My Teenage Years by Elaine Smith MBE

Digital story made by Blackpool Museum Project with Elaine Smith MBE describing growing up in Blackpool and her experiences dancing in the Empress Ballroom.

My Teenage Years

After leaving school at 16, I began my career as a lowly wages clerk at Symbol Biscuits in Layton. In those days the wages were paid from a kiosk in the factory. And to this day I have many friends, made as I worked my way up the ladder. Also eating warm biscuits direct from the conveyor.

When I was 15 and through my Uncle’s ill-health my family had sold the boarding house on Talbot Road and we now lived in a private house behind the Pleasure Beach.

My Mum and Aunt both worked in the café in Woolworths so it was natural that I’d gone there too as a weekend girl. I cleared tables, served food on the bar and when the manager discovered I was good at figures I even counted the café takings.

From arriving in Blackpool in 1945 my family had always loved the theatre and we attended the Palace of Varieties, Feldman’s (later the Queen’s) and the Hippodrome, the Grand Theatre and the Pavilion at the Winter Gardens, going out to one or other of them at least twice a week.

I went to the stage doors and collected autographs of stars long gone. Max Bygraves, Harry Secombe, Winifred Atwell, Margaret Lockwood, Eddie Fisher, Fred Morris, Albert Modley, Charlie Chester and all his gang and many, many more! I collected so many autographs from one performer – Wee Georgie Wood – for all my friends at school, that in the end he asked me if I was selling them and could he have his cut!

I went dancing 5 nights a week. Palace for old-time dancing on Mondays and Thursdays, Tower for jiving etc on Wednesdays and Fridays. Always, always the Winter Gardens on Saturdays and on Sunday afternoon we all met at the Savoy Café near the North Pier. We knew just where our gang of friends would be standing at each of these places, so despite the crowds, we knew where to meet.
Although I was by now heading for 20 years old, I still had to be home by ten thirty or I was in real trouble from my parents.

No matter which boy I happened to be dating on a Saturday night I would get a tap on my shoulder at 9pm. A voice would say “this is my dance” and I had one dance each week with a boy called Jim. After the dance he would leave because he and his mates had to be up early on Sunday as they were cycle racing at 6am. This went on for about three years until someone organised a new musical express trip to a gig in London and Jim and I sat next to each other on the coach. 12 months later we were married.

With thanks to Curiosity Creative, who facilitated the digital story telling workshop.

Thanks to our funders Blackpool Council and Heritage Lottery Fund.

To find out more about the Blackpool Museum Project visit our website:
http://blackpoolmuseum.com/

Digital storytelling is a practice that allows people to share aspects of their life story through the creation of a short film.

Find out more about the work of Blackpool Museum Project in creating digital stories at http://blackpoolmuseum.com/creating-d...

   • My Teenage Years by Elaine Smith MBE