Individual results

Interviewee: Youart Derwin Stokes
Logged by Maurice Rattigan
Track 1
Born 13 Dec 1908, at home, in Bulkington. Dad was a baker. Moved when 18 months old. Remembers Dublin Fusiliers marching from Bulkington to Coventry in the WWI. I was at school but walked to Coventry with them in 1914. Moved to new house at MarSton Jabbett.

Track 2
A stonebuilt cottage, three up and down. Three brothers and two sisters. In country. Small holding nearby. Went walking with the cows all day. Never knew dad to work. He was always drunk. Mr and Mrs Larkin were our teachers, one classroom for all. Enjoyed school. Stopped until 7 years of age, then moved to Nuneaton. Sisters were on munitions war work at Coventry and walked from MarSton to Bedworth to get train to Coventry. It was lonely walk. One of them got molested. So we moved to Nuneaton.

Track 3
They worked with Irish girls. I went to party with them one Christmas and saw first electric light. 1915. They worked on filling the bombs with gunpowder. A friend at the smallholding had a horse and trap and would take us shopping to Nuneaton.

Track 4
Diet was bread and jam, bread and lard, rice pudding. Went to Council school. 1915, it was mixed, then boys only when I went up a grade. School strict. Teacher, Mr. Harrison, played violin and give us stick for laughing and stick for dirty boots. Mad as a hatter. Top 14 in class would go to party at his house. For entertainment.

Track 5
Wife would sing, daughter played piano and him, violin. General education 3 R's (reading, writing, arithmetic).
Standard 7 was top class. Decent teacher. And left at 13 years of age. Got job so could leave.

Track 6
First job at Boots the chemist as errand boy 12/6 (?) a week. 9 until 7 most days. Bought sweets with pocket money. Brother-in-law got me job. 1918, got commemorative medal from school for War's end.

Track 7
Street parties. Not like last war. 18 months at Boots. Left to get more money. Went to a bakers delivering with a covered-in box trolley. Ambition to be a woodworker. Went to a sports manufacturers.

Track 8
Made tennis racquets, squash racquets, boomerangs. Used ash and bent them in steam ovens. 10 years younger than youngest sister. Siblings were all married. Only remembered them as grown up.

Track 9
Mum relied on my money and any other she could get. She had a poor life. No hand down clothes. New, but not many. Steam driven factory. Married in 1933, and I left just after.

Track 10
Met wife at Armistice Day dance in Nuneaton, St Johns Ambulance Hall. Went in building trade and worked in that ever since. In younger days went on the Bunny Run. We'd go up Hinckley Road, that was the Bunny Run. Went to evening classes for shorthand and typing and met girls there, for several years. Wed in Coton Church.

Track 11
I had pinstripe suit and she had nice dress. For honeymoon went to Folkestone, then France. PicardY. Boat was 'Maid of Orleans' and I was bad coming back. First time overseas. Bought house in Melvont Road, Nuneaton. New House

Track 12.
Semi-detached, three up and three down. Carpenter until 1939. Made manager when I went on shopfitting in Coventry. Done lot of work in Coventry. Done the temporary shops in Broadgate after the Blitz.

Track 13
Specialise in hardwood. We would make the pieces but not assemble them. Made exhibition cases for bombed Coventry Cathedral. Wasn't bothered with politics. Remembers Chamberlain with paper in his hand. I was called up but got deferred as I was on War work with BTH. and other firms.

Track 14
Was called up and went to Sibree Hall. Had my papers for my exam and passed as artificer for Royal Navy. Told I'd be called up in fortnight but never heard no more. Kept getting deferred. Worked in Coventry before and after Blitz. We did the posh work others couldn't tackle. On morning after the Blitz got as far as Longford on train, and walked the rest of way. Tramlines all up.

Track 15
Got to Coventry and there was nothing of Broadgate left. I went down to work in Luton Airport.

Track 16
The day before the Blitz I had a gang of workers working in Boots, and though we'd finished we had left a lot of materials there and it was all lost in the Blitz. Did all Barclays Bank work and Mattersons. Made exhibition cases to raise money for new cathedral and met Queen.

Track 17
Worked for all the tradespeople. Started to rebuild city. Wood was short but had to get licence for it. Worked for concert theatre. Built orchestra pit for Charles Shadwell. On Blitz night I was asleep and never heard a thing.

Track 18
It was frightening hearing bombs come down. We had bombs at Nuneaton. Our windows were blown out. Had Anderson shelter in back garden. First shelter flooded so built another. When bombed I heard this bomb coming so wife and I crouched down and out went the windows over the top of us.

Track 19
Glass went over us. Wife was doing some wedding dresses and glass went through them. Lot of incendiary bombs at front of house. Wood was hard to get. On licence.

Track 20
Wife went into hospital for last two girls. Others at home. Didn't witness births. Wife never worked. Few wives did then.

Track 21
I don't like the style of the new Cathedral. Remember them putting the cross on the top by helicopter. During the Blitz they moved Peeping Tom from the bottom of Hertford Street. I was in Band Hatton office, over Barclays Bank and I opened a cupboard and there was Peeping Tom. Put there for safety.

Track 22
I was glad to retire. I'd worked for Davis and Dawson for 32 years and when they sold out to C.U.C. Clifford it was different set up. The workers weren't so good. More trouble to look after so after 12 months I was glad to get away. Had small retirement gift. Had workshop at home and a lathe and with a few bits of wood from work managed to keep myself busy.

Track 23
Millennium won't affect me. Don't know what I'd do to improve Coventry. It was rebuilt higgLedy piggLedy. Don't know Coventry now. After the Blitz it was under military control and I had a pass to enter. This was to prevent looting.

Track 24
The Barclays bank manager was a director of Standard Motor Co. He wanted to go into the bank, and asked to go in, but they wouldn't let him in. I had a permit signed by the Army Commanding Officer to go in to work. Our depot was in Far Gosford Street where we made everything before it was fitted.

Track 25
My first car was a second-hand Morris 8. Used it for work and also had a motor cycle. The first car in Nuneaton was owned by Councillor Merry Who was killed in the Blitz with his wife. He was a large benefactor to Nuneaton.

Coventry Lives Oral History Project, date of birth: 13/12/1908