EPISODES OF MY LIFE ..
( by Bertram Sydney )
Schooldays .. Visited in various summer holidays - Riga, Reval, Copenhagen, Finland, St.Petersburg, Moscow.
Later .. Three years in Shipping Office in St. Petersburg - holidaying in England during winter months. Every imaginable sort of fun there when I was growing up. Used often to visit the Russian Opera House, Ballets, Circus Cinicelli. Visited Czar's palaces on holidays, stayed with office bosses at their summer houses at Peterhof, and often saw the famous fountains playing there on feast days.
Went as schoolboy for week at Moscow and when my father was working I spent most days running all over the Kremlin. Wrote school holiday essay on my experiences.
Had a studio photograph of myself taken in Moscow while there: dressed up in my Sunday go-to-meeting Eton uniform and collar.
At St. Petersburg I lived at the house of the Rennenkampff's mother and son - they were not well off, but the great General Rennenkampff, the Russian Army Commander-in-chief was their uncle and once paid a visit to the house of his relatives.
Came back to Hull, and in January 1902 got a job to manage the Hull Office of Sylvester and Co., a London firm of coal exporters, and did some commercial travelling for them in Belgium and Holland.
Went over in January 1904 to the firm of Wm.Milburn & Co., a Newcastle firm of coal exporters and shipowners, and remained their Hull Manageruntil 1938. During those 34 years the Hull Office made a total of 94000 pounds profit.
In 1905 I went down a coal mine near Sheffield, which was a truly novel experience - but once was quite enough for me - I prefer fresh air above ground.
Had married in March 1904, and we lived for 2 years in Vermont Street. Then we moved to 11 Ash Grove and remained there 30 years - our children, in order, were Molly - George - Maurice - Jack - Wenda.
While I was in the coal export business there were lots and lots of experiences: twice I was at a dinner to the King at Immingham Dock opening - to the King and Queen at KG Dock opening at Hull. At a luncheon to the Prince of Wales (later King Edward Vlll) and once years later I had quite a fewminutes chat to the Duke of Teck (?) at a war visit to the Chamber of Commerce. This I had joined in 1938 when the coal mines were nationalised - and coal export fell off tremendously.
During the time it prospered I did a large trade 1904 - 1934, and was elected Chairman of the local Trade Association for no fewer than 7 years in succession (which never happened to anyone else) - and now never will, since the trade was nationalised. My fellow traders gave me a cup and a great dinner on the 7th Anniversary and a perfectly lovely cutlery cabinet in commemoration, and of course we have been using it ever since, and still have it.
On business or on pleasure I managed to get abroad a gooddeal - on business to Denmark and France - privately, and often with mother, on holidays in Paris (going by plane which was novel in those earlier years) - and to Belgium, Holland and Germany (the best in 1931 - we had just got back and the Pound Sterling dropped in value).
In earlier years there was no paper money - we carried goldsovereigns - half sovereigns, silver 4 or 5 f pieces, half crowns and florins, shillings, sixpences and 3d bits in our pockets.
I remember when once holidaying at Easington we were brambling and heard the famous Dirigible (R.101) explode inthe air whilst she was sailing over Victoria Pier at Hull.
In 1916 I was made a Lieutenant in the Territorial Army - in 1917 I became a gunner in the H.A.C. a very famous Regiment and went soldiering in France with them.
Then, when Jack was run over and accidently killed, I was sent home to comfort Mother, but he was buried before I got home. As it happened I did not have to return to the H.A.C. in Belgium by then (Ypres), but went to Cadet School for 6 months and then given a Lieutenancy in the Regular Army and served in this country until the War finished in 1918-19. Some months towards the end I was stationed as near home as Spurn.
In 1936 (Nov) we left Ash Grove and came to "The Cliffe" Hessle. A very beautiful house and grounds then and until the Second War, but since has gone down frightfully until now it is a regular wilderness.