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Text Box: Troy Family
Text Box: My Life

©Troy Family publications 2001-24

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Updated every 3 months .

Last update Jan 2024

 

Jersey

March 24

This is about me

 

 

 

My mum was only six and a half stone when I was born having carried me through the worst year of the German Occupation with severe food shortages and four other small children to feed.  It was ten days before liberation when I was born in the early hours of  a Sunday morning in April 1945. I nearly died at birth (delivered by Dr Blampied) being a breech baby and mum and dad were told I would not survive long because of severe chest and heart defects (apparently I had not turned in the womb). My parents were given deadlines as to my survival. They were told if I could reach 1,3,8,12 years etc I would stand a good chance of reaching maturity . In fact when I was sick in bed around the age of eight I heard Dr Kennedy telling my parents on our landing that if I could make it to twelve years of age I could be ok and my make old bones. There was not the same technology in those days. Luckily I survived and have had no serious problems to date and I believe it made me a stronger character physically and mentally. .

 

I had a lovely upbringing and great home life being born ten days before the World War II ended for us in Jersey and having two older brothers and two older sisters. The late forties and early fifties were great. There is a big age difference in my age to theirs, in fact when I was eight Dick my eldest brother was 21 years old and emigrated to Canada. Years later on his return we actually ran a business together and got on well. 

 

I started school at six and I was the 57th pupil to be enrolled at the new Beaulieu Convent School when it opened in Wellington Road St Helier in 1951 after moving from the Convent in St Mary. Sister Marie Louise recently showed me my name in their register. I moved up to De La Salle College at the age of eight to the first class called Shell A with Madame Durand as our teacher.    

 

Worked really hard at school and hated every minute of it, hours of homework every night, five or six subjects including learning passages of Shakespeare, Latin, Chaucer and pages of French by heart to recite the next day when if you said it wrong you had the strap also far worse with the maths homework (ears twisted or slapped in the face). School hours were horrible as well, start at 09:05 till 15:55 six days a week with half day Thursday and Saturday (for which the afternoons were used for home work) and with mass to go to on Sunday mornings there was no chance for a decent lie in bed. Apparently I was told I had a high IQ when we were tested but never knew my score. There were some very strict and brutal lay teachers that I came across, some hit with their hands while another carried a leather strap( I am still  in credit as I received three of those in error ). Luckily that all changed after I left in the very early sixties. In the summer holidays whilst at school I went pasting labels on potato barrels at Sydney Horman’s store on the Esplanade and another summer pasting wallpaper for Dennis (my brother) whilst he was working for Jersey Builders at new Marrett Court. Made £3 a week for six weeks, £18 in total not bad at all.

 

Left school after attaining six ‘O’ level GCE’s (  maths, physics, English language, scripture, history and geography) and doing one year in the sixth form science (just six of us) studying for ‘A’ levels Maths (pure & applied, statistics,& dynamics) and ‘A’ level physics( still have all my notes and loved maths). Did not want to leave the Island to go to University and still don’t regret my decision even though it sounds great.

 

Went and learned my trade as a joiner for two and half years. My Dad died early  in the first year I was there. After two and a half years I left suddenly of my own accord as felt confined in the workshop and the long hours 57 hour week when I started but down to 52.5 hours when I left for £7 8s per week. I went picking potatoes by hand at various farms around the Island (Daisy hill Farm, Val Au Bec Farm etc) for 6/- an hour whilst the French workers received 5 /-, I think because they were live in. After all my earlier problems I suddenly found I was quite tough compared to other teenagers of the same age and never shied away from any physical task thrown at me. Maurice in Latin means “Persistent" and the motto that keeps me going when times get hard is “ To rest is not to conquer”.

 

At the end of that summer I joined our family coal & haulage business being run by Uncle Frank on behalf of us because my father had died suddenly and even though myself and  my brothers  and sisters had inherited half of the business we decided to continue it with Uncle Frank at the helm. He was only in his mid fifties and if E.Troy Ltd would have had to cease he would be in a bad position and my father would not have wanted that, that’s why we made that decision. I worked as a coalman mostly with Bob Carlyon, (I did all the carrying as he was in his late fifties) till I passed my heavy goods licence then worked alone as an ordinary employee. E.Troy Ltd was the only coal firm that would deliver to the coal fired  high rise flats (the old Elysee Estate, Nicholson Park, Le Geyt flats, Clarence Court etc), no lifts, to which I would deliver seven ton alone on a Saturday in open 1 cwt bags finishing late in the evening. We were the only coal merchant that would deliver there as the open bags had to be carried up all the stairs on your back. E. Troy was not only a coal merchant but also a haulage contractor which also meant carting meat, salt, tar, building materials etc. If hired by Gas Co, JEC etc on road works everything was loaded with a shovel by hand and the driver had to load as well. After just over three years I joined my brother Dick as a plasterer’s labourer looking after as many as six plasterers at one time on my own. Soon started using the tools and ended up plastering having my own labourer. I met Valerie  during this time and drove taxis in the evenings for Val’s uncle at George’s cabs at St. Mary where she worked on the radio.

 

 

The Island coal merchants amalgamated, Dennis joined Dick and myself and we formed a business called  “Troy Bros” ‘which branched into building houses, extensions etc all around the Island. Dick left to become a States of Jersey building inspector and Dennis and I branched into dry lining. During this time I became the first thistle bonder (with certificate) being trained for one week on site by a man flown over from British Gypsum Ltd arranged by Brian Wilkinson  of Normans Ltd. I then went on to do price work for them. Worked on the British Airways offices, Mont es Croix, Causie Lane, Cheval Roc Hotel, G.R Langlois’s Guildway houses etc. till I realized that the long hours( Saturdays & Sundays) and the hard work did not warrant the money being earned. At one time I was offered more money to work for G.R Langlois and Jersey North construction  but stayed working with Dennis. I thistle bonded the new extension at Cheval Roc Hotel with 9ft x 4ft half inch boards on my own for 17p a square yard but when being paid it was changed to per metre. That made a big difference to the wage. I had worked really hard evening and weekends and I was just married. Troy Bros were the first and only firm to have and use the USA Ames taping tools in Jersey.

 

During this time whilst still single I built my own bungalow in St Lawrence, on a plot of land called Royal Vineries in St Lawrence which I managed to buy from my good friend and school chum the late Michael Journeaux. Worked in the evenings (with a Tilly lamp, no electricity) and weekends (it nearly killed me) and when almost finished married Valerie on the  7/1/1971.

 For eight months through the summer of 1972 there was not much work going on so I worked full time for Roseville Cabs run by Mr Snow Hamon. It was £26 per week plus tips, which doubled that amount especially around Jersey Battle of Flowers week. It was a 76 hour week though (lots of stories I could tell about experiences I had). Went back to working in the building trade on price work and wrote to Jersey Telecoms during this time for any vacancy but none was available at the time, but six months later while dry lining the Jersey Hockey Club I received a letter asking if I was interested in a position to work on overhead poles. Went for the interview and got it. Take a look at my life at Jersey Telecom.

 

 

Above and below: The mushroom bollards my brother Dick and myself put in at Quennevais Parade in 1968. Still there today.

Website administrator Maurice R. Troy

Loading by hand the hard way.

Beaulieu Convent School at about  1951. The year I started.

Above: Maurice at Beaulieu Convent School in1951. I am third from the left in middle row behind my friend Graham Le Breuilly in gray trousers. I know the names of almost every boy in the photo.

Above: Maurice at De La Salle College about 1956. I am second from the left in the middle row and this was form 2A with form master Brother Francis. I know the names of every boy in this picture.

Right: Me at eight years old with Timmy our cat at our home 28, Samares Avenue.

 

Left is me on my tricycle I can still remember it.

 

Below right is me taken in 1958 with my  Dutch rabbit  Jasper.

 

Below left: Me at three and a half

This is me at eight. years of age

Val and me in 1977

 

This is me on my first day at Beaulieu Convent School taken at home.

My three daughters above and with my mum their granny below.

Me on the beach playing with the waves. 

Whenever my mum and dad took me out usually on a Sunday I always wore my school uniform. Taken in 1953

 

Me at 36 years of age

Above is me with Joey my budgerigar and Trixie our Welsh Corgi. Note the granite seat  that I still have and the hole in my jeans.

 

Right is me and Mary with Trixie our Corgi.

 

 

Left: Me at nearly three

Marked out the curve by steering my Ford Cortina estate while Dick marked the tarmac. Picture taken 2006

Left: Maurice just starting at De La Salle College outside my first classroom called “Shell A” in 1953  I am seated the second left to the late Madame Durand my first teacher there. The one with the skinny legs sitting badly.

Me performing in the De La Salle Garden Fete, I’m the one on the top being the lightest and me on stage at the Opera House St Helier at the school concert (Toad of Toad hall).

Below is me at seventeen

Me with my two sisters Anne (she was an extremely good runner) and Mary in the FB playing fields about 1947.

Left: Me in Guernsey on Castle Cornet aged 20.

Avenue party

If you have any comments you would like to add about anything on this website please contact the website administrator.

 

 

 

maurice@troyfamily.co.uk

Me aged thirteen on the beach at Greve d’Azette with my mum and dad’s friend we called uncle Bino from Italy

A self portrait I took at thirteen years old, note that granite seat in the background again.

Growing up in Samares Avenue there was a great community spirit. This was our coronation party in 1952

Some of my best friends when growing up were Des Lagadu, Graham Le Breuilly, Peter Robins. Stuart Lyons, Roger Bree and Mike Journeaux

Me with my sisters Anne and Mary with Mary’s French  friend Madeleine.

I ( aged 19 )am on the extreme right in a knobbly knees competition at the Chateau Plaisir St Ouen. I didn’t win.

Myself with my brother Dennis’s fiancée soon to be wife and Roger my best friend.

Opposite our family at Samares lived Mr & Mrs Lagadu with a larger family. We were very close and I grew up with Pam and Des as my best friends. My sister Mary married Clarry their brother and both families are still very close.

Above is a picture of my brother-in law Clarry just back from a ride on his Harley Davidson 1450cc Low Rider

Graham behind my dad’s car below

Rev Brother Edward Founder and Headmaster 1917-1950  of DE La Salle College. Died 1960 aged 80

Rev Brother Richard was Head when I started. I  have most of the Jersey De La Salle Lasallian magazines from 1951 onwards.

Above: My Manx cat Ginger and Trixie our Corgi.

At seven years old

At thirteen years old

I love to repair and restore old clocks, some bought over from France

Amongst them around the farm is my fathers and one from a the Royal Navy Ark Royal and they are all in working order.

Note:

 

 

My new troyfamily co.nz

 

 web site has started .

Graham Le Breuilly died aged 46 in 1994 at his home in Australia

The lads, left to right Des, Mike, Peter and myself on a night out.

The Troy Brothers with their uncle Maurice.

Left to right. Maurice (me), Dennis, Uncle Maurice and Richard (Dick)

There was nothing that together the three of us could not do.