Alfred James Alan Woodhurst - Autobiography

The autobiography below was written by Alfred James Alan Woodhurst in October 2000.
It is presented here by his kind permission.

I was born of parents Alfred Ernest Woodhurst and his wife Emily Florence (nee Candler) on June 30th 1931 at 44, Leonard Road in the Forest Gate district of West Ham in Essex. My father was then a postman employed as a driver at Forest Gate General Post Office. My mother Emily was born on November 22nd 1908 at 57, Carpenters Road in Stratford, to parents Herbert James Candler and Caroline Elizabeth (nee Day), when Herbert was occupied as a carman.

I lived at Leonard Road until nearly school age whereupon we moved to 289, Harrow Road in Leyton where I started school at Trumpington Road Infants in Forest Gate. I spent just 3 months there before leaving on November 4th 1936.

It was at about this time that Herbert and his wife invited my parents to move in with them to help run a small cafe on the Southend Road at Eastwood in Essex. This turned out a disaster, as they were cheated out of all their savings by the seller of the property. They then had to rent another house called Hilltop at Eastwood where they stayed for about 6 months. During that time I was hit by a car on my way home from school and received minor injuries.

The next move for both families was to 52, Queens Road in Rayleigh. Here, on my 7th birthday on June 30th 1938, Herbert - who had been in the First World War and had been gassed and wounded, and who ever since had been in great pain - committed suicide by hanging himself from the stair banisters. He was discovered by my father. After this, Caroline went to live with Emily's sister whilst my parents and I moved to a house called Cross View in Bull Lane, Rayleigh.

I was now a pupil at Love Lane School in Rayleigh until war broke out again, whence my father joined up. In the first year of the War my mother and I moved in with a family on a farm in Norfolk to be near my father, who was on a Searchlight Site nearby. We stayed there for only three months before returning to Rayleigh. In the meantime my father was posted to Blackpool as a Batman. By this time the bombs were falling everywhere and some near misses were experienced by me while I was just 9 years old.

In early 1941 my father decided to move our family to Blackpool, away from danger. It was at about the end of 1941 or in early 1942 that he was sent overseas. I and my mother moved around, first to a hotel in Holmfield Road, then to 52, Bristol Avenue in Bispham and finally to 218, Red Bank Road in Bispham Village, where we stayed until I married.

During the period 1941-45 I attended Cavendish Road School in Bispham, and finished my schooling at Claremont Secondary School. Upon leaving school I started work, at my mother's wish, in the Post Office as a telegraph messenger boy. It was not my wish as I wanted to do engineering, but I stuck at it until I was 16. I then tried my hand at engineering but could not get an apprenticeship as I was too old. I stayed until I was 18 and then had to undertake my National Service, joining the Royal Artillery as did my father. I joined at Oswestry in Shropshire in October 1949 for two weeks of basic training, but was made up to squad leader and had to do a further two weeks to help new intakes.

After this training I was posted to North Wales, at Tonfannau near Barmouth, to study radar. After six weeks at this camp I was posted to High Leigh Hall camp near Warrington. After 6 months I received my first promotion to Lance Bombardier and after 9 months was promoted to Bombardier. After 13 months I was made up to full Sergeant, which had been my ambition to reach, like my father before me.

On completion of my National Service in November 1951 I returned home but, with no trade and not too many prospects, I decided to enter a training course as a coach-body builder. It meant 6 months training at Manchester, though being at home for the weekends. In May 1952 my mother arranged a blind date with a girl who worked with her. This was Sylvia Chadwick, who had been born on September 10th 1931 at Heckmondwyke in Yorkshire. She was the youngest daughter of William Chadwick and his wife Susannah, then living at 18, Brentwood Avenue in Cleveley's, Lancashire. The date was a success and 14 months later we married, on July 18th 1953.

At the end of my training I could find no work in the coach-body trade, so since Hawker Aircraft had just opened a new factory at Blackpool I entered another training period with them and became an aircraft fitter and tradesman. Sylvia was working as a canteen waitress for the Ministry of Pensions.

After marrying we had to live for a short time with Sylvia's parents until we could find a place of our own. While in our second flat, disaster struck on our first Wedding Anniversary. On my way home from work I was involved in a motor cycle accident in which I collided with an oncoming car. The results were a broken leg, broken wrist, head injuries and cuts to my lower torso. This put me out of work for 6 months. The compensation from the accident gave us the deposit we needed for our first new home, which was under construction at 23, Cookson Road in Thornton, Cleveley's. It was here that our children were born.

During 1956 Hawker Aircraft closed down, so I had to find alternative work. As there was no work in coach-body building I turned to the Blackpool Corporation Transport Department and became a conductor on the transport system, later learning to drive buses. In the late 1950s I experienced another period of discontent with work and drifted between various driving jobs, until finding a satisfying job with a firm known as Wear's Taxis in Kirkham. Lancashire. There I was the only full time employee, the others being casual. My duties were varied, driving coaches, wedding cars and hearses - even having to collect deceased from hospitals - besides taking local disabled persons to and from school.

In 1964 the decision was made to emigrate to Australia, following Sylvia's sister and family. But matters were put on hold because Sylvia's mother suffered a stroke and passed away. Since Sylvia was the nearest family member (her other brothers lived in Yorkshire, and her two sisters in Australia), it was decided to stay and look after her father for a time. Then, in the middle of 1965, the decision was once again made to emigrate - I had heard that Hawker Aircraft had a Division in Sydney, and that was the work I wanted to do.

On February 8th 1966 our family sailed from Southampton on the ship S.S. Ryndam (Holland America Line), arriving in Sydney Australia on March 16th. I took up employment with Hawker De Havilland shortly afterwards, and spent 22 years working on the constructions of various aircraft, reaching the position of Foreman. I then spent my last seven years in the offices as a program planner until retiring in 1988. I lived at 24, Heffron Road in Lalor Park for 22 years, and on my retirement moved to 20, Turana Street in Killarney Vale on the Central Coast.