1945 Wartime jobs for schoolboy Gordon

click May for others in this family

also click 1947 Jobs for a War Time Boy by Gordon May

THE MEDICINE RUN by Gordon May click Gordon & Vera May for more about Gordon

COLLECTING THE EMPTIES

From the age of twelve in 1945, until I left school, one of my jobs was known as the “Medicine Run”.   I had to miss a bit of school to carry out this job.   Every Thursday evening, after school, I would travel to some of the outlying districts of the village to collect empty medicine bottles.   Some of the homes I visited were the Hickman family (Albert & Sarah Hickman) at Turnip End, Mr. Redrup, a cripple, living at the bottom of Lacey Green, and two families in Portobello Row.  I had permission from the school to take time off on Friday mornings to catch the Mr. Farmer’s bus, which ran from the Church end of Lacey Green to Princes Risborough, where I went to Dr Edward’s surgery (Old Cross Keys).

EVERY BOTTLE THE SAME

Dr. Edwards always looked out for me, and took me straight in to fill the medicine bottles, as he knew I had to get the return bus back to school.   Then on Friday evenings or Saturday mornings, I would have to go round to deliver the medicines to the families concerned.   One day at the doctors, when I was collecting the medicine, I peeped through the curtains.   It appeared to me that he took some grey powder, mixed it up with some water, and poured it into all the bottles.   I thought it odd at the time, that they all had the same medicine!

A PRESENT OF HALF A CROWN

I did this job until I left school.   On the last morning, I said to the doctor, “This is my last run, as I am leaving school”.   He gave me half a crown (now equal to twelve and a half pence).   A few years later, when I was taking a group of children to Sunday school at the Methodist Chapel, he came by in his car.   He got out, wanted to know how I was, shook my hand and wished me well.