Oral history interview with Connie Jameson conducted and recorded by Jo Bath in 2004, as part of the Time Tracks oral history collecting initiative. Duration: 52 minutes. Born 1920 in Darlington, childhood, moving to Shildon at age 2, leaving home age 16, nursery nurse training; Second World War, deployed in Shildon war nursery; [00:02:00] childhood play and railways, play on the ballast, Hackworth Museum cottages, railway still working, details of playing on railway properties/land, play on reservoir; [00:07:40] Timothy Hackworth’s house; contrast with cottages, played there, primitive Methodist Chapel brownies/guides; [00:10:30] childhood, homemade games, felt safe, walked to Timothy Hackworth School, details of games/mischief, Sunday School at St. John’s, band on Sunday afternoon, watched goods trains go past, cinema matinees; [00:15:30] other memories of Shildon, little knowledge of Soho Shed boxing, Astraka fake fur factory history, play in railway tunnel drain, fur factory sales; [00:20:00] shops; green grocers, Crookes groceries, no packaging, no plastic, chemist, post office, Mr. Hunter’s sweets shop, Mr. Pig’s shop, knitting wool shop, Spooner’s electrical shop; [00:26:30] father’s work at British Railways wagon repair shop, disliked job, walked to work, unemployment and redeployment; [00:30:00] pocket money spending, Mr. Hunter’s sweet shop; [00:31:20] further shop details, Lamb’s fruit and vegetable, overall self sufficient; [00:32:20] food when young, everything homemade; [00:33:10] kitchen; scullery, black range, gas lighting, electricity in (12 years old), coal fires; [00:35:50] the Dunn family; [00:36:50] marriage in 1943, husband in army, own home after war; [00:38:20] Shildon during Second World War, little effect on town, people drawn together, queued for everything, no air raids, air raid shelter, war nursery; [00:42:20] other Shildon memories, trees planting as a child, play equipment, Shildon Show, carnival, original statue of Timothy Hackworth; [00:46:00] little knowledge of mines/miners in the area; [00:47:10] brother’s work, Co-op delivering, air force; [00:48:10] no memories of electric railways; [00:48:30] Shildon Celebrations, missed 1975 celebrations, Stockton and Darlington 150th anniversary, memories of 1925 celebrations, Stockton and Darlington centenary [00:52:00] [end of interview]

Time Tracks, Shildon Railway Village Community Project was an initiative funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund that encouraged members of the public to bring photographs and documents at Locomotion to form a community archive, when Locomotion museum was opened in Shildon, 2004. Over 50 oral history interviews were also recorded with members of the community. They shared their memories of Shildon as they knew it in their childhood and throughout their lives, from as early as the 1920s, as well as their work experiences in local factories and industries, including Shildon railway works.