Raymond Gregory

1925, that was when I was born. I was in this world and the wheel came off the pram. A greengrocer came across the road with a peaked cap on and fixed the wheel on the pram. And then I knew I was in this world. I lived in Pickershore Lane. I started at school, St John's school and then I started work for a farmer, taking the milk out in the morning at six o clock at eight years old. I went to school after I took the milk out.I only went in the classroom once – I cleaned all the school yard up. I had football twice a week and gardening twice a week. I moved 20 tons of coal for the old fellor in the boiler house. I used to call for my mate, Leslie Stanly, at his house when I went to school. We went to school together from 5 to 14 years old. When I left school at 14, I started work at the cotton mill that you can see in the picture above. I used to take my sisters to cath the bus to wigan and meet them off it in the evening. When I was on that lane one day, I was on a bike and a women walked straight in front of my bike and I went straight up in the air and over the handle bars. I didn't even hurt myself! One of my sisters worked for a Jew in a shop called Blackburn. It was like Woolworths. She was the head cashier and all the money had to be right to an ha'penny. She worked six days a week until 10.00 on Saturday night for one shilling a day – 12 pennies. I went to the pictures 16 times a week and I remember I used to get 2 and 6 a week spending money. I started smoking when I was 8 years old. I am still smokin at 78!