old, still a baker then. Wedding day - married at church where the band used to play. Reception at local working men's club. He baked his own wedding cake, but somebody else decorated it. It was a very difficult design.

Track 9
Girlfriends as a teenager. Met a girl at the bakery, another one was in the band. Life revolved around the band. Would go out or to parties after band practice. No conflicts with mother. Had no chores to do around the house, Mum did it all. First day at work, not knowing anybody, or what to do. Didn't earn very much, paid keep but got a lot back from Mum.

Track 10
Spent money on cinema, football matches. Job as caretaker. Getting up early, opening up school, cleaning. Would take around milk. Worked about 10am until 3pm. Used to watch television then. Involved in Union, NUPE (National Union of Public Employees, now part of UNISON) did a lot of union work. City Council encouraged Trade Union membership, wanted to be an active member. Went to monthly meetings at Sidney Stringer School. Became a Steward, senior Steward, Health & Safety Representative and then Vice Chairman of the Union. Went to conferences - Scarborough, Bournemouth, Brighton.

Track 11
Speeches and debates about working conditions. Went to regional Labour Party Conferences. National level union involvement. Not involved in TUC, a sort of rule was that if you went to a Labour party conference, it would be difficult to go to a TUC conference. Unions quite powerful then. Became chairman of the Joint Consultative Committee, in charge of manual and craft workers in the city. Went to meetings at the Council House. Union action - went on strike for a month in 1981. Picket lines, thought there was nowhere to picket because people worked at different buildings.

Track 12
Tried to man as many picket lines as possible, but a token, because nobody was going in the buildings anyway. No conflicts. Strike was about hours being cut, cut conditions of service. Union didn't agree with proposed cuts over cleaning. Strike action resolved the issue. Finished work, now a retired member of the union, not an active member now. Unions quite weak now. Worked as a caretaker in a lot of different school. Worked at one school when it was built and still there when it was bulldozed - Allesley Annexe. Worked as a relief caretaker, three different schools a week.

Track 13
Relationship with staff and pupils. Better at primary than secondary school. Left work because registered partially sighted. After that became active in Cheylesmore Community Centre council meetings, now chairman. Looks after day-to-day running of the centre, there at least four days a week. Has no real hobbies. Has three children, one son died of cystic fibrosis. Wife planned when they had children, she wanted to set up a home. Wife and children moved to Exmouth, ten years ago.

Track 14
Thinks he is quite a good parent, same sort of parent as his parents were to him. Spare time - likes to stay in, listen to the radio, Coventry and Warwickshire, Edwina Currie's show. Likes chat programmes. Doesn't watch much television. Thinks he is a Coventry Person, proud to come from Coventry. Lives in Allesley now, has sense of community there, member of Allesley Festival Committee, helps organise annual procession. Part of community, within the Community Centre in Cheylesmore.

Track 15
The community centre a very important building in Cheylesmore, has an important role. People learn computer skills, basic English. Building used by adults with learning difficulties. Has enjoyed living in Coventry. Thinks shopping centre isn't very good. Likes the Cathedral because it is modern, quite moving inside. Biggest issue - fear of redundancy, factory closures. Happy with the way life has turned out, has fulfilled ambitions to be good and kind.

Track 16
Likes old bits of Coventry, doing quizzes on old Coventry. Goes on holidays with the centre, to Exeter, Portsmouth, Southern Ireland. On holidays they go on walks and chat. Went to Cork, a twin city, met the Lord Mayor. Likes the twinning between Coventry and other cities in the world.

Coventry Lives Oral History Project, date of birth: 30/12/1947