Memories of Bentley
A new book has just been published which recall the memories of two brothers who grew up in Bentley in the 1920's and 30's.
This short article serves as an introduction to the book, how and why it was written, where it can be purchased, and my review of it.
Contents
- The Wright Brothers
- Albert Wright
- Clifford Wright
- The Book
- Review
- Where to Buy
The Wright Brothers
The book began as two sets of written memoirs by Albert and his younger brother Clifford Wright.
Albert was the eldest of nine children born to Percy and Elsie Wright. He was born in New Village, Bentley in 1918. Clifford, the sixth child was born in 1930, also in Bentley.
The brothers each wrote their recollections of growing up in Bentley between the wars, and their twelve year age difference gives two different perspectives of what it was like to live in those poverty stricken years.
The memoirs were edited and published by Albert's son, William (Bill) Wright.
Albert Wright
Albert wrote his memoirs over a ten year period in his latter years. Despite his difficulty with ordering his memories in chronological order, his recollections of growing up in the 1920's are a richly woven tale of home life, school, fishing trips and local hangouts. He then goes on to recall his first jobs in retail and railway wagon building; getting married and going off to war. Albert's chapters end with his return home after the war.
Following Albert's chapters there is a fascinating essay written by Albert, which details how railway wagons were built in the 1930's.
Following that is a wonderful eulogy to Albert written by his son Bill upon Albert's death in May 2016, which details some aspects of his life after the war and into his twilight years.
Clifford Wright
Twelve years the junior of his brother Albert, Clifford Wright's memories are very much 'home' based. He recalls growing up as one of the younger sons of a miner, living in the cramped, cold conditions of a poorly built council house. His descriptions of the house on Rosslyn Crescent give a great insight into home life in the 1930's. Food shortages, flooding and poverty dominated the lives of Bentley people, and Clifford's account describes what many families in the area must have experienced.
Unlike Albert, Clifford was at school when war broke out, so his recollections are of gas mask drills and air raid shelters being built at Bentley New Village School.
Clifford describes ordinary life very well, and recalls when a trip to Arksey Park with his mother and siblings was a real treat.
Clifford's memoirs bring us into his late teens when his passion for Lancaster Bombers and flying was ignited, a passion which stayed with him until he passed away in November 2016.
The Book
Having produced these accounts of their early lives, Albert's son Bill became custodian of the documents and thought about publishing them in a book. Clifford was very keen on the idea, and Bill says he probably would have worked on it with him, however, his sudden death in late 2016 prevented that and the book idea was put on hold.
By the summer of 2021 Bill felt able to continue with the book project and he put together a 264 page volume, containing the words of both brothers, family photos and photos of the local area, some of which were supplied by Bentley Village, A History. Notes are included at the end of the book to explain some of the historical context and background to some of the comments.
William has kept the book faithful to the original hand written documents, only correcting mistakes and editing the chronological detail of Albert's account.
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| My copy with the original title |
The book was first published by Amazon in late 2021 and was at first only intended to be read by family and friends. It was published under the title of 'Two Boys From Bentley' and as it was a book of high production values, it carried quite a hefty price-tag. Another version of the book was printed in January 2022. 'Two Bentley Lads' is a more affordable version for general distribution and it is now on sale from Amazon, where it is also available on Kindle.
See links at the end of this article.
Review
Bill Wright kindly sent me a copy of the first version of the book in December 2021. Having had the chance to read it I thought I would give a short review to end this article.
After a short introduction written by Bill, the book launches straight into Albert's memoirs. Beginning with his birth in Asquith Road, his story details his childhood, family life, working life and his time in the Royal Army Medical Corps during WWII.
Although Albert's account was written over many years his recall was remarkable. The fact that he sometimes got muddled and wrote things like 'I've probably written this before' adds a charm that can only be had from the memories of the older generation; it is often quite funny too. You very much get the sense that he was writing things down as they came to him, and not in any chronological order, because memories don't work like that. However, Bill's gentle editing makes this a joy to read and it very much flows like a story should.
Clifford's storytelling is quite different to that of his elder brother. I would like to say he was more of a natural storyteller, in that his recall is more ordered, with events and places told in great detail. A skill which puts you right in the centre of Bentley life in the 1930's. Clifford's section of the book occupies less space than Albert's and doesn't leave the local area like Albert's, but it is no less interesting in content. To read about familiar places and find out what they were like decades before I knew them was a real treat.
Of course, as a local historian I have always been able to find out what business occupied which building, when those houses were built, when that big flood was, or how the pit dominated the area, but to read memoirs like these brings all that history to life. There are many things I have written about on these blogs that Albert and Clifford mention, often telling me some snippet of detail I didn't know.
Memoirs like this are priceless and I wish to thank Albert, Clifford and Bill Wright for taking the time to put all this together. So much that could be forgotten, will now be remembered.
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| Synopsis on the back of the book |
Where to Buy
Two Bentley Lads is available in paperback at the price of £12.00 and in Kindle edition for £2 from Amazon. Click the link below.
Direct Sale
You can buy the paperback direct from the editor for £10 including postage. Books can be individually inscribed if required.
To pay by Paypal send £10 to wrightsaerials@f2s.com and send a separate email with your name and postal address to wrightsaerials@f2s.com
To pay by BACS (credit transfer) send £10 to this account:
Account name: William Albert Wright
Sort code: 40-11-92
Account: 42755114
Please put your name as payment reference and also send an email to
wrightsaerials@f2s.com giving your name, postal address, and a mention of the BACS transfer.
Or send a cheque for £10 made out to Wrights Aerials. Post to W A Wright, 43 Greaves Sike Lane, Micklebring, Rotherham, S66 7RR.
In case of difficulty please ring Bill Wright on 07860 610519, or email wrightsaerials@f2s.com
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Many thanks to Bill Wright for allowing me to write this article, and for providing details for purchasing it.
Alison Vainlo 2022
