The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991
Freehold Road and Stowmarket Road, he was the first person in Needham to have a valve set. He was a radio ‘ham’ and he fixed a loud speaker to one of the trees in his garden and at certain times we would gather in his garden and listen to the programmes. After a year as a solicitor I was looking for pastures new and joined the L.N.E.R. as junior clerk which sometimes included a spot of ticket collecting and according to Mum, I used to flaunt my authority by insisting that the Stow Secondary school pupils produced their season tickets.
Learning a trade After about a year I became surplus at Needham and was asked to go to Birdbrooke near Sudbury. I decided against this and decided to join Dad in the business. Dad insisted that I learn a trade and having tasted carpentry while I was at school in Ipswich, and having made such a horrible job of a dovetailed joint that I ‘lost’ it rather than take it home to show what I’m sure would have been a far from sympathetic parent. I went for bricklaying and again to make sure no favours were being shown I had to do my time as a labourer in all sorts of jobs. I enrolled for evening classes at Ipswich to study bookkeeping, maths, geometry, drawing, etc attending three times a week. I often think of a typical day’s work for me at that time which was something like this; rise and shine and go to the yard to get the pony and tumbrel ready to take the men to say Mockbeggars Hall, Claydon at 6.30 a.m., return home, have breakfast and go off to work for the day, sometimes returning in time to go and collect the men or more often this was done by Billy Gooding who was the transport man (later to become a lorry driver.) After a quick change a dash to the station for the train to Ipswich for night school eating a packed tea en route. Evening classes from 7 – 9.30 p.m., catch the last train which left at 10 arriving in Needham at 10.30, walk home, have supper and go to bed ready for the next day. That lot 3 times a week 21
