George
Corry came to Leicester in 1958 where his cousin
Michael Howard was working as a ward orderly. Michael had told George that
there was work in Leicester and that the money was good.
Michael worked at The Hilcrest, Sparkenhoe St.
and spoke to the ward sister/assistant matron who was from Belfast about George
needing a job and she told him to come up to see her. He went up on the Monday
and started work the next day earning 15/- a week. Most of the staff, nurses
and ward orderlies where from either Ireland or the West Indies.
George first lived in was a room in a terraced
house in Gopsall
St but only stayed a couple of weeks. He then had a room around the corner
in 22
Gotham St which cost him 7/6d a week. He got all his food at work and
worked 7-5. Some shifts included a break between 2 and 4 which meant you had to
then work till 8.
 |
| Gotham St. |
He lived in Gotham St for a couple of years
and shared a room.
A friend of his lived in Tichbourne St, but
he and his girlfriend, were killed by a faulty gas pipe in the house.
A friend in Gotham St asked George if he’d
like to move over to another place and so he moved to Tennyson St. Here he had
a room on the top floor of a 3 storey building. He did his own cooking using a
cooker on the landing shared with a lady who had the other room.
 |
| Gotham St. |
George remembers going to 7.00 mass at Holy
Cross on a Sunday and being late for work. However, the Matron was Catholic too
and he’d have been in more trouble with her if he hadn’t gone!
He remembers dances at The Corn Exchange,
Sacred Heart, the Palais de Dance. and Joe Willis running dances at The Trade
Hall.
George married Sorca Gregan and they moved to Eastleigh Rd then Latimer Rd.
He worked at Wolsey Hosiery.
George’s two children Gerard and Sara went
to Christ the King and later English Martyr’s school.
If you'd like to be involved contact us on 0116 276 9186 or pop in to:
We're now also on Twitter: follow me on @irishleicester or join The Irish in Leicester group on Facebook.
Click here to view a map of The Irish in Leicester.
