大象传媒

My last year at school was at Willow Grove in Felling, where lessons were different from the Carlisle school, putting me behind my studies but I coped as best I could, and was pleased when, at the age of 14, I left. Finishing on Friday I started work in the International Paints factory on Monday morning. The firm supplied me with overalls, clogs and gloves but the overalls were far too big for me, as I was small in stature, so my mother had to alter them by various means, to make them look reasonable. My job, in the Varnish making department, was to take away the rubbish from this department when the materials had been used. Empty paper bags, Hessian bags that had contained resins, wooden casks, tins and oil drums were all included. The empty barrels, I took to an old man, who as a copper by trade, and he repaired them before they were sent back to the material manufacturers. I was fascinated watching him work.

On one occasion three of us were instructed to take a load of empty canisters on a four wheeled bogie to a department at the top of an inclined road,. After completing this task we decided to ride back down the hill instead of walking, and I elected to drive or street this vehicle by means of a metal bar at the front, which was attach茅 to a swivel that turned the front wheels. There were no brakes on the wheels, as it was supposed to be pushed or pulled at walking pace. Off we started but soon began to pick up speed, and then it was travelling too fast to jump off. By this time my heart was in my mouth as we approached the junction.

I decided to turn right but the speed was too fast to negotiate the turn, and the bogie overturned and threw us head over heels to the ground. Fortunately none of us were seriously hurt, just a few bumps and bruises, but as we picked ourselves up. There was the foreman who promptly suspended us for one week.

On another occasion while filling a container with White Spirit, a highly inflammable liquid, it slipped and I was soaked with this spirit. I went into the building beneath the Varnish Making Department and stood in front of a heating element to dry my overalls. A few of my mates were in there and as I was drying, one of them said if someone threw a lighted match at me I would go up in a blue light. Another laughed saying it was untrue. Well try, said the first which he duly did, and sure enough I burst into flames. Luckily a man was passing by at that time and he smothered me in an overcoat putting the flames out. Fortunately I only suffered singed hair and eyebrows.

One of my other jobs was to go round the factory roofs with a man examining the sand buckets to make sure they were ready for use to extinguish and incendiary bombs that may fall on the buildings.

My wages were3 19/6 per week (97.5p) and I received 2/6 (12.5p) pocket money. My first thought with all this newfound wealth, I would buy a Gramophone on weekly terms, it was a small green portable with a handle to wind it up. Jack Jackson was the radio disc jockey at the top song was 鈥淗ere is my Heart鈥� sung by Al Martino, so naturally this was my first record. But as I could not afford to buy any more, as my pocket money would not stretch that far, paying weekly for the Gramophone etc. I played this constantly to the annoyance of everyone.

The working hours were 8am Till 5pm with one hour for dinner. One could take raw potatoes and an egg, and the canteen staff would make you egg and chips. Alternatively you could buy a canteen dinner although this was meatless due to meat being rationed.

If any employee clocked in one minute after 8am fifteen minutes pay was deducted from the wages, so the late comers, not wanting to lose any time, ran to get in before eight, and the noise of their clogs was deafening as they stampeded to the factory gates.

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Jim Salveson from the CSV Action Desk on behalf of John Lumsdon and has been added to the site with his / her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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