A.R.Rigden - L10843, "Documentary" (1)

Obviously, I was born, otherwise I should not be alive to scribble this lot of rubbish! or call it whatever pleases you.

About my parents, regretfully I cannot relate little, only my mother died at my birth or very shortly afterwards, and I was transferred to another woman who evidently had a baby being breast fed by herself, and "fortunately for me" had quite a lot of surplus milk to feed me on.

About my father, I cannot relate much about [him] either, or my family. I really do not know in what month, or year I was returned to them. In time I realised there were two girls and a boy living with my father, and that was at Black Bird cottage, Lower Brents, Faversham, and the year must have been "1907".

Now for quite a while I thought this was the complete family, then I learnt that there were another boy and girl in the family, these were away, self-supporting themselves.

It was quite obvious from the start that every member of the family living at home had to pull his or her weight to keep the home together. My sister Bessie although not yet fourteen years of age, was responsible for the house keeping etc. My brother William, he was held responsible to see we had plenty of fuel for the fire in the house, every morning at 5:30 a.m. he had to arise, and after having a drop of hot, strong tea and perhaps a crust of bread "if any", he left had to take a sack with him, and forage for fuel or what other useful article he could find, for the home. The local fuel or salvage tip was about two miles away. "But" fortunately for him about half a mile away was a stone quarry belonging to "Mr. Court and Priory" and a friendly truck driver use to allow him to ride on the back of the stone trucks, which was pulled by an heavy cart horse, these trucks ran on a narrow gauge railway line. William always caught the first truck away in the morning, and the nearest one returning before breakfast time, this was for six days a week. Myself, although hardly seven years of age, was expected to arise early and walk along the banks of Faversham River, or creek as the local people called it, looking for pieces of fire wood or any article that would burn. Now these were really hard times nevertheless we existed "or lived in poverty".