大象传媒

My great-grandmother Sarah Clarke founded the family Wholesale Fish Business when she was widowed and had a very young family to support.

Subsequently, my father Bill and his two brothers took over the business from their father who also died young (58). When WW2 broke out the youngest son Sam was sent to Africa with the Bomb Disposal Squad. A year later his older brother Tom entered the Navy leaving the middle brother Bill (my Dad) to run the business. In 1941 he too was called up and posted to Belgium with the REME. Suddenly, the business was threatened with no-one around to take care of it which was even more odd since it was essential to the food chain. So, the "girls" stepped in and my mother Evelyn and Tom's wife Rose took over, although Mum was the one to do all the administration. I was 4 and my brother 2 so we moved to live with my grandparents in Fishponds.

Early mornings saw my mother and Rose at the Market in St. Nicholas Street waiting for deliveries - usually by train and thence by horse and cart. Fish was boxed in ice and with little in the way of heating in the exposed expancse of the Market things were not easy for anyone, especially the "girls". It was especially difficult for them with the additional worry of where their husbands were and would they ever see them again this, together with rationing, not to mention bomb attacks on the City made life extremely stressful. This was compounded by the fact Mother had to run the business alone when Rose became pregnant again on one of Tom's rare visits home.

It was not all doom and gloom of course, there was a strong spirit of comaradarie amongst the traders in the Market and, as children my brother and I had the love and support of our grandparents. We were a close knit family and everyone pulled together.

However, eventually it all took it's toll on my mother and her health began to suffer. With the help of my grandfather she contacted Sir Stafford Cripps with a view to getting my father an early discharge. Many letters and anxious months which stretched into years later mother received a message from the Home Office that he was to be demobbed within a few weeks. Celebrations all round but, one week, two weeks even three weeks later no sign of Pvt William Clark. No telephones in those days so a telegram was depatched to find out where he was. The War Office replied, he had been demobbed several weeks earlier!! Panic - where was he? Another series of telegrams ensued. Another month or so passed and my mother was notified that in fact another Pvt William Clark had been discharged by mistake!! Poor soul, I guess they dragged him back. Eventually my Dad arrived and in fact the war ended a few months later.

Thanks to the female members of the family the business was waiting for the "boys" on their return - talk about "GIRL POWER"!

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