Families
We lived on Green Lane at number 4. Next door was my dad's butchers shop, 'F .A .Booth Family Butcher'. Dad was known as Sonny Booth by those who had known him since childhood, as Alan Booth since his friendship and subsequent marriage to my Mum, Dora, and Fredrick Alan Booth was the name on his birth certificate.
He left school at 13 and served his apprenticeship with Randerson's at Wickersley Crossroads next door to where he lived.
This was in the mid 1920's when cars were very few and far between. Delivery was made to customers with a horse and cart
or bicycle. Dolly was the name of the grey pony they had for many years and she knew the round very well, stopping at
every customer's house on the regular route. His nephew remembers helping Uncle Sonny with deliveries on the butcher's
bike with the big basket on the front. Pigs were bred at the rear of Pear Tree Cottage, his family home, becoming a
valuable source of food during the Second World War.
Pear Tree Cottage
Sonny Booth became the village slaughter man and this together with his butchery skills made his profession a 'reserved'
one and he was not called upon to join the armed services. Instead he was a member of the local fire brigade, keeping
Wickersley safe from the risk of fire. It was during this time he became the partner of another butcher by the name of Les
(sorry I cannot remember the family surname, only that he retired to Bridlington in the 1960's). Les was called up to join
the armed services leaving his wife to take over the partnership with Sonny.
In 1946 he married Dora Allen, daughter of builder Ernest & Clara Allen of Allendale Road, Rotherham.
They went to live next door to the shop at number 4.
Sometime during the early 1950's he bought a plot of land at the far end of Northfield Lane from the
Lister family and
built a piggery, keeping as many as a hundred pigs at one time. He was a member of the original Wickersley Show Committee running the Pig Section
until the late 1950's.
Together with his brother Harold (Scamp) Booth he was a keen motor enthusiast and I believe he took part in the scrambling
events in Listerdale Woods. He was also a keen follower of Speedway.
I was born in 1957 and spent many happy hours 'helping' dad in the shop. He had a van to take out the deliveries. Mum drove the van and he was also assisted by Mick Taylor who lived in The Grove, Doris Craggs from Quarryfield Lane and by 1963 he had an apprentice called David Emsley from Melcis Road.
By about 1969 Dad had decided to give up the business and went to work for local supermarket owner Arthur Blackham who had shops in Maltby and at the Brecks. Frederick Alan Booth died 01/01/1971 aged 61.
by Elizabeth Brown (nee Booth)
Obituary January 1971
Mr Frederick Alan (Sonny) Booth of 115, Northfield Lane, Wickersley, died at his home last Friday after a short illness. He was 61, Mr Booth was born in Wickersley and had lived there all his life. He had a butcher's shop at Green Lane, Wickersley, until 18 months ago when he became the butchery manager at Blackham's Supermarket at The Brecks. He was a founder member of Wickersley Show Society, and he retired from its committee in 1959. Mr Booth has always been keen on horses, and in his younger days competed in show jumping. During World War Two, Mr Booth was in the Auxillary Fire Station at Wickersley. He leaves a widow, Mrs Dora Booth and a daughter.
Cremation took place at Rotherham on Wednesday, following a service at St. Alban's Church, Wickersley, conducted by Rev J. Copeland (Vicar of Thurcroft).
The mourners were:
Mrs Booth and Elizabeth thank Dr's Peckitt, Ross and Hinchcliffe, Nurse Tomlinson and Nurse Walsh, Mrs Parkin and Mrs Anderson for attention and help; Rev. Copeland for kind words and beautiful service; relatives and friends for help and floral tributes; Rotherham Co-operative Society.