Mollie.

I enjoyed my time at college, but should point out that I was trained free of charge, only on the condition that half my salary for the first two years must be paid to the college. My first week's pay was 7/6d (37.5p. in today's money). While I was at college, I was sent for practice to a butcher's shop in Fallings Park. I worked in a tiny box-like office at the far end of the shop where customers paid for their purchases. When the shop closed on Saturday I saw parcels of meat had been put out along with the wage packets, but nobody told me one was for me. The second week, a joint of meat was handed to me with my 2/6d. pay. I worked at that butcher's for a month and the experience, and the joints were very helpful.

Further experience was acquired when I was sent as a temp. to a firm in St John's Square. This was a foundry owned by two brothers, C & B Smith. The office was equipped with a very old typewriter, the 'Olivet Invisible', on which you could not see the words you had just typed. Oh dear, how many errors had I made?

My first job after leaving college was at John Shaw & Sons, in Fryer Street, Wolverhampton. It was a firm of Factors, and I was engaged as a junior clerk for the sum of ten shillings a week. I had to answer the telephone and do the filing, as well as other duties, which included fetching coal and wood from the cellar for the open fire. This last task MUST NOT be undertaken alone in case a man followed with evil intent! Orders came over the telephone in code and it was my job to decode the messages, type the orders out, show them to my boss, then take the order to the right department for the goods ordered. The office hours were 8-30a.m. to 5-30p.m. on Monday to Friday and 8-30a.m. to 12-30p.m. on Saturdays. I had one hour off for lunch. The holidays were Christmas Day and Boxing Day, Good Friday and Easter Monday, and Bank Holidays. There was no annual holiday entitlement until you had been with the firm for 12 months, then you could have one weeks holiday without pay. Providing that no more senior members of staff wanted the same week.

Mollie.

My mom, Mary Ethel Rendell.

Once, when Dad was in hospital and money was tight, I plucked up courage to ask for a rise. My boss arranged for me to go before the Board. With trepidation, I appeared before the 12 elderly gentlemen and put my case. They expressed sympathy over my father's illness, but said that consideration was being given to reducing the number of staff, and as I was last in, I would be first out! So no raise!

I had told Dad I wanted to leave this company, but he said I must remain where I was, for at least a year in order to get a reference. In those days a reference would not be given for anyone with less than twelve month's service.

My next job was as a junior in the offices of Reginald Tildesley, a Ford Motor dealers in Willenhall. I travelled there by train and returned home for lunch each day. Mom always had it ready as I walked in. Then I ran back to the station, on to the train, and back to the office, all in just over an hour.

My job was to take the money for petrol and small spares. I registered the details on a roll on the till, pressed a button on the cash machine, and the drawer containing cash flew open. At the end of the day I had to add up all the items on the till roll and check the money. It had to tally.

There were a lot of mechanics, sales representatives and office staff at the company. But Mr. Tildesley was always around and knew all his staff. On the occasion of his Silver Wedding anniversary, he gave us all a splendid party. The big garage building was transformed, decorated with flags and balloons, and a splendid meal provided. This was followed by the showing of photographic slides of his overseas holidays. I was very excited by this event as Mom bought me my first evening dress. It was a lovely pale primrose silk with three flounces round the long skirt. The mechanics were also transformed, wearing evening suits and crisp white shirts. There were speeches and votes of thanks, and a gift was made to Mr. and Mrs. Tildesley.

Mollie at the Royal Show while working for Tildesley's.

With the onset of the Second World War the performance of the play was suspended. It was normally held every ten years. However, my secret dream came true in 1970, when, with my friend Doris North, we joined a party of fellow Methodists and went to see the Passion Play in Austria.

While working at the garage I joined the amateur dramatic society at the Methodist Church in Union Street, Willenhall. I went to rehearsals one evening a week and then went back to the home of a fellow member, whose father was Station Master at Willenhall. Many times my sleep was interrupted, as a train appeared to be roaring right through my bedroom.

I enjoyed being in the chorus of 'A Country Girl' and 'The Belle of New York'. On Saturday nights at the end of the run, bouquets were presented to the principals, and friends and relatives gave flowers to the rest of the cast.

Mom and Dad at Rhyl, 1st Sept.1939.

I got the job, and on the set date, I arrived at the offices of 'R. D. Hadley & Co'. Only when Mr. Hadley (who had interviewed me) arrived did I realise he was totally blind. He had a splendid memory and was fully aware of everything to do with the business, which was as a 'middleman' between 'Thos. Clatwin & Co', makers of iron grates, and their customers.

Mr. Hadley employed a poor, elderly black man who did all the menial tasks, including taking Mr. Hadley to the toilet. On one occasion Mr. Hadley dropped his gold watch down the lavatory and 'Sambo' had to retrieve it. The old man, chain-smoked cigars and 'Sambo' was called to extinguish small fires started by Mr. Hadley's dropped ash or lighted matches.

My next move was to the 'Wulfruna Coal Company' in Horseley Fields, Wolverhampton. I became secretary to the owner of the company, Major Alex Wood, who lived at Faintree Manor, a large country estate near Bridgnorth. The Major, granting me an interview, to be held at the Territorial Army Headquarters, answered my application for the post. I was then aged about 19 and held very strong pacifist views. I rehearsed what I might say, before Major Wood asked me to sit down. Politely, I said 'May I say that I do not wish to be employed for a job that has anything to do with war.' The Major replied, 'I am pleased to meet someone with principles, who is prepared to stand by them, even if it means losing the chance of a job. You are just the young lady I am looking for.'

Major Wood assured me that I would be dealing only with the coal business and that the Territorial Army was his personal and private interest. I worked happily at Wulfruna Coal, along with a lady book keeper, and a manager who was in charge of the lorry drivers and boatmen.

The office was modern and situated on the wharf overlooking the canal basin. Horses were stabled in the yard. They were lovely creatures, which had become too old to race. They were intelligent and sure-footed. A necessity when pulling barges along narrow towpaths. The boatmen were hardy, swarthy fellows, who took barges to and from collieries at Stafford and Lichfield etc. I believe some of the boatmen could be described as 'honest rogues'. They did not actually steal coal, it just dropped off the barge at a place where it could be easily retrieved during the hours of darkness.

My wedding day. 13th April 1936.

Deliveries of various grades of coal were made to houses and businesses. The lorries were carefully checked before leaving the wharf, so that we could be sure the correct number of sacks were on board. But if there were any complaints about fewer sacks being received than paid for, the drivers made excuses for the difference. Sacks not properly checked at the wharf, householder had miscounted etc. etc.

During July and August, coal prices were considerably reduced for customers who would take a complete load. Owners of large estates filled their stores to capacity. And when did they pay for it? When coal was reduced again the following summer, when a repeat order was given.

Each morning during the winter, a poor, bedraggled woman came to the wharf with a little wooden hand cart and paid cash for a quarter of a hundredweight of the cheapest coal. She lived in a

slum house nearby and had a lot of children. This worried me, but I could not convince the manager that there should not be one rule for the rich and another for the poor. So the rich got richer and the poor got poorer.

After a 'shoot' on his Faintree Estate, Major Wood sometimes brought surplus 'victims' to the office and sold them to employees. Two pigeons for 1/-, rabbits 1/- each, a brace of pheasant for 5/-. I used to buy some of them and our menus at home became more varied, especially with Mother's good cooking.

My wedding.

In 1936 one did not have to give notice to leave a job if you were getting married. You just informed the boss of the date of the wedding and you were given a leaving present, and left.

I left the Wulfruna Coal Company at the end of March 1936, two weeks before my marriage on 13th April to Victor William Cox at Beckminster Methodist Church in Wolverhampton.