Moving to Needham

The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

Ipswich which was a nice little semi-detached house with 3 beds, bathroom, lounge, dining room, kitchen and small cloakroom off the hall. We stayed there until Oct. ‘33. The most important event during that stay was the arrival of Jean in the early hours of Aug. 12th, 1931. I don’t know if there was a scarcity of telephones then but I do know that I got my motorcycle out to go and fetch the nurse and the thing wouldn’t start so I ran all the way to Brook Street to the Nurses Home!

Dad had bought a piece of land on the Stowmarket Road and built a nice house into which they moved shortly after we married so I never lived there. I travelled to and from Needham or to the various jobs by motorcycle during this period and in the meantime Dad had purchased some allotments from Mr. Dan Kerridge on the Stowmarket Road as a speculation-building site. The first customer was Mr Swain whose home and shop had been destroyed by fire in 1932. Following completion of this house on the Gypsy Lane corner Mr. Frank Morris who had been appointed secretary of the local branch of the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows (M.U.I.O.F.) wanted a house and it was decided to build a pair and we would have the other one which became Berryhead No.2 and we moved there in 1933. I was sufficiently accomplished to be able to design and make the drawings for

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The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

these properties, which were to be followed by numerous others in various places during the course of the years. Mr Morris had one boy John who was about Jean’s age and they became great pals. The site was completed with a house for Mr Chandler and bungalows for Mr Tom Brown, Mr Ken White, Mr Riches and Clifford.

In the early part of 1933 the B.B. was practising for a concert in the Town Hall and I was involved every available night helping with this. Rather than go back to Ipswich late we all stayed with Mother and Dad and it was during this stay that Dad and I were working away in the office one afternoon when a gentleman walked in and asked which one of us was Mr Sparrow. He was obviously very upset and told us that his car, chauffeur driven, had been involved in an accident with Clifford who had been taken, badly hurt, to Ipswich Hospital. This had happened in Bury Road, Stowmarket when Clifford was cycling home from school. He was very badly knocked about and was on the danger list for days. This was a terrible upset to us all and meant several anxious journeys to hospital at all times. We stayed on in Needham for some time and did not return to Ipswich until Clifford was well on the road to recovery.

To our great joy Mick was born on November 8th, 1937 to complete our little family. No run to Brooke Street this time. As well as B.B., choir and concert party etc. I had been prevailed upon to become secretary of the Horticulture Society and also became a playing member of the Cricket Club which had been revived after a

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