ELSHAM IN THE THIRTIES

During the thirties in Elsham, keeping healthy was very important. Yhe health service didnt exsist, all we had was orange juice and cod liver oil. Our cottage was very damp, one of my sisters died from pneumonia when she was
just 4 yrs old. Many old residents also died from pneumonia, it was known as the old mans friend.
The Elsham people were extremely poor. Everybody grew their own vegetables, that was the only way you could survive. All the men worked on the farms for just a few shillings a week, the cottages they lived in belonged to the farmers, and every May Day Thursday they had to cycle to Brigg, report to the Angel Hotel, and ask the farmer who owned their cottage if he would employ them for another year. Very often the farmer wouldn't, and they had to get out of the house, which was known as flitting.
The present residents of Elsham are very lucky people.
REX WHITEHEAD