大象传媒

When I was aged 29 years I was working at BAC (Bristol Aeroplane Company) in the wages department. In those days the factory workers were paid in cash every week. The money would arrive in lorries. They would carry it into the offices in boxes. There were just thousands of pounds coming into the works a couple of days a week. This would then have to be checked by myself and someone else after me, to make sure that we had received exactly what we were supposed to have received.

Then it was made up into each individual鈥檚 wages, (I did the wages for Filton three packets a minute!) and after it was checked we sealed the envelopes and packed them back into boxes to be taken to the strong room downstairs, accompanied by the Company Policeman. Later on in the week the boxes would be collected and taken out to the different departments to be paid out. If the money, after being counted, did not balance, then the whole process had to be repeated.

In Filton House, we were already situated down in the basement, so if we took a direct hit we would not be hurt. There was a glass dome at the top and this would have got shattered if we were bombed. Luckily this did not happen. Someone had to stay with the money all of the time. This system continued until I retired in October 1971.

I worked in this department for thirty years, until my retirement at 6o years of age. Decimalisation had started in the February of 1971, and I had to stay until the October to complete my thirty years. At my leaving presentation I was given a gold watch, flowers, tyres for my car and various other things.

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