91Čȱ¬

Mrs Stella Le Tissier interviewed by Margaret Le Cras 25/4/05
Edited transcript of recording

I used to go to music in Town. To Miss Hillman. at the bottom of Mill Street. They had a furniture shop. Miss Hillman used to teach music. She was very, very strict. “You have got to read music, not play by ear” It was music. You were properly grounded. Anyway, I used to go there. And — as I said at the beginning of the Occupation I was supposed to take the exam, I didn’t, I took it after the war, but I was married, I had no more interest in music - And, I used to go on my bike from Pleinmont, and this time I went, and I took some shoes to be mended, and I went to Purdy’s, I don’t now if you remember Purdy’s in the Pollet, and I went there, and of course in those days it was a sort of little alleyway to go to the shop, and I put my bike as close as I could, not to go in the shop but I thought I’d keep my eye on it, to be careful, and I left my bike there, went inside the shop, talked I think it was to Mr Purdy, I think so, Len Purdy, I think it was, anyway I went in, and said what I wanted, then I went outside — no bike! No bike! I did not know what to do, but I went up to the police station, and I told them, there was a young chap there, he told me, “You know, madam, these days you’ve got to take your bike in the shop under your arm”. I said “That doesn’t settle me, I want my bike, I’m from Pleinmont” So they took all the details, and again, the Lord undertook for me, because in those days, there was no bus service as we know, but there was busses going on, was it? charcoal? bogasagee? something or other, because I’m not very up-to-date in those things. Anyway, so I knew there was a bus to Pleinmont but, I had to get down the Troquée yet, the bus went on to L’Eree so I had to walk from L’Eree to Pleinmont, and then I had to go, which I didn’t, but I had to go in the afternoon to take music lessons to this Mrs Le Cras, to Don Smith near Carmel Chapel, I used to go to Miss Smith, I taught Don Smith music, and then to Jehan’s at the Frie Bateau, and that was my Tuesday afternoon, but I had to put them off. My Grandmother had the telephone — we did not, we were not on the telephone — so mum went and phoned all these places and said I couldn’t go, I said “Mum, I can’t eat, I’m going up my bed, I was upset”. I was upset, no bike.
I bought a second-hand — somebody’s bike, but the one I had was a small bike, you know, modern, for young people, but this one was a high one, but you didn’t mind, because it was something. Anyway, I had this bike, right, and carried on with what I had to do, and went to teach music. Forgot, not forgot, but Dad said “you’ll never have your bike back. [ ] six weeks after, a lady came up the road, where we lived, you see, the house, Oh there’s trees now planted in front, you won’t see the house, but there’s a drive at the side, it was un cosh, à la maisan. I saw this lady come up, and it was, we used to call her Cousin Aubiscuit. She used to come to chapel. And she said — she shouted, she didn’t come up — ah, but I think she came home, surely, but I’ve forgotten, but I know she shouted from the bottom of the road “ Il ès trouvaie” “It’s found, it’s found”. I said “Tchi es trouvaie?” “Ta baiïke, ta baiïke ès trouvaie” She came, she must have come home, and she said, they phoned me, but you see they didn’t phone my Gran’s number, I think in all my upset, that I didn’t give her phone number, at the Police Station, but they found this one at Pleinmont, and she said yes. And do you know I had a paper carrier in the back, and I had my paper carrier and my mac in the back, and it was still there. And I said “Where was it found”, and she said, “Well they told me at the Police Station that they had — oh, what did they call the, at the bottom of Woolworths where they served coffee and that, there was a café, for the Germans, not for the civilians, the Germans, and the bike was found in there, when a policeman had to go for something else, they took notice of everything, I feel like phoning at the phone-in, they did find my bike, eh, so I had it back. But I tell you straight, because, I mean, because I’m no better than others, I’ve got a great faith, and I had been praying, and I prayed for that bike, and I was a young girl
My prayers were answered, you see.

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