Below is Roland Bullock’s written history of his recollection of living in Egglescliffe. You can follow what he says in his oral history simply by clicking the above, sitting back and enjoying what he say.
Roland Bullock interviewed by Ian Reynolds 6 August 2018
I was born on the 12th June 1944, [ corrected later to 1945]. I was born in Cocklebury which was one of the old RAF bases during the war. After they went away, we were given one of the RAF huts to live in. We lived in 33 Cocklebury. It was for officers or whatever. There was a big pot with smoke up the chimney, and that was the heating system. People were different on the sites. There were a lot of kids there, there were wealthy farmers, well-to-do people. We got the nickname ‘The Squatters’. That was how it was. It wasn’t sad memories, if you know what I mean Ian. I was happy.
On a Friday night this bus, he used to live in one of the Cowtons, he used to come round the sites, delivering fish and chips. He kept his heaters going so the fat was hot as soon as he got there. This lad, I’ll never forget his name, Badey Evans they called him, we were always in a hurry, the first ones. We used to play around waiting for the bus to come. It was an old bus with the curls on it, the old type. “The bus is coming, the fish and chip bus.” We’d all run to get the bell, you see. Whoever got the bell got fish and chips for nothing. You got free fish and chips. One Friday I got my hand on the bell, and this particular lad, he’s this side trying to get it out of my hand.
I brought it down and unfortunately, I plonked him on the head with it! It was more of an accident than anything, but it did happen. He went home holding his head and then, this is a true story, as I was looking for the bell the fish and chip van ran over my foot! The entrance into Cocklebury was tarmac, but on the sides it was all just muddy grass, so fortunately my foot, as the bus went over the top of it, it sunk in. I can remember my sister coming, “something’s happened to our Roly’s foot.”
My dad took off my shoe and it was okay. It was funny really, but I still had hold of that bell, and I got my free fish and chips.
My dad worked very, very hard. He came out the army, worked so hard to get us somewhere decent. I can remember on a morning, when he worked at British Chrome and Chemicals, it was a long way. He bought this Ford 8 car. I can remember on a morning, “howay our Bernie, Roly, come on, give us a push off, this car won’t start again.” Middle of winter, you know, jumping out of bed and him getting back in this Ford 8, we were shoving it off to get it started so he could get to work. As I say, it was a long way to go to work. When we moved to Eaglescliffe for British Chrome and Chemicals he was given a council house near Preston Park. I remember getting the bus with a back flap down, with all the furniture in, and me, Bernie and Eileen were looking over the back as we were pulling away, and felt sad. From there on I went to school at Preston. That’s where it all really started at Preston. We all thought it was fantastic getting this new council house. Obviously, my mother looked after it so well and everybody was very happy.
He never talked about the war. The only thing I ever did know was when he was down at Barry Island and there were Wrens looking after the guns looking up. They were wiped out. A full lot was wiped out, all these WRAF