| Collection | Winstanley Oral History Collection |
| Description | Track 1 [1:35:44] [0:00:03] Introduction: Michael Winstanley interviewing William Allen [WA] of Queen’s Road, West Drive, Lydd at his home on 18th March 1977 and on 31st March 1977. [0:00:33] Description of grandfather and father’s lives back to 1840s. WA’s father died in 1920 and WA took over the carting business. [0:01:23] Description of carting fish and coal from Appledore station before the railways. [0:02:00] Mention of the Guy Fawkes club at the Star Inn. [0:02:37] Mention of WA’s father and mother working at large house in New Romney, father as coachman and mother as cook. [0:03:10] Description of father’s work as a self-employed carter servicing the coastguard stations. [0:03:22] WA’s father buys WA’s current home in West Drive. [0:04:48] From 1905 WA’s father has contract for horse driven transport for railway freight and passengers to and from Lydd station. [0:05:46] Mention of WA’s father’s work for Littlestone Water Company. [0:06:11] Death of WA’s father in 1920. [0:06:40] Mention of Turks running regular carting service to Ashford. [0:07:00] Detailed description of carting fish to Folkestone market. [0:08:58] Brief mention of WA’s work after leaving school, driving horse and cart, grocer’s boy. [0:09:37] WA joins up in 1914. [0:09:42] WA born on 19th February 1891. [0:10:04] Detailed description of father’s [George Allen - GA] carting business. [0:14:10] Detailed description of GA’s railway carting business. [0:14:50] Mention of Dickerson canteen at the army camp, later the NAAFI. [0:18:24] Mention of local deliveries by Dickersons and Headleys from their shops in Dover and Ashford. [0:19:01] Mention of previous railway carters, Besley then Brown. [0:20:40] Detailed description of coal and coke carting. Coal from Yorkshire, sometimes by sea via Whitstable, anthracite from Wales, coke from local gasworks. [0:22:37] Mention of Gann and Brown of Whitstable as coal agents. [0:24:36] Brief description of credit, parish relief and workhouse in New Romney. [0:27:13] Description of problems in snow and bad weather, adaptations to horse shoes and carts. [0:29:08] Discussion of the 1911 coal and rail strike, blacklegging in London, the effect on GA’s business. [0:30:52] Detailed description of the wages, work and hours of GA’s employees. [0:32:00] Detailed description of caring for the horses. [0:35:53] Detailed description of buying horses; private sales, horse sales at Romney Marsh Fair, horse dealers, shady deals and checking for sound horses. [0:41:02] Mention of pony and dog cart for social use. [0:41:34] Anecdotes about horses knowing routes, the pubs and refusing to go past the station. [0:43:01] Description of Sunday work and time off. [0:45:11] Detailed description of coal selling; prices, poverty and debts, quality control, supplying the gasworks, coal agents, competition between coal merchants. [0:50:20] Mention of local Lydd coal merchants, Bakes, Blacklocks, Belsey, Brown, Moats of Brenzett delivering to Marsh villages. [0:52:36] WA comments that father did not hire out horses and carts for social outings. [0:54:35] WA comments that he introduced lorries after 1920 but his father was very against them. [0:55:20] Detailed description of cart and wheel making, repairs, maintenance and decoration. Mention of Godden of Mew Street, Martin of South Street and Gower. Gower used for GA’s father’s repairs. [0:59:54] WA comments that company names on carts was legally required. [1:01:11] WA remarks that horses bolting with carts was a frequent occurrence. [1:02:20] WA mentions that the brewery and the railway had access to the Greenwich time signal. [1:03:31] WA remarks that the brewery used their own transport. [1:0] Discussion about pubs; tethering horses, opening hours, food. [0:01:16] Mention of Rose and Crown at Old Romney. [1:07:31] Pubs run by wives while landlords work at brewery. [1:07:48] Mention of the Oak and Harry Weaver, landlord of the Railway Hotel. [1:08:35] Description of purchase of hay and straw. [1:09:06] Mention of farmer Tom Mackett providing hay and straw for the army camp. [1:09:50] Mention of farmer Charlie Bass at Tourney Hall. [1:11:50] Mention of horse feed corn from Sharpe and Co of London. [1:13:11] Description of wood selling, sourced from Woodchurch and Appledore areas. [1:19:39] Detailed description of mackerel fishing by Tart family using kettle net and the bob system. [1:21:44] Mention of Harry Mittell as carter for fish caught at Dungeness. [1:22:34] Mention that GA stored carts for fish by Pilot Inn at Dungeness. [1:23:05] Mention that council used unemployed to make road across Dungeness to the Pilot. [1:24:44] Mention that arnica used to heal bruises on horses. [1:25:51] Description of work for six coastguard stations; coal deliveries, moving personnel. Mention of coastguard stations at Jury’s Gap, Galloways and Denge Marsh. [1:26:30] Mention that Fairlight [Sussex] was furthest carting job. [1:27:26] Roles of WA’s mother and sister in the business; driving, clerical work. [1:28:26] Mention that GA banked at Lloyds. [1:29:31] Detailed description of WA’s work as grocery boy before the war. [1:30:52] WA worked for father after return from war in 1919. [1:32:55] Mention of WA working for grocers Russell’s and then J.L.Hutchings. [1:33:15] WA joined field artillery at Chatham. |