A long time ago, but yesterday too. Rain On My Window (Tears in My Eyes) will be an ongoing tale of my early memories of life shared by my younger brother David on Whitehall Farm in Stronsay, Orkney, of our childhood on a working farm in the 1930s before we lost our innocence.
No 51 “THE WIRELESS “ pb 20.08.2010
In the Groat of July 9th 2010 we mentioned the “wire”, the bearer of news good and bad, the news received by Wm Tait in his Diary entry of Jan 22nd 1907 of his brother James of J. & W. Tait’s sudden death. Which poses the question of progression to the “wireless”
My earliest recollection of a wireless is the huge long grey box in the sitting room, our own very first wireless. Dials and whatnots on the outside and tubes and valves and wires and goodness knows what inside. As visitors would often say, big enough to sink the Queen Mary!!
The wireless was bought by our Uncle John for his parents on a visit back home from Invercargill in New Zealand in 1924, but perhaps really a toy for the surgeon to play with. At least family lore has it that our grandfather said to his son, “Johnny me boy, stop playan wae that box o’ b***** rubbish and talk to me “
As Uncle John had come a long way with a six week sea voyage home fromm N.Z., and had been away for many years including the War of 1914 to 1918, it seemed a very reasonable thing for his old father to ask. In any case it would be the last they saw of each other, Da dying on 19th March 1930, aged 79.
A flag pole erected at the far end of the tennis lawn at Whitehall did service as an attachment point for one end of the long aerial, the other end attached to a bracket on the end of the house. Huge white porcelain insulators on either end of the aerial. Then a wire lead down the wall and in through the sill of the bow window of the sitting room. There was also an earth wire returning through the sill and buried in the ground outside. Reception was intermittent, and when the Merry Dancers filled the sky to the North we used to get what we said was them talking to us, but in reality I suppose just an increase in background static.
.
The old wireless did function but we were a long way from transmitters so reception was at best dodgy, accompanied by squeaks and crackles and pops. At times complete silence. Islands always had and still have someone knacky, totally untrained in a formal sense but amazingly knowledgeable for all that. Now and again our father had someone along who would take a look inside the monster, tweet this or that, find a loose wire, and for a while sweet music again.
When we took an interest in the magic box I cannot recall. But enough was enough, with War approaching by 1938 our father was certainly trying to get better reception. So he bought a new Pye, a wireless that did well enough and worked for a very long time later in Greenland Mains after we came there in 1944.
A dry battery and two rechargeable wet batteries - accumulators - with one usually being recharged at Swanneys in Whitehall Village. The Pye was a good wireless, and we used to play around with the tuning knob and get Hilversum and Berlin and Droitwich and other exotic foreign stations, some times in Orkney a better reception than British.
A wireless was a precious possession in many a house or cottage, and must have cost a farm worker a fair bit of his wage, but extremely popular. I do not recollect any house without one, though there must have been some. A look at his watch or the alarm clock on the dresser in the kitchen/cum living room of the farm cottage and the farm worker would say “Switch on the wireless and get the news”. The wireless was definitely not on all the time, it used up the batteries. Any background music would come from a wind up gramophone and a record or two which was used over and over again until scratched beyond repair and it gave up the ghost.
Any old wireless found a home elsewhere when superseded by a new one. Broken ones were taken apart and repaired or rebuilt by some local enthusiast. I cannot now recall names with any certainty but usually someone in the Village. Some made one for themselves out of bits and pieces and an old instruction book. Swanneys’ little engine and charging dynamo system out the back of the shop and bakehouse seemed to be always going, chugging away night and day and charging the Islands batteries.
This is all a far cry from today with constant music, sometimes quite obtrusive,
the name wireless superseded by radio, then in turn by a multitude of trade names. School pupils going down-town in Thurso at lunch time with something or other stuffed in their ears. Traffic hazard I think !!
.
The high point in our Stronsay wireless listening came with the outbreak of the War of 1939 to 1945. Much news, a great deal sad, some good, getting better as the War progressed, as much as the Government thought we should know and hear. And the Germans helped our wireless reception with Lord Haw Haw top of the pops though we did not use that phrase then. Aka William Joyce
The wireless station was Reichsender Hamburg, with the catch phrase “Germany calling, Germany calling, Germany calling”. The program broadcast from Hamburg started on 18 September 1939 and continued until 30 April 1945, when Hamburg was overrun by the British Army. (Wikipedia)
Joyce’s gravelly voice was instantly recognisable, slightly nasal. He was an American born in Brooklyn, his Irish father a naturalised US citizen. They left the USA when he was quite young and came back to Ireland, though Joyce still kept a touch of the USA in his voice. He was said in a quote by novelist Cecil Roberts in Wikipedia to be;-
“Thin, pale, intense, he had not been speaking many minutes before we were electrified by this man, so terrifying in its dynamic force, so vituperative, so vitriolic.I
His voice was indeed compelling. Even from outside a house we would hear and recognise it.
He was highly intelligent, did many things in England, some political, before being drawn into the Germany of the Nazis. In late August 1939, shortly before war was declared, Joyce and his wife Margaret fled to Germany. Joyce had been tipped off that the British authorities intended to detain him under Defence Regulation 18B. Joyce became a naturalised German in 1940. Eventually to Broadcasting. The rest is History, not my remit, though his story is worth looking up on the Internet. He was hanged for Treason on 3rd January, 1946. Got a very dodgy deal I think, but it was bad times.
Reichssender Hamburg was possibly the most widely listened to wireless programme we had. It had its own time slot to which Stronsay tuned in religeously.
Lord Haw Haw gave us the dispositions of British troops, where your son was before even his family knew, sometimes telling of someone taken prisoner, name, rank and number before any notification from the War 0ffice in London. He told us the Germans had sunk the Aircraft Carrier Ark Royal three times at least before U 81 did indeed torpedo her off Gibralter on 13th Nov. 1941, with terminable damage, sinking next day. Lord Haw Haw gave us much information denied to home listeners, where such and such a Regiment was, who had over-run whom, and of course only German victories were mentioned. In the early days of the War there were all too many of those.
It was indeed uncanny how so much Home information was at his command, and in his own way he kept us up to date with the War.
William Joyce, aka Lord Haw Haw, was indeed compulsive wireless listening.
Monday, 23 August 2010
Friday, 6 August 2010
No 44. Straw Baskets,= pb 06 /08/ 2010
No 44. STRAW BASKETS. 06.08.2010
In this plastic age when packaging is such an issue, I sometimes swank a bit and take my old straw basket shopping. Home made in Lower Dounreay Farm House in January, 1954, our good old house now demolished I fear.
Peter Leith from Appietown in Stenness in Orkney was along Isauld a few days back and, taking a look at the 56 year old basket in the back of my car, immediately said ”That’s a Westray stitch”. His knowledge of Old Orkney is profound. So there’s a tale to tell about the old basket, no pun intended, no offence taken!!! .
Made of completely natural organic ingredients, straw from a sheaf pulled out of a stack of cleanland Ayr Line oats in the Lower Dounreay stackyard, binder twine of North African Sisal “borrowed” from the twine box on the binder, a bit of fencing wire from the work shop. Tools required - simple enough - just a strong 6 inch sail maker’s needle with a flattened wide curved end. Nettie cleaned the straw, I made the basket, a job for us both on dark winter’s evenings well before T.V. or Electricity. But back to the beginning.
A long time ago in Stronsay, aged 11, I had one year in the Big Room before going from Stronsay to Inverness Royal Academy to School. John Drever was my Headmaster. Among our Latin and Composition and French and Maths we had to read the Orkneyinga Saga to prepare for the Bursary Competition. He also found time to take us for Handicrafts, the boys doing woodwork and straw basket making and weaving wicker or cane into trays and baskets and ornaments. Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for a spell at the end of the school day, then home. I chose straw basket making and cane trays and baskets.
The girls went next door to the cooking room doing I know not what, sewing and dress making and knitting and cooking spring to mind. I cannot remember who taught them, not John Drever anyway. We boys had utterly no interest in the more domestic things the girls had to do, none at all. Not then anyway!!.
As most of us were from farms, and if not then a farm was not far away, we who did straw baskets had to find a sheaf or two of good straight straw. Always from cleanland oats after a turnip crop the previous year, shortish, straight straw, well ripened, harvest gold. Take the sheaf to the barn and strip off the ears and the leaves, giving us “gloy”, clean straight straw ready for basket making. Take it to School for Mr Drever’s inspection, if not quite clean enough take it home and do it again !! Otherwise store it in some cupboard or other till needed. Thrashed straw was of no use.
We had to hand make a special cord for the coming task, made with imported raffia. We went down to the shore to the Sand Dunes on Mill Bay and found some specially hard Marram grass to add to the cord. Take some raffia, twist it into a continuous cord, feed in a small amount of Marram for extra strength. Two strands doubled, cross woven, twist each strand right handed, cross over left handed to make a self supporting two ply cord. Very hard and strong and quite attractive, a skill on its own.
Learn to hold the already woven ball under your arm, a bit of a job to keep all tidy and not let it fall to the floor and run out to lie and trip anyone. Easier said than done. There was a certain amount of twine to make before we were introduced to making the basket.
The technique is essentially the same as for the well known Orkney Chair. For a basket start at what will be the centre of the bottom with a small length of straw and double it back on itself to make a starter about six inches long, Catch your cord in the loop of the bend, wind your cord round the starter at one inch spacing, less if you wanted to be a bit fancy but one inch was a general measure.. Then loop it spirally round and round about one inch apart each time. Tuck the loose end into the straw, well hidden. A clove hitch was a good starter tie in the initial bend
Turn the free end of your straw back, feed in some more straws and start stitching to the starter, looping each stitch under the previous. And so on and on, making an increasing flat oval until the desired size of the bottom of the basket is reached. Round if you liked, mine was oval. Fresh straw fed in a few straws at a time into the working end, stubble end first and inside the centre to keep it out of sight in the finished basket. Keep just the right amount in your hand, practice soon tells you how much. Pull the stitches just so, tight but not too tight. Better too tight than too slack, but you can only pull so much. It is surprising how hard a few straws can get when pulled tight into the basket. Or an Orkney Chair for that matter, almost as hard as wood.
Having reached the limit of the bottom, usually oval, now to turn up the straw for the sides. Begin with a half turn, complete it on the next round and we are now rising into the sides. Here the shape becomes critical, a good eye needed to keep a nice shape. A slight outward slope at first, curving gently further out a bit, then, as the sides climb, straighten it upwards again. Gives a nice figure “S” outline shape. For the rim just wind the cord continuously round and round the last run, keep it tight, then with the sail needle stitch the flying end out of sight into the body of the basket.
The one I made has fencing wire for the handle with the ends bent at right angles and inserted some five rows below the rim. Then the handle reinforcement is filled out with straw, wrapped close with twine, the wire out of sight within the straw.
The basket I made was 18 inches long, 12 inches across, eight inches deep, a classic measurement but you could make what you fancied. In its time it carried many an egg to Willie Oman in Trail Street in Thurso, and our shopping back home. Did service for a picnic, the odd Bring and Buy Sale. For age it has done pretty well, and I still use it.
But not a match for the Orkney Straw Backed Chair made as a wedding present for our Grandparents Wedding at Campston in Tankerness in Orkney. Still there with Hamish in Greenland Mains, a few woodworm holes but otherwise as good as new, a present from Grandma’s Campston Tait family..
From Wm Tait’s Diary of 1880. ,
Aug 18 Wed At Cattle Show - preparing barn for wedding.
Aug 19 Thur Elizabeth (his sister) married this night …very fine night
{Married David Pottinger of Upper Stove, Deerness}
Aug 20 Fri At Kirkwall with long cart with cousins from Caithness (Taits)
Aug 21 Sat At Kirkwall with three carts with seats.{from the barn wedding?}
Straw Baskets and Straw Backed Chairs are still a great Orkney Tradition.
In this plastic age when packaging is such an issue, I sometimes swank a bit and take my old straw basket shopping. Home made in Lower Dounreay Farm House in January, 1954, our good old house now demolished I fear.
Peter Leith from Appietown in Stenness in Orkney was along Isauld a few days back and, taking a look at the 56 year old basket in the back of my car, immediately said ”That’s a Westray stitch”. His knowledge of Old Orkney is profound. So there’s a tale to tell about the old basket, no pun intended, no offence taken!!! .
Made of completely natural organic ingredients, straw from a sheaf pulled out of a stack of cleanland Ayr Line oats in the Lower Dounreay stackyard, binder twine of North African Sisal “borrowed” from the twine box on the binder, a bit of fencing wire from the work shop. Tools required - simple enough - just a strong 6 inch sail maker’s needle with a flattened wide curved end. Nettie cleaned the straw, I made the basket, a job for us both on dark winter’s evenings well before T.V. or Electricity. But back to the beginning.
A long time ago in Stronsay, aged 11, I had one year in the Big Room before going from Stronsay to Inverness Royal Academy to School. John Drever was my Headmaster. Among our Latin and Composition and French and Maths we had to read the Orkneyinga Saga to prepare for the Bursary Competition. He also found time to take us for Handicrafts, the boys doing woodwork and straw basket making and weaving wicker or cane into trays and baskets and ornaments. Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for a spell at the end of the school day, then home. I chose straw basket making and cane trays and baskets.
The girls went next door to the cooking room doing I know not what, sewing and dress making and knitting and cooking spring to mind. I cannot remember who taught them, not John Drever anyway. We boys had utterly no interest in the more domestic things the girls had to do, none at all. Not then anyway!!.
As most of us were from farms, and if not then a farm was not far away, we who did straw baskets had to find a sheaf or two of good straight straw. Always from cleanland oats after a turnip crop the previous year, shortish, straight straw, well ripened, harvest gold. Take the sheaf to the barn and strip off the ears and the leaves, giving us “gloy”, clean straight straw ready for basket making. Take it to School for Mr Drever’s inspection, if not quite clean enough take it home and do it again !! Otherwise store it in some cupboard or other till needed. Thrashed straw was of no use.
We had to hand make a special cord for the coming task, made with imported raffia. We went down to the shore to the Sand Dunes on Mill Bay and found some specially hard Marram grass to add to the cord. Take some raffia, twist it into a continuous cord, feed in a small amount of Marram for extra strength. Two strands doubled, cross woven, twist each strand right handed, cross over left handed to make a self supporting two ply cord. Very hard and strong and quite attractive, a skill on its own.
Learn to hold the already woven ball under your arm, a bit of a job to keep all tidy and not let it fall to the floor and run out to lie and trip anyone. Easier said than done. There was a certain amount of twine to make before we were introduced to making the basket.
The technique is essentially the same as for the well known Orkney Chair. For a basket start at what will be the centre of the bottom with a small length of straw and double it back on itself to make a starter about six inches long, Catch your cord in the loop of the bend, wind your cord round the starter at one inch spacing, less if you wanted to be a bit fancy but one inch was a general measure.. Then loop it spirally round and round about one inch apart each time. Tuck the loose end into the straw, well hidden. A clove hitch was a good starter tie in the initial bend
Turn the free end of your straw back, feed in some more straws and start stitching to the starter, looping each stitch under the previous. And so on and on, making an increasing flat oval until the desired size of the bottom of the basket is reached. Round if you liked, mine was oval. Fresh straw fed in a few straws at a time into the working end, stubble end first and inside the centre to keep it out of sight in the finished basket. Keep just the right amount in your hand, practice soon tells you how much. Pull the stitches just so, tight but not too tight. Better too tight than too slack, but you can only pull so much. It is surprising how hard a few straws can get when pulled tight into the basket. Or an Orkney Chair for that matter, almost as hard as wood.
Having reached the limit of the bottom, usually oval, now to turn up the straw for the sides. Begin with a half turn, complete it on the next round and we are now rising into the sides. Here the shape becomes critical, a good eye needed to keep a nice shape. A slight outward slope at first, curving gently further out a bit, then, as the sides climb, straighten it upwards again. Gives a nice figure “S” outline shape. For the rim just wind the cord continuously round and round the last run, keep it tight, then with the sail needle stitch the flying end out of sight into the body of the basket.
The one I made has fencing wire for the handle with the ends bent at right angles and inserted some five rows below the rim. Then the handle reinforcement is filled out with straw, wrapped close with twine, the wire out of sight within the straw.
The basket I made was 18 inches long, 12 inches across, eight inches deep, a classic measurement but you could make what you fancied. In its time it carried many an egg to Willie Oman in Trail Street in Thurso, and our shopping back home. Did service for a picnic, the odd Bring and Buy Sale. For age it has done pretty well, and I still use it.
But not a match for the Orkney Straw Backed Chair made as a wedding present for our Grandparents Wedding at Campston in Tankerness in Orkney. Still there with Hamish in Greenland Mains, a few woodworm holes but otherwise as good as new, a present from Grandma’s Campston Tait family..
From Wm Tait’s Diary of 1880. ,
Aug 18 Wed At Cattle Show - preparing barn for wedding.
Aug 19 Thur Elizabeth (his sister) married this night …very fine night
{Married David Pottinger of Upper Stove, Deerness}
Aug 20 Fri At Kirkwall with long cart with cousins from Caithness (Taits)
Aug 21 Sat At Kirkwall with three carts with seats.{from the barn wedding?}
Straw Baskets and Straw Backed Chairs are still a great Orkney Tradition.
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