for great and exciting things.
Freddy Hyde became part of the family, working his magic particularly brilliantly on Hilda. He would knock on the front door with a small gift and a winning smile, planting a kiss on her cheek. Once, he arrived and held his hand out, saying: ‘Come on, Mrs Mac, get in the car and I’ll take you for a ride up to Worcester.’ Off they went, with Freddy chauffeuring Hilda to the shops, helping her pack the bags and then driving her the long way home so that they would be seen cruising through the streets in a smart car, imagining the twitching curtains. Ted would also impress Iris with the car when they went out. Saturday night was their time together and they would still pop down to The Cora, where he had started to be greeted as a bit of hero, especially if he gave in to the persuasion of the crowd and took the microphone for a few songs. They were halcyon days, topped off only by the sense of pride the family felt as the day of his passing-out parade arrived.
Hilda was bursting with pride at the fact that Ted had passed his training and was serving his country, so there was much excitement when they found out that the parade would pass through the centre of Wednesbury. All the younger children were full of anticipation, not least as their school would be closed in honour. When the big day arrived, the main street completely shut down and people gathered along both sides of the pavement – it was almost like the end of the war all over again, with everyone coming together in a moment of celebration and solidarity. Hilda put on her best dress and made sure all the kids were as smart as they could be. They were all warned to be on their best behaviour and do their brother proud. Brother John was there on the day: ‘I was aged about 7 at the time and all of us went down to see Ted, including Iris. Mum made sure we were in prime position. All of a sudden we could hear the brass band. It was getting louder and louder as they came down Lower High Street. I was trembling with excitement.’
As the soldiers approached, Hilda kept shouting for everyone to look out for Ted. All of a sudden he was right there in front of them and the whole family was shouting ‘Ted! Ted! Ted!’ and cheering him on. As he passed, he gave them a wink and a smile and he was gone – it was all over in a flash. John turned to speak to their mother and saw her wiping away a few tears.
‘Why yam crying, Mom?’ he asked.
‘I’m not crying, I’m happy,’ she said.
Ted was feeling elated, too. Hearing Hilda, Iris and his younger siblings all shouting his name gave him the same buzz he felt when he got up onstage.
Afterwards there was a big do at the officers’ mess with food and drink and family members mingling. Ted introduced Iris to the rest of his mates and everyone stood around making small talk. After a little while one of the officers started talking to Hilda and eventually ushered her through into a separate room. She was greeted by an officer she hadn’t met before.
‘Mrs McDermott, how do you do?’
‘Very well, thank you,’ said Hilda, smiling.
‘I wanted to say what an absolute credit your Ted is to you, one of the team and what a cracking singer, that voice!’
They both stood there making small talk, but Hilda could sense that he was leading up to something. Deep inside her she knew what it would be and she dreaded it.
She asked him outright: ‘Yam sending him abroad?’
‘We might be, Mrs McDermott,’ he replied.
Hilda paused for a moment, aware of who she was talking to, and replied: ‘I hope you don’t. He’s got thirteen brothers and sisters and I rely on him.’
‘I’ll see what I can do,’ he said.
So that’s how Ted didn’t get posted abroad when he was in the Army. Instead he became a batman – a soldier assigned to a commissioned officer – and his chores involved cleaning, bringing food at mealtimes and sorting his clothes as well as doing any errands. In effect, he managed to have a role that was important but which involved none of the danger.
It seemed a bit of a charmed Army experience and a world away from some of the hardships suffered by others. But his role did reinforce Ted’s obsession with being meticulous about his appearance and well-turned-out – his shoes always had an extra shine and he was never ready for the day unless he was wearing a tie and a sharply ironed suit.
The way Ted had managed to include the thing he still loved the most – music – in his work life was a brilliant stroke of luck. As the months went on, his confidence and reputation grew and so did Iris’s pride in her boyfriend’s talent. Things between them were going well. They were officially ‘steady’ and so would often spend evenings out with Hilda and Maurice. During Ted’s weekends off, the four of them would make their way to The Cora.
From 7 p.m. every Saturday, people would have to queue to get through the doors. Most weeks there was a skiffle group playing – a group of local musicians (realistically this meant anyone who could play a homemade instrument) that featured Desi Mansel on the drums, Ted’s younger brother Ernie on the base (which was actually a tea chest with lengths of string tied to it), and anyone who could play the piano. A guy called Teddy Price also sung. He was cross-eyed with big ears and bucked teeth and whenever he began to sing he’d shout out to the females in the crowd: ‘Look at the eyes, girls, look at the eyes.’ Another singer there was Kenny Kendrick, who lived next door but two to the McDermotts. He fancied himself as a bit of an Al Jolson, and always carried a pair of white gloves in his pocket in case he needed to sing. These nights stood out for Iris, who adored being part of such a large and loving family: ‘We all used to get dressed up, me, Ted, his mum and dad, and make our way down to The Cora. Ted was always dressed immaculately. Those nights were some of my best memories from when I was younger. It was packed. Maurice would always be the first one to get up and sing – he had a wonderful voice – he’d always sing, “You’re Nobody ’Til Somebody Loves You”. Ted started singing that song, too. Later on in our relationship, he used to say to me, “If I can’t see you, look at the clock at 11 o’clock and I’ll be singing, “You’re Nobody ’Till Somebody Loves you. And I’d have to play that record then.’
It was Iris who first realized that there was more than a hint of anxiety behind the apparently confident Ted just before he stepped onto the stage. The stress would come on just as he was gearing up for his turn in the spotlight, and he would suddenly start rubbing his nose. It became a telltale sign that the nerves and excitement were threatening to overwhelm him. Iris understood that it was less about being shy (after all, Ted could stir himself to step up onto the stage in front of total strangers) and more like an energy that he couldn’t control. And once she started noticing this anxiousness before Ted’s performances, and as she got to know him better, it became clear that offstage he could easily become downbeat and gloomy without an impending performance to look forward to.
Ted worked hard to keep these feelings to himself, especially as it really wasn’t the done thing for men to discuss such things in the 1950s. He also knew, once he left the Army and began working, those feelings couldn’t make an appearance. Deep down Iris knew that he needed love, affection and reassurance to keep him on an even keel and she worried about him, but nevertheless they had a volatile relationship and he sometimes had mood swings that tried her patience.
Eventually, after three years together and despite the rows, Ted decided that he wanted to make Iris his wife. Perhaps he thought it would help bring a much-needed calm to their relationship. Ever the romantic, he planned his proposal meticulously and to add to the sense of occasion and drama, he decided to do it around Christmas 1956. Hilda was delighted that her eldest son was settling down – she liked Iris being around and she was practically part of the family anyway. But having a ring on her finger didn’t necessarily put an end to their problems or Iris’s concerns: ‘That ring was in the garden more times that it was on my hand,’ she laughs. ‘He would get very jealous. I think two weeks after he gave me the ring he told me he wanted it back! His friends used to come up to me and say, “Oh, you look nice, Iris,” because they knew it would wind him up. I’d tell him not to be silly but he would sulk afterwards like I’d been flirting with them!’
Iris and Ted did get engaged and stayed that way for years