“As I remember Sawley, it was a lovely village with farms all around us. Mr. Bates, two Mr. Bradley Smiths, Mr. Gregory, Mr. Grammer, Church Farm. The fields were beautiful when harvest time, with horses pulling carts, and we as children catching a ride underneath and grabbing corn to eat. I remember walking into a telegraph post on Draycott Road, near Shirley Street, and what a bang on the nose. When the cows came out, I used to collect the manure for the late Mr. Rice who lived near Dr. Clifford’s house, Wilne Road, opposite the late Mr. Kirkland’s buses and petrol pump. I was a pupil at Old Sawley Infants school, moved to Sawley Junior School which now is a motor showroom. I was there till the outbreak of WWII, 1939. I left on my 14th birthday and worked for the late Mr. Jarvis, Wilsthorpe Road, named Paragon Works, wood working; wage £1. !Os, eight till five pm. My father worked at Sheet Stores, British Railway for 50 years, as a workshop and shunter, sometimes all night shift work. I remember going for his wages to keep nine of us, £2.10s.0. Trent Lock was my favourite walk, and Wilne […]