Eric Jacobs
Eric Jacobs was born in 1923 in Newmarket Road and moved to The Causeway when he was five years old. ‘In the summertime we used to go up the river to Reach Lode, strip off in the ditch and swim. There was a part-flooded pit as you go from Burwell to Fordham where they used to dig the chalk out, and we used to swim there sometimes. I reckon it was about 15ft deep – if you dived in on a summer’s day, the surface was nice and warm but if you went any depth below it was cold!’
| Time | Topics described |
| 00:00:00 | Tape Introduction |
| 00:00:15 | Eric Walter Jacobs born 1923 Newmarket Road, Burwell |
| 00:00:30 | Moved aged 5 to Causeway |
| 00:00:45 | Description of house |
| 00:02:00 | Younger sister Rita, father Samuel and mother Lilly (nee Prewer) originally from Exning |
| 00:02:45 | Father was also a carpenter/joiner as was Eric |
| 00:03:30 | Octagonal work box Eric made for wife after war service |
| 00:04:30 | Description of The Causeway and time when no water in houses, just public pumps |
| 00:05:00 | Put tap in bottom of a pail to make getting a little water easy |
| 00:06:15 | First school was St Mary’s which folk from top of village went to. Other half of village went to St Andrew’s |
| 00:07:00 | Went to British school later |
| 00:08:00 | Fun times during school years including swimming in old chalk pit |
| 00:09:45 | Married the farmers daughter and moved to Klondike farm |
| 00:11:00 | Memories of grandparents who lived on Outness Road |
| 00:11:30 | Grandfather worked as a surveyor on Newmarket District Council so was one of few that had a car |
| 00:12:00 | Remembers car had a dickey seat |
| 00:14:00 | Father worked for Percy Martin who owned several cottages on The Causeway and they moved to one |
| 00:14:30 | Woodwork lessons at school |
| 00:16:00 | Entered apprenticeship with Cambridge builder |
| 00:18:00 | Description of workshop |
| 00:19:30 | Putting a new chimney pot on a house |
| 00:20:30 | Loosing end of fingernail in planner |
| 00:21:15 | Working with father later in life |
| 00:22:00 | Called up to the RAF circa 1945 |
| 00:23:00 | Fitting out box wagons as mobile offices |
| 00:23:30 | RAF basic training |
| 00:25:00 | Went to live on farm after getting married |
| 00:25:30 | First knew wife at school then met at Chapel youth group |
| 00:26:30 | Baptised by total emersion |
| 00:28:00 | Got married in 1945 which he never regretted |
| 00:28:15 | At first lived on her father’s farm and then moved with her father into his present house |
| 00:28:45 | His father lived on the Causeway |
| 00:29:30 | He was working at time on Newmarket Heath |
| 00:29:45 | Reflections on changes in Burwell |
| 00:30:30 | The different catchment areas for local schools |
| 00:31:00 | Local shops |
| 00:32:00 | The doctors surgery |
| 00:33:00 | Description of his present house originally built for a retired couple with accommodation for a housekeeper |
| 00:34:45 | Reflections on the type of work done |
| 00:35:45 | Was not called up because he was a reserved trade |
| 00:37:00 | Work in RAF |
| 00:38:30 | Worked with brother-in-law |
| 00:39:15 | Philosophy of working life as a carpenter |
| 00:40:30 | Had four children |
| 00:41:15 | Second description of present house they moved into with his father-in-law when mother-in-law died |
| 00:42:45 | Talking about children |
| 00:44:30 | Houses worked on in Burwell |
| 00:45:00 | Had to take responsibility for work. If customer complained h was sent back to fix it. |
| 00:45:45 | Memories of Steven’s Mill |
| 00:47:30 | Going to coast with grandfather using the dickey seat in his car |
| 00:48:45 | Taking children to coast in his van |
| 00:49:45 | Wife’s Wurlitzer organ on which Eric was self taught |
| 00:51:30 | Talking about family photographs |
| 00:53:34 | Finish |