He also keeps house for himself, goes to chapel regularly, writes verses and has a large store of reminiscences. He has seen quite a few changes – “not all for the best.”

Mr. Warren was born in Riseley, where his father, a shoe-mender, was often paid in kind – a piece of cloth, a bag of flour or a bunch of onions.

Youngest of a family of four boys and two girls, Jesse left school at 11 to work in a boot factory in Newton Road, Rushden. He earned 3d for his first week’s effort. At 20 he was earning 15s a week.

Mechanisation

In 1911, the year his mother died, machinery was installed in a Rushden factory and his three elder brothers were thrown out of work. They went to America and joined the Kodak Company. The eldest is still living in Rochester, New York.

Jesse spent his 21st birthday in the house where he now lives. Soon after this (while visiting an aunt in Bedford) he met his wife-to-be. They married a month before war broke out in 1914. During the war he worked on army boots.

Between the wars work in the boot factories was scarce. Mr. Warren turned to antique dealing, especially glass and pewter of which he still has some good pieces. Sixty-five when the second war broke out, he went back on army boots for two years and about 30,000 pairs passed through his hands.

Running in, and winning a three-legged race at Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebrations is but one of his many memories.

He recalls, too, days when the village barber spent an hour working on one customer – and charged only 2d. He did it by candlelight and sometimes entertained customers with a tune on his accordion afterwards.

Entertainment was self-made in those days before wireless and cinema, and musical evenings at home were a great feature.

Mr. Warren remembers skating by moonlight along the Ouse from Sharnbrook to Felmersham the only time the river froze.

Bass Voice

Mrs. Warren died in January and Jesse had to go to hospital for an operation. Now he is hale and hearty again and sings old songs in a bass voice as he works around the house and garden.

His ambition now is to go to America on the Queen Mary to visit his brother. He chooses the Queen Mary “because of the food and all the people there would be on board to meet.” Flying would be too fast for Jesse, who believes in getting his money’s worth.

His long, full life he attributes to the power of prayer and faith.