Mr. W. Ketley and Mrs. H. E. Butler interviewed by Michael Winstanley Mr. W. Ketley, born 1902, and Mrs. H. E. Butler, born 1894 (brother and sister), interviewed in Queenborough. Their father worked pump boat etc, and their mother was an ex cook. They belonged to a family of seven. Ketley worked in glassworks, and Butler worked in service, then chemical works, potters, etc. Summary: Track 1 [01:07:18] [Interview conducted on 27th September 1976] [00:00:34] Mr W. Ketley [WK] begins by explaining his Father’s role on pulp ships as an Oyster dredger. [00:02:07] Briefly describes what his father would do when he wasn’t dredging oysters. [00:03:15] Mrs H.E. Butler (HB) describes what income was like when they were children. [00:03:38] Brief description of the work they would have to do around the house. [00:06:04] Description of what their mother would do and her role in the washing without pay. [00:07:15] Description of what their town was like as well as the people there. [00:09:08] WK discusses how he would get money as a kid including minding boats, how much he would earn and what the boat owners were like. [00:12:07] Brief mention of the wealth of people living in Queensborough. [00:13:52] Description of what they would eat. [00:14:57] WK mentions poaching with his dad when he was little on the allotment they owned at the end of the First World War. [00:16:37] Description of the meat they would purchase and their local butchers. [00:17:58] Brief mention of what their father did in his spare time. [00:20:25] Mention of mainland hopping. [00:20:50] Description of the type of people in Queensborough at the time and what their role in the community was. [00:22:35] Description of where they would get their clothes and what specifically they were buying. [00:23:37] WK talks about his first job at fourteen as a whitebaiting as well as when the glass works opened and how many people were working there. [00:27:44] HB then talks about her first job in service. [00:28:01] Description of what age they both left school and HB’s eventual termination from her job. [00:28:57] Detailed description of HB’s first job and what they would make along with how much she was paid. [00:33:46] HB tells the story of her husband’s deaf sister who worked alongside HB and how she was treated due to her impairment. [00:35:06] HB comments on what she wanted to be when in school and what became her job. [00:37:59] Description of what their parents would do for entertainment. [00:39:38] Description of their father’s boat and how he got it. [00:40:29] Description of their days out as children. [00:42:07] HB describes the work she would do for the local dressmaker. [00:44:39] Brief description of what their other siblings were doing. [00:45:50] They discuss whether they think things have improved since their younger days. [00:46:33] Detailed description of their childhood house including the picture they would have and their sister’s piano. [00:50:18] Description of what kind of housework they would be given. [00:50:58] Description of how they would clean and the attitudes towards cleanliness in the town. [00:52:35] Comments on special remedies made in the town and by their own mother. [00:54:50] Description of the doctors, healthcare prices and illness’ during childhood. [00:56:38] Description of the attitudes towards the poor laws and the frequency and beggars and tramps in their town. [00:58:36] Brief mention of the bike WK had as a child. [01:00:03] WK mentions Old Lady Wiglesworth, who was a rich woman in their town, as well as other rich people in the town. [01:02:02] Mentions of the type of people in the town and closeness of relatives. [01:02:50] Brief mention of their father’s political stance. [01:03:04] WK and HB talk about their father’s hobbies like running as well as where he was from. Summary created by Olivia Bauckham, volunteer, in 2026. 27/09/1976