| Description | Tape 1. Side A PHYLLIS MARY GILBERT born 06 07 1909. Father, grandfather were farmers in Sotby, Lincolnshire. Remembers aged five, father's first farm in Horsington, and then bigger farm in Louth. Mentions family, three brothers, and two sisters. Details re their history. Earliest memories aged three, accidents on farm. Father worked for grandfather on Manor Farm. Recalls church on Sundays with family. Remembers staying with grandparents while father moved. Father had governess, his sister was boarder at Horncastle Grammar School. Comments re grandfather's retirement, rented Selwood House, Horncastle. Mentions Tennyson, poet's connection. Maternal grandparents lived in Ashby, Lincolnshire. Recalls grandmother living with family in Louth. She saw mother as only a girl, died aged 84. Details re mother's joint purchase of house. Remembers parents' large house, Craidlea in Mablethorpe, catering for tourists. Description of paying guests during, after war. Remembers helping mother in season, putting ten joints in the oven, cost of rooms etc. Recalls, aged twelve, father losing leased farm. Describes living with aunts, cousins at Selwood House, bed and breakfast business. Recalls making bread. Description of mother and cousin, an art mistress. Mentions portrait donated by school. Recalls mother's life on farm, taking milk to depot. Remembers visits from neighbouring children, views re pocket money. Describes father, own jobs including animal care. Anecdote re forgotten animals. Recalls Sunday school, Stuton or Keddington, Louth. Recalls parties, dances, picture shows in village hall. Remembers special friend Kathleen Bailey. Recalls schooldays, riding to school, walking home, school achievements, and games. Remembers grammar school. Was only one in family to go. Recalls moving to Sutton-on-Sea.
Tape 1 Side B. Recalls move from farm to Bohemia Camp when sister only a baby, brothers working. Recalls living with aunts. Describes brothers' work, wages, working life, food, clothing provision, Pembertons drapery, and offensive smell of corduroy. Recalls hard times, baker, Mr Urry, paying bills. Remembers mother catering for customers at Sutton-on-Sea. Compares with Mablethorpe. Reasons for moving to Mablethorpe. Describes house. Remembers family closeness, leaving school aged fourteen. Describes sister fifteen years younger. Describes husband, son Christopher born 1934. Details re husband born in Ireland, his life, work as printer, living together in Bournemouth. Recalls working for owners of Royal Bath Hotel. Describes job in private house Belmont as ladies companion to daughter of Mrs Stebbing. Describes their family, travelling with them, family life. Recalls their daughter's family. Stebbing relations, Lord, Lady Russell-Coates, donated Bournemouth museum. Recalls receiving cookbook with affectionate inscription. Story of working for Stebbing family, meals served at Ballater, their family in Rhodesia. Recalls going to Trinity church, their family dog Toby. Details re Mrs Stebbing, her move to smaller flat, looking after Captain Stebbing, being treated as one of the family. 1948 moved to Great Yarmouth. 1939 lived at Southend-on-Sea when Chamberlain announced war. Recalls opinion that London safe because of barrage balloons. Recalls moving to Clacton-on-Sea 1940, people being evacuated, taking rented house, friendship of air raid wardens. Describes husband's Great War injuries. Recalls moving to Shrewsbury, husband helping in radio shop for seven years. Remembers moving to Yarmouth in 1948, lived at Henry's caf*.
Tape 2 Side A Recalls arrival at South Town Station, Great Yarmouth, now demolished. Remembers staying Henry's caf* which was for sale. Recalls looking for house, B&B business. Bought 37 Stafford Road, not near sea. Later bought house in South Down Road from Mrs Baron. Details re price paid. Set up family business catering for summer visitors. Outlines husband's position in business. Describes amenities of old house, additional help with business, also letting of caravans. Describes routine when catering for customers. Initially had no help except from husband, son. Describes procedure of ordering supplies. Details re local traders, breakfasts served. Had help with catering, cleaning. Recalls first visit in 1965 by man from BP, his short stay, gas being found nearby. Mentions short summer season. Describes guests in pre-oil days, rooms, bed-sits with gas cookers. At that time, little fire legislation, supervision of guest houses. Remembers a doctor staying for two-three years. Recalls problem guests, mess, and dirt. House provided clean linen. Some customers still keep in touch. Remembers discovery of gas in North Sea, BP man staying periodically, oil workers coming to Yarmouth. Recalls bomb sites beside house. Reference to Galbraith builders. Mentions bombing of St. Nicholas' Church, repairs to war damage in Yarmouth, replacement organ for church. Recalls buying sites nearby. Remembers Mrs Nettleship helping in house, getting extra business. Recalls extending house. Anecdote re council's attitude to caravan site extension. Details re building chalets in grounds, interiors of chalets. Comments on few oil jobs for local people, most went to Spaniards. Interpreter, Angelees, stayed two years, provided help for foreign workers.
Tape 2 Side B. Recalls oil/gas industry in Yarmouth, building chalets for boarders. Recalls names of oil firms catered for, monthly bills, length of stay of clients. Recalls growth of own business due to oil business expansion. Reference to local ordinance survey. Describes Angelees, interpreter, link to Santa Fe Company 1969-71. Does not remember Sea Gem accident but recalls seeing eight rigs simultaneously off Yarmouth. Recalls serious rig fire late 70s, Red Adair, American, dealt with fire, was customer. Comments re influx of visitors, Spanish, Americans, some with children. Recalls chef brought in to help cater, own accident resulting in incapacity. Recalls son, and family coming to live in bungalow. Recalls death of husband 1970, own move to mobile home. Describes busy time after husband's death. Had little contact with Yarmouth people. Recalls learning to drive, buying new car. Recalls racial prejudice in Yarmouth. Anecdote re Jamaican market trader, Mohammed Asker Ali and his English wife who stayed. He was a real gentleman. Describes goods sold by his family, his adopted son's life. Comments on boom days of oil and gas. 1979 busy, good profits. Recalls numbers catered for, meals, staffing, services needed. Clean sheets provided every day for Americans. Describes division of work for self and son. Reference to Cooperative shop. At this time it was a 24 hour-a-day job, business was a major employer. Recalls different companies catered for. Recalls change to pattern of gas industry, hope that oil finds could improve business. Took few holidays. Remembers pleasure of driving car, outings with grandchildren, great-grandchildren. Recalls son saying she was known as The 41 (Name of business was Motel 41.)
Tape 3 Side A . Recalls involvement in North Sea industry. Anecdote re fishing industry, South Deans, Yarmouth 1948. Fishing ended before gas found. Remembers harbour full of boats, crews' return to Scotland. Remembers touring Scotland with Stebbings family, including Aberdeen. Recalls regrets not selling business end 1970s, beginning 1980s. Financial worries early eighties. Remembers last oil men to stay, their destination. Recalls function catering to bridge gap in business. Reference to Jewsons wood yard. Husband bought blacksmith's shop at back of yard. Recalls Miss Colby, now Nichols, daughter of fisherman, helped in motel. Story of doctor living nearby. Doctor's house was employment bureau, then Carlton Hotel. Recalls sudden end to oil business. Recalls occasion when a ship arrived at Yarmouth with Spanish passengers entertained by town council. They stayed at hotel (No. 41). Recalls oil business relocated to Aberdeen, helicopters heard in area travelling to, from rigs. Remembers supply ships, piles of pipes replacing fish sales area. Recalls having thirty good years. Describes hotel's change to Residential Home, effect of enforcement of fire, council regulations. Mentions gaming, bar business at No. 41 Hotel. Customers served in garden in summer. Recalls reduction of services when oil men relocated. Planning permission granted for flats, financial obstacles to building. Remembers early difficulties building up business, acquiring land, bars licences. Some public houses went out of business. Offshore men needed food, drink on coming ashore. Does not recall trouble through drink but tells story of man found dead in room. Mentions son's present occupation. Story of interpreter as jealous lover.
Tape 3. Side B. Comments on reason for business failure. Recalls recession, length of closure, financial worries, and insolvency. Looks back on life, business passing down in family, accountant's advice, vacating property. Recalls inventory taken of property, stock. Remembers auction, purchase of personal property. Recalls purchase of property by council, granting of permission for flats to be built. Moved to two-room council flat in Weston Avenue, Gorleston. Remembers family helping with flat, garden, own age at time late 70s. Recalls son, family living in top floor flat in King Street. Recalls 41 Motel becoming derelict, then demolished. Requested and obtained flat on motel site. Describes returning in 1987, to new flat, neighbours' greetings. Feeling that none of present occupants would be there today if not for us. Comments on son's family's future. Son's present occupation, shop owner. Mentions loss of father's business, own business. Comments on smoke house, Yarmouth, becoming museum, including arts, crafts, fishing industry, oil and gas industry. Recalls cookers being altered to natural gas. Mentions power station, seeing it built, demolished. Saw business opportunity with oil/gas boom, too slow to sell when oil business relocated. Recalls changes to town, son's serious illness. Mentions changes to Bacton oil and gas/oil terminal. Description of flat on site of Motel 41. Remembers view from window when motel was in situ, fifteen corner shops nearby. Recalls catering for conferences, Jewsons, oil companies, making decisions for future projects. Comments re own part in the oil and gas boom, looking in on the fishing. Comments on telegrams sent by Queen on hundredth birthdays. |