Jason and our Home of Love

By Jean Drage

I was one of 7 children and we lived with our Dad, Mom and Grandmother. My Dad was a very violent man and ruled the house with his strap while my Mother was a very weak person. Ours was a rough and unhappy childhood. The redeeming feature for me, was the presence of my Grandmother whom I respected deeply; I wouldn’t have been the person I am, but for her. I hated being home and would try and stay away as much as I could and joined the choir group of the local church which got me to spend time with music. I met Stuart when I was 13 and we married very young, when I was only 17. 

Stuart and I started our life together in a small caravan. I was 21 when our son Steven was born and Elaina, our daughter followed 4 years later. I was thrilled to be a Mom and was determined to be a better parent than mine had been. I didn’t want my children to go through what I had been through. We lived in Arbury where I did several different kinds of jobs including child minding and looking after kids during holidays. I had children from different parts of the world living with us for long months but when they left I felt very depressed and Stuart understood. So, when I asked him if there was space for fostering a child at home, he agreed. Steven was 12 and Elaina was 8, when my new adventure began.

I applied to the local council for permission and for a child who I could bring up. It was a long procedure. We had social workers coming over and interviewing us. My husband was a very reserved man and was often very uncomfortable answering some of the personal questions. Eventually we were approved and waited for the first child to arrive.

It was one Wednesday when the phone rang in the afternoon and I heard a social worker telling me that there was an emergency of some kind and that they had a little boy aged 3 and a half who had nowhere to go. We agreed to take him in. Wednesday and then Thursday and Friday came, but no little boy did. Then on Saturday a big car arrived at our doorstep and two social workers stepped out with a bawling child who had a huge head and a protruding belly. He was screaming and throwing his hands about and it took all the strength of the social carers to bring him out of the car and into the house. He just wouldn’t stand on his feet. I have got to admit, he didn’t make a pretty sight at all.

A doctor came around to check on the little boy and asked me to take his vest off. I discovered that the vest was two sizes small and wouldn’t come off easily especially from the body of a hysterical child. The doctor suggested that I take him to the hospital and so within an hour of placement, there I was in a taxi with the boy still screaming, headed for the local Addenbrookes Hospital with a letter in my hand. At the hospital, it took 5 strong hands to settle him down. He had his x-rays taken and the doctor looked at them and told me, ‘Just take him home and love him.’ That is exactly what we did but it needed a lot of doing. The experience of raising Jason and being with him opened my eyes to the world of children and the circumstances they could possibly be. It was also a turning point of my life.

Jason and I went home by bus. Stuart had laid out tea for us. As soon as he saw food on the table, Jason jumped up and grabbed whatever he could and started eating. In shock, we realised he must have been starving. After he finished eating, I decided to wash him so he would smell better. I put him in the kitchen sink over the draining board. I took off his clothes and again he started howling. His bottom was marked all over with what appeared like cigarette burns. He wouldn’t want to use the toilet and would scream something unintelligible. The social workers later told me that Jason’s abusive father caught eels and cut their heads off and put them in the toilet bowl. This little child would be petrified of the fish heads floating in the water. It took me years to make him use the toilet properly and clean himself. He was almost 8 by then. I would often have to sit and talk to him for hours while he sat on the toilet. He couldn’t move his bowels, so traumatised he had been. 

Jason with Steven

Steven and Elaina were marvellous and never resented the fact that I spent a lot of my time with Jason. A year after he came to live with us, I fell pregnant. The counsellors suggested that we send Jason off to the children’s centre but I wasn’t keen at all. He was one of my family. The doctor was ever so nice and I was able to bring Ben home without having to send Jason away and he was so kind to the little baby. They are as close as any blood brothers can be. 

Jason in school was another experience. He was still given to sudden outbursts of temper and therefore, was put in a new section for special needs children and he resented that. I always told him that if he felt angry or unhappy over something, he should immediately come home. Now, each child had to put up a picture of himself on the classroom board. Jason would take it down every morning. He hated being treated differently. One morning, I got a call from his class teacher asking me to rush to school as Jason had threatened to murder Lath. I hurried to his school and listened to both what the teacher had to say and what Jason told me. Lath had hit his head with his pencil box and that made him very annoyed and he decided he would go home. As he came down the stairs, he discovered at the front of the school door, a workman’s tool box. He took a hammer out and went back to class and told Lath that he would kill him. I turned to the teacher and asked her why she couldn’t sit Jason down and stop him. ‘But we are not allowed to do that,’ she answered. Anyway, the Head Teacher intervened and said they couldn’t keep Jason in school. He had to go to a boarding school; the thought broke our hearts.

The closest boarding school was Wilburton Manor school run by a Justice of Peace who turned out to be a very inconsiderate person. He insisted that Jason could visit home only fortnightly. We were given no choice. He was forced to stay there till he was 11 when we were able to move him to Littleton House School, Girton where the kind Head Teacher said he could be home each week. That made a world of difference to us and to Jason. While at home, I would always have him next to me, while I went about my chores. If I were cooking I would hand him a carrot to peel or if I was cleaning, he would be dusting too. I didn’t like him to be out of my sight.  

Me with Jason and little Ben

Jason completed school and went to College and acquired professional training and skills. Through his teenager years, he went through the usual challenges and as I like to think, a dark tunnel, but emerged successfully, a very nice young man. By the time he was ready to move home, Elaina was married and like us, started her life with her husband in a caravan. Jason went to live close to them in another caravan, allowing his sister to keep a watch on him. All of us took turns to be there for him.

Being with Jason, I was made aware of the kind of abuse children face-physical, mental and emotional. He was kicked around by his father and had to endure regular belting. He did spend some time with his grandparents but when I went to visit them, I realised how dirty and unsuitable the living conditions were. But at least he was spared the rod. The experience of settling Jason in into our family, was one I decided to use for fostering and helping other children. I have lost count of the children who came to stay with us and spend part of their lives in our home. Every child was unique and each of them had a story. The common thread was the harshness and cruelty that they faced in their early lives.

Jason with his kids, Nazomi & Kyle

Jason is 43 now. He is wonderful father to two children, a loving partner and he runs his own business of painting and decorating very successfully. Stuart died quite suddenly and unexpectedly 5 months ago. Since then, Jason comes to see me every evening. We have tea together. He gets my room ready for the night. I look at him and say how proud I am of him, never without my eyes being moist. 

Jean Drage lives in Cambourne

Always in the Mood for Dance: My life with Bill

By Ruthie Bradbury

I was born in October 1918. My mother lived in Exeter, Devon and I was 2 and a half lb when I was born just before the end of the First World War. My name was Ruth Weeks.

I left school at the age of 14 (as everyone had to) and my mother, determined to make one of her daughters a ‘sewer’, sent me to work for Wippel and Company, the ecclesiastical outfitters. It was very hard work that sometimes went up to 12 hours, from 8 in the morning to 8 at night and all for 2 shillings and 6 pence a week. But then there wasn’t much money about anywhere. Houses cost as little as £400. I worked here for 5 years. 

Bill Bradbury

I met Bill Bradbury in 1938 at the Ida Tremayne’s Dancing School where both of us went to learn dancing. Speaking to a newspaper reporter who had come to cover our 70th wedding anniversary, Bill said, ‘ We had both gone to learn to dance and as I looked across I saw this smart bit of stuff with really lovely legs. I was absolutely smitten.’ I told the reporter how wonderful Bill looked with his lovely wavy hair. ‘It was love at first sight and nothing has changed with time, not even his hair.’ Bill was 23 and I was 21 then.

Wedding 1940

Bill and I married in 1940, when the Second World War had begun, after courting for 2 years. We went to Torquay for our honeymoon with only £40 between us. That didn’t leave us with much to do on our own.

My memory of the Second World War was rather traumatic. The house opposite to my mother’s was bombed, killing all the residents. The windows of our home were knocked out while we took shelter under the stairs, just a few paces away. The crater that was left by the bomb remained for more than ten years after the war ended. 

Ruthie at 23

Bill joined the RAF and served for six and a half years during and after the war. I often travelled to where he was posted. When he was at Duxford, I visited him; he had a sleeping night pass and I rented a room close by. It was a tiny place with a single bed. I went to see Bill in Battersea where he was posted next and again I rented a room. I went as far as Corringham in Scotland where he was stationed. It was only in the Island of Islay in the Hebrides that I couldn’t join him. Bill’s last posting was in Denmark before he was finally de-mobbed.

I had stopped working for the Outfitters and was now working for Hutton’s fashion shop at the top of Queen’s Road in Exeter, helping customers try on new clothes. I was soon called away by the government for war duties and had to work in a food shop, distributing food supplies. I was then put on the Observer Corps where we sat plotting planes that I didn’t like at all. When we were asked who would volunteer to work in the canteen, up went my hand.

With the boys

After the war, Bill and I returned to Exeter. I managed a terrace house on Ferndale Road, St. Thomas for only £1000. Bill joined the Civil Service and was always taking exams to improve his position. He finally became the Inspector of Taxes in Inland Revenue. We lived in Exeter for 7 years and had our boys, Keith and Kevin.

Keith 10

Kevin 3

But Bill’s job took him to different parts of the country. We moved to Sunderland in the north which was quite horrible. We stayed there for 3 years before moving to Southend by Sea in the south. Bill was next sent to work in Guildford, Surrey and we went to live in a beautiful house in Hindhead, 12 miles away. We lived here for 12 years. Bill retired when he was 59 and a half and we went back to living in Exeter where we bought another house. 

My sister who lived in Oxford was married to a very wealthy man who owned homes in Portugal and Tenerife that we visited often. We used to go on cruises twice a year with my sister and her husband and my brother and his wife. When they passed on, we went on our own. On every cruise, we danced every evening and sometime in the afternoon too. We even won a prize once, a trip to Scotland but Bill refused to go so far north from Devon. 

50th Anniversary

60th Anniversary 

70th  Anniversary

On a Cruise - Close to
90th Birthday 

All through our lives, Bill and I danced at every opportunity. When I was 63, I participated in a dance competition and won a gold, a silver and a bronze medal for three different dances. My long shapely legs and fashionable clothes always attracted notice and admiration. Till I was 92, I had perfect health. After that my legs began to give out and I couldn’t walk without taking rest. And I haven’t been able to walk for long since then.

Bill died 4 and a half years ago at the age of 96. We were married for 73 and a half years. I had to move home to be close to my son Kevin. I brought my mats to put on the floor and my pictures are up on the wall. I live among people who are very friendly and kind. I am happy. My son and daughter in law visit me 3 times a week and are very caring. I live my days putting on the record player and the television. I am happy in my own company. I am always happy. May be, that is why I have lived to be nearly 100.

Ruthie Bradbury lives in Cambourne

My Flights of Fancy- Travels to the Orient

The second part of her story on travels 

By June Rodd



When things had settled down and I had bought a flat in Greenford (not far from Southall), and got my car going, I joined a rambling club and went for long canal walks with a friendly group of people. 

Southall in London

I was introduced to a family from Pakistan. The father had been left with three girls to look after (their mother having passed away). However, they were in their 20s now and had good jobs but he was not looking for husbands for them. They enjoyed being friends with me and their father felt I was a good friend for them. They did occasionally meet a boy, but would not go out alone with him, so I was a regular chaperone. We were taken to some of the London shows, also out to meals in lovely places. This suited me although I felt a bit of a gooseberry. However, Fatima, the youngest of the girls would not go out alone; this was her father’s influence, I think.

They had a lot of Muslim friends whom I met and they were all very friendly indeed and always had a meal at the table and room for one more. I enjoyed the food very much. They had family in Los Angeles who came over on a visit and I was included in trips out. There was always a wedding on somewhere at the weekend and their father used to take me as a guest. I was always made welcome and loved the different food. They had dancing too, but the men would get up and dance together, and then it was the women’s turn. This surprised me. I was once taken to a political meeting in London where I met Benazir Bhutto and found her very attractive and charming.

They had a nephew studying at the LSE. He was over from Dubai where he lived with his wife and three children. I met him several times and he kept inviting me over to Dubai. He went back to Dubai to start a business. One Sunday morning, I had a phone call from him in Dubai, inviting me over there for a holiday and to meet his family. I couldn’t believe it. I had hardly any savings but I thought this was an opportunity for me. So out comes my savings book and credit cards to see if I could scrape up enough money to make this possible. I had no idea of the price of air fares.

The Dhows in Dubai Creek

So, Monday morning, I started making a few enquiries. The latest thing was bucket shops where one could buy tickets cheaply without a travel agent. But it was risky. I phoned one of them and booked a ticket to Dubai. I was asked to collect it from an office building behind Oxford Street, at 5pm the next evening. When I went to collect the ticket, the office was closed, but another door opened and a man said he will be back in half an hour. So, I went away and came back later feeling very nervous, indeed wondering what I had let myself in for. However, it worked ok and I got my ticket for the following day, wondering if it was genuine or not. Meanwhile, I had to ask my boss at work for some leave, which surprised him at short notice. I boarded the plane at Heathrow and off I went to Dubai. This was in the 1970s.

I was met at the Dubai airport by a familiar face and driven to his flat where I met his family. His wife could not speak much English, but the children knew a few words. I was sent straight to bed after my journey as I was exhausted. When I woke up several hours later, I found two children in my bed, one 3 years old and the other one a bit older. I think they were interested in seeing more closely this strange person from another country. I did my unpacking to have a shower and change of clothes. It was then I realised I had forgotten to pack any knickers; in my haste, I was more concerned with long items to cover my legs! After explaining to the wife what I needed, she went to the shops and came back with 7 pairs, all marked with a different day of the week, not quite my style but they would do.

Before a  Camel Race

I loved going shopping with them and looking at all the lovely exotic fruit in the markets I had not seen before. One shopkeeper washed the fruit before he gave it to me to taste. I loved it all and we came home with several 4lb boxes of various fruits. I loved going around the Souks, looking at all the wonderful jewellery. One day, an Arab friend arrived in his white flowing garments and offered to drive me in his Mercedes to Abu Dhabi. The seats in the car were lined with sheepskin which seemed strange in such a warm country. I think this must be a status symbol to go with the car. I was taken to see the camel races and to a big park where they were setting up a large leisure centre with all outside activities. I think this must have been the first of its kind as it was full of local people wanting to join and children too. 

Sheep brought in on a Dhow

I loved the food there too. They received a goat from Pakistan and that made a lovely meal. I did not always know what I was eating but I enjoyed it all. While watching the TV one day, the picture changed suddenly and it was cartoons and the children had the programme and switched on a video recorder which I was not familiar with as we did not have one at home then. I must say, I found the people very friendly indeed, so kind and I was made so welcome. There was a lot of building going on; I think it was the beginning of the new Dubai, the high rise hotels and all the luxury apartments were being built. From what I see of it now, I think it has lost a lot of its character. I loved the old Dhow ships coming into port with its meat and goods from Pakistan and filling the warehouses on the dock. Anyway, my visit was almost over and I had to return to work.

Sunset in Bali

After a month or so, Fatima was interested in a holiday and she liked the brochure pictures of Bali in Indonesia and she wanted me to go as her father would not let her go on her own and he trusted me to keep her out of trouble. I was not sure if I had any leave left for holidays or money; however, this was chance not to be missed. So off we flew complete with our summer clothes, Fatima with her bikini unknown to her father. We were taken to our hotel and settled in. Then we went in search of food, we walked along the beach until we came to the Hyatt hotel where people were eating food with delicious smells we could not resist. We soon found the food and the drinks which were out of this world. This was my first introduction to Smoothies which I still love. We walked back along the beach to our hotel which was not quite so big as the Hyatt. We used to lie on the beach and the Balinese girls would offer us a massage with coconut oil. This was lovely, and the girls were lovely and this was so cheap too. All that the girls wanted was lipstick, nail polish and any cosmetics we had, in return, they gave us a bottle of coconut oil to take home. We had several coach trips around the island and saw sacred places and rice fields. One evening, we had dancing in the hotel. These girls were so beautiful and loved dancing, their costumes were so bright and glamorous. It was a wonderful sight. 

Our trip was coming to an end and we then moved on to Singapore for a couple of more days. This was spectacular! The city was divided into various sections-Indian, Pakistani and Chinese sections; it was like visiting several countries and quite exciting. We loved the shopping in Orchard Road too. We went to RAFFLES hotel and Fatima was invited on the stage to dance. We also went to Sentosa island. I have no regrets and am happy with the spur of the moment decisions I made.

June Rodd lives in Cambourne
Photos from Google

On the Wings of Dreams – My years of growing up

By June Rodd
In a two part story, June recollects her childhood, her adulthood and the adventures of travel

It was Sunday morning September 3, 1939, and I was in church with my parents when the minister got up in the pulpit and announced to everyone that we were at war with Germany. I was only 12 years old and not sure what it meant. When we got outside, the sirens were sounding and I felt a bit scared thinking we were going to be bombed straight away.

It had already been agreed that my parents wanted me to be evacuated to a safer place in the country as we lived in Leith Edinburgh. 

Leith, during the war

Within the next few days, I together with some of my school friends were put on a train to some place called Selkirk which was about 40 miles away. It felt very strange and we all missed our family but settled down in our new homes and schools. I had a toothache one day, and was taken to the school dentist. He gave me a big balloon to blow up and I went off to sleep. When I woke up crying I wanted to go home to my mother. The dentist had taken out two of my teeth and it was hurting. In the next day or two, my mother came and took me home to Edinburgh. 
I had only been away about 4 weeks but I was glad to be home again. 

I had just passed my 11 plus and was due to start a new school further from home. I had to get two trams to get there and I did not know anyone but soon made friends. It was very strange because we did not have many male teachers as they had joined the forces. We had some half days when no teacher was available until the school got around to getting some of the retired teachers back. However, my education continued in a rather spasmodic style for a while and I went to Business College before starting work in an office, dealing with Doctors and insurances; this was before the National Health scheme came into force in July 1948 founded by Aneurin Bevan. I also did voluntary work in a canteen making sandwiches and tea for some of the airmen stationed nearby. These were young men training for aircrew and they wore a white flash in their cap; this rather attracted me as a 16/17 year old. However, they were only there for 3 months and a new lot would arrive for us to get to know. We wrote to some of them and I eventually married one at the age of 21. Most of them had been abroad for two years. 

We moved down south and bought our first house in Ruislip, Middlesex.

Ruislip, Middlesex

We had two children-a boy first and a girl, five years later and had a busy life and moved house a few times to suit my husband’s job. We did not have much of a social life together as my husband was not a very sociable person. (I don’t think men are so good at making friends as women) My son went off to University and my daughter moved in a flat with some friends. I was working locally in a government office and would go out socially with friends in the evenings and over weekends. This was my entire social life, at work mainly. 

I was happily married for over 25 years and had lots of holidays when the children were growing up. We took the children to see the grandparents in Scotland; we also went on caravan holidays and we went to a B&B in Devon. When the children were older, we took them to Lake Como in Italy, the first time we flew. But once the children had left, I was lost. I wanted more out of life. I enjoyed travelling and seeing different places but my husband was never keen and I was the one that suggested and chose holidays. I don’t think my husband had holidays when he was young but my parents always took me on holidays even when the war was on.

I was only 50 years old, so had a while to go. I was invited to appear before a promotion board for an interview for a clerical job in London. I passed and was sent to work in London which I found quite exciting and interesting and the extra salary got me thinking, if I could manage on my own. When I settled down, I thought I could perhaps go it alone and have the social life that I never had at home. So, I decided to go it alone and divorce as I was quite ambitious and wanted to do other things.

June lives in Cambourne
Photos from Google