he did not enjoy working for someone else as he only earned commission for the pianos he sold. It seemed to Grandad that his boss was the only one profiting for all his hard work so he began to think about working for himself. At that particular time, it seemed that everyone was buying a piano. With Millicent expecting a baby, the time was right to build up his clientele and move into the realm of self-employment.
In 1910, exactly one year since starting along the road of private enterprise, Grandad Warner had his own thriving business. After opening his first factory in Yorkshire, he never looked back. Money was in abundance so they were able to have a custom-designed house built in the elite area of Leicester. It cost four thousand pounds (a lot of money in those days).
The house was detached, standing in its own grounds. A wide hall led from an impressive entrance off into a large kitchen, scullery, dining room and lounge room. A grand staircase led upstairs to four spacious bedrooms and two bathrooms. Downstairs, the dining room featured a huge table with matching hide studded dining chairs. The lounge room was massive, with picturesque Georgian glassed patio doors that led to an entertainment room, similar to a dancing studio, with mirrors covering the walls. The patio door leading from this room opened onto a paved area, from which one could look out onto the beautifully landscaped grounds complete with an idyllically designed patio terrace. Steps led down onto the lawn, which was adorned, with shrubs, hedges and an abundance of trees, providing beautiful blossoms and a delightful aroma in the spring. A small pond served as a stage as lilies danced about as water cascaded from a small fountain. An elegant willow tree, its branches hanging and swaying in the summer breeze, added the perfect finishing touch.
A landscape gardener had been engaged to create this relaxed atmosphere and absolute privacy for the patio and home. This provided the perfect spot to entertain friends and business acquaintances during the summer months. My grandparents held regular Saturday evening dinners and dancing for their friends. As they were proficient musicians, they became the musical entertainment. Even the children joined in.
Grandad Warner became very successful, acquiring more shops and factories all over the Midlands, and one in London. My grandparents’ firstborn was my Auntie Irene. They employed a housekeeper, a cook and a nanny to help with their daughter. As Irene got a little older, she accompanied her daddy on business trips to the factories and shops, enjoying herself and taking in a little knowledge of how things were run. In 1915, another daughter, Joan, was born. Both girls looked like their mother with dark hair and brown eyes. Joan would grow up to pass these features on to her own little girl—me.
Life at this time was a constant stream of successes for the Warners. Profits were high and the parties and entertaining continued. My grandparents spoiled their little girls with love and attention. Eventually, a third daughter joined the Warner household— beautiful and angelic, but unlike her sisters. Betty looked just like her father with blonde hair and big blue eyes. Family and friends all felt the need to protect her. She did not have the strong and independent personality of her sisters. Each of the Warner girls had a private education and took up a hobby of their choice. Joan loved ballet so she was enrolled in a class.
I remember the excitement in my mother’s eyes when she told me those vivid stories of her childhood. I imagined her practising her dancing in the ballroom in front of the mirrored glass on the walls. The scene was so vivid I almost believed I was there with her.
Irene wanted to learn to play the piano and she eventually became very accomplished. Charlie Kunz, a great pianist of the day was her influence and inspiration, and of course she was encouraged by her parents who were also accomplished musicians Betty was a little too young for a hobby yet.
As the girls grew older, thoughts of their future careers became my grandparents’ focus. Irene tended to my grandfather’s business as she had been learning the business from an early age. Grandad taught her to drive the Rolls Bentley. She was keen and quick to learn. Eventually she took over the sales side of the business, which allowed her the privilege of driving all over the country. This was a role she enjoyed immensely, mainly because it provided opportunities for her to meet eligible young men.
My grandmother decided that Joan should develop her natural flair for mathematics and guided her towards bookkeeping and accounts. Mathematics was always her favourite subject at school even from an early age. Betty went to secretarial training college for two years where she became proficient in shorthand and touchtyping. All three sisters grew up in a fortunate family environment with plenty of opportunities. Life was good for the Warners, until war was declared…
Chapter 2
Britain called upon its menfolk to serve their country during World War One, from 1914 to 1918. Grandad was called to serve in the Royal Flying Corps, which later became the RAF. He served only two years as he developed asthma during his service and was discharged on medical grounds. For the duration of his war service he had engaged a manager to run his business. With the assistance of Irene, the business thrived. He was delighted to return in 1916 to regain control of the business.
In 1929, the devastating Stock Market Crash on Wall Street occurred. Businesses went bankrupt, fortunes were lost and thousands of people lost their jobs overnight. My grandfather managed to keep control for a while but things were never going to be as easy as before. It was harder to acquire customers as people continued to get into more financial difficulty. It was a few years before the total effects of the Wall Street Crash were finally felt. Unfortunately for my grandfather, his business and others alike were affected by the financial problems spilling over from America. Buying trends also changed. People were not only unable to afford to purchase pianos; they were not even as interested anymore. The gramophone was the latest invention and fashion. This of course did not help Grandad’s finances. In the following months, his debtors could not pay, leaving him no longer able to pay his debts either. Consequently, within three months he lost all his factories and shops. He had tried to sell them, but everyone else was in the same situation. All assets were worthless and, after losing thirty-three thousand pounds over three months, Grandad became bankrupt. It was devastating to Grandad and many others. Life was never quite the same again. Wealth and prosperity were sadly lost. The designer house in Stonygate was lost and gone forever. My grandparents rented a large terraced house having a small back yard at Mere Road in a reasonable area, not quite up to the standard they were used to. However, it was all they could afford. After such traumatic events, at least they still had each other.
Before long, Grandad started working for himself painting and decorating, using the skills his father had taught him. Despite not enjoying the work as much as selling, he engaged men to work for him and became quite busy. But it was now a different world and he never reached the same level of success he had before. I guess the Wall Street Crash may have made the older generation, including Grandad, more dubious of significant financial gain in case a similar event was to reoccur. Young ambitious men with little fear of the future started making their mark in the financial world, taking the places of their older predecessors.
As time went on Irene married an RAF chap named John. He left the forces after serving his time and started a job in the civil service. The couple rented a house in Mapperly Nottingham. Irene had a part-time job driving, and later had her first and only child, a boy named Jeremy.
The middle daughter Joan also married around the same time as Irene. Her husband Robert, or Bob as he was known, was a good-looking man with the gift of the gab. Joan’s family disapproved of him as he had a bad reputation amongst everyone who knew him. His problem was his liking for drink, the family said. And there was a huge stigma attached to being a ‘drinker’. Nevertheless, Joan was madly in love with him and would not hear a word said against him. Her father could possibly see through his mask—they both were sales representatives with a talent for persuasion. Most significantly, Bob was an abusive drunk. Despite the
