There was a garage at the back of the corner House opposite Victory Hall which had a large space and here Harry maintained a black van always serviced and ready for use especially in elections. It features in many of Michael Foots photos from his elections. Always driven and looked after by Ted Rippon who lived in Fleet St he and his wife were members of the Party and he looked after all the batteries and equipment like speakers,they were always in tip top condition.
Of course in later life when I first started work the Victory Hall was a Monday night Rock and Roll venue with live bands,that floor certainly was sprung well when everyone was dancing.They were packed evenings although I don’t think I ever mastered the dancing very well.
I do recall as an infant maybe seven or eight that I dropped Maureen in the deepest trouble. She was babysitting with I think my cousin’s Tricia and Mary and I was upstairs supposed to be asleep.
They went to get fish and chips, I decided I’d visit mum and dad who were at a dance at Victory Hall,in my nightclothes.I think it was summer the night was light but upon arrival at the dance you can imagine the reaction,and the subsequent consequences on Maureen,Mary and Tricia.It always stuck in my mind that it wasn’t a really bright thing to do,but seemed like a good idea at the time.
A whole series of families connected to the Labour Party lived in Victory St,the Batershills ,the Steers,the Mitchell’s and Sid became a councillor later on and on top of that a good number of dockyard workers who were very active trade unionists although not individual members,they would know Harry Wright and the front bench of the party on council as they wer mostly dockyardies as well.One in particular from Victory St was Percy Roskilly he was the big mind of the Party and very close to Harry Wright.
More about him and his role later on in the way the Labour Group conducted themselves after the War during their period of delivering the regeneration plan for the City.
Leave a Reply