Every family has relics from its past, whether it’s in the form of old postcards, handwritten letters or black and white photographs, which provide a window into days gone by.
When David Peck rediscovered a manuscript written by his father, Thomas-Douglas, about his life growing up in 1930s Hillsborough, he did not imagine that it would have popular appeal. But when he and his son Nick put it forward to the Hillsborough and Owlerton History Group, it received a very enthusiastic response. This was followed by a successful application for lottery heritage funding to turn his father’s life story into a published autobiography, enabling his story to be shared with the wider community.
The book takes the reader through an extraordinary period of history, including the Great Depression, the Second World War and the emergence of a rebuilt postwar Britain, through the eyes of an ordinary man living in Hillsborough.
As the author’s grandson says of the book, “You can read about government policies and acts and so on, but it is fascinating that this was how it was actually happening on the ground, and how one person was receiving it.”
Life in the Great Depression
Thomas-Douglas Peck was born in Hillsborough in 1914, and lived in a small, terraced house with his mother, father, maternal grandparents and his aunt and uncle. He describes the elements of his daily life that would have been mundane to him, but would be unimaginable to people now. He describes having to share an outdoor toilet with the neighbours, and his home not having electricity until he was eight years old. At the same time, he recalls how the monumental events of the period affected him personally. One of these events was the General Strike, which took place during his first year at school, and meant he had to walk three miles to school and back.
In 1930, aged just 16, Thomas-Douglas was plunged into the job market at the very height of the Great Depression. He was lucky enough to find work eventually, and after taking on various clerical positions, he worked as a clerk at a relief station in Crookesmoor, supporting those who were suffering in poverty.
During this era, about a quarter of Sheffield’s working population were unemployed, compared to 20% in the country as a whole. “I have memories of men standing around every street corner – either talking to each other in a desultory fashion or just staring into space – the latter happening most of the time”, he wrote. Back then, unemployment benefits were “barely subsistence level”. He recalls how the benefits did not cover the costs of clothes and shoes, and that many children walked around barefoot. The fact that this level of destitution was so common less than 100 years ago is difficult to fathom.
From Poor Law to Welfare State
Unlike many of the men his age, Thomas spent the war in Sheffield. He was disqualified from military service because of the rheumatism he had as a child, which was a surprise given that he was otherwise fit and healthy. But by staying in Sheffield and working to provide relief for the poor, he had a unique insight into how the country functioned on the home front, and the development of the welfare state from the ground up. Rationing, encouraging people to grow their own food, make-do-and-mend and other welfare provisions meant that poorer people were actually far better off during the war than they had been previously.
“He was, in a way, very privileged in being able to stay in Sheffield during the war and to see how the city reacted. Most men of his age were off fighting, and he wasn’t.” Thomas-Douglas’s, son David says.
“Because he was not selected for national service and didn’t go into the army, and because of his background of working with poor people, he was able to put the ideas he had learned in his life into practice”
David says the book also made him realise how well organised Britain was during this “horrific” period. The government had to manage the situation carefully, and put a lot of thought into how the population would manage.
Nick adds:
“I think the transition from the poor law to the welfare state was fascinating. People weren’t blamed for their condition anymore, whereas pre-war there was this assumption that you brought on your own ills. During the war, it was about looking after the population rather than making assumptions about how they got to their state.
“Perhaps he was not aware of what was a momentous change because he was so part of it, but he actually described that change very well.”
Launching the autobiography
After the war, Thomas-Douglas went on to work for the civil service, while preaching in his spare time. David and Nick believe he started writing about his life after his retirement in 1975. After David’s younger brother transcribed the book, and another family member typed it and put it in a bound copy, it was left in the house for many years, until David and Nick brought it to the Hillsborough History Group.
“It was our friends in that history group who recognised it for what it was,” David says. “They could see it differently to the way we saw it and realised its potential value.”
The group had recently found four cinefilms, containing an abundance of footage capturing Hillsborough during the first half of the twentieth century. The group decided not to publish the films online, so that they do not lose their preciousness, but they regularly show screenings of the films at different events. They were able to use the £40,185 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which they received last Summer, to develop these cinefilms and publish the book.
The book was officially launched in January at Sheffield’s Weston Park Museum, with Sheffield’s Lord Mayor, Cllr Colin Ross joining the event. A braille and audio version of the book was also produced, and the Lord Mayor presented this version to the Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind.
Before the launch, Jenny Morton, chair of the Hillsborough History Group, said: “We are thrilled to launch our first book later this month. ‘Growing Up In 1930s Hillsborough’ truly brings this period back to life and it’s a privilege to be preserving our history for future generations”.
Family stories: a valuable contribution to our history
The group are currently working on a second book, which will contain stories from the recent history of the area.
“Every family has its tales to tell, but they don’t think that it’s history”, Nick says. “When you look at something like this which is written by an ordinary person going through what are apparently ordinary events and writing about it, suddenly you realise it’s valuable history.
“There aren’t many accounts done by an average person on the street. There are a lot more to come out, if only people write them down.”
You can keep up with the Hillsborough History Group by visiting their blog.
