Far from the East End: The moving story of an evacuee's survival and search for home by Simantel Iris Jones

Author:Simantel, Iris Jones
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780718198954
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2012-07-18T16:00:00+00:00

20

Methodists and Spiritualism

After we’d settled into our new home and become accustomed to our surroundings, Dad began talking about the need for a church. ‘We need a Sunday school for the kids.’

‘Whatever are you talking about, Ted?’ Mum said.

‘We should start one.’

‘What do you mean, we? I ain’t having nothing to do with starting a Sunday school. I’ve got enough to do.’

‘I know, I know, I wasn’t talking about you, Kitty. I was talking about me, wasn’t I?’

‘Oh, that’s all right, then, but I still don’t know where you get off thinking you can just go out and start a flippin’ Sunday school. People are gonna think you’re mad, Ted.’

‘I should have known you’d try to put the kibosh on it,’ he said. Then I heard the kitchen door close, and Mum’s footsteps going upstairs.

I’d been in the next room listening to Mum and Dad’s conversation, and thought, Please don’t say anything else, Mum, please don’t get Dad upset. I couldn’t stand it when Dad turned into what Mum called ‘an old rat-bag’.

I think Dad missed being involved. He had spent much of his spare time at the church in Dagenham, but now there was no church, well, not nearby. The closest church was in Watford. Except for the few Catholics on the estate, who I learned had to go to church, no one else seemed to bother. I never did work out why the Catholics had to go and we didn’t. I asked Mum about it.

‘Dunno, really, Iris. I used to know lots of Jews up the East End, but I don’t think I’ve ever met no Catholics. I think they’re all Irish but they sound like a funny bunch. Fancy being scared to stay home on Sundays – blimmin’ daft, if you ask me.’

Dad, in spite of Mum’s apprehension, took matters into his own hands. He was on a mission, and he had flyers printed at work. Having left his old job, he was now with at Odhams Press in Watford and no longer worked away from home.

‘It’s handy working for a printing company,’ he said. ‘These flyers came out nice, didn’t they? Now all we have to do is deliver them. Wanna help me do some canvassin’, Iris?’

‘What’s that?’ I had visions of putting up tents.

‘You daft ha’porth, it’s delivering these papers and talking to people about it.’

‘Yeah, I don’t mind, Dad,’ I said. I still wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but I knew I shouldn’t ask Mum. She still shook her head and walked away every time Dad brought up the subject. I was just glad to be included.

In the evenings, Dad and I began canvassing the neighbourhood. First time around, we stuck the flyers through the letterboxes. Then we went back, knocked on doors and talked to people. I have no idea how many houses we visited, but it was a lot.

The flyer declared, ‘NOTHING PROVIDED FOR THE CHILDREN AND YOUTH OF SOUTH OXHEY’. It went on to say that we were trying to determine what interest there might be in starting a Sunday school and possibly a youth club.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.