'At 30 years of age I finally started a career'

'At 30 years of age I finally started a career'

Peter remembers the beginning of his career on the Isle of Man.

Peter Layton

Trinity College Dublin

1950

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Peter Layton

Work and Employment

Life Story

Isle of Men

1950s

After I qualified,I obtained my first job. One of our lecturers told me of a job in the Isle of Man. I applied and my first job as weaving manager April1948,for the Manx Tweed Manufacturing Co. they had pedal looms .At 30 years of age I finally started a career in the Laxey Woollen Mills in the Isle of Man (ﾣ4.50 a week) looking after the production. For a time went to Huddersfield as a loom-turner for a year,then went back to the Isle of Man-more pay this time.I obtained lodgings near the mill,which was in Laxey. It was on top of the cliffs above Laxey beach. The name was Fairy Cottage. My landlady was a Scots woman by name of Muirhead. Her husband was retired,and used to have a bus company in Scotland. Before retirement he sold his company to Scottish Motor Traction. Their daughter was living with them. I had a little room looking over the Irish Sea. I was well looked after,good food and a homely environment. I used my motor cycle to go to work. The local chemist,who lived nearby,let me keep it in his garage for a small consideration. My boss,also a Scot,lived in lodgings just above,on the other side of the Manx Electric Railway line. After a year I went to England for a year,working in Huddersfield in a large woollen mill,looking after a section of powerlooms. The work was in two shifts,so the looms never stopped. This was a very valuable experience for me. At that time I lodged with my brother,who had a house in Bradford,where he worked in a mill as a spinner. He was soon to emigrate to Australia with his wife and daughter under the ﾣ10 scheme. I bought a more modern bike,an ex WD Enfield 350cc. I got on very well at my work,and earned very good wages,when I was approached by my former boss in Laxey. The mill had been sold,and he wanted me back to look after things.

Irish Research Council for Arts,Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)