A LEEDS LIFE
A SIGN OF THE TIMES
Arthur Gill
1897 – 1971
By Lorraine Harding
This is the story of my grandfather: smart, hard-working, headstrong, self-believing, sometimes cheeky. Arthur spent his teenage years working his way up to a skilled, well-paid job, without formal training, and braving tough working conditions - and, sometimes, coarse and over-bearing foremen. His path was not straightforward and included steps back as well as forwards. But finally, he established himself as a ticket and sign-writer with one of the foremost advertising agencies of the time in Leeds, Benjamin Roberts.
Arthur left a memoir, which enables his grandchildren to gain some insight into the struggles and triumphs of his early life. Fragments from the book show what an assertive character he was. He had no patience for authority, especially when face with supercilious foremen: “He told me to stop whistling. I considered I had a right to whistle if I wanted to. He threw a paint brush at me. I dodged and it hit the wall and made a mess.”
Arthur was born into a modest home, but his family were by no means the poorest of the poor. His father was a skilled, self-employed boot and shoemaker, with his own small shop in a on Meanwood Road. Arthur’s father was a well-known and respected figure in the community and entertained prominent local men in his shop after hours, when long discussions on serious subjects took place. The family were Methodists; Arthur attended various churches during his childhood. They lived in a number of back-to-back houses in Woodhouse, before settling in the Wharfedales, cul-de-sacs of back-to-backs off Meanwood Road. A little oasis with trees, open ground beside the streets, and direct access to Woodhouse Ridge, the houses are still there today. In total the family had eight children, but four of these died young, a not uncommon occurrence in those days.
Arthur’s childhood was a happy one, and at school he excelled in art. His road to permanent employment as a signwriter was not simple. His first job was a spell at a goldbeater, but he didn’t last long. His next venture was a very unpleasant painting and decorating job, where he got into the trouble with the foreman referred to above. When Arthur came home in a very bedraggled state one day after some roof work, his father said he was not to return. He next worked at his uncle and aunt’s market garden at Wakefield, where he enjoyed the outdoor life and ate huge meals in the kitchen alongside their servant. This was not meant to be a permanent position so Arthur answered an advertisement from a respected firm in Leeds who wanted boys to learn the trade of ticket-writing.
All should have gone well for him at Frank Mitchell, Ticket and Showcard Writers. Mitchell’s was located on Gascoigne Street just off Boar Lane. Arthur later described his time there as the happiest of his working life and said it was a job “after his own heart”. He began with filling in colours on designs and graduated to more complex work; after six months, he successfully applied to Mitchell for a pay rise. Arthur clearly liked the Frank Mitchell, whom he describes as tall, good-looking, with a fresh complexion. A good boss and encouraging to the boys. Along with the other workers, Arthur was deeply shocked when Mitchell died suddenly one weekend.
The prospects at Mitchell’s were good, but unfortunately Arthur fell out with the foreman. He ordered Arthur to sweep the lavatories - a task that was definitely not in his job description. As Arthur recalls in his memoir, “I refused to do it. I told him I’d come to learn ticket-writing and not cleaning out lavatories! He sacked me and I went straight to the cashier and got my pay.”
“"Arthur had no patience for authority, especially when faced with supercilious foremen: 'He told me to stop whistling and threw a paint brush at me. I dodged and it hit the wall and made a mess.”
Arthur’s next venture was with the well-known Leeds clothing firm John Barron, in the stock room for boys’ suits. He kept suits clean using whisks. He found this rather boring and returned to Mitchell’s. The foreman grudgingly accepted him back, as long as he promised to obey orders in future! Arthur was respected for being a “trier”. He wanted to “get on” and began to do the lettering work for the bad-tempered foreman’s successor, a fine craftsman called Smith. Mr. Smith preferred art and design to actually writing the letters of tickets and showcards, so he was happy to give Arthur more work in the latter field. Arthur also learned from emulating an older skilled worker called Crum. Practicing hard, Arthur improved his pen work to a high level of skill. He began to produce posters as opposed to just smaller signs.
From then on Arthur’s working life was more stable, and he gradually transformed himself into a highly skilled sign and ticket-writer. A few years later he moved onwards and upwards, aiming for better pay, to the larger firm of Benjamin Roberts & Co., Advertising Contractors. Their work included theatre advertising, on curtains, programmes and cinema slides. The relation between boss and workers was rather feudal: when Benjamin Roberts stood as a Conservative Council candidate, his workers were expected to canvass for him. When he won, they were rewarded with whisky, cigars, and a paid day off work. In a paternalistic way, Roberts was kind to his workforce but they lacked rights such as sick pay which we would take for granted today.
Arthur was interviewed for the job of ‘improver’ by the boss himself. Arthur describes Bejamin Roberts as a short fat man with a husky voice and rather bluff manner. After writing a ticket on the spot to show Roberts what he could do, Arthur was offered the job at an increased wage. Now, in the Showcard and Poster Department, Arthur did more skilled work and had more responsibility. Aged 19 he had his own room and his own small department; he saw customers and answered the telephone. He stayed on at Roberts & Co. until he was conscripted for the First World War in 1916.
Life for Arthur had not always been easy, but now he had some with economic stability. This allowed him to marry a young woman from a poorer background than him with whom he was very much in love. They bought a terraced house in Woodhouse and reared three children. Arthur left Roberts & Co and was a self-employed signwriter for the rest of his career. He was a leading light in the local Methodist Church. He described himself as ‘richly blest’. An example of an unprivileged start which led, through determination, hard work, self-confidence and talent, to happiness and fulfilment.