HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDAD

My Grandfather, Alfred Reginald Randell, was born on the 16th November 1899 and he lived with his parents and 10 siblings in a little two up, two down cottage in what is now known as The Railway Village, Swindon.  

At the age of 15, my Grandfather enlisted in the 3rd Wiltshire Regiment, but served for just 3 weeks before his frantic mother had him sent home again - as he was under age.  On the British Army WWI Pension Record that I have it says “Discharged 24/4/15 having made a mis-statement as to age on enlistment.”

At 16 though, he was off again, this time enlisting in The Royal Navy, being assigned to HMS Warrior just days before the Battle of Jutland.  Again, his parents feared the worst, only to be reassured by a telegram that he was fine and coming home on leave.  He was a handsome young stoker, on board ship as you will see;  reading through his log book, dating from 1919 to 1923, that I am privileged to have, it was a difficult and physical job - at very high temperatures, in an atmosphere full of coal dust, with the furnaces roaring, in a rolling and pitching ship, knowing that you were under the water line - to me he was a hero and I will never forget him!

A few months ago, I went to take photographs of the house where he was born and saw a lady outside her house who was interested in what I was doing.  I explained about my grandfather being born two doors away whereupon she asked if I would like to go in and have a look round, which of course, I was delighted to do.

The top photograph shows the actual house and the next one shows the alleyway at the back of the house - I guess for a lot of the time the children would have played out there, probably in and out of the washing lines that I’m sure were strung up between the houses.  

The bottom photograph shows the cottages in the Railway Village that have now been restored and they look very pleasant.  They are still very small inside, but many of them have had a kitchen and bathroom extension built on the back, which makes a big difference.  These cottages were built for the Railway workers and my Great Grandfather was a Railway Factory Watchman. Their cottage had one room and a kitchen downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs with a toilet at the bottom of the garden.  

Our home would seem enormous in comparison and if I am ever tempted to think that I have a hard life, then I only need to think of my Great Grandparents bringing up 11 children in such a small cottage.

Lives of great men all remind us, 
we can make our lives sublime, 
and, departing, leave behind us, 
footprints on the sands of time.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807-1882