Old Workman (Episode 359)

The Old Workman and his younger colleague emptied Martha Longhurst's house at 7 Mawdsley Street of its belongings after her sudden death in May 1964. The young lad was contemptuous of the damp and the smell of the poor property but the older man assured him that he would see worse than that in his job and that it was a palace compared to some he knew. He also had to explain to the youngster that one of the objects awaiting collection was a Gladstone bag and got angry with the lad when he extracted from it one of Martha's stockings with a whistle, feeling that he was showing disrespect to the dead.

They were interrupted by neighbour Len Fairclough who demanded to know what was going on. The older man informed Len that Clarrie Butterworth of the Dick Street Furniture Market had bought all the contents in a job lot from Lily Haddon and they had to clear the items today as someone else was moving in tomorrow - even though it was also the day of Martha's funeral.