We were both born in Kippax. It was a mining community then. Just the one street with little cottages. But you wouldn’t believe how many shops there were. You could buy anything in Kippax.

There were also some farms. Three of them. The cows would come up the main street. There wasn’t the traffic then. There were meadows, a big orchard and swampy land where we picked flowers. You had to jump from place to place. But we always came home with wet feet.

I was frightened of the cows. When I went past them I used to cover my head. I thought if I can’t see them, they can’t see me! But sometimes I used to go and get the milk. A lovely jug of warm milk. Which I had to drink some of so it didn’t spill.

I remember shire horses being used to plough the fields. And I remember riding the horse when it were being taken to the blacksmith. I couldn’t understand how it didn’t hurt the horse to be shod. But I were only five.

At harvest time we used to chase the rabbits through the stooks. And you cut yourself if you fell.

Both our Dads and our husbands were miners. That’s how it was. Sons followed fathers. There was no choice. That was the work and you just did it.

I can remember things started to change when my Dad said: “You won’t believe it. There’s all these foreigners.” Well he meant miners from Durham! They had to come south to find work. They can’t have found it easy settling in. Coming to a small village. But there were no tensions. Miners were miners. They had to gel and work together.

But we weren’t so keen on people moving in from Leeds. They thought they were on to a good thing. Kippax were a different council from Leeds. And the rates were lower. So they weren’t pleased when Kippax became part of Leeds Council. However long you’d been here you were always an incomer. My husband were known as Dick Johnson’s daughter’s husband!