Charles Herbert Wardill

Born in Bridlington - as was his father, grandfather and 2 x grandfather.  

When Charles was born his parents lived in the Market Place (off the High Street). Charles left school (probably Burlington School in the Old Town area of Bridlington) to become a trainee butcher.

Charles married Jane (known as Jean or Jeanie) Seton in 1924 and initially went lived off High Street, Bridlington.   During 1926 Charles tried his hand at boxing and sparred in at least 3 matches held in the Winter Gardens and the Spa Hall (source: Bridlington Free Press).  

Charles and his family moved from Bridlington to Rudston in 1934 and lived in this village, just outside of Bridlington, until around 1954.  

When WW2 was declared, Charles was working as a butcher and baker. Baking was considered a key industry and Charles was exempt from imposed conscription. He was also aged 40 in 1940 - very close to the upper age limit. Instead Charles joined the Yorkshire Auxillary Unit Patrol and became a Sergeant in the Burton Agnes Patrol. Training was carried out at Middleton Hall and Rudston Parva Quarry.

During the war Charles worked at Johnson's Pork Butcher, 12 Bridge Street, Bridlington. Around 1955 when the shop came up for sale, he bought it and the  family moved from Rudson into the flat above the shop. The shop was well known not only for its meat (particularly the tasty pork sausages) but for its pies. Behind the shop was an enormous bake house fitted out with machinery to cook meat, produce pastry, roll it out, line dishes and produce pork pies, sausage rolls etc. The shop window was always dressed beautifully (often with a pig's head with an apple stuck in its mouth).

Charles could turn his hand to anything - he particularly loved gardening and kept pigs, chickens and bees when he lived in Rudston. After moving back to Bridlington in the 1950s he used the basement of the butchers shop to build himself a small boat. He loved to go out into Bridlington Bay and do some fishing. He would throw a few fishing lines (with maybe half a dozen hooks on each, baited with worms) over the side of the boat. Within minutes, the cod would be nibbling and the line would be hauled in. Fish would be distributed to friends and neighbours and the remainder taken home for Charles' wife to cook fresh for dinner.  

Charles built at least two fishing boats, both were powered by an outboard motor. The second one had a little cabin . Both were kept on the south side of  Bridlington harbour. Charles also had a little storage area on Bridlington Harbour (demolished to make way for the new footbridge in the 1960s).

Charles was a well known character in town.  Always with a whippet by his side, a flat cap on his head and a cigarette balanced in his mouth, he would take a daily walk around town and call in on other businessmen for a natter.

Charles sold the shop and retired in the late 1960s and moved into a house on Clarence Road.  He died in 1970.