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This story was submitted by Helen Hughes of the People's War team in Wales on behalf of John Bloxsome, and is added with his permission.

I was a schoolboy during the war at St Illtyd’s in Cardiff but I worked part time before going to school in the morning three days a week and on Saturday morning as a butcher’s boy for Poynton’s a shop in Broadway. I used to be late occasionally on the mornings when I worked….and I wasn’t the only one late! And Brother David who was the deputy headmaster of St Illtyd’s in those days — and a very fearsome man — threatened that the next boy who was late, he would have them up on the stage in front of the entire school on the day they were late and he would give them six of the best — three on each hand. So I wasn’t late ever…I was getting up early for a long long time. But one morning I overslept and I realised I might end up on the stage in front of all the other boys — so I put the meat through the letterboxes instead of knocking the door and handing the meat over to the housewife. But unfortunately a couple of the customers had dogs and I was reported to my employer! But fortunately she was very understanding and let me get away with it. I didn’t get the sack.

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