Bedford
General History
Bedford 1920-1939 by Mr. Frank Richards
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Epilogue
In 1937 I was in the sixth form of the Modern School and realised that what I had to do now was to look round for a job. Whatever one's scholastic achievements in those days it made very little difference if one were a member of the working class. Further education was out of the question because of its cost, and entry to university was in the realms of fantasy. A number of my schoolmates became clerks in estate agents or insurance companies. In my case I entered local government as a clerk in the County Surveyor's office which in those days was in the Shire Hall in St.Paul' s Square. Looking back, I realise that the work was most uninteresting but a new world had opened to me. The school restrictions were no more, there were new friends to be made and for the first time since my elementary school days I was in the company of girls. Sport played a great part in our conversation and I worked with Percy Scrivener who played rugby for Bedford along with two other members of the department. We also had the captain of the County Cricket Eleven on the staff. I feel that my greatest sporting achievement was when I played rugby for the Shire Hall against the Town Hall; the only time I ever appeared on the Goldington Road ground. The international situation was becoming more menacing. An Air-raid Precautions Officer had been appointed and a number of chaps I knew at school had already joined the Territorial Army and said what interesting times they were having, so at the beginning of 1939 I reported to the Drill Hall in Ashburnham Road and enlisted in the Bedfordshire" Yeomanry as a gunner in the Royal Artillery. Why I went into the artillery to this day I have no idea. Yes, it was interesting and in that summer of that year I spent a fortnight on the south coast.In September 1939 war was declared. The Territorial Army was mobilised, and I reported to the Drill Hall. It was good-bye to the Shire Hall, good-bye to the thirties, good-bye to my boyhood. And to some of my old friends and schoolmates it was soon to be good-bye to everything.
Page last updated: 22nd January 2014