大象传媒

January 1940, I am 14 years old. I had started night school in 1939, during my past year at school, we learnt what to do when the air raid warning sounded (quite exciting) also, evacuees started arriving. January 1940, I started my apprenticeship at WHH Robertsons as a mechanical engineer. The factory was sited where priory motors are now. We were on this site throughout the war. I was working eight and a half hours daily in the small parts division, shown how to look after two automatic machines. After 9-12 months moved to the heavy machine shop. At fifteen years old was operating mass horizontal boring machine. All machines drive off one pine shaft. Gradually I move to bigger machines, During this time I worked on all sorts of machines for the Steel works. To mention two items I worked on were doors and frames for tanks, as well as crank shaft cases for the invasion barges. At this time I also became old enough to be called up for the forces, but as I was in a reserved occupation, I carried on working for essential work. When the war was finished in 1945, men returned to the factory from the forces and I was released to do my national service. At first I was quite apprehensive of this, but I never regretted my two and a half years in the RAF. I returned to my former work at WHH Robertsons, for a further twenty eight years, this I will mention to the february meeting in 2006 if possible.

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