Bosses installed a phone in home of their foreman

“HIS bosses installed a telephone in his King Street home. Apparently my grandmother was not impressed, believing he would be at their beck and call at all hours of the day and night.”

Well that was such the commitment of a former painter and foreman at W.M Corah the joinery firm in Loughborough.

In 1967 the firm stood adjacent to Wellington Street clearance area, near Aumberry Gap.

Alan Godber, of Soar Road, Quorn, said that his grandfather, Harry Peberdy, worked at W.M Corah for many years and was often employed to work on the big houses in the area.

Alan said: “Reading Bryan Summerfield’s reminiscences of working as painting manager for W.M Corah set me sorting through pho- tographs of my grandfather, Harry Peberdy, who was foreman painter for the same firm in earlier years.

“A Hathern man, he was a painter and decorator before volunteering at the outbreak of the First World War.

“He resumed his employment after the war and continued up until retirement.

“He certainly worked for Corah for many years and when he was foreman his bosses installed a telephone in his King Street home.

“Apparently my grandmother was not impressed, believing he would be at their beck and call at all hours of the day and night.

“My mother told me that the painting gang were often employed at large houses around Charnwood Forest.”

Alan also said that coincidentally his grandfather also knew the Ward family that owned a butchers shop in Moor Lane, Loughborough that featured in Looking Back a few weeks ago.

He said: “Harry’s son, my uncle Geoff, followed his father’s trade and set up his own painting and decorating business with premises next door to Ward’s butchers shop in Moor Lane.”

Did you used to work for W.M Corah? Or do you know anything more about the firm? Maybe you even have some old pictures of the firm, or of any of the staff that worked there? If you know anything more about the Loughborough builders please contact Liam Coleman on 01509 635806 or email liam.coleman@trinitymirror.com

Pictured on July 14, 1937 is Harry Peberdy (second left) engaged in a little dinner break tennis at Hemp Pit Hill House, Brand Lane, Woodhouse Eaves. His grandson Alan Godber said that the house at this time was owned by the county council and used as...

Pictured is Harry Peberdy in his King Street home, with the phone in the background that was installed so that his bosses at W.M Corah could contact him at any time. Sent in by Looking Back reader Alan Godber.