TALES OF MY FATHER
My Father ……. Jack-of-all-Trades, Master-of-None ……. an enigma
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TALE SEVEN: HOME FROM THE WAR
The War in Europe ended on the 7th May, 1945. The surrender of Nazi Germany was signed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel a day later in Karlshorst, Berlin. Hitler, knowing that the end was near had handed over power to Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz before committing suicide on the 30th April, 1945.
Celebrations broke out all over the world the following day to mark The Victory in Europe (VE Day). Although the War in Europe was official over, pockets of violence still occurred for a while.
Happy Days are here again – The Jack Hylton (1882-1965) Orchestra
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Despite this joy, a number of Allied Forces were soon preparing for transfer to the Far East and the Pacific where War was to continue officially until the 2nd September, 1945 where more horrors would be uncovered.
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I can not say exactly when my father was de-mobbed from the Army, but I should not think that it was long after the War in Europe ended. He came home to 11 Royston Street in Bethnal Green and to my mother and me for I had been born in October 1943 (but more of that at a later time). Fortunately, the house had not been damaged during the air raids, although there had been damage elsewhere in the Borough and in surrounding areas, especially those in the Borough of Stepney. Apparently when my father returned home, he did not go back to Cooke’s Pie ‘n’ Mash Shop on Cambridge Heath Road, but rather took a job with the group employed to complete Bethnal Green Underground Station.
Bethnal Green Station
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I have no idea how long my father worked for London Transport and whether he worked anywhere else before returning to Cooke’s.
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What I remember of him being home in those early days was one of the few times he actually played with me. I recall him kicking a large soft ball in the long hallway of 11 Royston Street. To be honest, I can’t remember many other occasions when he played with me. Once I tried to teach him the games of Draughts and Chess, but unfortunately he lacked the patience to learn either game.
I do remember going to the ABC Cinema Mile End Road (now the Genesis) once. We saw Mogambo (1953) with Clark Gable (1901-1960) and Ava Gardner (1922-1990). Another time he asked me if I wanted to go with him and see the film featuring the life story of Grace Moore (1898-1947, the opera singer, who was a particular favourite of his. The film was So This is Love (1953) with Kathryn Grayson (1922-2010) playing Ms Moore. I remember that I did not want to go, which was rare occurrence for me since I used to love going to the cinema.
Top: Posters for Mogambo (Left) & for So This is Love (Right)
Bottom: The ABC Cinema in 1969 (Left) & as the Genesis Cinema in 1999 (Right)
It is amazing that I still feel guilty about not going with him. Throughout my childhood and early youth, my mother was always trying to get my father to take me somewhere for an outing. She suggested he took me to a Football Match or something else, but he never did. My mother always said that he preferred to go drinking with his friends rather than spend time with either her or me.
My Father’s Favourite Public House – The White Hart at Mile End Gate
Besides going to the cinema on these two occasions, the only time I went out with my father was in the company of my mother. Later, when I was much older, we did go to the theatre together – at that time, my mother decided not to come – unfortunately this outing ended in an argument, but more of that later.
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Apparently, either my father contacted Cooke’s or Cooke’s contacted him and he returned to work at the Cambridge Heath Road branch. I have no idea when this happened except that it was in the later 1940s.
Taking the job at R. Cooke & Son did not just involve working there – it seemed that my father and mother were to the Manager & Manageress of the establishment and were required to move to the apartment above the shop. My mother later told me that THIS was the biggest mistake that she every made in her life! And I remember thinking at the time, that she was totally right in her assessment!
Firstly, the titles of Manager & Manageress were rather insulting since my parents proved to be the only staff employed to WORK at the establishment with occasional help from me. The employment proved to consist of LONG HOURS and exhausting work for a remuneration that was not compensatory for the hours of hard work demanded in the running of the business!
My parents ran the business until February 1956.
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