Local Talk Back Dec 2013

MY ROYAL CONNECTIONS
By Phyllis Salmon (nee Brown) autobiography written 1989
This is about her childhood in Badminton from 1926. In this part of her story Phyllis tells
of her memories of the year’s special times following on from Show Day that we read
about last month.
PART 5 THE YEAR’S SPECIAL TIMES
After four weeks summer holiday it was September and we went back to school. Time
passed slowly until the end of October when we had the lovely evening of Halloween. An evening
of fun and laughter with mother and father. There would be apple ducking, roasting of chestnuts,
and a sings-song. To us, it was a happy evening, we never heard of witches and ghosts, they were
never spoken of. There was a tin bath with water and apples floating in it. We all had to get one
out without using our hands, what fun we all had cheering one another on. It was only a few days
later when it was bonfire night, but I have a sad tale to tell about that. We always had a bonfire and
some fireworks including some sparklers for us to hold. It was about a week before bonfire night.
My brother, Leonard, was with a friend of his, and they were in front of the house. Mother and
father had gone to Bristol to do some shopping and told the boys not to let fireworks off, but this
day they had one called a jack-in-the-box. They lit it, but thought it had gone out, Leonard got
down to blow it out, it went off in his face. He was very lucky he didn’t lose his eye sight. I put a
bandage over his eyes, and when our parents came home they were very cross. They sent me with
him to the District Nurse, all the way he was crying and lifting the bandage to let cold air get to it.
The nurse could do very little for him so the doctor had to call the next day. He came and treated
him. It was almost two months before he could see. He had lost his eyebrows and lashes and there
was a film over his eyes. His face was burnt badly, but I’m glad to say it left no scars. On bonfire
night my youngest sister, but one, Doreen burned her hand on a sparkler.
I am at the year’s special times, and the last is Christmas. I have told you of the wonderful
time we had every year, but I will tell of all the things that stand out in my mind most. First there
was all the preparations and mother made her Christmas puddings, mincemeat and Christmas cake
which she iced and decorated. When the puddings were made we all had to give it a stir and mother
would put lucky charms in it, one for each of us. There would also be a sixpence, but when we had
the pudding father would always be the lucky one to have the sixpence. From the age of nine I
would have to help clean fruit, stone the raisins, grease the tins and sometimes mother would let me
cut the pastry. She taught me a great deal long before I left school. I certainly learned my domestic
science for I had to help with washing, ironing, baby minding and most household jobs. Then at 14
I was out to work in service. They go to college today to learn all I learned in my young days.
Leading up to Christmas Day there were the decorations to be put up, with tinsel, bells, not
forgetting our paper chains we made, and holly and mistletoe. We would all hang our stockings up,
have something to eat and drink, then off to bed. After a while we would hear Father Christmas
coming up the stairs to have a word with us. Little did we know it was father with mother’s red
dressing gown on and the best red tea cosy on his head decorated with cotton wool and with a beard
of the same. We were overwhelmed and a little afraid, until we were older and guessed it was
father. He would ask us if we had been good and say that we must behave ourselves and help
mother all we could. If not, he would not come again and see us again. He hoped we liked what he
had left us for Christmas and if he didn’t leave all we asked for, it was because he didn’t have
enough to go around and he had to leave something for everyone.