Cecil Goes to Work

Early in Cecil's life, after Ernest became master of his own Scruttons ship, the family moved from Leytonstone to a much bigger house, 57 Belgrave Road in Wansted. This is where he grew up and spent the years of the First World War - he remembered Zeppelins coming over the house at night.

Frank, Cecil and Kenneth were all in the choir of St. Katherine's, Leytonstone. They attended three services on Sundays and choir practice twice a week, and an intercession service on Wednesdays. They were paid and spent their money on sweets. Cecil and Kenneth were sacked from the choir when they were caught by the vicar sliding down the aisle on hassocks.

Cecil went for holidays at Broadstairs with his friend Charlie Mackenzie's family. Family holidays, which he loved, were at Caister with his grandparents. There were young cousins for company, particularly Bertie Stroger, and they went fishing with the uncles. Edith spent all her time in the kitchen, and Ernest sat outside the house with his minor bird in a cage beside him.

Cecil left school when he was fourteen, before he took matriculation, so he had no formal qualifications. His first job was in London's west end working for a small firm which imported things like laces, flounces, and paillettes - a spangle used to ornament a dress or costume - from Paris. His job was to tidy the stock and take the cardboard boxes of these expensive items round to the big shops. He found the goods interesting, but the boss and his wife were very difficult.

Ernest felt this was not the right place for Cecil and got him a job with Scruttons, the company for whom he had worked before their ships were taken over by Harrisons. Scruttons ships plied to the West Indies and Ernest had been a master with them - he's one of the three men pictured swimming off a Caribbean beach. When Cecil joined them they were stevedores - that is, they were contracted to load and unload ships in port - but Cecil worked in the office.

Fred Scrutton was a member of Surrey County Cricket Club and when he didn't want to use his ticket he handed it to Cecil and sent him off for a day at the Oval. I have the feeling that his job wasn't very demanding.