Uncle Arnett.

Sylvia (Anett's Step Daughter) and Megan

















Arnett 2006
















Uncle Arnett.

Uncle was born in March 1923 and was given the name Arnett after his uncle who was killed in the First World War. His mother Gertrude Hardman was thirty six when she married Andrew Eastwood who was 41. They had one more child and that was my mother May who was born two years after Arnett. By all accounts it was a hard life lived in the old cottages of Livsey Street in Whitefield. Arnetts dad was really a bachelor who wanted a house keeper, rather than a wife. He was more interested in his dogs pigeons and rabbits than the family. Gertrude had to take in washing to survive and worked day and night. Eventually it took its toll and she died in her early forties when Arnett was only ten. This left Granddad to bring up the children and he didn’t like it one bit. He had no idea how to bring up children and by all accounts was very heavy with the belt and hands.

The house they lived in was a two up and a one down and when my mother got too old to share a bed with Arnett he had to share a bed with his dad. The education of both children was pretty poor and when Arnett left school at 14 he finally got a job doing a milk round with a horse and cart. Being resourceful and chatty he soon started to make money. One has to remember in those days the milk man was also the travelling grocer as well. He tells the story that when he was quite young him and his mate got a bit sloshed. He came home a bit worse for wear and crept up the stairs as he got to the top this fist came and smack him in the face. It was so hard it lifted him off his feet senting sprawling down the stairs and right through the front door, knocking the door off its hinges. Next day when his friend came to pick him up he was told never to come to the house again.

At the age of 18 Arnett signed up in the army it was in the middle of the Second world war. His regiment was based in St Albans Hertfordshire. He was assigned to the tank regiment as he was small and was a gunner. They went over all the country training and trying out new models of tanks. Some of the tanks were lethal. One of the prototype tanks that was used was liable to implode every so often. During this training period his dad died and Arnett had to go and bury him. He never saw his crew again. They had gone out to test a new tank and the shell back-fired and exploded in the cab and everyone was killed.

Arnett and his company were one of the frontline in the Normandy landing. He eventually made it to Germany and was there for a few years when he was demobbed. When this happened they gave him a chitty to get to Manchester on the train, a second hand suit no money and no thank you. Typical government response to some one who had put his life on the line for King and country. He had served his purpose and was no more use so could be discarded with out a bye you or leave. Arnett said that if he would have known how he and his fellow soldiers were treated before he joined up he would not have done so. He realises now that he was just a small pawn to be relinquished when his usefullness was ended. Nothing has changed really only now we are much more aware of being used.