Valerie Caddick (nee Ailmore) was born at Junction House, Ironville in the early 1940s. Her grandmother, Grace Mills, kept a smallholding there with pigs and other livestock. Grandma also had a chip shop, just a shed, but nonetheless sold the nicest chips, peeled by rolling in a barrel (with the help of many local youngsters), wheeled to the shop on a cart with old pram wheels, in a small bath of water and then cooked over a coal fired stove. Fresh fish was collected from Ripley on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. A delicious supper for all the ‘roller rinkers’ coming down after skating at the monument. Her uncle, Fred Leighton Snr. who lived next door was the local water bailiff. During the WW2 bombing raids, all the family hid in his cellar.
Val’s first job was at Jacksdale Co-Op weighing out all the goods that arrived in sacks:- potatoes, sugar into blue bags, tea, and then in a spare moment polishing the counters with a large quantity of ‘elbow grease.’ Heavy work, in Val’s opinion, no young girl should have been asked to do. Val’s courting days take her to the ‘hip hops’ at Ripley where she met Eddie. Lovely listening - just click on the play bar below:-
Eddie was born at Westwood in 1939, but grew up in Ironville. His dad served in both WW1 & WW2. As WW2 had just broken out, Eddie didn’t see much of his dad. Growing up for Eddie was church Sunday morning, Sunday school in the afternoon and then Ironville choir practice and service at night. Fun was had playing for Ironville FC or rolling down Codnor Castle meadows and watching Stoneyford CC play while dad had a pint in ‘The Stoneyford Boat.’ Eddie spent 17 years working at Pye Hill Pit, was partially buried once when some props fell on him and will never forget the sound when the ‘gibbins’ broke above you and the lads said, “Shall we stand, or shall we run?” Eddie says, they ran like hell!
Photo: Ironville Trip to Blackpool.