Part 20

A Memory of Middle Rainton.

Granddad, Mathew Wilson (known to everyone as Matty,) was one of the older brothers, but just too young for the Great War. He sold wet fish from a cart, everyone there gave their takings to Margaret, and until they left home she gave them pocket money only.
Grandmother Wilson had married before the war and had two girls, Peggy the eldest, and Freda. Her husband was Michael Bone, whose family came from Lancashire. His mother's surname was Ainscough, and had something to do with cotton mills. He was killed in France early in the war, about 1914, and Kate Bone, known as Kitty, was left with the two girls. She married my granddad, Matty and moved to Houghton-Le-Spring, where they had a fish &chip shop, run by Kitty, while Matty was out selling wet fish.
They moved to the Travellers Rest in East Rainton and ran the pub for a while. Then to Rainton village, where they ran a fried fish and chip shop, and sold wet fish from a cart. They had two children, my mum Ann, (known as Nancy) and Austin the youngest. He never married, but Austin and uncle Johnny, Aunt Freda’s husband were the best of friends and served in the second war together, drove tanks in the same unit.

My mum became ill with scarlet fever, and as Austin was just young, left home to live with the Wilsons in the Fox &Hounds, And don’t know at what age, it was about 1 mile away, not far. But my mother never went back to her home but stayed in Middle Rainton until she came down south, but it was her choice. Granddad was a heavy drinker when he was younger, and often spent the profit from the day’s sales on drink, and as you can guess this caused a lot of problems when he finally came home.
This got much better as he aged, he still went out for a drink, but did not drink heavily, and provided ok for the family. He always had time for me, took me out, with him and helped me with things boys want. I thought he was great. But there again he was typical Wilson and very good with all kids, and like the rest of the family had inherited a lot of the Irish blarney. He did lots of things, scrap metal dealing, old cars, old Lorries, knocking down houses. He said churches were best, lots of good wood, lead etc; I loved it. Grandma seemed hard to me. But now I see women never went out then. Just work all day, no TV .a poor wireless, and that was it. She used to make carpets out of old rags at night, and any visitors would have to join in. They looked good when done, all flowers and floral patterns. She was kind at heart, had about 15 cats, and also two old men brothers who were homeless, Joe and Adam she gave them a room in the back of her house to live, They used to do wood carving, mum had a box done from them for her cottons ect; as long as I remember. (The fish and chip shop they run in Houghton in the 1930s is still there)

Aunt Peggy run a grocery store just across the street from grams, she had married Billy Walker. (The black knight) and had one child, Freda who would be about 3 yrs younger than me. Billy had a large van that he used as a mobile shop, around the local villages, but could not have made much as everyone seemed to have things on tick and owed him money. Still he always had a car, which was not common then, But there again they always seemed to be broken down, and Austin, Matty, & Billy, would be tinkering around with them, sometime with alarming results which I would love to watch

Aunt Freda was married just after the war, I still remember the ceremony in the small chapel just up from grams and the reception was held in Aunt Peggy’s large upstairs room. Uncle Johnny was easy to get on with, worked at the railway works in Darlington, not far from where they lived, when it closed, he then went to the large engineering works Whessoes also in Darlington, He got on really well with the family, and would go out for a drink with granddad, When I got older I was also allowed to go to the pub with granddad, but only allowed one glass of beer, until I was 15 then could have a drink with them. Freda had one child Austin, and like all the other children got on great with granddad. Aunt Freda worked for a very long time in a small bakery, and they would go on hols with mam and dad quite often.

Well about 1937 my mam and Aunt Monica decided that there was more future in coming down south, Monica was Uncle Billy’s (Billy buck) daughter. Uncle Billy was one of the eldest brothers, and lived just across the street from the Wilson’s, He was married to aunt Liza, and had three children of whom Monica was the youngest, and as they lived within yards of each other and were brought up together Mam and Monica were close friends. Well first of all they worked in a hospital in Maidenhead, and later went to work in Arundel. Where I am told she met my Dad. They were married in 1939, and soon after Dad had to go into the army for 6 yrs for the Second World War. So mam being pregnant came home again to the Wilson’s, and there I was born in 1940. Dad’s brother had been killed in France in May 1940; I was born in June and called John Charles Harvey, after him.

I do believe that Aunt Monica’s husband was in the RAF; Monica had two daughters Ann who would be about 2 years younger than me, and Judy the younger. So I was brought up with Ann, like mam and Aunt Monica. Monica left just after the war and went to live in Chichester, where she died last year.mam would visit her often. Ann now lives in the south of France, and has two sons, Nick the eldest, and Gareth; they are both married, and have 2 children each. Ann’s husband died 6 yrs ago. Judy lives in New Zealand and is married they have children, grown up now; She has just come back from a hiking hols in the Himalayas.
I keep in touch with them both.

Well I was born in The Fox & Hounds, Middle Rainton in 1940, my great grandmother’s family home, and the centre for all the now extended Wilson family. Dad was at war, First with the BEF, in France, and then on to Tubruk, and then to India, he finished up with Wingets Chindits there, before coming home, first to Jersey, until demob in 1946.
Mam worked in the munitions factory, making shells, at Aycliff, about 15 mls away so had to bus it. Worked nights, and on detonators, as this was dangerous, but paid extra money, which she saved for when dad came home. I was brought up first by Margaret, when mam was at work, she was in her 90s then but was kind to me, Things were rationed, but she found me chocolate and fruit, Most of this was given for herself, but she gave it to me.

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