Kath Geary: Schooldays and Chiltern Teddy Bears
I was born in a council house in Latimer Road, the home of my grandmother and grandfather - my father's parents; he too was born in Chesham. My mother came from Pontypridd in South Wales. She was in service in Amersham when she met my father. My first one and a half years were spent in a house along the Vale, after that my father, who worked for Jesse Mead, was given a house on Moor Road.
From there I went to Waterside Infant School where the teacher I remember the most was Miss Saunders. There was a large stove in the room, where our morning milk was warmed! After three years there I moved on to Townsend Road School for junior girls. Of course we all walked to school and home again. Sometimes we walked through the avenue of elms in the park, in the autumn kicking our way through the fallen leaves. At this time we were taken to the Moor Road swimming baths where I learned to swim. No heated water then! And we had to get in. Three of my teachers were Miss Keen, Mrs Aris and Miss Wheeler. On Sundays from about 5-8 years old I went to Sunday school at Christ Church, Waterside, where Mr Summers was the vicar. He not only christened me but conducted my marriage ceremony too.
My next school was White Hill Girls' Secondary School where Miss Dyer was a very strict headmistress, no bad thing! I loved being at school. I had Miss Shaddock for the first two years and Mrs Evans for my final year. Miss Chenels was our PE instructor.
When I left there at 14 years old, I started work in the library of Boots in the High Street. After a year and a half there I decided that I wanted to earn more money. I was getting one guinea a week. I started as a sewing machinist at the Chiltern Teddy Bear factory at the top of Moor Road. We all learned every stage involved in the making of the bears, before we specialised. First, the pieces were stamped then cut out of a long roll of 'teddy bear plush' with very large shears. I think there were about six different sizes of bear. Next the pieces were machined together, before being stuffed with kapok. The limbs were attached in such a way that they were flexible. Then the eyes were put in, the ribbons tied round the neck and the labels stuck on. Teddies were the main product, but pandas were made and also 'nursery balls'. We were all women, except for the male foreman and the secretary, who was also a man. I think there were four or five machinists. I was soon on piece work and was paid by the dozen, earning as much as £2.50 a week. It was a very happy place to work; we used to sing along to the music on the radio. I stayed there until I was expecting my first child, about five years. This was in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Kath Geary (nee McDermott)
The Chiltern Toy Works made its first teddy bear in 1915. Named Master Teddy this googly-eyed bear was made in five sizes. The trademark 'Chiltern Toys' came from the company's location at Chesham amidst the Chiltern hills. During the second world war the factory was turned over to war work. Chiltern introduced the popular Hugmee range in 1923.
Cloth labels were not used until the 1940s. Earlier bears had a circular card chest tag with the legend 'Chiltern Toys Trademark. Made in England.' Early Chiltern bears have a distinctive nose, vertically stitched with outer stitches extended upwards. Chiltern were taken over by Chad Valley in 1967.
Photograph courtesy of Teddy Bears at Home
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