大象传媒

This story was entered onto the Peoples War website by Rod Sutton on behalf of Ray Wills, the author, who fully understands and accepts the sites terms and conditions.

In 1940 my mother always on every Thursday used to visit the home farm to talk with her brothers and sisters etc. She would walk through from Clifton Terrace to the home farm at Barrow View, Hayle. One Thursday she met an old friend who said to mother 鈥淎re you going to the auction sale at the White Horse?鈥� 鈥淒idn鈥檛 know there was a sale on.鈥� said Mother and she was always going to auction sales whether it was furniture or property.

They went to the sale Hilda, my mother and her friend, Janey. Lo and behold they were the only two at the auction. Woody Lane of Penzance was the auctioneer, he was on good terms with both my Mother and her friend. The sale commenced and before it started Janey said to my mother 鈥淒on鈥檛 step on my toes, Hilda I want to buy a bit here today.鈥� Mother said 鈥淒on鈥檛 worry I don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 going on sale.鈥� It was a hamlet at Hayle 鈥� High Lanes and quite a number of properties belonging to an estate that was being broken up.

Janey bought a complete row of houses for just over 拢200 and that was all she had to spend. She said to my mother 鈥淲ell you can have the rest of it if you like.鈥� There was only one lot left 鈥� one house and two little cottages. Lane asked for an opening bid but there was nobody there to make an opening bid except the two ladies, Mother said 鈥淲ell I don鈥檛 know what to bid, pile of rubbish I suppose being the last lot.鈥� 鈥淲ell I need an opening bid Hilda.鈥� Mother said 鈥淲ell unseen 拢25鈥� and she became the owner of two cottages and a house at High Lanes. She went over and paid the deposit and went on her way to the farm.

Telling one of the brothers what she had done and the brother said 鈥� Well I鈥檒l take them off your hands, I鈥檒l give you 拢100 for them.鈥� So Mother said, 鈥淪o that鈥檚 拢100 to you Jim and that鈥檚 拢100 to me鈥�.

She went home and us three children 鈥� my sister, brother and I (I think I was 12) were put to bed before Father came home and we realized there was something in the offing and when father came in we were sitting on the top of the stairs listening. Eventually Mother said to Father 鈥� I鈥檝e got something to tell you.鈥� Having guessed what it might be he said, 鈥淵ou haven鈥檛 been to that auction sale?鈥� She said 鈥淵es I have.鈥� 鈥淎nd did you buy anything?鈥� 鈥淥h yes鈥� she said.鈥� A house and two cottages.鈥� Father hit the roof 鈥淲here do you think we鈥檙e going to get the money to pay for them?鈥� So Mother says 鈥淭hey were only 拢25, Father.鈥� 鈥溌�25鈥� he said 鈥渢hat is more than I earn in six months.鈥� It was not quite like that I think Father was on about 拢2/10s or 拢2/15s a week. Well anyway he went up to see this property and Mother was very pleased Father was not so because there was quite a bit of reparation to do but never the less they were producing - one 12 shillings per week rent and the other two cottages were 8 shillings per week so the purchase was not too bad, however Mother kept these properties until just before I got married and then sold the three for 拢500 and this was the down payment on our bungalow when we got married and we had a grand mortgage of 拢75. Those were the days.

I鈥檝e just returned to Hayle after being away fifty years because we went from one place to another as we progressed through life and the house that Mother bought actually for 拢8/0/33d is still there and has been renovated and extended a little and I am now told it鈥檚 on the market for an unbelievable sum of 拢300,000.

I have many more stories to tell but I expect they will be lost because nobody seems to want to know. In Hayle the Hayle Pump which is a bi-monthly magazine have asked for various people to come and tell their stories. Nobody except myself has responded, it鈥檚 very sad really.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.