I lived in Knowle West from 14 till when I was married. I got married — then it was up and down. We parted going different ways and that was it. We didn't see eye to eye, my husband and I.
I can tell you what else I done but I daren't. We had joint savings and he took his money and I took mine. And I went to Southampton to get a job. As soon as I stepped off the train in Southampton Main Station, I went to the Polygon Hotel to get a job — which I did — as a chambermaid. Then I thought, 'I've got a job, I've got to get somewhere to stay.'
I goes to a bed and breakfast place and she puts me in touch with a woman who lets out little flats. She lets me have one and after I was there about three months, the landlady said to me, 'Why don't you go away to sea? Try and get a job.'
I said, 'I haven't got no qualifications.'
'Oh', she said, 'You haven't got to, not now, not in these days.'
Anyway I wrote away to Union Castle Line for a laundress and they sent a form back. They asked how much experience I had. I said, 'Five years' I never had five bloody minutes.
'Where did I work?'
I said, 'The White Heather Laundry in Shirehampton, and Brooks Dyeworks.' I'd never set foot in the place.
Anyway I had a letter saying would I like to join the Athlon Castle, going to South Africa. I was in South Africa before I knew I was gone. Of course I had the sack. They sent the captain's underwear down to be washed. Well I didn't know the first thing about it. It was when nylon first came out. Of course I goes and puts a hot iron on it. It went up in flames. There weren't nothing left.
So when I got back I had to get another ship. I persevered and got another one. And that was all round the west coast of South America. In the laundry there used to be Chinese laundrymen. It used to be murder. They used rice starch. I couldn't iron a handkerchief. It was that stiff. From there I went on the Southern Cross to Australia and New Zealand, Tahiti and all round there. South Africa, West Indies and then I came off there and went on the Castle boats on the Cape.
Then I went on the 'Andes', Mediterranean cruising for three years. From there I went on the Queen Mary. Then on the Mauretania and back on the Queen Mary. And I walked off the Queen Mary. I didn't enjoy it anymore on there. I wasn't a laundress on there. I was a bath attendant on there.
One woman was sick all over me. I said, 'Mrs, you're worse than a pig.' She said, 'Beg your pardon.' She knew she wanted to be sick because I could see her with her hand in her mouth. I said, 'Hang on, let me put the toilet seat up.' And as I bent down she went right the way over me. I said, 'You've spoilt me uniform, that will cost you ten dollars.' Anyhow, she gave me twenty. But it was a nice time.
That Margaret Rutherford. I looked after her. We went from Southampton to florida, from Florida to Rio de Janeiro, from there to Puerto Rico, from there to the West Indies, to South Africa and then back. She had one night dress for a three and a half month cruise. She used to have it laundered every other day. Wouldn't buy one. I used to die laughing. She used to come out in her Bermuda shorts and plimsolls, what we used to call daps.
She went away with her husband and her girlfriend. She was with the girlfriend more so than she was with the old man. The poor person was a good tipper. You'd get all these millionaires, with their gold cufflinks and tie pins. They haven't got nothing. They haven't got a pair of pyjamas half of them. And Somerset Maughan, I looked after him. He looked after all the crew. He used to send us up a big crate of drinks.
It was hot mind. Very hot. And doing the laundry we used to have to have a certain amount of limewater and that. In the laundry it used to be seven till seven, but that was with an hour and a half overtime. There was boat drill every week. We used to have to down tools. Leave whatever it was. You used to have to be all dressed up in your life belt. I used to put it on backwards. He used to say, 'Where are you going?' I would say, 'To the life boat.'
He'd say, 'You'll never get there that way. You've got to put it on right.'
If you didn't know the boat drill they'd fine you perhaps three or four days money. On the Southern Cross I was under the chief Laundry-man. Murder he was. Going down to Valparaiso, the steward asked me if I had any money. I said I only had 18 shillings. I lent it to him. When we got there he said, Why don't you come out with me and the boys.' I said, 'I haven't got no money.' Anyway we goes in the launch — gets out — gets a taxi. They said to the taxi driver that he should take us somewhere where we could get a drink and a dance.
The taxi driver took us somewhere and it happened to be a brothel. They all goes in and I follows suit. And when I got to the door the lady bars me. Eventually I got in. There was all these passages — all these doors. There was lights and bells ringing. Lovely girls mind. Thats what they ought to do over here — legalise them. I was sat there. They didn't want to know me. I was forty then.
I was in the merchant navy for ten years. Then I went to live with my daughter. It was very lovely but I was seeing too much and I was on shift work down the Tallon Factory, down Feeder Road — the ball pen factory. Oh my God — there was more pens on the floor than there was in the box. When I did get home of a night I used to have to make the bed up on the bed settee. Well the son-in-law used to be there right to the last. And I had to be up six in the morning. It got me down a bit.
I thought, 'I'm getting out of here.' I got a furnished flat up Meridian Place, Clifton, and I stayed there. I had a lovely landlord there. Good people they was. Before I went away to sea I'd put my name down to get a house. I moved to Hartcliffe because I was only in one room.
