One day Frank from Holland’s’, next door, asked me if he could ride home with me that night. He was the same age as me, seventeen, and very shy. I had not really taken much notice of him when I had gone into the shop, but ‘yes’ he could see me home if he liked. Jimmy smiled when I told him, and made some joke about being ‘cast aside’. Frank was waiting for me when we had both finished work, about 7.3O, and we rode along in complete silence. Both too shy to find anything to say. Then I noticed that he had no lights on his bike, by this time we were in Hungerford Road, and I was worried in case a policeman saw us. Policemen those days either rode about on bicycles or walked. So Frank said, “we’ll walk until we get to Crewe Green, after that we can ride, it’s not likely that we shall see a policeman along the lanes.” That was what we did, no thought of passing cars, just hoping that we would not get caught. I can’t remember that we conversed much, apart from Frank saying that he had been meaning to get some lights, but had not been for a long ride in the dark before, and going home from the shop he ‘dodged through the back streets’, so the need for lights had not been urgent. It would have cost almost half of his weeks wages of 12/6d for a front and rear light ~ complete with batteries.
Eventually we arrived in Alsager, and just as we were saying that we had better get off and walk through the village, a very stern voice hailed us from across the road. “Just a minute, you two! ” and there was a policeman! If we had been carrying the proceeds of a robbery we could not have been more terrified. “Now then young man”, said the policeman to Frank, “you do know that it’s an offence to be riding a bicycle without lights”, “Yes” murmured Frank. “Where are you going?” before Frank could find the words, I said, “He’s going home with me, then I’m lending him my lights to go back to Crewe.” “Well I’ll have to have both your names and address’s,” said the policeman, getting out his notebook and a small torch. When we had shakily given him the information he required, including our ages, he said “Now then get off with you and don’t dare ride that bike again without lights.” With this the policeman disappeared into the darkness, leaving us to our miserable walk up the village. “My Dad’ll go mad,” said Frank, “I’ve never been in trouble with the police before,” “Do you think we shall get fined?” I said, visions too awful to contemplate, arising. When we arrived home we went in and told our story to mum and dad. They were sympathetic but said it was very silly to have ridden without lights from a safety point of view, and Dad said Frank might get fined ‘about ten bob’. Poor Frank, he could not drink the cocoa mum made for him. Suddenly there was a loud knock at the front door, and when mum went to open it, there stood the policeman! He was checking to see if we had arrived. “‘Tell them not to worry, they won’t hear any more about it, ” he said “I know they were very frightened, I meant them to be, for their own safety, but I wouldn’t like to think that that lad was going to have a sleepless night.” Mum thanked him, and then came to tell us what he had said. Dad fixed my lights on Franks bike, and off he went to Crewe, no doubt feeling very thankful that he was not to be branded a criminal! The following week he asked me to the pictures on the Wednesday night, and I agreed, though I was not very keen.
I went back into Crewe on the Wednesday night and he was waiting outside the Odeon for me. He had on his best suit, an overcoat, and a ‘trilby’ hat, and though I realized that he had ‘dressed up’ for the occasion, I thought he looked a bit silly, and bore no resemblance to the ‘boy from Holland’s’, whom I saw every day. As for me, well maybe I looked pretty strange too. Two winters previously, mum had an emerald green coat, bought from a shop, as opposed to a home made one. It was just a straight style, with reveres, and a belt with a chromium buckle, and I coveted it mightily, so when she had a new coat and said that she would shorten the green one a bit, then I could wear it ‘, I was delighted. So there was I feeling very ‘grown up ‘ in the green coat, though no doubt looking as peculiar as Frank did in his trilby and overcoat!
The film was called Seventh Heaven, and was a very sad story about a French girl and an English soldier during the First World War. The theme music however, was ‘Diane’ and became a popular hit many years later, when sung by a group called the Bachelors. We sat in the stalls, (one and nine pence each), and Frank had bought a quarter of sweets. It was sad really, that though he had got everything right, his lack of personality let him down. I can’t remember anything we said; I suppose we must have exchanged the odd word. After the film he saw me back to the Alsager bus, and thanked me for coming, and I unkindly thought that I had had a very boring evening. He asked me out again the following week, but I made an excuse, and after several rebuffs, I thought he would know that I was not interested. Christmas was approaching, and many nights we had to work late at the shop, weighing up extra dried fruits, sugar, fats, etc; Just imagine closing the shop at 7-O clock, then starting another two hours work, all for ten shillings a week:
On Christmas Eve we had been busy all day and most of the evening. At about eight 0-clock, during a slight lull, Frank appeared. He came quickly round the end of the counter and thrust a ‘Marks and Spencer’s bag into my hands, murmuring “happy Christmas” he rushed out again, very red in the face. When I opened the bag, it contained a navy blue leather handbag, (no such thing as plastic those days). I had seen them in Marks and knew that they were 8/11d. I was absolutely mortified. I hadn’t even got a card for him. The shop filled up and there was no chance to go out to get anything, and in any case I hadn’t got any money with me. It truly spoilt my Christmas because I kept thinking about him spending his hard earned money on me, and I could not bring myself to use the bag either though it was just what I wanted, but I felt somehow that it was not right to use it. I gave it to mum after Christmas. Well, there was no way that I wanted him for a boy friend so I resolved the situation with the extreme cruelty of youth. I decided that I would not speak to him, and then he would be sure to ‘get the message’. This was what I did, and after Christmas when he came into the shop, I walked away, leaving him to make his request to one of the men he may have been shy, but was not stupid, so of course he must have realized that he had no chance.
After that if Holland’s wanted anything, one of the other men would come in for it. I have to say that Frank and I never spoke to each other again. I was not proud of my conduct. I did see him some years later, in the town with a girl, probably his wife, so happily he didn’t let it ‘blight his life’