My first  memories of Hensons the Butchers are as a school boy in the early fifties when I  had to collect meat on my way home from school for my Mother.  At the age of 13 in 1952 I asked Mr S.R. Henson if I could have a Saturday job and he said “yes” – unbeknown to me at this time this led me to a  career in butchering.   I was employed full time when I left school at 15 as a trainee butcher.

Mr Henson the owner had a manager called Mr. Sam Savage and right from the start he called me “Wally” instead of Donald.  I was told that this was because he knew a bookmaker who was called “Wally Harper” and for this reason alone I have been known in this trade as Wally.

I have plenty of happy memories of the time I worked at Hensons.  All new starters had to start at the bottom and the work consisted of washing meat trays, scraping blocks, polishing wall tiles, sweeping up the sawdust which was always spread on the floor to avoid slipping, and delivering meat orders all over Stratford on the oldest delivery bike with a basket holder on the front.  One day when I was in the cutting room I was told to deliver an urgent order to the Tiddington Road.  It was pouring with rain and I said I would not go.  On hearing about my refusal Mr. Henson called me to his office and told me in no uncertain terms that I would deliver this order – which I immediately did.   When I got back to the shop like a drowned rat, Mr. Henson again called me to his office and said I was to go to Cyril Knotts (the local cycle shop) and get kitted out with waterproof clothing at the shops expense.   A couple of weeks later I was surprised when I was called to see Mr. Brian Henson and low and behold there was a brand new carrier bike.  This shows what  caring employers they were.

When I reached 17 Mr Henson paid for four of us to have driving lessons.  I passed my driving test first time so when any deliveries were needed urgently I could take the van which was a vast improvement on the bike and waterproofs…………

Henson’s supplied most of the Hotels and catering establishments in Stratford including the Falcon Hotel, Red Horse (which is now Marks and Spencers) the Welcombe Hotel, Alveston Manor and the Theatre Restaurant.  I remember the Queen visited Stratford for one of Shakespeare’s anniversaries and I had to deliver saddles of English lamb for the special lunch given in the theatre restaurant.

In 1954 meat came off ration and the Farmers Weekly held a competition amongst the butchers in Stratford (from memory there were eight butchers shops in the town at this time) and the object was to re-introduce the housewife to meat after the war years rationing had deprived many families of meat on the dinner table.  All the shops put on some very meaty displays but Hensons won the prize money and Mr. Henson gave it to the staff to share.

The Mop in October had ox and pig roasts and Hensons always dressed the carcases the night before the roasting.  We put a big display in the open fronted beef shop which was a sight to behold.

Christmas was always a very busy time and the shop was decorated and displays of meat and poultry filled the shop with turkeys, geese, chickens, ducks, game, lambs, pigs plus carcases of beef which were usually the champion beasts from the Christmas show held at Stratford Cattle Market.  The live turkeys arrived in trailers with nets covering them from various farms; Blakes at Loxley  and Goulbournes from Nr. Alcester come to mind.  The turkeys were individually weighed on scales.  There were some that managed to get away, but not for long.  We worked all day in the shop and then we joined the poultry man Ben Crowe to process all the birds to be ready for the Christmas table.

On the subject of Christmas in 1959 – 1961 I was doing my National Service and Mr. Henson wrote to my Commanding Officer asking if I could have Special Leave to work in the Poultry Department as he really needed me to work at this very busy time.  I was very pleased when the C.O. said yes.   Christmas 1960 Mr. Henson had to write again to a different C.O. for me to have Special Leave and again this was granted –  needless to say the two weeks leave gave me some very welcome extra money.

Over the years working at Hensons we had some very interesting customers, mostly connected to the Theatre.  The actors I remember include Charles Laughton, Paul Robeson, Diana Rigg (now Dame Diana Rigg) Tony Britton, Googie Withers, Peter Hall  (Artistic Director at the RST) and his wife Lesley Caron, and the writer J.B. Priestly.

We would sometimes get a phone call on behalf of Sir Bernard and Lady Docker to say they would be calling to pick up their order (Sir Bernard Docker was the Chairman of Birmingham Small Arms and its subsidiary, Daimler Company.)  We then had to make sure there was enough parking space outside the shop premises for their very impressive Daimler car with gold plated bumpers and radiator grill and gold stars inset in the doors.  We also served Mr and Mrs Perkins of Perkins Diesel Engines and Mrs Jensen of Jensen Cars to name but a few.

There were two shops fronting on to Bridge Street with a passage in between.  The Beef shop and the Pork Shop which sold every sort of cooked meat, pies, faggots, bacon even decorated boars heads at Christmas.  At the back of the shops were the preparation rooms, the pie room and sausage making department.  All the cooked meats and pies were made on the premises.  The slaughter house was at the very rear of the property but the animals had to be herded from cattle transport which had to reverse up to the passageway.  On the odd occasion a lamb or a pig might get away into the Street which caused a bit of a nuisance in the town.  On one occasion the cattle which had come from a remote farm in the Cotswold would not come off the lorry, which caused the traffic to build up as far as the bridge and the Banbury Road.  This caused major hold ups into the town.  The same cattle were brought back the next week with the farmer who led them off as if they were tame dogs – at least they had a reprieve for a week.

The shop next to the Pork Shop was Brownlows Chemist, the girls that worked there had to bring their bikes up the passage to put them in their bike shed while they were at work.  We used to play the girls up by tying things onto their handlebars such as pigs feet – not very nice was it?

During the time I worked at Hensons there were upwards of forty staff.  I will mention some of them from my early days;

Head Slaughterman – Albert Tallis, his fellow slaughtermen were Jack Harris, Colin Padbury, Ken Churchill.

The Machine Men (the name for the sausage and cooked meats operatives) Fred Johnson, Ford Butler, Bill Clifford and Vic Vanluke.

The Pie Men – were a Father and Son team, Phil and Dave Course.

The Beef Shop Butchers – Ernie Scruby, George Fairbrother.

The Pork Shop Butchers – Vic Gilbert, Jack Mound, Geoff Robins and numerous ladies.

The Beef Shop (of which I was one – Don Harper)  The Manager of the shop was Sam Savage.  Cecil Clark, Jim Curry, John Allen, Alan Green and Steve Pitcher to name but a few……..

but not to forget Ben Crowe (Peggie Crowe) so called because he had a wooden leg.  He was our poultry man.

When we plucked the turkeys at Christmas we would scatter the feathers all around him and even with his wooden leg I can vouch he could run as fast as the rest of us to catch the culprits.

My time at Henson was a time of learning my trade which has held me in good stead through my working life.  I am in my 75th year and I still get a call from a local farmer near to where I now live in Yate, South Gloucestershire to do some butchering for him.  This could be cattle, pigs, sheep, deer and poultry at Christmas.