My Working Life

As told by Florence Eveline Jenner (1901-1994):

I left school at 14 and started work at Rawlingsons, the Newsagent/Tobacconist opposite Crumlyn station. Everybody would come in for their papers and baccy - twisted tobacco that they would chew. We would have to cut pieces off from them, eeeehh - the worst thing was selling snuff - We'd sneeze like mad when we had the snuff. It was long hours but the apprenticeship I did afterwards at Tubbs, the clothing factory, was much worse. I was 18 or 19 at the time, I think. I had to work such long hours - 8 in the morning until 6 or 7 at night - I only did that for a few months. When I got paid I had to take my wage packet straight home to our mum, she would open it and give me back 18 pence. Most young people had to do that in those days, so we saw nothing wrong with it. We were just glad to have our bit of pocket money. I'd say the kids wouldn't do it now, would they? But then -18 pence went a long way in those days.

I was in my late teens when we moved back to Bristol, but with our mum in and out of hospitals a lot, I spent most of my twenties at home looking after my younger brothers and sisters’ - working in between times. Although when I was in my mid-twenties I left home for a while and served in the pub -the don't know about that up here (Salvation Army - Staple Hill Corps), I don't say anything -But one of Les's relations had the Railway Pub, down by Stapleton Road Station. I was living in and wore a black skirt and red blouse. I really enjoyed that job, until the Salvation Army people came in to sale `War Cry' -Not the first time, but the next time I was recognised, and they told our mum. That was the end of Eva - our mum was so prim and proper -and I had no choice but to give my job up and go back home, where our mum could keep her eye on me.

Then I had a job helping to make artificial teeth, at Greets the dentist in Zetland Road, off Gloucester Road. I had to polish them and that sort of thing. It was tricky holding them in one hand and a brush in the other. I know that on one occasion I was polishing a pair that had just been fixed - I dropped them - they had to be repaired again. Then our mum was ill again and I had to come home and look after her and the family. When she was better I took a job down Todds, the Tailoring factory. I was doing the finishing of the sleeves, coats and that sort of thing. I remember the first Christmas there, I played a prank at the Citadel that backfired on me - I was always doing daft silly things that hurt me more than anybody else. I pretended that I had gone to the Christmas party at work. I was chatting to my mum and other people afterwards at the Citadel, pretending that I had too much to drink and that I was drunk - I almost got suspended from the Salvation Army for that.

The last job I had was at Wards the Solicitors - The big old house down over Cleeve Hill - the son's still there now - Malcolm. I had to bee's wax all the floors, except the bedrooms. The floorboards were all new, it took several months, and it was hard work. I did the Hall first, then the reception room. I only got ten bob (50p) a week for that. But when it was finished they put these big Indian like rugs in the centre of each room, and it looked really beautiful.