Item Type: Letters & Manuscripts

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The Cuba Street Memories Project

Recollections

4th Nov 2020 1:23PMComment submitted by "longwhitekid" to the Cuba Street Memories Project on 31st May 2013.

"Great oral history memories of this early department store institution. Thankfully they were captured before lost."

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Memories from Don Ratcliffe, a James Smiths messenger boy, 1920 - 1921

Letters & Manuscripts

TitleThe memories of Don Ratcliffe, James Smiths messenger boy, 1920 - 1921Author/ContributorDonald Ratcliffe (1906 - 1990)CollectionThe Cuba Street Memories ProjectDate writtenAugust 1978Place of originWellingtonDescription

This manuscript was written in August 1978 by Don Ratcliffe who was employed at the James Smiths department store at both its first location (when it was known as 'Te Aro House' on the corner of Dixon Street and what it today Cuba Mall) and its subsequent location on the corner of Cuba Street and Manners Street (James Smiths Corner) . He spent his early life at 287 Ohiro Rd, Brooklyn where he lived with his twin brother Bennet and his parents Isabella and Rueben (also known as Donald) Ratcliffe. His father worked as a compositor with the Evening Post until his retirement in 1930. Donald and Bennet were born in 1906 and Don died in 1990 at the age of 84 so was 72 when this was written. The photo is dated 1919 and was extracted from a Brooklyn School class photograph.

The text was transcribed from an original hand-written script by his third daughter Cathie E. and submitted to the Cuba Street Memories Project on 22nd November 2008.

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Memories from Don Ratcliffe, a James Smiths messenger boy, 1920 - 1921