"There was no conversation as such and it was so noisy you learned to lip read, and you could speak to each other over the top of the frames. But if you were caught talking too much you were told about it in no uncertain terms. But you had to do something. Fortunately for us the rhythm of the belt and the machinery would start off a song, and it would create into another one and we would sing nearly all day long."

"The women would tell the overlookers off if they thought they were playing around and didn't come to mend their machine because, of course, it was losing them money if their machine was idle."

Workers leaving Salt's Mill at the end of the shift in the 1950s

"At dinner time, we'd no canteens. You ate your fish and chips sat on the window bottom where you did your work. When you were children you could only have either a bag of chips or a cake, but when you started bringing a wage in you could get fish and chips and that was part of growing up you know, you felt part of a wage earning family."

"I used to go home when I'd been in the weaving all day and wash for eight of us, with a tub and a rubbing board and a big wringer. They were all to rub, and twine, and poss."

"Money was very tight, so I went back to work when she was six weeks old. I only got twenty three shillings a week and I was paying eight shillings for her minding. I used to run home at breakfast time, breast feed her, run back to work, then come home at dinner time and feed her again and this is how it was."

Spinning

"I left work at five-o'clock and I had the first baby at half-past-six and I didn't know I was having twins. I had the little girl at home on the rug. I didn't know what to expect. The water bag come away and I didn't know I was having twins. I had the little girl at home on the rug. I didn't know what it was... Then the doctor came , and said 'There's another one there.' Anyway, they had to get an ambulance and take me to Saint Luke's. It was thick of fog, one of the ambulance drivers had to walk in front to see us up Park Road and I'd all my mill clothes on, on the labour table. Afterwards the overlooker said, 'Never no more.' But you see it learnt them a lesson that they hadn't to keep anybody on heavy boxes when they were having babies." (The twins died).

Thanks to Bradford Local Studies Library for permission to use the images on this page and the above memories which were recorded by the Bradford Heritage Age Recording Unit.

Memories such as this will be included in 'Bradford in Living Memory' which is just one of the events taking place in October to celebrate Yorkshire in the 20th century.

These range from celebrations of women's history, an explanation of World War One Army Records, photographic exhibitions and advice, and a look at crime.