TWO LIVES

Little Tom, pictured above, was the youngest son of George and Euphemia Balmforth. He had two older sisters, Bessie and Marie, and an older brother, Douglas. Grandpa Balmforth was employed in a mill in Batley in his early working years which belonged to another member of the family (see family tree compiled by Vivien Tomlinson). He lost part of a finger in machinery and this got him off military service during WW1.  But he wasn't a natural mill worker and he decided to set up his own business selling law stationery in King Street, Wakefield which also served as the local land registry. It was a steady income and he was canny with his money. He only worked in the morning and in the afternoon he would go to the bank, read the Financial Times and check his shares and then adjourn to Yates's Wine Lodge. Aunties Maria and Bessie kept the office running in the afternoon. The two boys were also expected to join the family firm and according to his school records, Tom did leave school to work there for a short time but the war intervened.

The picture of the family above on the left was taken in the garden of their house in Park Lodge Lane. It was quite large and reflected Grandpa's standing in the Wakefield community -- four storeys high with rooms for servants, although my grandma only had one, a cleaner. The main kitchen was in the cellar and had to be accessed round the back of the house where there was also a chute to pour the coal into a bunker. By the time I visited the house in the 1950's they didn't use the cellar kitchen anymore and had built a second one on the ground floor which had a butler's sink in a huge cupboard. It was painted the green and cream of post-war Britain and was very gloomy. I thought it looked like something out of a museum.  Granny Balmforth was also something of a relic. For a start, her name was Euphemia which the rest of the family thought was hilarious although she didn't share the joke. She was  a staunch Methodist and was very prudish and straight-laced which you can see in her face. And possibly why she was wearing a hat and coat on the beach, see above. In her later years she would hit the sherry bottle and my cousin Margaret used to find her on the floor when she went round on the way home.  

The boys were educated at grammar schools -- Tommy at Queen Elizabeth or what became Wakefield Grammar and Douglas at Thornes House.  Thornes House was closed in 1954 but Wakefield Grammar has continued to thrive and provide a high standard of education.  According to the school magazine, the Savilian, Tom was ten when he started, joining from the Wesleyan School. By the age of 15, he was making his mark as a rugby player in the first VX.  'Balmforth.T. 7st 2lbs. Inside-half. For his size has played really well. His service still lacks something in speed and length. Might vary his play a little more. With more experience will be more than a useful player.' And later, 'T.Balmforth 8st 6lbs, 1933-34-35. Inside Half. Has made an ideal scrum-half. His service from the base of the scrum is excellent; his defence is very sound, and he was a worthy representative in the Yorkshire Public Schools XV. We expect him to go very far in the future.'  Indeed, he did go far and played for Yorkshire Schoolboys, the RAF against the Army and Navy at Twickenham and last but not least, he played scrum half for Headingley.  He was the perfect shape for a rugby player, he always said he had duck's disease as he had short legs, sturdy thighs and his bum was a bit too close to the ground.  There are no mentions of his academic achievements in the school records but one thing is certain, he was absolutely useless at art. He always used to tell a story about the days when the boys were taught still life.  He had to bring something in to draw and always took the same item -- the easiest thing he could find. The teacher would come in to inspect his work, 'oh Balmforth, not spring onions again!'.