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I was born on the 10th November 1904. I lived at number 6, Lloyds Cottages. These cottages were called the Black Houses. They were gas tarred all over due to the continued complaints of dampness. The tenants were employees of the company.
I started at the Old Rowlatt school in 1908. I remember the Headmaster's name was Mr T Ollis and that my first teacher's name was Miss Chapman. I started at the new Rowlatt School in 1913. The Headmaster's name was Mr A. Brooke.
In between school times I sold mineral drinks at blast furnaces. I also worked as an errand boy for Avery's Butchers in between school hours in 1916.
I remember that on May Day each year a garland parade was made by the school children. The trolley was loaned by Mr Bradshaw. The parade finished at the bandroom in Lloyds Road for a tea. Afterwards sports were held in the cricked field. Mr R. Langley used to scramble sweets.
I can recall Mr Pain's funeral (died 3rd January 1913). We were lined up outside the school as the funeral went past, the Corby band leading playing "Lead Kindly Light". I left school in November 1917 and went to work for William Prestwich's and Sons. This was a slag works and tarmacing plant until 1922 when Tarmac and Co of Wolverhampton tool over slag rights. I remember the manager's name was Mr Doig, the secretary's name was Mr Moss and the foreman's name was Mr Wright.
I started work at Stewart's and Lloyds in 1924. Mr W. Dixon was the quarry manager. There were calcine heaps in Gretton Brook. We used to walk from Corby and dill the wagons by hand. In 1925 I worked platelaying, the manager's name was Mr Bert Rowlatt. In 1925 I was locoshunter and the manager's name was Mr I Crick. I remember that there was a loco shed against Lloyds Cottages. Two characters who worked here as sand driers were Mr J. Swingler of Stanion and Mr Gutteridge of Oakley Road, Corby. In the 1930s all the locos were parked in one shed. There was a minerals and steel section. The minerals traffic manager was H. Wright. The mobile digger foreman was W. Roberts, the platelaying foreman was S. Cooper and the traffic foreman was J. Crick.
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