大象传媒

I left school aged 14 in April 1942 and started my first job with a family run business "Reliance Radio Supplies" in Thornton Heath.

Before I went to work at the radio shop I spent two hours each morning from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. learning to work a capstan lathe. I made brass elbows for tanks and screws for aircraft on an 'overtime basis' - I don't remember what my hourly rate was.

From when the shop opened at 9 a.m. my job was to deliver batteries, both accumulators and dry batteries, to homes around Thornton Heath and Croydon which had no electricity to run radios. Th accumulators had to be changed and taken back to the shop for recharging. I rode a three-wheeled box tricycle and was paid one pound a week.

This story was submitted to the People's war site by Sue Manning-Jones on behalf of Bob Newton, and has been added to the site with his permission. Bob fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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