A Miscellany of Memories: Page 25

The Station Master’s Son by Mr. Gerald Scott

I was born at Station House in 1923, the youngest of ten children. My Father was E. H. Scott, Station Master and my Mother was Mrs. D. Scott.

There were lots of boys around my age, the Owens, Edwards, Rudds, Johnsons and seven Scott boys.

On a Saturday when we were about eleven or twelve years old, we would all set out for Hawkstone Golf Club (mostly two on a bike) so that we could earn some money caddying. We were generally paid two shillings a round.

Some Saturdays we would go to Market Drayton on the six o’clock train, we would visit the pictures, have a fish and chip supper then probably miss the last train home. We would then have to walk back to Hodnet, mostly along the railway line.

There were about ten people employed at the railway station. My sister, Daisy Scott, was a porter there. I remember having to fill the oil lamps and clean the glass during the war years. Some of the local men would come to Ted Owen in the signal box and have their hair cut.

Mr. Bush kept The Bear Hotel. His son, Tom went to play football for Liverpool. Later a Mr. White had the Hotel. He was an ex-footballer from Scotland.

During the war I started work on the railway at Shrewsbury. I was on shift work and one night I was cycling to work. I was about half a mile out of Hodnet on a very clear moonlit night, with no light on my bike (batteries were very hard to get during the war). The local “Bobby” jumped out of the hedge shouting, “Where’s your lights?” I said, “I’m saving my batteries.” and he said, “You’ll hear nothing more, carry on.”

The following Wednesday I had a summons to attend Market Drayton Magistrates Court. I was fined seven shillings and sixpence, more than my day’s wage.

Mr. Scott ends his letter by saying, France’s lads were always larking and Mountford’s dogs were always barking.

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