3. The Bike Song Words and Music by Paul Clark
|
Nellie is Living Archive’s 1983 ‘home front’ community documentary drama of the 1st World War based on the diaries of Nellie Smith of New Bradwell[1]. The show charts her irrepressible activities in local carnivals and pastimes, and at work in the sewing room at Wolverton Works, despite the sombre backdrop of war and strikes. This song by Paul Clark[2] celebrates in particular an early liberation for women: cycling – as extracts from Nellie’s diaries show:
‘April 5th 1915 Easter Mon. A fine morn, cycled to W. met H’s cousins rode past Fenny with them back to London, would just love to try this trip, on that Tandem, after parting with them took a turn round Bow Brickhill, Wavendon etc. it was grand altho’ on my own. ‘April 23rd 1916 Sun. Mary, Ethel and myself cycled to St. Mary’s Church at 8 o’clock service. Afterwards we went on bykes (sic) to Bunsty Woods, but was slightly done down by the old keeper… ‘July 9th 1916 Mon. Ethel and I cycle to Bow Brickhill and wasn’t it hot, saw the old man in the wood. Oh the hill, pushing up bykes, what attitudes we had to put ourselves in, nearly sat down coming back…’ A bike at this time was very expensive: even just after the 1st World War, the cheapest cost £2 or £3 which was more than a week’s wages. But cycling was essential for some workers: ‘There was a lot come to work on bikes. Bike shed used to be full up, not only ours, but the Wolverton Works used to use it as well. So in the daytime there was about 200 bikes there I expect. I never heard of one ever being pinched, never had no locks on them or anything. Honest people around in them days.’ Bill Panterl of Bletchley (WWM)[3] ‘Mr Eales was the first milkman in town to deliver his milk in bottles. He had 12 bottles in all. He’d fill six of them from the churn, put them in the wire rack of his bicycle, cycle round the town and deliver them, collect the empties, bring them back home, wash them, fill them up – he was often seen still delivering at 11pm at night!’ NS of Wolverton (MMK) ‘I push-biked to Coventry, Birmingham and all over the place looking for work.’ Tom Worker of Stony Stratford (WBN) ‘You could tell when Alan Turing was coming as his bike was always squeaking and groaning, it was a real death trap. But he wasn’t aware of that. I’ve seen him riding through the roads around Hanslope, in the middle of the road, his eyes not on the road at all but rather in the heavens. He was an absolute danger on the road…’ John Bowring of Hanslope (BPP) Today, MK cyclists can use the National Cycle Network as well as the city’s 150 miles of Redways which include the Millennium Circular Cycle Route – a way-marked bike ride beside 12 miles of the Grand Union Canal, passing city landmarks like the National Bowl, the Teardrop Lakes – and the famous Concrete Cows. ‘I like the Redways most of all – the sense of freedom, of being able to cycle around surrounded by landscape and see people at work, children at school, people in their homes. That sums up Milton Keynes for me. I’m very proud to be here.’ William Slee (MMK) [1] ‘Nellie's diaries began in 1901 and were kept throughout the following years right up until and including 1920. We drew on them all for our play.’ Roy and Maggie Nevitt [2] A digital performance of 1983 is supplied on the MK Song Book website with Lizzie Bancroft and Marion Hill: THE MILTON KEYNES SONG BOOK - Home (mksongbook.org) [3] WWM: Where the Lines Meet; MMK: Memories of Milton Keynes; WBN: Worker by Name; BPP: Bletchley Park People – more information on all these, as well as Nellie, can be found on the Living Archive website: www.livingarchive.org.uk |
Nellie Smith (centre) and friends
Downloads... |