Volume Eight - Pre-Victorian to the present day - more aspects - Chains at Penarth Dock - Macey, Mules and Wallace Family History . . .

At the end of the fortnight he wrote - ‘Better in health today. Went down the beach with Mother’. He wrote ‘Planted my first potatoes’. Later, he planted kidney beans and runner beans.

On Saturday, May 12th 1906, William wrote ‘Mother and Amy go to Southampton to see Pink off to South Africa’. The reason for Florence’s emigration is not known. On Sunday, William took Elizabeth ‘for a walk around the hill’. She must have been worrying about her daughter.

After another hard week of night shifts, William had enough money to pay back his sub from the Dock Office and to ‘lend Mother 9 shillings (45 pence) for Arthur’s new suit of clothes from Whites’. Arthur also had an overcoat, at a cost of 6 shillings (30 pence). Arthur was their youngest son, then 14 and probably starting work. There were also ‘Repairs to my watch – 2/6’ (12 pence).

On Whit Monday June 4th 1906, William enjoyed the day - ‘In garden morning. Plant ½ dozen tomato plants. Me & Mother take a walk to beach afternoon. Fine all day’.

In June, William referred to his work as a ‘tipper’. This involved manoeuvring wagons full of coal from the rail track onto a gantry called a staithe. A mechanism in the gantry was then operated which tipped the wagons upside down, emptying the coal into the hold of the ship below. It was dusty work. There were 13 staithes on the side of the dock, plus 4 larger ones in the basin. William said - ‘5th June – Home all night. 3 tips work in our section today, and 2 tips up until 10. 6th June – 1 tip work tonight. This is all that is working our side of the dock’. Perhaps there wasn’t a ship in on those nights.

After regular work, lean times resurfaced in late July. In the following 5 weeks, he had only 7 days work. The financial Schedule records that no money is coming into the household at all. The Shepherds Club provide 8 shillings to help them through. At this time, there was little or no pay if there were no ships to load. Men would turn up at the dock every day and only then would they know if there was work for that day.

At the end of this period without work, William fell ill again. He said: ‘August 27th Monday – I am ill in bed all day so do not work tonight. August 28th Tuesday – I go to Doctor Boyle. Hardly able to get there but after having treatment from him, I feel much better’.