T L S G three eighteen

thanks (pause) eh (pause) could you tell us first where you were born please

I was born in Gateshead

aye wh whereabouts in Gateshead

Brighton Road

oh aye yes

just further down

yes aye and eh whereabouts have you lived since then (unclear)

t (laughter) oh (laughter) all over the place

aye

I was in India years ago

oh aye when was that like

before the war when I was sixteen no seventeen I was in India

yeah

in the army

oh aye

from there came back I went down south had a job down the south for a while down in London came back then I got in the post office engineers I was sent down the south again

aye

in Horsham Sussex

oh I see yes

all around that that way (pause) then during the war I was away again I was all over the place till I got my discharge

yes

I got a bit of a wallop

did you

mm

aye

and then eh (pause) I've been here twenty (pause) oh well (unclear) since I came back (unclear)

since you came back from the war

aye it'll have been forty two aye

aye (pause) yeah eh (pause) you've eh travelled around like mos more than most people (interruption) (unclear)

oh aye you know (unclear) I've been in China India Egypt Arabia

oh yeah and of the places where you actually lived you know in England (pause) eh which did you think was the best to live in

Horsham definitely

aye

Horsham in Sussex

yes why do you think that was

because (pause) when you got out of the train (pause) you could tell that the that the air it was like

aye

it was like wine

yes

after coming from here and then getting out of the train down there the air was marvellous

yeah yes

(unclear)

yeah what about the work down there (interruption) was it good

I was on the post office engineers

aye yes (pause) eh and d do you find that ehm (pause) the area round here is very eh neighbourly you know do you know many of the people round here for instance

eh (pause) no not now no I mean eh there's a lot of them moved away you know (interruption) during the time I've been here

yes aye

(unclear) there're a lot of there's a lot of young couples in the street now

aye that's true it's a very young area now this street aye

aye

eh so do you think you would miss this area much if if you left it

(laughter) I wouldn't

no

(laughter) this place always reminds me of one thing the north

aye

poverty

yeah

it always reminds me of long dole queues and everything

aye

everyti I mean you've just got to see Gateshead you come into it from in from the south on the train

yeah (unclear) eh so would you say that ehm what about Gateshead compared with Newcastle for instance would you rather live in Gateshead or Newcastle

well Newcastle's not too bad I've got a daughter lives across there as a matter of fact in Sandyford

yes yeah

so I mean when you say Newcastle it's eh (pause) where you talking about you see

aye (laughter)

there's Sandyford Jesmond and Heaton or other it all comes under Newcastle there's Scotswood area I wouldn't like to live that way believe me

(laughter) aye but you don't feel sort of particularly attached to Gateshead you know as a

(unclear) I divn't

no eh (pause) do you think that eh (pause) in again in your travels around do you find that Tynesiders are different from people in other parts of the country you know in any particular way

different

aye

I don't know how you mean different eh

or do you find people more or less the same wherever you go

they're more or less the same as you say yes but eh when I went down the south (pause) when I was on the post office engineers (pause) there was a stack of blokes stationed in that part (pause) from here

yeah

and you know the opinion of the bosses that the blokes from he up here were the best workers

is that right aye

mm that's right

(laughter)

aye

(unclear) eh (pause) (unclear) ehm (pause) could you tell us eh where your parents were born please

my parents

aye in Gateshead as well

yes no

no

no my father oh he's been dead (pause) for about sixteen years now he was born in Heaton

yeah

my mother was born in Gateshead I was born on Brighton Road and my mother still lives there yet

is that right aye

(unclear) she'll be about eighty four I think in November

yes

aye

yeah but your parents had sort of lived on Tyneside all their lives had they they were

my people have

your parents yes

yeah aye

they were local people aye

my father's f father his his people now I think some of them belonged actually from Scotland

mm yeah yes (pause) eh (pause) could you tell us ehm (pause) on that card just which age group you belong to please if you could just say the letter you know

C

ta and eh finally on what basis you occupy this house again if you just say the letter

oh I rent it

ta that's B in fact (unclear)

we were going to move out of it a long time ago but eh my wife there she died eleven years ago

yeah

and eh (pause) that sort of I was stuck then

(unclear)

talk about going r travelling round I've got I've got a son in Australia

yeah

I've got a daughter in Australia

yes

as a matter of fact there's a letter I just received from her today from Australia

oh aye

from my daughter

aye did you (laughter) and you've got another daughter is that the one that was here (unclear)

the one yes the one that lives at Sandyford aye you're talk about travelling I this girl of mine the the daughter that's in Australia she went there last oc last August

yeah

but in nineteen sixty five she went she went to Sweden

yeah

she was working in Sweden for a year oh she's eh she likes to travel round like she came back here she was working at at a hotel in Jesmond

yeah

and then eh (pause) she decided to go to Australia last year

aye yeah perhaps they inherit it from you you know travelling

(laughter)

travelling instinct

(laughter) aye aye

eh could you tell us eh where you work please

where I work

aye

Sigmund's well now known as Ingersoll Rand's

that's right aye my father used to work there a long time ago engineering place

aye

yeah and eh (pause) what eh (pause) what job do you do there

I'm in the stores

yeah

the bar stores the steel bars you know

aye (pause) eh (pause) what eh (pause) what kind of stuff do they make now

(unclear)

i is it a good job do you enjoy your job

it's not a very good job believe me since these eh (pause) since these yankees took over last

aye

what was it last July

(unclear) all round (unclear)

there's been two two eh lots of redundancies

oh

in fact it was in the Chronicle about one lot they were just going to start the summer holidays

aye

and on the Thursday the day before hand they were told the number of fellows that was finished two hundred of them

aye

that was so they wouldn't spend such a lot of money when they were on their hols the next day (laughter) they had their redundancy payment their holiday pay and all the rest and I believe a month's wages in lieu of notice or what not you know

aye

and then they had another lot in October another redundancy eh ninety six

mm yeah well is it's does it still look a dicey proposition now or is it

it still does because there's not much doing just now

mm yes (pause) aye it's the same story all over really (interruption) isn't it

oh I mean I I packed the post office engineers up because I would have been retired now practically because eh I couldn't eh they wouldn't establish me I had to start all over again through getting my discharge from the forces I says right we'll not take it

oh I see aye

but I had a good job after that I was working for I I was twelve years in a betting office

oh aye

I had the best job in the world then the best boss then he died

yeah it was his firm was it (unclear)

his firm that's right his wife took over and then she sold the out to somebody and he thought he was going to sit back and rake all the old (pause) money in you know

aye

but eh (pause) he thought bookies always won but eh he found out his mistake (laughter)

(laughter) I thought bookies always won (laughter)

(laughter) you should see the accounts some time believe me when you get somebody winning with seven and six pence win about eight hundred quid at at at a meeting like Ascot

is that right

eh it takes a lot of getting back when they just backing bobs aye

I bet it does yeah eh (pause) what eh (pause) what job did you do when you first left school

what job did I do

aye

oh I was with (unclear) I was up the Clarke Chapman's

aye

I was serving my time as an electrical fitter

oh I see aye but you didn't stay in that trade

I didn't no (pause) I couldn't I couldn't get away messing around with little screwdrivers and little tiny

aye (laughter) get on your nerves (laughter) aye (unclear)

aye yeah I was a fool mind I tell you

what you regret leaving your trade (interruption) and that then do you

aye I regret leaving the post office engineers never mind anything else I'd have been retired next year

yeah

because you retire at sixty there

yes (pause) eh (pause) would you ehm (pause) when you're looking for a job do you usually sort of look for a job with good prospects or a job with better pay at the moment do you think that security's very important

well (pause) I don't I don't think there's any good prospects for anybody up here and that's what I've al that's what I said in the first place

yes

to you when you asked that question about the north

yeah yes just a dead loss all over (interruption) in fact

mm

it's probably true

I mean I I know a fellow he worked with me on a different job to this I was on another job before this after the post after the eh betting closed down you know

mm-hm

and eh he was working the same firm and he finished two year ago round about the same time as me

yeah

and he hasn't had a job since

yes

and I just met him on (interruption) Saturday

(unclear) yeah (pause) eh these are just eh (pause) just a few questions to see if you use certain expressions you know eh (pause) if something was eh stacked up on a high shelf would you say it was up a height do you use that expression

stacked up on a shelf

would you say it's eh it's up a height

aye

yes

up a height aye

and eh could you say of a tool you were going to use could you say ehm this'll do the job clever do you use that

no I never use that expression no

have you ever heard anyone use it

in fact you know I I told you I was in the army I was stationed down the south I was out in India I was in Egypt and all all over the place I was working down south twice I was down there for about three year on one occasion I was on the post office (pause) when I came up that way as a matter of fact they thought I they thought I lived in London they thought I belonged to London

(laughter)

you get that way of talking to people you know and most of them were (pause) south country blokes who just didn't know what I was (unclear) you know

yes yes

and you get more or less talking their way

pick the language up yeah

so I (laughter) I gradually got out of it

yes well you have now because you I don't think you show any eh signs of it now like you know

mm-hm

eh (pause) now (pause) ehm how old were you when you left school

fourteen

fourteen eh do you think you were glad to leave school or not

I was very glad to leave school

were you

the only thing I enjoyed at school was football (laughter)

aye (laughter) eh (pause) and would you say that ehm in you know in your life since you left school would you say that your education's been worth very much to you or not

well (pause) I haven't had a university education that is a fact but I can read I can write I can spell better than anybody l living I think

aye I wouldn't be surprised and do you think (interruption)

I can do mathematics because I had to do when I was in the betting office

oh aye yes that's true so in fact it has been useful to you really (interruption) (unclear)

oh yes yes yes

aye

the fact that I've I've applied for a job I I haven't gone in personally I've always written in

yes yeah

and I can put a fairly good letter together

aye yes yes (unclear) and eh (pause) do you ever think that eh (pause) your education's been useful outside your work in any way you know just in in your ordinary life

outside your work

mm

well naturally it eh comes in useful sometimes (pause) I suppose eh (pause) in the way you address people like you know and you you get introduced to strangers and such so forth

aye (pause) eh (pause) and what about ehm for children these days so you think that education's particularly important for (pause) young people these days

well I think it's one of the main things there is education you can't beat it

yes

a good education the the the better the education the better for the child I think

yes (pause) and this is eh (pause) the same for boys as for girls in fact

the same for yes more (interruption) so more so girls today

(unclear) yes

more so because there's things happening now with (pause) females that that that didn't when I was young such as go going into engineering and things like that

aye

you know it was it was an unheard of thing when I was a kid

yes but now they do in fact

yes well I mean look at all the factories that they employ women only and (interruption)

mm-hm

especially there's the trading estate where they make these valves and different things for for wireless sets and all that

aye there's lots of women on the trading estate now yes

mm (pause) but I mean there there is qualified engineers amongst women more so than there ever was you know

mm-hm yes aye

oh (unclear) they've they've got opportunities just as just as well as the the lads have now

yes (pause) do you think eh schools have improved since you went to school very much

well you talk about improved I think they must have done it was nothing for me to go out in front of the teacher he used to have a (pause) half well about two foot of a billiard cue the end of a billiard cue he put it over your your fingers there and I've seen my fingers black and blue

aye

now look at the song and dance they made about this kid who wrote that essay

oh that's (interruption) right aye yes

it was on television it was in the newspapers oh good God tho those days blimey you could they could the teacher could murder you practically and nobody would dare say a word to (interruption) them

say anything aye (laughter) do you think it's do you think that's a good improvement I mean or do you think things have gone too far

I think they're yes I think they've gone a bit too far because I don't think there's the I don't think think myself there's the discipline now

no

in fact the eh from what I see they can sort of please themselves what they do

yes

such as eh that television series you know Please Sir (laughter)

(laughter) yeah I hope it's not really like that like (laughter)

(laughter) oh I think it is though from what I read (laughter)

(laughter) eh

and I mean look at the song and dance about eh about a kid oh he hasn't got to come to school till he has his hair cut and they say right he'll not go to school keep him off

yeah

and there you are and then (pause) that's in the news as well

that's right aye (pause) they're always on about (unclear) (laughter)

good g I mean when I was at school there was a place here (pause) I don't know whether it's Thompson's rents that place now or not

aye it's down now (interruption) but I know where you mean

it's down now well that that used to be the what they call the Abbot Memorial school

mm-hm

and we had a lad sent there from the class I was in I was about twelve at the time and he was sent there till he was about sixteen you know what for

no

he stole a book with about (pause) four or five eh (pause) war savings stamps war savings off you know off the first World War there was all these war savings stamps he pinched a book with about half a dozen those and he was sent to Abbot Memorial school (laughter) aye they give them a little caution now

mm-hm yes yeah eh

yes it was tough believe you me you had to be tough to survive it

aye (pause) eh these are again just eh some questions about words you use for various things could you tell us ehm what your normal word is for each of the rooms of this house please just go through each room in turn

normal word

aye what do you usually call this room

well I call this the kitchen that's the scullery there's a bathroom behin behind that

yes

and back bedroom front room

mm yes

oh I know some of them will say this is the sitting room but no that's the sitting room this is the dining room (unclear) (laughter)

yeah you call this a kitchen so do I

aye (laughter)

aye eh (pause) and eh (pause) to get out of the back door you have to lift the

that's right

what do you call it

the sneck

yes yeah eh

I never use the back door (laughter)

(laughter) ehm (pause) and eh what do you call the thing you stand in front of the fire to get it going

what blazer

yes

in my book my word it's a shovel (laughter) (unclear) (laughter)

(laughter) eh (pause) and eh what do you call cleaning the plates and things after a meal

cleaning the plates and that

aye we'll just have to (pause) what do you say

some'll say doing the washing up (laughter) oh no I'm just just washing up that's all

washing up aye (pause) eh (pause) now eh could you tell us how you like to spend eh your free time and so on you know in the evenings and weekends how do you how do you fill in your time

mine mostly with women (laughter)

(laughter)

oh I've got one or two friends and (pause) mates I go to clubs with you know

yes you go out quite often do you

mm-hm I go round the one or two widows too (laughter)

(laughter) (unclear)

(unclear) widowers makes no difference

yes yes (pause) eh

I used to go a lot to football and all that but I stopped that when I had the all this carry on I have now it's another example of education of the free and easy style

aye it's too too rough and that for you

aye

aye it is eh (pause) are there any eh are there any things that you sort of eh wish you h could have done but you've never got round to or you've never had the chance to do

wish I could have done

mm

aye I wish I could have been a millionaire (unclear) (laughter)

yes what what sort of things do you think you would do if if you had you know if you won a lot of money tomorrow for instance you know if you won the pools you know

I would move out of Gateshead straight away

yes

I would move out of the north

yes

in fact I might go and join my lot out in Australia

mm yes that would be nice (pause) eh (pause) you haven't got a television

no I had it taken out no I had it taken out oh last year

oh

because eh I hardly ever saw it I tell you

aye

I come in and I usually I'm I'm going out shortly and I get ready and then I go out different people's houses I go to as I say I go to one girl's house the T V's on there all the time and eh I thought well it's not very much use me keeping it there

that's true

I got it taken out I hardly ever used to see it I was paying a licence for nothing

aye I I don't (unclear)

well practically only time I used to see it was Saturdays eh part of Saturday afternoon

mm-hm

and eh Sunday afternoon

yeah eh (pause) these are just a few questions about your eh (pause) your opinions on some ordinary matters ehm (pause) do you think that eh (pause) a young person of about sixteen should be more or less allowed to do as they want or not

allowed to do as they want eh (pause) in what (interruption) way

you know I mean well to stay out at nights for instance as long as they want to that sort of thing

well (pause) I cannot say anything about it (pause) for a simple reason when I was sixteen (pause) eh I I w I started knocking round with a girlfriend I never used to get in before twelve

yeah

and eh (pause) the same went for for my fam I was never strict with mine

aye

as long as they got in reasonably you know within a reasonable time not three or four o'clock in the morning something like that but

aye yes

I just used to let them have their way as long as it was within reason twelve o'clock is all right as far as I'm concerned

eh and eh going on to something different altogether eh and this is this is a question you don't have to answer if you don't want ehm which way do you vote can you tell me

which way do I vote

aye

well I've voted various ways I've voted Labour and I've voted Conservative in my time

ah you actually (interruption) (unclear)

this last election I voted Conservative but the way things are going that's the last time I'll be voting Conservative believe me

aye and wh what sort of things make you you know change your mind you know what

well blimey plenty look at I mean you've just got to look at one thing what I what I I'm coming back to the practically the first question about the poverty in the north

aye

look at the dole queues I know a couple of blokes on the dole they tell me you can't get in the door

mm-hm yes

well the it's getting worse it's not improving believe me

(unclear)

as I've just eh told you before this fellow that worked with me two years ago he was finished

mm

and he was telling me on Saturday I met him in the bar at the Honeysuckle on Coatsworth Road

aye

and he hasn't worked since

yes

and he's come up he's coming up to sixty

yeah (unclear)

but he's a fellow that's got a bit of a he's got a bit of a pension you know and eh he's eh just him and his wife now and I expect they get about (unclear) I think they get about eight pound or something like that and he's got about three pound that makes eleven and then he's got a little bit put away you know

aye

so he's not too bad but there's people who are

yeah

who are worse off than anybody

aye (pause) mm and you eh sort of more or less I mean you blame the present government for that in fact do you

I am (interruption) definitely

that's why you'll not vote for them again aye

I mean there's never been so much unemployment since since those Jarrow marcher days believe me

mm mm I believe (unclear)

it's desperate and it's it's going to get worse I think and going into this Common Market business will make it worse again not for eh not for I don't say for more unemployment but (pause) for (pause) what unemployment pay they do get it'll not go anywhere near as far as it goes now and it doesn't go far now as far as I know of course some of them get as much that's got families get as much as some guys who are working

aye yeah so you're against the Common Market as well

I definitely am I can't see I can't see any any point

eh and when it's (interruption)

well it it's always been said that that everything's dearer in these countries

yes aye food is (interruption) definitely

foodstuffs that's what I mean well if it's dear there the corresponding price'll come here as well won't it

aye aye definitely (interruption) (unclear)

and it's bad enough now that your that your money doesn't go anywhere now I mean since they've brought this decimal coinage in and they're catching everybody for their buckshee halves and what not