Open Writing

While I was working in the factory, the country was shaken by a number of national disasters in 1952. First the River Lyn in Devon broke its banks after an extreme rainfall. The flood descended on the lovely resort of Lynmouth, killing thirty-eight people.

Shortly afterwards, thirty people were killed when a jet plane crashed at the Farnborough Air Show. The following month a massive train crash killed over one hundred people at Harrow station. Then in December the thickest fog ever known in London brought the city to a standstill and indirectly caused the death of several thousands of people. One paper headline read, "What next?"

The answer to that was the Great - but often forgotten - Storm of January 1953. Said to be the most serious storm that ever hit the east coast of England, it destroyed thousands of homes and killed over 500 people.

Fortunately, the only way the adverse weather affected me was when cycling to work. I remember regularly struggling up Victoria Road against a westerly gale, and getting off and walking when the fog was so bad on the road near Jarrow Slake. Soakings due to the rain were common, but one afternoon when it snowed very heavily, bikes were left at work and riders travelled home by bus or train.

There was a growing number of strikes in the engineering industry during the fifties. Trade Union membership in the factory was fairly strong and most fitters supported a one-day national strike in 1953. Apprentices weren't allowed to strike, and we worked in a near-deserted factory under the supervision of foremen and managers. Not much work was done that day.

The next stop in my apprenticeship tour was in a test department. By definition, this was a non-productive department and therefore it meant time work. That was bad enough but in my opinion, the allocation of apprentices to test departments was unwarranted. The tester's job was to carry out a detailed controlled test of switchgear equipment on a specially built test rig. They didn't need an apprentice or want one, so all we did was stand and watch.

On top of that, the tester often disappeared for hours without a word of explanation, so the apprentices did the same. I spent hours in the toilet reading textbooks and doing homework. Nobody missed me.

I stood this for six weeks but then went to see John Gray, the Apprentice Training Officer, not to complain, but to ask for a move. He was very understanding and two weeks later it was back to an assembly department.

My next three months on the learning curve were concerned with multi-coloured wires. Reyrolles made many control boards which housed the instruments assembled in the Relay Department.

The rear of these control boards was a mass of hundreds of different coloured and numbered wires. These had to be cut to length, terminals fitted and attached to respective contacts on each instrument as per the wiring diagram.

Work in the Control Board Department was interesting for anyone who had nimble fingers and who wasn't colour blind. The company never tested anyone for colour blindness and I often thought of the consequences of the lack of such a test.

One thing I couldn't help noticing in whatever department I was working, was the strange correlation between the morning starting time and the need for so many fitters to visit the toilet. The first thing many did after removing their coat, was to pick up the morning paper and head for the nearest vacant cubicle. I'm sure some had a season ticket because every morning by 7.35 a.m. there was standing room only. Some didn't re-appear until well after 8.00 a.m. - yet the foreman said nothing.

While working in the factory, I continued to attend classes three nights a week. Most classes were held in Ocean Road Senior School (next to the old Marine School building) and early enrolment was always essential if you didn't want to attend on a Friday night.

During engineering drawing classes we used to talk amongst ourselves, and one evening we were discussing the problems of attending night classes. My colleague from work and school football days, Joe Woodcock, was in the same class. After a few moments serious thought, I remember him saying, "In the winter, if I decide to walk to classes, I have to pass four cinemas, three snooker halls, six public houses and two nightclubs. When the light nights are here, I've also got football and cricket matches. No wonder I sometimes don't make it."

He summed up the thoughts of many of the class. (It's interesting to recall that in the 1950's, being good at snooker was seen as an indicator of a mis-spent youth.)

Even if we did get to Ocean Road, the temptations of Minchella's Ice Cream and Coffee Bar (still there fifty years later) had to be resisted. In truth Minchella's was more famous for attracting students during the unofficial evening break. Many would leave for a coffee with good intentions, but only return at the end of the lesson to collect their books and papers.

In a way, it was a relief in later years, when the Grammar Technical (High School) in St Mary's Avenue was opened to accommodate the expanding number of evening class students.

However difficult it was attending evening classes, I managed to reach the necessary pass standard on Year 1 of the three-year Ordinary National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering course. This qualified me for day-release on the second year, which I found much more acceptable.

It was while studying on Year 2 of the course and approaching eighteen years of age, that I was called to interview by the Technical Panel to review my progress. The Panel consisted of two senior engineers and John Gray, the Apprentice Training Officer.

They questioned me about what I had been doing during the last two years and frowned when I told them about my cementing and fish-gluing experience. In spite of these reactions, they seemed satisfied with my progress, and it was agreed that I should commence work in the Drawing Office School in May 1953. If I continued to be successful with my studies, I would then proceed to the drawing office in September 1953.

Much was to happen before then.