"Out of Work" in 1921

[dowdstree]

My grandfather is listed as unemployed in the 1921 Scotland Census.

He served in the Navy during WW1 and survived the sinking of HMS Warrior at the Battle of Jutland.

Dorrie

[Andrew Tarr]

The road building was very common in Ireland in the Great Famine especially.

I think quite a few small harbours (perhaps more useful) were built as well ?

[MollyC]

 

On the 1921 census people who were unemployed were asked to put their last occupation and place of work and underneath write 'unemployed'.

In the 1921 census I found a cousin of my grandmother, George Milner.  He was an engineering blacksmith who had served his apprenticeship at the Woolwich Arsenal and moved to Sheffield by 1909.  In 1921 he was "Temporary out of work" from Vickers Ltd. (Engineers), River Don Works, Sheffield.  This was a huge company, which still exists as part of Sheffield Forgemasters.  Most of the works must have been involved in war production when 16,000 people were employed there.  Amongst many other items they had the capacity to make the longest gun barrels available.  At the end of the war government contracts would have dried up very quickly.

[nestagj]

  My grandfather worked at a Kent coalmine, but wrote "out of work" in the census. I am not sure if they were on strike at that point, or if the colliery had closed. My mother remembered seeing out of work men breaking stones for roadworks.

My grandfather was a miner (belowground) at the Cambria Colliery Limited, Clydach Vale and he has written in brackets (on strike) but the enumerator has crossed it out and written out of work instead.   The family was visiting his parents in North Wales at the time and even though my G Grandfather has written all the places of birth correctly the enumerator has scribbled many of them out and put his own in.   For example my grandmother who was born in Penrhyndeudraeth (Ffestiniog Reg Dist) had had written FFestiniog, Merionethshire but the enumerator has crossed it out and put Pwllheli, Merionethshire instead.   A mess..........
Nesta