admittedly but she’s a right hellcat. The poor bloke seems to be right under the thumb, though more fool him. Happen he should put his foot down with her.’
The topic of conversation then moved on to the famine that was sweeping Ireland, due to the potato blight that had destroyed the crops there, and the rest of the afternoon seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.
Chapter Seven
1847
As Amy entered the cobbled alleys of the town centre, a group of Irish navvies raised their hands in greeting, and Amy waved back. Almost every morning she saw them and they always made her smile. They made a comical sight, sauntering along in bare feet with their boots swinging about their necks from the tied laces. Once she had asked Mrs Davis, her supervisor, why they chose to walk barefoot, and Mrs Davis had explained to her.
‘Well, it’s like this, see, Amy. Back in Ireland where they come from, they’re very, very poor. So when they get a job in our country their families all club together to buy them a pair of leather boots to work in.’
Intrigued, Amy had nodded as Mrs Davis went on, ‘These lads don’t want to wear out their boots just walkin’ about – they’re treasured, you see? So the only time they do wear them is when they’re laying the tracks.’
Amy was saddened at the tale. She and Molly had known hard times, but they had always had boots, albeit worn ones.
The navvies had been in the town for months now, and their coming had caused great excitement. They had been brought in to build a railway station, the ‘Trent Valley’, and lay the tracks for the steam train that would make its maiden voyage to the town later in the year. The other thing that Amy found amusing about them was the hats that they wore, although in fact they were fairly common in Nuneaton. They were actually made in Samuel Forrester’s other hat factory in Atherstone, of which Master Adam was in charge, and had been nicknamed Billycocks or Atherstone Cocks. Very cheap round felt hats, they were enormously popular with the working men. But somehow on the navvies with their boots strung around their necks they looked doubly comical and never failed to make her smile. Now that the tracks were almost finished, Amy guessed that the navvies would soon move on to some other town where they would be employed to dig out canals or again lay track, and she knew that she would miss their cheerful faces in the mornings.
‘You be havin’ a good day now, me beauty,’ one of them shouted, raising his hand in a final salute as they rounded a corner and disappeared.
Smiling broadly, Amy hurried into the hat factory. As usual she was one of the first to arrive and as she crossed the shop floor, Mrs Davis appeared from the design department and stopped her in her tracks.
‘Amy, love, how do you fancy a few extra hours’ work? Please say you do, and save me life.’
Amy grinned at her. ‘What doing?’ she enquired and the answer she received made her eyes stretch wide with delight.
‘It’s like this. Milly who cleans in the design department is down with ’flu. Right poorly she is by all accounts, so how do you fancy taking her job, eh? It would mean you staying behind at night when the designers have gone an’ starting a little earlier in the mornings. Just till Milly’s better like, of course.’ The scrawny woman eyed Amy hopefully; she had taken a shine to her and had always found her polite and respectful.
Amy’s eyes lit up at the prospect. ‘I’d love to do it,’ she agreed immediately, and relieved, Mrs Davis nodded.
‘Good girl. Well, start tonight when the designers have gone and when you’ve finished, the night watchman will let you out and lock up after you.’ She had no qualms at all about leaving Amy alone in the factory. She had always found her trustworthy and hardworking, and now that the first problem of the day had been solved, she bustled away content.
That evening, when Amy arrived home late, she was almost
The topic of conversation then moved on to the famine that was sweeping Ireland, due to the potato blight that had destroyed the crops there, and the rest of the afternoon seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.
Chapter Seven
1847
As Amy entered the cobbled alleys of the town centre, a group of Irish navvies raised their hands in greeting, and Amy waved back. Almost every morning she saw them and they always made her smile. They made a comical sight, sauntering along in bare feet with their boots swinging about their necks from the tied laces. Once she had asked Mrs Davis, her supervisor, why they chose to walk barefoot, and Mrs Davis had explained to her.
‘Well, it’s like this, see, Amy. Back in Ireland where they come from, they’re very, very poor. So when they get a job in our country their families all club together to buy them a pair of leather boots to work in.’
Intrigued, Amy had nodded as Mrs Davis went on, ‘These lads don’t want to wear out their boots just walkin’ about – they’re treasured, you see? So the only time they do wear them is when they’re laying the tracks.’
Amy was saddened at the tale. She and Molly had known hard times, but they had always had boots, albeit worn ones.
The navvies had been in the town for months now, and their coming had caused great excitement. They had been brought in to build a railway station, the ‘Trent Valley’, and lay the tracks for the steam train that would make its maiden voyage to the town later in the year. The other thing that Amy found amusing about them was the hats that they wore, although in fact they were fairly common in Nuneaton. They were actually made in Samuel Forrester’s other hat factory in Atherstone, of which Master Adam was in charge, and had been nicknamed Billycocks or Atherstone Cocks. Very cheap round felt hats, they were enormously popular with the working men. But somehow on the navvies with their boots strung around their necks they looked doubly comical and never failed to make her smile. Now that the tracks were almost finished, Amy guessed that the navvies would soon move on to some other town where they would be employed to dig out canals or again lay track, and she knew that she would miss their cheerful faces in the mornings.
‘You be havin’ a good day now, me beauty,’ one of them shouted, raising his hand in a final salute as they rounded a corner and disappeared.
Smiling broadly, Amy hurried into the hat factory. As usual she was one of the first to arrive and as she crossed the shop floor, Mrs Davis appeared from the design department and stopped her in her tracks.
‘Amy, love, how do you fancy a few extra hours’ work? Please say you do, and save me life.’
Amy grinned at her. ‘What doing?’ she enquired and the answer she received made her eyes stretch wide with delight.
‘It’s like this. Milly who cleans in the design department is down with ’flu. Right poorly she is by all accounts, so how do you fancy taking her job, eh? It would mean you staying behind at night when the designers have gone an’ starting a little earlier in the mornings. Just till Milly’s better like, of course.’ The scrawny woman eyed Amy hopefully; she had taken a shine to her and had always found her polite and respectful.
Amy’s eyes lit up at the prospect. ‘I’d love to do it,’ she agreed immediately, and relieved, Mrs Davis nodded.
‘Good girl. Well, start tonight when the designers have gone and when you’ve finished, the night watchman will let you out and lock up after you.’ She had no qualms at all about leaving Amy alone in the factory. She had always found her trustworthy and hardworking, and now that the first problem of the day had been solved, she bustled away content.
That evening, when Amy arrived home late, she was almost
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