Memories of Wigfalls

[jiginc 10]

I've only just read your reply to me mentioning Roy Crampton; better late than never though. Of course you're right about him living in Spain, I don't know why I said Australia. He married a girl I knew called Angela. Do you remember a couple of girls who worked at the office on Rutland Road, one was called Shirley and the other Carol?

Oddly enough I seem to remember the guy who drove the Jag, was he ex R.A.F.

 

Two other names from Mowbray Street were John Mosley and Peter Green.

 

John left and ran a repair shop in Darnal and Peter had a shop in Swallownest selling car parts. John sadly died a few years ago, Peter is retired and keeps his hand in with CCTV work and repairing vintage radios.

 

The other guy I remember was Eric Bland, team leader for Decca, he had one arm, but his metal replacement arm was great when soldering as it had an attached pair of pliers.

[mike-s 13]

Hi Alan, Just wondered how the book was coming on? I have left a couple of posts on here but I was a sales rep / area manager in the industry in the 70s / 80s and would be very interested in a good read! Regards, Mike.

[Carol F 10]

Hi again Glenda. sorry to have left it so long to reply but I didn't receive any notification. I do remember the ladies you used to work with and recall that one of them had a son who used to play for Rotherham Utd FC or have I got it wrong! I don't recall the little man you mentioned though but I am sure Mick will recall a funny little fellow called John Marr and also Leonard Porteus who worked in electrical. When I look back it was a strange set up just like the sitcom Grace Brothers with all the funny characters. I also remember Carol Powell very well and what about the old lady who worked in accounts taking the never never payments. What was her name? Very heavy makeup, died black hair and fancy glasses. When my mum wanted anything on tick and my dad wasn't there to sign she would ask for me to come down and take me outside to forge his signature on the documents, telling them he was out in the car! We got away with it on a few occasions too when we wanted a new TV or washing machine and didn't tell my dad!!

[smary 14]

Does anyone remember the Wigfalls down the Moor - in 1965 my mother took me there and I bought a 'costume' - a jacket and skirt for the younger ones. There was an area upstairs which sold clothes. I think we used one of those 'cheques' we got from the cheque man and paid it back weekly.

[Carol F 10]

The lady who worked in accounts in Rotherham suddenly came to me - Ruby!

[cliffetops 10]

Wigfalls bought Blanchards on Infirmary Road I worked there in the seventies I can also remember the wiggies man calling for the Tv money on a Friday night and my mum pretending not to be in we had to tell him to call next week any one else have to do that

[brian1941 11]

Wigfalls were o,k we use to get clothing on never-never and a

washing machine, saved going to wash house. Hi hi hi good old days.

[Glenda W 10]

yes! we do remember Ruby in accounts, Johnny Wobbler was a homeless character who had mental problems he used to pass Wigfalls store often and get rather abusive, he had one deformed leg which caused him to wobble.

Mick asked do you remember Dorothy Shilton she also worked in electrical also a guy named Tony ? he used to sing opera.

[lagerlil 11]

My dad used to work at wigfalls, he was a hoover and washer engineer. his name was gordon butterley.

[Carol F 10]

Hi Glenda and Mick

 

Yes, I remember Dorothy Shilton, nervous little woman with dark hair and Tony who used to work in mens outfitters and sang opera around the clubs. Do you both remember Violet McMahon who I worked with and also Ann Spafford who worked with Mick?

[Texas 10]

Does the name Fiermann, or Fearman, mean anything to anyone? I think there were two of them, father and son, employed on building maintenance or something based, at Rutland Road. I think the son's name was Sidney.

[mikeglossop 10]

My mum bought, from wigfalls, an english electric washing machine in a beige-y almond colour. single-tub, with an electric mangle that fitted over the tub. the mangle dismantled and "lived" inside a "door" on the side of the machine when not in use.

 

I remember the chap who used to collect the weekly money from my mum and dad, we called him "uncle Tom". I'm sure he lived on one of the short cul de sacs, at the top of Staniforth road, in Darnall somewhere. I remember he used to give me and my sister a Sixpence, between us, to buy an icecream which we used to save, all day, till the ice-cream van came round!

 

My parents also bought some carpet on the "weekly" from wiggies. I still remember it vividly. red, grey and black speckled. Our living room was so massive, she needed to buy two pieces to join together to make a fit.

 

I remember my mum played heck with the company because she bought two living-room quality pieces, but when they were delivered they got one living-room quality and one bedroom quality, so they "wore" differently, almost straight away. one looked pristine and new (the living room quality) the other looked worn and shabby.

 

i have painful memories of the electric mangle. after watching mum do the washing i decided to put a hankie through the mangle. ouch it ate my fingers