Frank Jennings
Frank Jennings was born in Burwell in 1932. ‘I was seven when the war broke out … one day we saw a German fighter plane being chased by a Spitfire, it was shot down over Fordham. Lots of [bomber] crews used to drop their bombs in the Fen because they couldn’t take them home. Bom, bom, you could hear them drop and they didn’t explode – because it was so peaty and boggy they just sunk in. After the war, there were always Army bomb disposal people in the village going to the Fen to sort out what was down there.’
| Time | Topics described |
| 00:00:00 | Tape Introduction |
| 00:00:30 | Francis George Jennings born 9th March 1932 in Maidshead Public House, Burwell |
| 00:01:00 | Earliest memories of taking lunch to sister at school across the road |
| 00:01:15 | Description of house by river |
| 00:01:45 | Lady used to come an do mother’s washing |
| 00:02:15 | More about house and services coming by river at end of garden |
| 00:03:30 | Parents were tenants in public house and has old receipts showing costs of deliveries |
| 00:04:15 | Memories of father repairing stairs |
| 00:04:45 | Sister Vera Jennings |
| 00:05:15 | Age of 5 moved to 1 Hide Lane |
| 00:06:00 | Memories of grandfathers one of which was a tenant farmer |
| 00:06:45 | Description of 1 Hide Lane, used to be called Cross Tree and was originally a family farm |
| 00:08:00 | Father could not afford option to buy adjacent land for £200 |
| 00:08:30 | Father, Albert George Jennings, was a labourer, cut peat in Fen, mole catcher, cricket umpire, member of Foreign Legion |
| 00:09:15 | Three uncles, Herbert, Reginald, Walter and two aunts |
| 00:09:30 | Memories of going to his fathers work laying tarmac at Lakenheath and picking up live ammunition |
| 00:12:45 | Seeing plane shot down while at school circa 1940 |
| 00:13:15 | Problems of unexploded bombs dropped on Fens from returning bombers |
| 00:14:00 | Memories of early school days and getting dislocated foot, getting cane, getting locked in school |
| 00:15:45 | Childhood games, five stone, marbles, skittles, making slide in playground, flicking cigarette cards at wall |
| 00:17:30 | Memories of war years, aircraft going overhead, doodlebugs crashing, radar tinsel strips |
| 00:18:45 | Helping on Uncle’s farm, |
| 00:20:15 | Memories of Steven’s Mill, harvesting, taking corn to mill |
| 00:22:30 | After school, at 14.5 years, went to Cambridge technical college to learn carpentry for 2 years |
| 00:24:00 | Then had a 5 year carpentry apprenticeship at Johnston & Bailey of Cambridge |
| 00:25:45 | Starting delayed national service at Cardington airship base and signing up for 4 years so that he could continue to be a carpenter |
| 00:27:45 | Became a bandsman as had played in Burwell Excelsior band |
| 00:29:00 | Was stationed at West Kirby and then moved to 16 MU Stafford working in a large hanger making large packing cases |
| 00:30:45 | After two years became a Corporal and then did a job exchange with person in Bassingbourne |
| 00:31:45 | Learnt cornet in Burwell band and then took up tenor horn in air force |
| 00:33:00 | Playing in band competitions |
| 00:34:45 | Working at Johnston & Bailey joinery shop for 8 years and then in 1964 moved to working in village for more money doing general carpentry at sub-station |
| 00:36:15 | Getting work on building Addenbrooke’s Hospital, which took 8 years |
| 00:37:00 | Description of working in a joinery shop |
| 00:39:45 | Meeting wife at Bassingbourn and living at 32 Cherry Hinton Road, Cambridge with accommodation on 3 floors |
| 00:42:00 | Bought caravan and put in Uncle’s field near Burwell |
| 00:42:30 | Moved to Martin Road in 1961 |
| 00:43:30 | Married in 1959, had trouble having children so adopted son, Mark, and then had two more children of their own, Simon and Andrew |
| 00:44:30 | 1967 to 1975 worked on building Addenbrooke’s hospital |
| 00:45:15 | Addenbrookes’s chimney was built in only 12 days by slip form technique of pouring concrete |
| 00:47:00 | Jobs easy to come by. After Addenbrooke’s worked for Bovis on the A14 making form work for bridges over road |
| 00:48:30 | How bridges over A14 were built (was A45) |
| 00:52:15 | Memories of community activities in Burwell, starting with playing in street as a child |
| 00:53:15 | Used to spend all day in the fields when young. Bird nesting, stealing fruit |
| 00:54:45 | More memories of community and how he now plays whist 4 or 5 nights a week |
| 00:55:30 | Playing billiards for Foreign Legion |
| 00:56:30 | Going to Butlins for holidays |
| 00:57:52 | Finish |