Grandparents Ethel Cartwright and Ernest Robertshaw part 1

My grandparents on my mother's side were Ethel Cartwright and Ernest Robertshaw.  My mother lived at the family house in Hays Street, Rastrick along with her seven siblings: Irene, Cora, Nelly, Douglas, Keith, Joyce and Melvyn (in order of age).  My mother, Mavis, was the 4th child to be born into the family.  The living accommodation was two up and two down, so eight children used to sleep in one bedroom.
Ernest Booth was born in 1887 and died in 1943 at the age of 56.  During the war he was gas-poisoned and had one lung removed.  His trade was a barber, whose business premises was on the ground floor of their home.  He was a bit of a character, by all accounts, and liked a drink.  He spent a lot of time in the Greyhound, opposite their home.  My mother used to work in the shop when she was young, cutting up pieces of newspaper strips for her father to wipe his knife on.  She used to stand on a stool and collect the soiled paper from him when used.  The newspaper cuttings were counted so as to check how many customers visited the shop.
Each of the daughters had their turn as 'the lather girl', work experience before they went out to earn a living.  The sisters had to stand on the stool next to the customer and lather the customer up ready for hia shave.  At Christmas, their dad published a big sign on the mirror in the shop saying "look after our lather girl" with a box next to the mirror for contributions.  Sadly, the lather girl never received any Christmas box!  It all went to the pub.  This tradition continued right up until Joyce took up the batton as lather girl!