There were some unusual behavior patterns we had in the past that we kept, and others which we have since lost. For example, I recall many fathers who had spent time in the Army would always clean their shoes or working boots before going to bed. The kitchen knife for the Sunday joint was always sharpened on the front step, the noise advertising to others in the neighborhood, ‘this family can afford meat today.’ It was also commonplace for parents to have an aftnoon nap while the children were sent off to Sunday School. In my case, my attendence card was always inspected when I returned to make sure that I actually went. But my grandmother had perhaps the most unusual trait and would never walk on the eastern side of Dyke Road. As we (4 related families spanning 3 generations) all lived in the same small house near the children’s hospital and the shops were in the old Western Road, this seriously cramped her lifestyle. I only found out the reason later, for as a child her own parents had told her chilling stories of their time as former inmates at the original Dyke Road Workhouse and although the building was no longer there, her inner fear always ensured she kept to the other side of the road.
What memories of behaviour patterns do others have?
