Our final family is the Smith family, also from Long Street. The older generation comprises William, whose
wife died recently, born in 1941. William has lived all his life in the small area around Long Street and
his parents and grandparents lived along with a number of uncles and aunts, nearby. He can remember the last
stage of the war as well as Italian prisoners of war living in the nearby camp until the after the war
ended. His daughter, Melissa, born in 1970, no longer lives in the area but is included, since, as her
father’s main carer, she spends much of her time here with him in the house. Likewise, we have included her
daughter, Emma, born in 2002, who is often there. Melissa also has a son, Charly, born in 2000, who is also
mentioned in her interview.
Click on the William's, Melissa's and Emma's links to listen to extracts from
their interviews.
William Smith
Transcript
William: When I was working in the docks, I had a partnership with two other blokes.
We
used to do building and decorating. I had a partnership years ago where we used to do jobs. I started off
doing odd jobs on my own. I did one job for the area manager of a pub at the Green Gate and he was
introduced to me through the governor of the pub because I did a job for him which he gave me which was to
repair leaded lights, leaded light windows, small ones about an inch square. They’d been smashed during
some altercation in the pub years ago and the brewery weren't really interested in such work and didn't
have anyone who could do it. Well, I knew I could do it so I put leaded lights in and they were over the
moon with it and they said ‘We've got other work if you'd like it’ so I carried on working in the docks, I
didn't give up working on the ships and I would do this work during the week if if I didn't have any work
on the ships or if there was no work in the docks. I would never give up working on the ships and I would
do these jobs if I didn’t work weekends or if there was no work in the docks. I worked on roofs, flooring
jobs, tiling on roofs then I got the contract from another bloke - they owned a big work in Canning Town,
it's still there, and they wanted someone to do maintenance work on a part-time basis so I could do that
between shifts and I had a bloke to help me and we had that for years, doing everything virtually doing
the roof work, bearing in mind these are big buildings to go up and doing electrical work, doing
metalwork, repairing drains, unblocking drains because I had all the equipment to do it with. It was quite
lucrative. I really enjoyed it. It was alright. Then other people heard of me and used to ask me if I
would do jobs for them of all sorts, especially things to repair which they couldn't get repaired anymore
because people didn't repair things so I used to do it. I've done a lot of repair work in the church.
Melissa Smith
Transcript
Melissa: I actually work in a psychiatric PQ mental hospital for females which I've
done for the last year and a half, about 30 minutes away from Dad's in the car, subject to traffic, and I
actually moved away approximately 1996. I did actually previously live next door to Dad to the right of
him but that was before we had children when we rented a property right next door.
Emma Smith (still at secondary school when interviewed)
Transcript
Eve:What are you doing now?
Emma:I'm currently in school, year 11, my last year, doing my GCSEs.
Eve:And what are you going to do then?
Emma:I'm going to do a business apprenticeship after that.
Eve:Are you going to do that with your family?
Emma:Yes, I'm going to do it with my brother and my Dad. We're going to be in the same
place. I like working with the family.
Click on the William's, Melissa's and Emma's links to listen to extracts from
their interviews.