Simon McDermott - The Songaminute Man - How music brought my father home again

Despite living the high life at the barracks during the week, Ted was religious about his trips home. For his second visit he decided to surprise his brother John and his friends, who were all about 10 years old and planning a camping trip in the wood at the back of the garden. They were too proud to admit it, but they were scared – mainly because they had barely unpacked the tent when they heard something outside.

‘It was pitch-black when we suddenly heard this sound. We had no idea what it was, but we were terrified. We heard it move about and then stop right in front of our tent. We daren’t move. Anyway, we all eventually fell asleep but when we woke up in the morning and crept outside, there was our Ted, asleep in his Army overcoat, using his rucksack as a pillow. He’d come home and Dad had told him to pop outside and keep an eye on us because we were scared, but he’d slept outside all night to make sure we were OK,’ says John.

Maurice and Hilda had always drummed into Ted and his younger siblings the importance of behaving well in public. It was something that Ted would pass on to the younger ones whenever he could. As John explains: ‘He was ever so smart. After he started in the Army he would always tell us the importance of dressing well, the importance of how you behaved when you were out. I remember I had a football trial and he spent ages showing me how to press my trousers before I had to go down to the ground. Honest, he was forever looking out for us. I could never see any wrong in him.’

Ted felt proud to be able to come home and treat the family to some of the finer things in life – he wanted to share everything about his Army experience with them and that included bringing Freddy back to introduce him to the family. Hilda was delighted that her son was bringing an Army friend to the house and went to a lot of trouble to tidy up and prepare a good meal. Everyone was clean and smartly turned out, with Hilda determined they would make a good impression. As usual, they were all hovering by the window waiting for Ted to arrive, when suddenly Hilda gasped: ‘Oh, look at this! What’s this big car doing outside our house?’

Hilda was momentarily puzzled as to who on earth their visitors could be and what the neighbours would say about this fancy car when she saw Ted’s familiar grin as he slowly wound down the window. Suddenly she shouted: ‘GOOD GOD! They’ll get sent to bloody hell if they get caught.’ Maurice and the kids weren’t quite sure what was going on, as not all of them had seen Ted in the front seat. The next thing there was a knock on the front door and it was Ted and Freddy Hyde, dressed up in suits. They had arrived in the officers’ shiny car, complete with all the flags flying on the front. The younger kids couldn’t believe their eyes and Hilda went berserk as the boys stood outside on the doorstep, laughing wildly.

Whatever the scenario, Ted always retained a love of a good suit and a few weekends after his first homecoming, he arrived wearing a full tweed outfit, complete with shooting stick from one of the officers. Again, Hilda nearly had a fit when she saw him and screamed: ‘Get that off! You’ll be in the Jankers [Army prison]!’

But nothing seemed to faze Ted and, pretty much every weekend the officers were away, he’d come home with their best clothes – a different outfit every week – and go out in them to the local clubs, enjoying feeling like a millionaire and having the time of his life. After a few months he even turned up in a full evening suit – black tie, white shirt, even the hat. One of the lads in the Army with Ted says: ‘It sounds bad, but it was all done with the tacit blessing of the officers. They had great fun letting us think that they didn’t know what we’d been up to when we put it all back every Monday morning.’

It became a regular thing, especially if Ted was taking Iris out on a Saturday night. Once Hilda got over the shock and worry that Ted would end up in jail for stealing, she would get emotional every time she saw her son all dressed up. Maurice was less sentimental about the whole thing and would look up from whatever he was reading to simply say: ‘Teddy Bloody Big Head. Look at him, he acts like he owns the bloody street!’ But secretly he was full of pride and would go down the club, telling all his mates how well his son was doing and that he was destined for great and exciting things.

Freddy Hyde became part of the family, working his magic particularly brilliantly on Hilda. He would knock on the front door with a small gift and a winning smile, planting a kiss on her cheek. Once, he arrived and held his hand out, saying: ‘Come on, Mrs Mac, get in the car and I’ll take you for a ride up to Worcester.’ Off they went, with Freddy chauffeuring Hilda to the shops, helping her pack the bags and then driving her the long way home so that they would be seen cruising through the streets in a smart car, imagining the twitching curtains. Ted would also impress Iris with the car when they went out. Saturday night was their time together and they would still pop down to The Cora, where he had started to be greeted as a bit of hero, especially if he gave in to the persuasion of the crowd and took the microphone for a few songs. They were halcyon days, topped off only by the sense of pride the family felt as the day of his passing-out parade arrived.

Hilda was bursting with pride at the fact that Ted had passed his training and was serving his country, so there was much excitement when they found out that the parade would pass through the centre of Wednesbury. All the younger children were full of anticipation, not least as their school would be closed in honour. When the big day arrived, the main street completely shut down and people gathered along both sides of the pavement – it was almost like the end of the war all over again, with everyone coming together in a moment of celebration and solidarity. Hilda put on her best dress and made sure all the kids were as smart as they could be. They were all warned to be on their best behaviour and do their brother proud. Brother John was there on the day: ‘I was aged about 7 at the time and all of us went down to see Ted, including Iris. Mum made sure we were in prime position. All of a sudden we could hear the brass band. It was getting louder and louder as they came down Lower High Street. I was trembling with excitement.’

As the soldiers approached, Hilda kept shouting for everyone to look out for Ted. All of a sudden he was right there in front of them and the whole family was shouting ‘Ted! Ted! Ted!’ and cheering him on. As he passed, he gave them a wink and a smile and he was gone – it was all over in a flash. John turned to speak to their mother and saw her wiping away a few tears.

‘Why yam crying, Mom?’ he asked.

‘I’m not crying, I’m happy,’ she said.

Ted was feeling elated, too. Hearing Hilda, Iris and his younger siblings all shouting his name gave him the same buzz he felt when he got up onstage.

Afterwards there was a big do at the officers’ mess with food and drink and family members mingling. Ted introduced Iris to the rest of his mates and everyone stood around making small talk. After a little while one of the officers started talking to Hilda and eventually ushered her through into a separate room. She was greeted by an officer she hadn’t met before.

‘Mrs McDermott, how do you do?’

‘Very well, thank you,’ said Hilda, smiling.

‘I wanted to say what an absolute credit your Ted is to you, one of the team and what a cracking singer, that voice!’

They both stood there making small talk, but Hilda could sense that he was leading up to something. Deep inside her she knew what it would be and she dreaded it.

She asked him outright: ‘Yam sending him abroad?’