I remember Baldwin (From York Press)

I remember Baldwin

10:05am Tuesday 7th February 2012 in Letters

FORGOTTEN Stanley Baldwin (Andrew Hitchton, January 24)? I do not think so.

I recall as a child in North Staffordshire waiting with a crowd of school friends for the arrival of the cinema van, a rare event as its free show opened with a scratchy Mickey Mouse cartoon, before a speech by Stanley Baldwin.

Standing there surrounded by my school friends, a motley crowd, some unkempt, dirty and without doubt a lot of them hungry, for there were more dinner times than dinners, for most of the fathers were without a job and the means test was the rule of the day, and if I remember correctly that was the subject of the address.

The few shillings paid to a family as subsistence money was to be further reduced, but there was going to be jam tomorrow, or so we were assured by Baldwin.

A groan went up from the fathers, for this was not what they were promised when fighting in the trenches only a few years before. Many did not have a job for years and only secured one when the country started to re-arm against Hitler.

In spite of all that, they were in many respects happy days. The comradeship of war is what is sadly missing now.

JC Winter, Wheldrake, York.