Situations Vacant: jobs between the wars
Susan Payne
Growth in local newspaper circulation at the end of the nineteenth century made them perfect for a wide range of all sorts of advertisements. As the number of advertisements grew, paper editors began to classify them for ease of reading and so the ‘Situation Vacant’ column was born.
Across the UK, job opportunities between the wars (1918-1939) declined. Initially this was caused by the post-war reduction in public-sector employment, but by the early 1930s the whole economy was suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. At the same time, the period saw the beginning of the modern welfare state and a widening of educational opportunities. Women’s employment had peaked during the war, when they filled the roles left by men joining the armed services. Following the armistice and the return of soldiers, women needed to find new jobs.6
All this is reflected in the Situations Vacant adverts in the Hertfordshire Mercury from this time.
Jobs for the Young
Message Girl wanted; age 14 years – Apply Scotch Wool and Hosiery Stores, Hertford. 4
Smart Boy wanted at once – John Cooper & Sons, Maidenhead Street, Hertford. 4
The Education Act of 1918 raised the school leaving age to fourteen. Plans for compulsory part-time education or training until 18 were abandoned because of public spending cuts. Both these employers were retailers. The Scotch Wool and Hosiery Stores were a national chain of shops selling skeins of wool, stockings, and underwear. John Cooper’s was an established ironmonger, which continued trading into this century.
Apprenticeships Available
Wanted at once tall smart youth as Apprentice to Provision Counter; wages from commencement – apply, Manager, Walkers Stores, Maidenhead Street, Hertford. 2
Apprentice required for Ladies’ Hairdressing, modern saloon in Hertford; small premium; returnable as wages – Box 217, Hertfordshire Mercury, Hertford. 4
Apprenticeships were the traditional way for young people to receive on-the-job training. Walkers Stores was an established grocery shop at 20 Maidenhead Street. The apprentice hairdresser during this period had a lot to learn: from the Marcel wave of the 1920s to long bobs and partings of the ‘30s, imitating the look of film stars.
Public Service
Wanted, Female Uncertified Teachers for Port Vale Council Boy’s School, Hertford; salary according to Herts County Council scale – Applications to Correspondent, 3a Fore Street Hertford. 1
Strong girl wanted as Ward maid; salary £34, rising – Apply to Matron, Isolation Hospital, Hertford. 5
Earlier in the century, local education authorities started to provide formal teacher training to meet the demand for certified teachers. The Port Vale Boy’s School had opened just 3 years before this advert, with 2 certified and 2 uncertified teachers. The Hertford & Ware Isolation Joint Hospital on Gallows Hill opened in 1898 and remained through to the end of World War Two.
Domestic Vacancies
Cook-General for September; age 30 to 35; in Hertford; another kept; small family; state wages and full particulars – Box 281, Hertfordshire Mercury Hertford. 3
General, capable maid as required; three in family; liberal outings; wages according to experience – 51 St Andrew’s Street, Hertford. 2
By asking for a cook-general, this advertiser is looking for a servant who could manage both cooking and general housework. The phrase ‘another kept’ presumably refers to an additional servant in the house. The capable maid would have been working at Cawthorne, the 16th century house built as a well-to-do home, now a restaurant.
Traditional Trades
Wanted, Shoeing and General Smith at once – Wilkinson & Son, Hertford. 3
Wanted, 6 experienced Maltsters, exceptionally good wages given for men of good character; also working foreman, wages £3 per week and house – apply ‘Box 130’ Hertfordshire Mercury Offices, Hertford. 1
During this period small manufacturing companies were still operating within the town. Wilkinson’s smithery was at 67a Railway Street. Here the business is advertising for a blacksmith who could shoe horses, as well as carrying out more general metal working. A maltster extracted malt from barley as part of the brewing process. Possibly as the employer has six vacancies, this was one of the larger breweries in the town, perhaps Nicholls or McMullen’s.
New Products and Exciting Propositions
Girls wanted, age from 18 to 28 – Apply personally, Columbia Gramophone Co, Mead Works, Hertford. 2
Dressmaker required to entertain remunerative business proposition, Hertford; splendid prospects; keen worker – Box 244, Hertfordshire Mercury, Hertford. 4
The Columbia Gramophone Company acquired the Mead Works (along Mead Lane, Hertford) which was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the UK. Dressmakers at this time were probably working for themselves at home. It is difficult to know what the business proposition advertised here was, but it certainly sounds intriguing!
References
1 Hertfordshire Mercury, 10th August 1918
2 Hertfordshire Mercury, 1st September 1923
3 Hertfordshire Mercury, 1st September 1928
4 Hertfordshire Mercury, 1st September 1933
5 Hertfordshire Mercury, 2nd September 1938
6 Long-term trends in UK employment: 1861 to 2018. Office of National Statistics, 2019
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