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This story was entered onto the Peoples War website by Rod Sutton on behalf of Ray Wills, the author, who fully understands and accepts the sites terms and conditions.

In 1940 my mother always on every Thursday used to visit the home farm to talk with her brothers and sisters etc. She would walk through from Clifton Terrace to the home farm at Barrow View, Hayle. One Thursday she met an old friend who said to mother “Are you going to the auction sale at the White Horse?” “Didn’t know there was a sale on.” said Mother and she was always going to auction sales whether it was furniture or property.

They went to the sale Hilda, my mother and her friend, Janey. Lo and behold they were the only two at the auction. Woody Lane of Penzance was the auctioneer, he was on good terms with both my Mother and her friend. The sale commenced and before it started Janey said to my mother “Don’t step on my toes, Hilda I want to buy a bit here today.” Mother said “Don’t worry I don’t know what’s going on sale.” It was a hamlet at Hayle — High Lanes and quite a number of properties belonging to an estate that was being broken up.

Janey bought a complete row of houses for just over £200 and that was all she had to spend. She said to my mother “Well you can have the rest of it if you like.” There was only one lot left — one house and two little cottages. Lane asked for an opening bid but there was nobody there to make an opening bid except the two ladies, Mother said “Well I don’t know what to bid, pile of rubbish I suppose being the last lot.” “Well I need an opening bid Hilda.” Mother said “Well unseen £25” and she became the owner of two cottages and a house at High Lanes. She went over and paid the deposit and went on her way to the farm.

Telling one of the brothers what she had done and the brother said “ Well I’ll take them off your hands, I’ll give you £100 for them.” So Mother said, “So that’s £100 to you Jim and that’s £100 to me”.

She went home and us three children — my sister, brother and I (I think I was 12) were put to bed before Father came home and we realized there was something in the offing and when father came in we were sitting on the top of the stairs listening. Eventually Mother said to Father “ I’ve got something to tell you.” Having guessed what it might be he said, “You haven’t been to that auction sale?” She said “Yes I have.” “And did you buy anything?” “Oh yes” she said.” A house and two cottages.” Father hit the roof “Where do you think we’re going to get the money to pay for them?” So Mother says “They were only £25, Father.” “£25” he said “that is more than I earn in six months.” It was not quite like that I think Father was on about £2/10s or £2/15s a week. Well anyway he went up to see this property and Mother was very pleased Father was not so because there was quite a bit of reparation to do but never the less they were producing - one 12 shillings per week rent and the other two cottages were 8 shillings per week so the purchase was not too bad, however Mother kept these properties until just before I got married and then sold the three for £500 and this was the down payment on our bungalow when we got married and we had a grand mortgage of £75. Those were the days.

I’ve just returned to Hayle after being away fifty years because we went from one place to another as we progressed through life and the house that Mother bought actually for £8/0/33d is still there and has been renovated and extended a little and I am now told it’s on the market for an unbelievable sum of £300,000.

I have many more stories to tell but I expect they will be lost because nobody seems to want to know. In Hayle the Hayle Pump which is a bi-monthly magazine have asked for various people to come and tell their stories. Nobody except myself has responded, it’s very sad really.

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