Childhood In War Time Silsden

A Memory of Silsden.

I grew up in Silsden and also worked in Silsden, as a weaver at Stocks Mill. I lived at 52 New Rd or shed side, as it was known. We lived almost opposite Fletchers mill gates, in a back-to-back two bedroomed terraced house, with outside shared toile . I attended Aire View Primary School with the Headmistress, Miss Smith. I later went to Silsden Secondary Modern School with Claughton, Leadbetter and Manners as Headmasters. My teachers were Tindall (science), Dewhurst (woodwork and metalwork), Broughton,(from Sutton) two Winstanley sisters (Ethel and Connie), Holiday(art teacher with big boobies), who married the sports teacher Mr Feather. Miss Horsfall (my favourite), Irwin (cookery) and Scull (maths). I remember the school lunches, which my mum gave me two shillings a week for. For the war time years, I think they were quite good. I don't know where they got all that Sago for the puddings from. I remember the room under the school where we would keep all the gardening tools, as the school had a large plot in the playing fields where we grew vegetables. In this room under the school, was a large hole in the wall where you could climb through and go full length of the school with all the steam pipes that heated the school . Also under here, were lots of statues and plaques, all very dusty and made out of plaster of paris or similar. We never told teachers we had been in there. We also kept rabbits, hamsters and mice in a shed by the gym. I remember playing by the mill gates of Fletchers, and my mum calling me home saying that the war had started, as though a german bomber was going to come over and drop bombs that minute. We were not a wealthy family, I used to collect bottles and jam jars to take to the shop and get sixpence to go to the pictures in the planks with old Thomas. He used to have a stick to keep us all in order, or as he would say "Yer out, if tha doesn't shut up". The right hand side of the screen was the gents toilet and a exit. We used to sneak out in turn, and go across the road for a bag of chips from the 'chippie' then sneak them back in again, and come back to our seat as though we had been to the gents toilet. It had a tin roof, and was very noisy when we had heavy rain. It also had a beck running underneath the cinema, and that too was noisy when we had had heavy rain. We also had the army stationed with us for quite a while, some on Elliot Street by Walter Cranes mill. I remember a big air raid shelter there, the army had two or three places in the main street and one quite near the small opening to Stakes Beck. There used to be a big hoarding with what was showing at the pictures, that used to change twice a week. Where the waterfall is, there was a great big stone at the bottom of the fall, and we used to go tickling trout there. In winter if we had no coal, we would take a bow saw and go down Low Howden where the gas works used to be, and saw branches for the fire. We had a family of 'Mitchells' next door to us; Gladys, Mickey and their kids. We would help each other out and share things. Next door to them, a family from London were sent there as refugees, they were called 'Ramsey'. A big family they were, and boy could their mother swear! But when we got to know them, we all became good friends and again helped each anyway we could. I am sure some of them are still there now as grandparents, maybe great grandparents. I remember one I went to school with was called George, and there was Johnny and Bert and I think one was killed in the navy. Next door to them was the Cross family, another big family. If anyone is interested I can tell lots more,

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