Very enjoyable reading, keep going.
So Len and myself started our new short careerer in retail-help your self therapy yes I know it is wrong, and we were on a small amount of money however when you have nothing much for the children less for others in your family and yourself s you get to see things a bit different .and i think being in the industry we were in, where everything was free-gratis so to speak .it seemed that every one[ workman] I knew would take a bit of something. It is true “you will get hung for a lamb or sheep” or “a penny or pound” it is all the same it is the “intention” to steal ,rob ,thieve, theft, all wrong. however at the time it seemed right so if I am judged as a thief so be it,but next time you put that packet of sauce or sugar into your pocket “for later” from the restaurant /café is it stealing??
I do know for sure ,that my wife was absolutely against it for a start,even now even 34 years ago she will not like it,but the Christmas cake was nice…or talk about it.
Once we were back to the store we started to get into a routine, [I hate routine] I am a ■■■■ it see how it goes man, but I went along with it ,one job was sweeping the shop floor when the store was open ,with a massive double type soft broom,a fluff catcher,what we had to do was to make sure no one seen us who we new us.
We would be taking racks of clothes back up to the stores ,moving goods around ,general doing as asked ,the one job we were interested in was the foods dry goods ,we were not the only men there there was about 10 regulars men in employment with the company also some from the dole office on daily basis,the company realized they needed more staff so some came in for day work and some were a waste of space.
We again learned a art of “stealing clothes” of one of the young day workers ,what he would do was pick the shirts he wanted, go into the toilet put all the shirts or what he wanted underneath his original clothes just before home time ,he would look a bit fatter but who would know??
he was lucky we never seen him get caught.
In the store they had some really nice jackets ,about our size, I was bigger then than now ,so we knew we would not be able to try any on within the store so we had to get the right size each no point having a jacket to big or small, so at dinner time Len and myself went over to the Burton’s shop on the pretence of buying a jacket each, so we got to get the right size we needed.
Next we had to sort out what we were going to have away first the food or clothes, the food was first,tins ,cake ,Christmas puddings all the dry goods was stacked in racks in no order so during the day we would move the tins we wanted near to the end of the store room near the rubbish compactor. The rubbish compactor was the way we got the goods out of the store room. so we would then go round and collect all the rubbish we could find by the tills and all the shop rubbish bins and make sure we were well seen by staff as doing a good job ,also as it was winter time it was well dark out side.
To get out side we had to ask the security to let us out the store rear door to unload the lift, one of us would go round to the back of the store next to the unloading bay there was the big sliding doors to the lift that went down to ground level as no-one was allowed to carry anything at all down the rear steps, our job then was to unload the black bin liners from the lift with all the rubbish in and throw them into the big skip, the company had in its own skip place at the rear of the store. however we did not throw, we carefully placed the black sacks,to be retrieved later.
Loading the metal cylinder on the 3 rd floor that was called a compactor it was operated by a foot button to do the compacting it was powered by air,so it made a noise every time it was used once the lid was down ,however you were able for it to make the compacting noise without it actually compacting as it just sounded as if you were busy,we were all the time!!
it worked well for us, desperate times ,desperate measures after two weeks the Christmas brake came and we were told that we would not be needed after Christmas ,and that was the end of our shop work. It worked out very good for us all and I did not give a rats arse for the strike i now knew that if I had to I would be able to switch to some other employment,not that I would want to
I think shop work would be to tame for me as long term,also the stock would be short.
All my family had some very strange Christmas presents lots of scarf’s, and gloves ,the kids had matching pyjamas they were pleased with them if it had not been for the extra goods and the cash we would have been in a very sorry state. Even now I am not proud of what I did but it was just one of those things, that had to be done. I knew Len enjoyed the crack, it was a laugh for him and he knew it was serous to me ,that is why he came with me and it got him out of the house. Len was what you called a dark horse, he never moaned about anything ever always full of fun, never nasty, would and could be violent ,he had massive hands like a boxer it was Lens brother who was the [wide boy]slicked back hair,felt collar coats, dealer boots,one you kept on the right side of,however he was always quite when Len was around so you could joke about him,and know he would take it,but we only seen him around the pub,he did not live in the village ,[good job to] the shops would have been emptied…
Len severed in theWW2 but it was never mentioned, also the manager where we based he was also in the armyWW2 and the driver that got killed in the traffic accident going to Coventry was a prisoner of war in Singapore’s notorious Change jail in W. W. 2 .after serving all that time and ending up in a traffic accident.
We managed to keep our work adventure quite from all our work colleagues they were non the wiser and the strike rolled on into 1980 . After a time even before January most of the company’s had settled the pay dispute and were back to work, after time we eventually [the union] did and things were supposed to get back to normal.
We started to get back to taking goods to the docks and private wharves ,and most defiantly fiddling nights out,we were owed a lot of lost money ,our own fault,[yes] , did we care if we got it from the company [no] had we got any sense [no] we new the writing was on the wall. A ,lot of the car companies that were exporting started to adapt the sizes of the cases filled with car parts to fit in the 20foot [6 meters] or 40 foot[12 meters] long containers that we did not haul.
Although there was tons of case cars standing ready to go for export at the depot it appeared as if some orders had been lost and the export company were going to have to unpack them and reuse the goods for others .and be packed into containers,
It was not long after Christmas ,we had got our £5 that was over due,and the talk that some drivers were going to be made redundant on a [last in first out ] meaning the longest serving drivers would be kept on and the newer ones would have to leave, also it meant that company would not have to pay as much redundant payment for the men with the shortest service. with the company. what helped me in the first redundancy was that my service with the Banbury B. R .S was added on to my service with Mortons as it was the same Nationalised company [sort of]when it suited them .
We had to then do all kinds of work local and export you did not know from one day to another and the nights out were getting less, and the fiddles as well. It got to be near summer holidays around June where there came another wave of men who they had got to let go I was in that batch, I am glad I hung on in and waited ,and not left before the actual redundancy came ,as a few men had got themselves other jobs and left and lost out of any payment,however small, Len was safe for the moment as he had got longer service than me. It took a while to get used to the idea that I would now have to look for employment also I knew there was very little work around our area especially within the road haulage .
Not forgetting a nice little sum of money coming our way, that was not to be overlooked ,however I knew it would not take long for it to disappear very quick .
You were allowed to sign on the dole as soon as your were finished work however getting money was another thing, although you had a lump sum paid to you there were entitlements that you would be able to claim ,that is what I did and did not feel guilty at all .
So the day came and my service was no longer required a few of us went to the local pub and enjoyed the day with a nice wage packet and a cheque, some of the men were working so we had their beer. I think I was driven home safely,well I am still here so I must have been, and a new chapter of my working life was about to begin ,if you have been board reading what I have all ready wrote the next 22 years coming up may be a little better or not.
?what I said before is all true, as this next saga rolls out, I found doing the work that I did quite interesting and new .follow me.
After the initial feeling of having some money had worn off , it had not worn off ,but we had to be careful as we both new it could well be a time before I managed to get employment that I wanted although I new beggars cannot be choosers so I would see what hand would be dealt me .
We had now got a house phone installed and that was important. And I used the local papers to look out for any type of work, I had rang round all of the local transport companies some I would not have ever worked for but I knew I would have to change my working ways. However it was all a waste of time. There were quite a lot of factory’s in the local area doing all kinds of work but they did not need anyone. I was offered a one chance, at some casual driving and that was with the local skip/scrap man .i thought once and said I would do it , in my head I thought .■■■■ me what have I come down to, but it did not take me long to get into the swing of things, he showed me once how to pick a loaded skip up, and how to unload it at the skip tip site ,also how to carry 3 skips in each other for dropping off at wherever they were needed,and the best job was picking up cars for the crusher,that was good ,your got near to the car first you had to make sure it was the right car you had to takeaway if it was at a property ,you just smashed the windows in with the hook on the chain then chain it up through the doors, and over the roof and lift it up off the ground with the 2 arms on the back of the lorry that lifted the skip in place on the lorry bed ,but it was a car this time not a skip,all the broken glass would have stayed inside the car ,you hoped, and away you went…
It was not that simple ever time some of the cars would be in the back of a farm yard ,or in another scrap yard, normally full of scrap and ■■■■, mud,then you earned your tax free money,especial if it was ■■■■■■■ with rain.
You would sometimes have to pull and drag them out sideways all the tyres being pulled of the rims but you just got on with it I did realise after a time that I quite liked being destructive I really enjoyed it. He is me, mister “do everything by the road law “now being total opposite from what I had been doing for the last 12 ish years, no road tax ,no log books ,no tachograph, completely not me although I used to break the company law ,not the road law, that would involve the police or ministry of transport , I was on the edge all the time in the skip lorry .but it did work out very good some weeks I would have 3 days work, no tax good money, yes I worked for it I did not count the hours,and new I had to just get on with it that I did, although I would not have liked the job permanent ,some men loved that type of work not me.
After time it was getting that I would have to find a permanent job even if it meant going further away from my area and living in B$B somewhere now was the time I wished I had been good at maths and English as I think that gives you a good basis to take most exams. i had even thought I would go to collage ,school ,to learn maths. but that was looked into and not possible as the collage was far away and the cost etc.
I kept going to the job centrer 3days a week some weeks,and in the end it was going to pay off I hoped ,and it did ,there was a job at the Engine Manufacturing Factory going as a Material Handler at ■■■■■■■■■■■ Daventry 8 miles away I did know some men who worked there but they were all skilled men as far as knew. so I was given a date and time for a interview, I thought for ■■■■■ sake what am I doing, going for a job you have no idea what it is ,what is required of me and a factory of all places locked inside for 8 hours a day however beggars cannot be choosers.
More more more!!! Get typing 
This next small chapter of my working life does go back to driving. if you were around driving in the early 1980s you would know.our beloved TGWU…W—ERS.
The day arrived for my interview, dressed up smart, [if you went for a drivers job all smart you would never get it you had to have good working gnarled black hands, big boots ,jeans covered in grease] I think I even had a tie on ,when you think about it what does it matter what you look like as you are going to be in overalls and covered in some kind of muck ,well that is what I thought at the time.
The interview went well I took all my previous work paper work from jobs not a lot also, my MN .discharge book all VERY GOOD discharge stamps = ability and conduct…, and ships steering cert, lifeboat certificate EDH =AB.and other useless bumf but it looked good they had no idea what was what ,and they did not ask… and it seemed to be all right I was not asked to do any tests so that was good, so then I was asked would I like to go around the factory to see what the job entailed so all eyes and ears and said yes. well,first thing to hit me was the noise of all kinds of massive machines doing all kinds of engineering tasks to engine blocks in their shell form, as if just arrived from the foundry where they were cast in the USA.
Big lumps of steel that were moved along a steel roller track,with drilling, shaving, boring ,machines at benches at different places along the track being operated by men in goggles, and ear muffs. I though wow have I got to operate a machine, but no, that was skilled work, it turned out my job along with 3 others on each shift was to keep the waste material from building up under the machines,that had been machined off the engine block, so as the operator of the machine did not waste time doing that job,or to cleaver to do it… .part 1
part2 Some of the blocks that were finished at certain work stations along the track built up at different stages of the operation so either some men were held up waiting for the next one or vis-Ã -vis .so either a massive overhead crane was used to move them on or it was done by fork lift
so the task for me was ,[1 ]learn to drive the massive overhead crane that spanned the whole of the
factory floor , it had two cranes one each end and then learn to drive the fork lift[properly not like we did in transport yards] with proper instruction by a health and safety company man .Two things straight away occurred to me [1] I have a big problem taking any kind of instruction] 2 anyone watching me meaningfully puts me in a [you can f–k off mode] so I thought , for once you do not know anything about the job just go along with it and see. and the 3rd part was using a shovel and
wheelbarrow, that I was good at .no exsperance required
They then took me around all the factory from start to finish , to see the engine blocks, theycome in on a tilt lorry from Felixstowe to end up being a massive finished engine [not lorrys] they were to big .well then they were KV 12 KV16S COULD BE MARINE [WET FLYWHEEL]
I straight away sussed out that there was a clean part of the manufacture and a dirty one i was in the dirty one.
After the tour, the humming noise of a factory had my ears buzzing,very strange ,so then I was taken to see the shift foreman who would be my boss ,as I would have to learn all the jobs on day shift before you go on nights understandable as it all was like clock work, work. I could not believe who sat in front of me [the foreman] was a man I knew from 1959 we had only just left school we were 15, I worked with him on my second job I had before I went to sea. At a timber factory based in a old massive private house called FAWSLY PARK, in fact he worked on the saws and I in the creosote pit dipping all timber goods by hand stood in a pit all day with wellies only no other protective gear then ,who said creosote was dangerous in never did me any harm .well not yet 6 months I did that… now it is a big private gymnasium club country house i had not been offered the job yet it was up to foreman ,well that was soon sorted and the job was mine [another big mistake].
I got along with the training very well in fact I enjoyed it as I had been used to cranes and fork lifts and just getting into the rhythm of being in a factory and not being able to just clear off and have a tea or ■■■ there was always some one waiting on your next move as your job was a material handler and that is what I became after a few months training I held a fork lift certificate and a 20 ton crane handlers certificate within the company,that was the new word for me to get my head around everything was the Company. I had never been a company’s man before but I was drifting that way.
If you have never been inside a large factory I will try to explain what the size is like also the crane==
If you can imagine that you are in a oblong room ,look up to the ceiling and look where the wall meets the ceiling and come down 2 foot with your eye and imagine that there is a massive steel beam or girder going from one end to the other both sides on the walls, held up by straight steel girders about 10 foot apart,and on the top of the steel is a rail, like a railway track all the length of the girder …with me?next, there is a steel beam going across the space from one side to the other, and on that is two steel beams joined together ,in-between the 2 beams is a massive cotton reel type engine ,with a steel cable hanging down to the floor with a big hook on the end also a electrical cable hanging down to just above the floor that is the control cable with a box at the end with buttons on it to use for all types of movement of the crane .
The crane works the same as =in a amusement arcade there are grab type machines that will go forward or back and left and right to pick toys up,that you control ,that is the same actions as the works crane.
Also if you see the size of a Olympic swimming pool. That is the size area of this factory.[analogy]
right
so after 2 months of getting used to all the workings I think I have got the job sorted in my head I am ready to go on to a shift, although I have 3 months probationer .and I have now joined the engineering union. That is a must from the company you have no option. but I did not get a new
shovel, as I was the new man I spent a lot of time clearing all the shavings up,it is called [swarf]
steel or metal fillings [scrap].
This is very good reading. Top man.
Thank you, i am having computer problems at the momment,my own doing .the quick fix that never works so i went back to factory settings and ,well start over again allthough i have writing on a stick…
Fantastic stuff there Vic, hope you get your tec problems sorted out soon…
Jeff…
Great stuff ‘DBP’ please keep this thread going
Regards
Dave Penn;
■■■■■■■■■ 1
Once I got into the rhythm of shift work, I soon realised that there was competition between the
shift foreman with each other and the machinist on each shift , who gets most production done on each shift. [how stupid] but there was ,and the person who would determine the end of shift performance was the lowly material handler .
Engine block size [analogy] if you look at a ordinary bath in a house and see it as a square. imagine another bath the same size placed on top of the first one upside down ,so you now have a steel box, hollow. Imagine that now that looks like a oblong steel engine block ,but inside there is like tunnels and caves moulded within the steel ,and rough edges, all around it so you can see through it from all different angles .and you wonder how did they mould it together as looking like one whole structure they had one end as a open bottom .so if turned upside down you would see how it was done, a labyrinth of galleries that took the different parts of the engine to be assembled later on ,also the channels for the lubricant oils and they had machines that would drill, and refine all the inside .i do not know how much weight the block lost,once they were working on them but it was a lot for the amount of [swarf ]that used to come of them .steel shavings.
When the block first arrived in the factory it must have weight 1,500 kilos or one and half tons. when it left the machine shop it looked slim ,slick,i am not sure of the weight loss but substantial .
It was how many complete engine blocks would have been machined and finish and ready for the other part of the build. And that was done by clearing blocks from the stations where the men were working, trouble was some men held back with production while some had none,as the blocks were not ready ,so that would start the foreman off ,throwing wobbles and it was us handlers would get moaned at as we were not keeping production up and who was the worst at it [my new friend, my old friend the one who give me the job] so we clashed,i would not take ■■■■ of no one ,I would say ,look at that chap,he is the one who held us up excreta he was holding on to his block he was working on ,[finished] what he had to do and did not want to start another block as that meant setting all machine up and by the time he had done that he would not have time to start working and it would be ready for the other shift,[■■■■■■■ It went on and on pure silliness.
The rivalry even crept into our small band of handlers,the fork lift would be left with flat batteries and not changed over for the next shift, you would then be playing catch up all shift. and we were always last to be finished when it was time to go,all because of the men on the shop floor not playing the game,after every shift you had to change your c overhauls ,they were black with machine dust and your hands were like a coal miners. most of the machinist there always got cleaned up and ready for the off at least by a quarter of a hour before home time that ■■■■■■ me off as a lot could have been done to help us out, but they never did.
After about a year there I was one of the team,well my own team ,i had got the job sorted, and checked things before I started work ,like make sure the batteries are charged,[silly I know but it worked] finding the wheelbarrow and brush ,daft yes ,but necessary as your so called mates would just abandon gear you needed, and my not so B N F Foreman would be on the ball straight as shift started, so I would be one step ahead,and it worked also I would work through my dinner break [no one would know,or even notice,]just to get out of work clean and on time ,as I was now sharing a car with 3 men from the same village [we were all on the same shirts different jobs though] and it worked ,as I could eat my dinner at any time [ the dinner I had at the time was very small and low in calories ,as I was on blood pressure tablets 1000, calories a day ,it was a ladies diet, however I was overweight ] as we were like butterflies everywhere on the shop floor I soon got the weight down.
I had got my head on two things,well three really but there was no transport work around so I thought make the best of what you have got or get out.
The get out was =join the prison service as a prison officer [warder] I had looked into it in depth? and there was one man living in the village and I got to know him quite well then,[do not ask me his name now I have no recollection ] and he gave me insight as much as he could into the job. He was a chef so was a bit different but he did start on the[ wings, landings] prison term.
After I had made the first moves for a application form things started to move quite quick. i do know that reverences were checked from previous employers all of them from20 years [not CW KNIGHT] I left them out. I did think though ,after all what went on when I was on strike and helping our selves to goods , [stealing] perhaps it was not the right thing to do ,but I was not going to beat myself up over it what will be will be.
The big day arrived and I was asked to report to a Borstal near WELLINGBOROUGH I do recall i was a bit on the nervous side, but not ■■■■■■■■ myself, just going into the unknown .and getting in my head to call everyone sir, eventually there were about 20 of men. All seated around a massive circular table ,well stood up, until told to sit by the enormous prison officer with a hat on just like they wear in the army guards units the peak was covering nearly all his noise you immediately thought “■■■■■ but a tough one so we did as we were told , we were given papers, told you start when told and stop the same and got on with it .
Well the first page was kids stuff then it got harder,and harder ,and I knew i was now out of my league in the end I had not go a clue as to some of the papers so I just sat back and waited until we were told to stop. I knew I was out so I did not feel bad at all .everything seems easy until you are put out of your normal level and comfort zone. However after a time some of were told to stand and leave, so I was not on my own. Out of the room I was told to follow this officer, still no idea what for .anyway he said the governor would like to see me so I go into a room and a lady is sat there a governor ,and tells me that all my previous work history and background is what is required by them and I would fit in etcetera, however my English and Maths were of a twelve year old,s standard, go to night school and reapply when you get up to GCSE standard. Goodbye and that was it.
So home I go, a bit disappointed, but I knew before I went what my standard was like so nothing new as you may be able to tell by how ,and what ,I type now,[ lol] and I now knew that I would have to carry on at the factory just like all the others, in actual fact I was no different from any of the men there all though most were skilled men at what they did and apprentice trained,.
I had been about a bit and I felt I needed to get on ,and get a better in the factory there was a opportunity within the factory to get promoted for the skilled men however I needed to learn new skills but they would recruit skilled men from outside before they would give in house training on the machines .
So my time in the machine shop was up for me I wanted to move on to engine build department and that was going to be a wait, as it was a better clean job but with no immediate vacancy, and also others were waiting to move into that department.
I knew that there would be a lot of competition from all the workers not classed as tradesman for a internal transfer to the build department ,so I asked one of the engine build workers I knew, if there was any company reading material showing and describing the sequence of the engine build so I could in theory be able to describe engine parts and where they went and show I was interested I would go and ask for it and I was given it.
I had to stay where I was for the time,in the engineering shop the smell of the lubricant oil they used did not get any sweeter . I did not dislike working at the factory at all, I was thinking it is better that pounding up and down the roads ,nice and dry,however I was always getting drawn to the doors ,to get out of the factory, I could at lest see the doors,some men. Stayed at their work station all of their shift on the same machine doing the same work day in and out.
They were highly trained 5 year apprentice-ship time served men. but now their skilled work was done by computers and they just programmed their work orders to the machine and let it get on with it.
I did let the human resources department know that I would like to move departments, over to the engine build ,i was sure that if the B N F foreman knew I wanted to move he would block it . I was told that they were only recruiting experienced engine from outside as it took to long to train in house men up to their standard, however there maybe a vacancy soon in the stores department maybe I would like to go for that so I said yes please. but I would still have to have a interview with the relevant head of the department and no guarantee I would get the job as departments did not like taking men from one department to another, also outside recruiting would take place for the job.
The Falklands war was taking place ,and there seemed to be a sort of buzz around the factory men talking in groups at break times ,it just seemed as if their was a together spirit about the place a nice change. small union flags would appear on walls,all ex service men walking ramrod straight .all wanting to go and stick it in the Argentines, but all to old but willing ,i thought, among all the workers in the whole factory I would bet anything that I was the only person ever who had been to Argentina, but I never let on, I was waiting for anyone to say “yea I was there”,but no one did so i
told no one ,i did not matter any way so had thousands of other men been to Argentina.
he time kept marching on and I was waiting for my stores interview, that never happened, but the strangest thing did ,I was asked by the personal department if I would consider moving over to the engine build department as a material handler, as there is a “ vacancy , going to be created” there was no material handler in the build department ,all the heavy material was lifted by a man from the stores on a fork lift . all the other material was collected from the stores by the individuals working on the engine they were building. it was strange, how do you get something you want in the end, w? I knew a lot of people within the factory , and I was not shy in saying what I would like to do .so as they say ■■■■ happens not always bad.
So after a time I left the Machine shop and started within the engine build department. I had a week in the stores trying to get in touch with all the bolts ,nuts washers, clips,all the ancillary parts that are used in all different parts of the engine build, nearly every engine was build with a different
use once it left the factory.
After the stores week I had to get to know the sequence of how the engine block got to the build station that was called a “cell”
First it was [the machined engine block] put through a pressure wash, then after it was what was called “ de burred ” that was two men with wire brushes and reels of emery paper, [abrasive paper just like sandpaper ]but just for metal and castings, and they had to get everything on that engine block smooth as silk inside all the crevices and journals, they had long brushes [like baby bottle cleaners] everything they needed to get it perfect ,so it would pass a microscopist inspection,by eagle eyed inspectors that was their job.
They used a big roll over machine , it does what is said, to inspect .it was firmly clamped in the roll over machine.
Once the block as been passed A1 the de burr men then had to fit in the main bearings caps ,they held in the crank shaft the .part that actual made the engine pistons work as the were bolted on to the crank-shaft with massive bolts ,and torqued up with a [special torque wrench] =a very large spanner 4 foot long ,at the end [just like a socket set you would use for home mechanics ] you put adaptable heads that fitted the size of bolt you were tightening up, there was a screw device on the end of the spanner that you could set the amount of poundage, [pressure] you wanted the bolts tightened up to .[it had to be right written down in the build sheet] once that had been achieved the spanner would not move. it made a cracking noise .so you knew the pressure had been reached,and that went for all the nuts on bolts throughout all the engine build.
so the main bearing caps held in the main crank shaft and they would stamp on the bottom of the casting, that was shining bright, a number that followed the block all through its construction the main part of the engineering masterpiece. Then it was now ready for the engine builders [mechanics] to do their work. They would have all relevant paper work and collect the block that was on a stand made to take all the weight when finished, the stand was fitted to a steel flat sheet ,as thick as a kit- kat bar , and it floated just like a air bed - hover craft ,and would be moved wherever need by a air umbilical air hose, very clever, into their cell. inside these cells there were perforated metal sheet sides that would take plastic bins that held all kinds of bolts and nuts screws that they needed to build the engine and to attach all the ancillary parts that made the engine up,in fact the cells were stacked out with boxes of bolts .
The same 6 men ,3 shifts, would stay in the same cell for the one engine .so you would think that they had all the ancillary material they needed ,but they did not ,as they would not stop to look around there cells or the other ones ,so they would then go to the stores and loose time waiting for bolts [whatever] that they already had and not bothered to look for so it was down to me to try to stop the men from going to the stores. my job was to be the unpopular redistribution man to stop the men from wasting time at the stores .
Though it was never put to me that was what the foremen wanted to happen to boost production up
it soon came apparent that was what it was about ,they new how much material was out on the shop floor that the men were to use but the output of the engines did not add up ,with the material issued. This was the very first time I had seen a computer,as I was allowed in the stores,i was given a free reign and I was shown how to add or subtract from the stores computer what I wanted or returned .I now realise that all the computer was only a stores program but then it was a magical piece of equipment.
I will be completely honest the actual trying to remember all the numbers of the bolts, washers, I thought no way in this world will I be able to cope with the new challenge ,also the very bright strip lighting was given me massive headaches ,it was as if why am I doing this, also massive diet, blood pressure,and the normal living .it thought ■■■■ this im off, my normal way of dealing with any thing I thought I need not do[ but I did not realise it than now later I can see it clearly]
I have always said I do not like challenges, like mountaineers ,runners, I have never been competitive I could not give a ■■■■ if I won or lost ,darts,anything, through out my life, however now looking back that is all I used to do myself ,and that in the build shop ,was one big challenge although I never looked at it like one ,i just thought get back to driving ,who needs nuts and bolts ■■■■ the factory.
However no driving jobs were available at that time so I had to get on with it and try to make it work strip lights as well.
It probably took about 3 months of moving all kinds of material around, and knowing how many actual pieces of the smallest to the largest engine needed for the men needed to make up the engine ,i did not know it all by any means ,however I used to be able to look at the work production sheet the men /women used and could see what was needed to a layman, I did have a few bust up with certain men about me taking any type of material out of the cell they were working and redistributing it around as if it was theirs .i used to say it was my job nothing personal , they got it in the end by a strange way. i did make the foremen aware of the situation ,but there is always one.
This one came in the shape of a big chap from rugby with a reputation ,that I was not aware of ,also he was the union representative for the engine build and came from Coventry so I knew where he was coming from with all the engineering works at the car factory’s slightly militant just what I needed .
No one had any idea where I had come from only the bosses so they never new about the strike we had come through ,so it used to start when I went into his cell ,usual banter and he would sort of lean on me with his shoulder and laugh, [ being a bully] after a time I waited until most of the men were a dinner and I knew where he was with is mates, so I go over and I give him some of my tongue , and shout about unions ,strikes,etcetera and I was doing as I was told just like he does, and then I offered him out-side and finish it once and for all, I also said he would be sacked the same as me for fighting and if that is what he wanted fair enough. I was ■■■■■■■■ myself . I found out later he was a part time bouncer,f–k me I would have been mince meat. However it did the trick it worked I never had any problem at all in fact he asked me to run a sweepstake for a big race ,as I moved around the factory ,as no one else did.
I had now got the bolt numbers in my head ,i also used the fork lift to get all the fly wheels down from the high racks for the men, I was learning more about the engines all the time however if you have never been trained from the very start of anything ,basic at the bottom you cannot fully pick the technical part up with out proper training,and that goes for anything , I now had the sequence of the build in my head ,as I had watched it enough,getting to know how to sweat the gears on the end s of the cam-shaft also [there were small high power ovens in the cells to heat the gears up hot to be sweated on the ends ] however getting the right key that went onto the end was the hard bit that I would not be able to do right ].also the engine timing by the gearing inside the front plate. Their was in actual fact so many small but important things to be done on the engine ,and to be sure that it was right would and could only be done by a trained mechanic .i doubt I would have got it right. So I new i had got about as far as I would be able to go within the build system and I would be a material handler , no problem,but I still kept going to the open door
The economic climate within the country was not that good and it seemed as if the work was slowing down, I would notice that not so many engines where being pushed for completion ,and used to go in to work for some shifts and have absolutely nothing to do, maybe I had done such a good job and done myself out of work.? I could walk around all shift with a empty box and no one would ask me what are you doing.
It got as on nights there was nothing at all to do ,only find a place within the stores and doss down for a few hours, something was going on and no one was saying yet,but it arrived one shift we were there , a notice was on the board stating that, low demand for engines was hitting the world demand for engines being a American firm they meant world wide, they would have to cut back with staff from all departments ,and it listed how many from where and it was last in first out,so as I was technically from the stores it looked as I was f–ked, and as it turned out I was .
However the good news was that they were going to pay a minimum redundancy package going in 3 year stages [1month employment or 3 years you would get the same ] and up it went. I did not need to apply I was out ,but the cash deal was good however you would not get unemployment benefit for [I think it was 6 weeks] so off I went .and now to think about my future again.
Shift work ,i did not mind it at all as you got a premium payment so that made up for the inconvenience so I would look around for factory work within my area for a time. that was like trying to find rocking horse ■■■■. So it was going to be back to the lorry,s or dole.
I phoned for van jobs,lorry jobs anything in the end I got a interview about 10 miles away at a crisps factory in long Buck,by at “Golden wonder crisps” after the interview I was told that I had the job , Monday on days doing delivers to their warehouses [inter factory work] just what I needed]
I thought [not] as it was C licence work, own account meaning that it was a factory that operated their own lorry ,s also manufacturing production of crisps,and other products.
So the lorry,s were just another department and it could be organised and operated by a complete “numb nuts”.Not run as a haulage company, they were only legally allowed to haul there own goods or goods needed in the manufacture of their goods. That meant as a driver you never had a proper transport manager each shift foreman run the transport they needed,I new it was going to be a fiasco ,i had not forgotten any of the rules, it was not long before I found out the men running the transport did not know any .
There were other drivers there they had been there years so I was put on the shunting from one factory to another about 30 miles away. While they did deliver work to wholesalers.
It was not long before I found that the shunter unit I was driving was basically f–ked, so I wrote a defect sheet out and handed it in to the foreman, well he had never seen one as long before,so down came a manager, to sort me out-ish after I had listen to him all I said was oh, if you do not want defects you should have proper legal lorry,s I went in to my s peal and said ok if I kill you kids it is ok then blah-blah he then got it and said yes we will sort it out .mean while drive this other unit. Yes ,no problem, well that was worse, brakes -■■■■■■ , electrics ■■■■■■, no mud guards, it was a disaster and I thought is there something wrong with me or what .off I go again defect sheet ,in the meantime one of the regular drivers arrived back with his lorry so I was told to use that ,fair enough. So off I go to do my shunting local ,well ■■■■ me the speedometer in this lorry was not working. I should have turned around and gone back but I thought I just do one trip .
If I would have been caught speeding it would have been down to me,and you imagine explaining to the police why you are driving without a speedometer,do not even think about it,
so back I go, and the driver is still there ,so the conversation went like this
,excuse me “drive”[that is what other drivers call another driver if you do not know them]
i asked him did you know about the defect on your [ motor] =lorry,
NO ,WHAT F—ING DEFECT
oh I just went to market harbour and I noticed as soon as I was on the road after I put my tachograph in the speedometer is ■■■■■■
NO, IT MUST HAVE JUST GONE IT WAS AL RIGHT JUST BEFORE
before what.
WHEN I JUST GOT BACK TO THE BASE.
so I said o k show me your tachograph then, your making out as if it was me.
F–K OFF WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE YOUR ONLY A TEMP .
What ,a temp .i was told I was permanent ,so the bells were ringing ,i said ok, get the boss down who can deal with this, so down the chap came and said what is the problem to the other driver,
I said it is me ,not him. and I told him ,that he allowed me to go out of the yard with a speedometer not working without saying, and he will not show me his tachograph, so the chap said why should he, so I said you will see that he has been driving without a speedometer all day.
BO–OCKS ,THE DRIVER SAID.
So show the boss then I said , The boss said to me I think you better go home and ring later .
I said if you think your going ■■■■ me over ,over this ,I am going straight to the ministry of transport, and then you will be ■■■■■■ not me. I also said the head ministry of transport enforcement officer [I know lives in the village I do, we drink together]white lie ,will get to know about how you run defect lorry,s and make the drivers do it with total disregarded for road safety.
I am driving towards home,[in a car given to me by my dad] fuming, I thought I cannot believe this ,as I had to go through the town I though right ,I better get this sorted for my benefit ,maybe later on I might need it if I have to go and go on the dole,so I drop into the job centre and ask for a interview ,and I get one after a wait and explain what has happened,in case it would affect a dole claim if it had comes to that, and if they ask what happened as leaving a job would affect your entitlements for the out of work money.
I rang up the next day ,no surprise, I was not needed but they would pay me the week, so as they had my p45,I wanted that back I had calmed down and I thought ,do I want a lot of trouble going to the ministry then the police, no I do not ,so let them run like that I know I will not.aiacollected my money from reception and that was that…
Back to the local papers, and telephone book looking at haulage companies ,i did ring S T Challis. However they had nothing at the time but they took my number ,so if they had a days casual and I was available.
They had branched out in to the general haulage now and very little cattle transport .
I go around local building site for any casual labour, carrying bricks ,concrete, digging anything I had forgotten I had been mollycoddled within a factory ,my hands were as soft as butter and I had not done any hard work for a couple of years physical y I was not ready for the harsh working environment of building sites .
So I was kidding myself !,also I had no rough old clothes that could be ruined in a day. so I now had talked my self out of it, and I gave up looking. My one asset was I now had a car again and I would travel to a driving job if possible,and if it was a long way from home for a daily run I would stay the week ,[where ever] if no nights out were with a job or so I thought until I thought about the cost…
I drew a circle on a road map , the map was out of a A A road hand book, my village in the centre and I thought about a 40 mile radius . That incorporated a hell of a area and distance , it thought god no that is to far ,is stretched way to far , you would not work as far as that, so I cut it down to 30
and that was a big area,i picked out the towns, noted them down then thought how am I going to find road haulage company’s if I do not know them. [never thought of that] so next move ,that evening I went to the pub and waited to see if the ministry man came in for a beer he would know all the company’s around.
I was starting to get a bit worried so I spread my wings a bit further away from home[looking ]I should have just gone down to London and take a chance however I did not need to in the end.
35miles away in a village called ASTON CLINTON nearly in AYSLEBURY was the haulage company ACH .later known as aids ,clap,and herpes,they were advertising for local delivery drivers ,please ring 0000000000, so that is what I did after a one way conversation [not me]i was asked to go for a interview at a time and date,that is what I did
. I had seen the company around for a long time I had no idea what work they did ,they had box vans, and tilts, and of course sheeting, not new to me they were always clean and well turned out so I hoped I might have a chance however it was a bit of a travel every day.
Once I had found the village a did a drive past it all looked good from what little you could see as there was a bungalow near the drive .after I arrived I make sure I park up in the correct place, all paint lined and concrete [not like a lot of mud and crap yards that] were around ,i knocked and ,waited ,at the drivers entrance until a massive shout its open ,so in I go and the first greeting is YES what do you want!!i calmly told them that it was a interview for a drivers job ,i used this door as I am a driver… ok then go around the back you will find a mess type room wait there someone will be out to you , I thought fu-- this miserable bast— and that was only the office clerk what a tw-t .after time in walked a suited man my age with one of those permanent grins on ,instant dislike on my part .not interested really in me but he gave me a form to fill in now and he will be back ,so I calmed down and filled the form ,quite a lot to write down but I did ,from leaving school some of the dates were to co-k but it was all true, as is what I am writing now, he comes back later and reads it ,then picks the phone up and speaks to someone else, and just sits there looking at me.
Like a staring contest,so I said to him you do have a job going then or am I wasting your time, as I will be off if I am wasting your time , no he said my father wants to see you,MR Fowler senior …,it was David Fowler the son I was with ,eventually in walks a very well dressed man ,sat on the edge of the desk,no introduction and starts one of the most interrogation interviews I had ever had .the ins and outs of a cats arse.
After the grilling he was more interested in my world travelling. That old M.N. Discharge book has done me proud over the years it proved where you were… after he had finished with my work record , I was told I had got the job, it was made clear to me that they stood no fu-king about from anyone ,early starts ,and good time keeping were the rule and I was lucky to get the job as they only ever employ people from the local area as I was outside theirs [not local]…I do not think Union membership was mentioned I do think farmers were bothered either way, as cattle feed was part of their work that is what I was led to believe, wrong again .They knew after the few years I had been driving that I was up for any task…I do not remember if I had a driving test I would have thought so .
I was pleased and confident I could do any job they gave me ,never no hint whatsoever on EUROPEAN WORK the thought was not there in my mind at all.
Once home all was good I knew I had to give myself at least ¾ hours driving time as it was all back roads from where I lived to the depot. Once I had crossed the A43, after all back roads then more
on to Aylsbury.the drive did not seem to far as I was pleased to think that I was back driving,
Once I started all seemed to go well we all seemed to do the same jobs ,lots of yard work hand -balling boxes of cereal and other goods the days went so fast I could have really done with staying in the yard a few nights instead of going home, but that was down to me they would not pay me nights out .and I did not get any nights out on the jobs ,most days 12+ hours a work I was the local shunter dogs body however I knew that before I started it was good money hard earned,times it was hardly not worth going home but I was not going to sleep in the yard in a motor ,not mine,it would have been better to go into bed a breakfast however the price would have been more than the coast of petrol .sods law…i did not get to see many of the other drivers, there is a mess room there but never seen it used ,i know I never had time too.
One of the good things while i was there I got to learn how to strip a tilt ,and stitch one up properly
eventually on my own ,i did not realise how that would come in handy in years to come, good job!!
too…
As the village I lived in was in a valley we never took any notice of the hills we climbed to get out of it ,it was always fogged in but over time you knew your way around.
However the 4 th Monday at ACH i was well on my way to work in the fog, driving with my head out of the window looking at the offside grass, travelling into a known village and out , that I thought I knew very well another set of light loomed up on my side of the road, however it was not my side I was on the wrong side[my fault], I braked hard broadsided flew off into the right hand side of the roads ditch facing the wrong way, thank god the other car, head turned hard right and we just managed to miss he stopped on the road, utter confusion for a while I had to get out of the passenger door but was not injured only my pride.
We soon sorted things out no insurance on his part, off he goes to work and I am fu–ed headlights shining up in the air like aircraft beacons.
Next job phone the office, to early ,so I had to get the car home, after time I phoned my old friend the local scrap man to ask if he would get me out, and home , he did I would have to work a day for nothing however that was fair deal, no police involved ,and the fog was starting to clear and car was in a sorry state
I phoned the office told them that what happened , that was me screwed, no transport ,all they were worried about was their delivery they said can you not make your way in by bus or thumb it
[,no!] I will ring you later to see what I can work out ,words like “[ well that is not much good to us now is it ] I knew then that I would have to finish , …they did not sack me , they were ok in the end and myPP45 and money arrived in full ,no letter.
and that was my ACH time over …or was it??After time I was told that MR FOWLER senior was a retired ex police inspector ,by the grilling of the interview I could well believe it.■■?Also that if I had had some service with them they would have loaned me money to get a car apparently that was his way…also got you by the old short and curly s…
After a week or so I was talking to a friend in the local pub, as you do and he worked in Northampton at a British Timken Factory ,world renown for roller bearing manufactures the main factory was at Daventry,and his hobby was model lorry,s [now trucks] he started telling me about the new firm started up in Northampton near to where he was working. And he was going on about these brand new trucks that were there ,massive trailers, paint work like he had never seenbefore I said yes I know, ■■■■■■■■, no he said it is true they are brand new A reg DAF,S what is a DAF I said,he told me they were a Dutch truck and they were getting into the English road haulage market with sleeper cabs he said he would find out more in his next dinner hour and give me the thumbs up with information .
True to his word he went wandering over ,got chatting to a fork lift driver ,and pumped him for information, and come back with it ,told me that night , so that was me I was going to Northampton to see what was going on .
I must just say at this point of time I had what was called a full set, a massive red beard and sideburns. A slightly twisted moustache all red/ginger, all my head hair was auburn/black. I did not think anything of it but I was told later [once seen not forgotten ] the beard.
As I turned into the place where this company was, there was no lorry,s at all ,no sign of lorry paraphernalia I thought maybe they just delivered and then went else where . It put me off for a minute .so I turned away and parked up and waited to see if anything happened at the unit /warehouse, i was not disappointed after a while I heard this lorry turn in to the unit area and there it was a [massive top line sleeper cab]i was told later… Jesus I had never seen such a lorry before .it was jaw dropping,you could say .it swung, [turned] in ,screwed round all the 3 rear axles tyres squealing rubber on concrete,not like you would normally, do I noticed it had a large diesel tank double capacity more than I had ever seen,before and the polished cab was impressive, also it had a massive fridge engine on the front of the trailer… belching out exhaust ,the trailer had a very neat paint job and blue lines reading ROKOLD. The whole length of the 40 foot trailer 13.6 meters.
[The original were painted blue]
I made my move to go to the office,little did I realise they were all running late ,could they be bothered with job seekers, So there was me ringing the door intercom to try to talk to anyone,i said my name and the reply was “yes what can I do for you” I said I am looking for a job .the reply was ,go down the job centre we take all packers on from there, I replied, I am a lorry driver.! O hang on you want Mr WEBB he,is round the back of the trailer o k, thanks.
And off I go round the trailer rear and inside there are 3 men moving boxes of oranges making lots of noise ,and cursing I thought I better just step back a bit and wait, that would be my best move
,as I did I heard “Hello can I help you!”
i turned and said yes please I am looking for Mr WEBB ,
yes that is me what is the problem,
!no, nothing, I was told you might be looking for a driver,
err are from the agency he asked,
no I replied, then give me a hour ok ,I have got to move this lot, he said
can I give you a hand I have nothing to do, I said
er, no your fine but thanks.
When he had finished I walked into the office with him and asked for a job if they had any he told me they are interviewing drivers from a job centre , how did I find out so I told him it was by chance that I was driving all around the area looking for a job told hime about ACH and did the usual full job history, discharge book as well .and hoped it was enough.
It turned out in 2 days time they were interviewing men or women for 1 driving job and they were filled with allocated timed places. And they did not have enough time for any more, so I asked if there were any jobs going loading lorries or helping out as I needed a job.
Well he said that as we ROKOLD only deal with the transport ,all the others are from a agency, so that was that ,but he said give me your phone [home number mobiles had not yet come out] and if there is time I will call you to come for a driving test on Friday. at lest a maybe .Thurs 8 o clock at night Mr WEEB rang me ,be in for 2 pm Friday for a test.
I get there early and hang about ,out of sight to see what was going on test wise , I could not see any lorry , so it must be on test and later the same lorry came in the yard, and did a sharp u,turn and made the trailer tyres scream in pain as a lot of rubber would have been taken off the tyre tread, not the way to do it…
so my time came I went to see MR WEBB and as i pressed the intercom a little man came out of the office never spoke and went to a car .MR WEBB welcomed me with a handshake [unusual ] then for a interview then told me some one could not make it ,so I had got a place ,he then went in great detail to Explain what the job entailed .I was told they did the haulage for a company that supplied supermarkets [ there were no big depots then, like now days called HUBS that all supermarkets have now for all their food distribution]
with all kinds of fruit and vegetables, from all over the world. And they are collected from the airports wherever they arrive at .
. Produce was delivered here to NORTHAMPTON to be pre packed for all the main supermarkets that was Sainsbury Littlwoods, Tesco, Wait rose, Fine Fare. Well that was who they pre packed for then and the company was called
Van-Highnegen .the biggest tomato producers in Europe
Most of the drivers who did Rokold work were owner drivers with their own tractor units .Rokold only had 3 of there own lorries and two were shared between god knows how many drivers as a lot were casual ,however if I got the job I would be permanent on a 6 months basis , as they were building up the company,there was a lot more about the job than I was told however you will find out later if I get the job .
So Mr WEBB, asked for my licence, excreta and we then went for a driving test. In this great big new lorry 3 steps up in to the cab ,it was impressive, I did say before we left, as every thing been checked ,fuel ,lights, tyres, oil water,and I asked for a tachograph , I think he was a bit surprised, as we were only going around town, but he waived it and said it was ok ,so off I go it had straight 6 gear box with a splitter for each gear so in theory you had 18 gears,however no point in using any except the main H pattern 6 gears, unless heavy loaded …also it had a exhaust brake ,consisting of a button on the floor by your right foot to be depressed when needed when in gear to ease the using of your brakes In the normal way ,what it did was put a shut off valve on ,inside the exhaust pipe from the engine slowing the pistons down [exhaust braking]. All the new feature were way ahead of any British lorry for the year , How I knew about them, I went and found out about D A F trucks from a fitter friend I had who knew about most commercial lorry s.
I did not use exhaust brake but did tell him I knew what it was, and when I arrived back at the yard I did not screw the trailer round i did like a 3 point turn and backed it in. and that was that, I will let you know he said it was up to his boss and him off I go home and wait.
Absolutely riveting stuff!! Brilliant read.
Love it crack on…
Evening all, I can only echo others delight at reading “deckboys” memories, fabulous, and delivered so graphically! Thank you!
And keep on writing…my own life has been a “voyage of discovery”, and I can identify with much that you write.
Cheerio for now.
Count me in too. The things that went through my head when I first started work had been buried beneath years of useless experience, before your superb writing brought them back.
It was a Sunday after noon about 2 o clock the phone rang, it was MR Webb [Alan] he said you have got the job ,sorry for the delay, Would you be in for 6 0clock Monday evening ,also bring your sleeping bag,we like all the drivers to have their passports with them at all times so that as well I had a passport, so that was it ,god knows what is happing why do I need a passport ??so that gets the old brain working. [no computers then or else i could have googled Rokold.] So I would have to wait until Monday night.
It was a 22 mile drive, back roads to Northampton from my village ,slower drive than the main road ,but shorter distance ,less petrol .
So the time came, do I take sandwiches and flask?i have not that much cash ,so yes I did and sleeping bag ,pillow ,wash bag. Just in case [famous last words]
I arrive at the depot and the nice new lorry is not there, but a older D A F A 28,hundred model small cab ,no big sleeper. what is this mine for the night,hope not ,all though it had 3 axles , it was the same colour as the other soi would wait and see, this is before I see anyone, I walk around the back of the trailer and Alan is in the back of the trailer pushing up pallets to the front with a man ,as the forklift goes back I shout up Hello,and the other chap looks round ,[as if to say what the do you want] he nudges Alan and points to me , not saying anything, [well ] that has ■■■■■■ me off for a start, Alan turns and comes to greet me, with his arm and hand out stretched ready to shake my hand [again] I only seen him 3 days before so he said his greeting ,then said for me to jump on up into the trailer , not the easiest thing to do , but with some scrabbling I manage it, usually they use the fork lift, but I was ■■■■■■■■ trained not to JUMP ON FORK LIFTS, [THAT WAS SOON TO GO]
He then introduced me to TOM who was the driver of the lorry and he would be showing me the ropes, however I could tell that TOM di not want to know however shook my hand. Rather limp, like a wet fish so I gave his hand a good squeeze ,like as if to say ■■■■ you too. and then another pallet arrived to the back of the trailer, so we then all 3 of us pushed it in to position , the trailer was getting full what look like all kinds of vegetables, and boxes so tom and alan progressed with chatter ,but not with me involved they were talking double Dutch as far as I understood , using foreign sounding words in sentences .[they were place names]i found out later . after a time the trailer was loaded,so we all jumped down of the back of the trailer then the last two pallets were pushed on with not a lot of room to spare for the trailer doors to be closed ,Tom shut the doors ,then went to the front of the trailer and started the engine for the fridge that kept all the produce inside the trailer at the required temperature . [another new thing for me to learn]
I went in the office with Alan and he took my p45 and then told me about the duties and hours and pay,and that it was as temporary position that could lead up to permanent however they as a company use mostly owner drivers to do the majority of work ,and that the company only have 3 lorries of their own and they are utilised by casual drivers[part time firemen] to cover a lot of their work however I would work sometimes 5 days ,6 days, or 2/3 whatever and the monthly salary would be the same so do not worry if you have days not at work.[as I found out later you make up for it] All so they gave you£50 for expensive s for anything you had to pay for while on Rokold work, also if you had a night out, that would be paid in to your wages tax free.
If the company got really busy they would hire another tractor unit, as they have just got a new job delivering to a super market and will need me. Also that they do European work when required and that could be without notice, however I would be shown the procedures by going out with another driver first, and it would be with a owner driver so it looked promising for me .If the truth was known then I should have got out ,and gone home and forgot it,but I did not and ended up driving about 21 years on the continental until 2002/3[ but I did not know it then]
It was like a new challenge and 100% different from the road haulage that I was used to i would give it a go.
TOM, well ,to sum him up,you could not ,he ended up as being all right but I do understand now [then I did not] that it was a pain in the arse having a driver with you let alone a new one like me,at least we both smoked so that was all right.
So off we go apparently already running late for a booking to unload at Hemel Hemp-stead
it was a 1 and1/2 hours drive, [not my fault] and the company being delivered to were strict on getting on time for booking times WHAT !!10 o clock at night ,apparently so .
it is going to be a different world I am embarking on .[work wise] At least Tom could drive and he pushed the old D A F to its limits no 58 mph then and all 3 lanes if you wanted to drive on the Motorways .
When we got to the delivery I was all eyes watching the procedures that tom went through,and there were many .If by any chance like as was happing that night pallets loaded right to the back doors, you would not be able to back the articulated lorry down[on a slope] to get backed on to a unloading bay ,as when you hit the stops [ you knew when you were backed on the loading bay a green light came on ,from red ]on the whare house wall /unloading dock, and a the red light came on telling you to stop.] you could see in your review mirror…If the pallets loaded at the back of the trailer were right on the back you had a problem ,a ramp inside would not come down, that allowed the people inside to move in and out out the trailer to take pallets off, or [a ■■■■ up] so then you had to pull the lorry off the unloading bay, back to where you started from, then go into the whare house and ask if they would use the outside fork lift truck to take the back two pallets off, so then you would be able to do the original move again, if!![1] you could find the fork lift driver . [2] he was not obliged to do it. [3] he would for a small price£5…if found.? He would take them off and deposit them inside the whar ehouse via the door you should have been backed on i found out all this in a mater of 10 minutes…
So first lesson learnt ,do not leave the base if the pallets are rammed up to the back trailer doors, and make sure there is a restraining strap around them.[whey did we leave like it then] Ahh! Tom and got the hump,and he forgot…While all this ■■■■■■■ about is going on, other lorry’s and coming in the area where we are trying to get unloaded outside then go back in on to the bay however this chap wanted to go where we wanted to go, as he must have thought we had just come off the unloading dock finished.[wrong]Another ■■■■ up ,Jesus I kept back and let the intrepid Tom deal with it I found out he had a very usefully tongue on him,asnd would not back down ,So he had just passed a test in my eyes,■■■■ emm ,eventually we get away and now down into London ,and I was look at the delivery tickets [notes] we had got, and asked Tom .what is Samples?? to Baker street.
that is by Kings Cross Rail Station in Baker Street, LONDON Sainsbury head office, what is going on? It is samples of all the fruit and veg that the company has imported, and it is for the quality control of sainsbury to either accept or reject it for the next night apparently yhat is thec way they have been doing it for years. the only problem is that we were on the wrong side of the road ,streaming with cars, so we had to carry on find a place to turn around. Back down to outside the office doors ,and the best of all you just leave it in the door foyer with a lot of other goods ,you do not get it signed for you just go. Next we have to go around again as our next deliver is Spitafields market in the city
At this point if I start to tell you the roads we used to get into places within the city of London I would need a A to Z.
Once inside the Spitafields market it was built for horse and carts absolute night mare a mass of wire cages that people had all there produce in however there were only a few fork lift drivers around ,and Tom taught me the art of Spitaerfields Market, do not drive to go inside ,stay out… once in there you will not get out until all the lorry s in front of you are unloaded. As it was a rabbit warren of small lanes a working area for hand carts …I was for ever gratefully for Toms knowledge that night believe me. You then went and found the forklift man told him who you were delivering to how many pallets and give him the £5 sorted that was £10 in less than 2 hours.
When done there we than went to the worlds most smallest ■■■■■■ up market in LONDON called THE BOROUGH just over London bridge another EDWARDIAN MASTERPIECE there is a working open all hours pub just in side the market ,and what a place to go however I followed Toms every move and learned that they used the same wholesaler every time and they had there own fork lift driver and you were not allowed to touch any produce on your lorry at all they had what was called Porters .and they organised you to where you went after they had seen your delivery notes [another load of the laziest ■■■■■■■■ you ever met ] though you never had to pay them…well not on a week day, however as I learnt later on ,when you went to deliver on a Sunday night there was not the slightest sign of man or beast to be seen. And one fork lift left out for all the drivers to unload them selfs. Now that was the truth as they were all in the pub in the market ,it is still there this day thank god you could get out a different way you got in. Right !so Tom and me[ it must be about 2am by now]set off for the next Market New COVENT GARDEN nine elms just passed Vauxhaul bridge, and he lets me drive ,I found out later on that he had been up and working since 9am the Monday it was now TUESDAY I get shown short cuts around London city streets and get to the Market and you have to pay a entrance fee to get in £3 [all lorry s] and Tom shows me where and how to go as they have regular customer. And this is now anther different world all the banter ,shouting every other word is ■■■■■■■ this or that all the men dressed in the same clothes flat caps. brown boots. At least they are pleased to see us ,well Tom . They don not speak to me. [ I could be the bosses son they do not know] they put up a pallet truck upon the trailer and we start pulling them to the back and off they go,and next thing we are putting pallets back on. [strange I just push them up and that is that] so were are away after half a hour and a cup of tea and sandwich later out from the market caff e ,[ now there is a place.]
All your barrow boys,whistling ,shouting, bustling about it is like a new world ,in fact I could not believe it myself. God I learnt so much I doubt if anyone who was not shown the ropes ,would be able to get the job done, believe me it took me weeks to get that I could get round and deliver to all the markets and other delivers that were put on the lorry, and not think about it I even started to dress the same flat cap brown boots, scarf, “one of the boys, “all though no one took any notice of you ,you just blended in [ most important] however you would never be able to pass your self off as a south London porter once you opened your mouth.
A OLD SAYING = YOU CAN ALL WAYS BE A ORANGE BOX,BUT NEVER A ORANGE.
By this time we have left the market, I am driving and Tom tells me to head for HESTON by Heathrow airport and wake him up as we pass the service station, so now it is if I am on my own at last. He is soon well asleep and I am driving past Harrods I had never been this way before. Lots of people about at 4 30 am ,what they doing, god knows certainly not working…i wake tom ,up he jumps up as if he has been mugged,wow!! tom it is me Vic we are at the services, sorry he said and told me to drive to the next exit and come off the Motorway and we would go to the market.
Once at the gate the guard ask where is my delivery how many pallets, Tom shouts 4 only, to some name, and we go right around the market to about the last [pitch] MARKET STALL and park up, and tom jumped out [soon recovered]said to me open the trailer doors and a fork lift will be right here. so I started to pull all the remaining pallets to the rear of the trailer and the fork . truck took them away. done and dusted we were empty, it was by now 6am and the market traders were streaming in ,so tom came back checked the back doors and said to me quick as you can drive out of the market and head for home.
Once out of the mad house Tom told me it was a regular thing for whoever unloaded at Fen and hexton in Covent garden would load up any pallets they had and deliver to the Heston market for them as they would go to the same trader as we were delivering to[ a fiddle] and do not say anything .as it was a arrangement between Alan at the office and them ,no one else. Who cares we were going there anyway.
We got back to Northampton within 2 hours parked up and went home as no one was around.
What I found out later was ,Tom slept in his lorry ,as he had another job to do at lunch time .also I then first learned about the procedure of Double Manning a lorry, Explanation ==
This is about the driving hours and duty hours one driver =
A driver can be on duty for 15 hours in one 24 period.
Within that period he can drive literally drive for 10 hours.
But must take at lest 2x30 minutes rest period within that 10rs.driving.
And the rest of 5 hours is for unloading whatever .
This is a basic explanation.
After the 15 hours duty a driver must take a 9 our rest period.
All these hours have different combinations of how you do them, and how much they were fiddled.
Before any driver moves anywhere in the lorry by law he must complete, his vehicle checks, oil ,water tyres,excreta then you must fill in the Tachograph ,you start ,name,place, speedometer mileage .all got relevant lines. However if you are double manning you must both put a completed Tachograph in the head with the same mileage and place of start. [[this will be exploited later]]
A tachograph is a piece of carbon type of paper card easier marked both side so you have to be gently with it,it has a complex series of broken lines printed on and marked as the 24 hour clock.]It records just like a graph [used in lie detector tests] or a doctors heart monitor print out ,it records every movement the lorry makes ,the slightest forward or backward movement on the tachograph disc , once it is inserted [the disc] the only way you can cover any illegal movement is just remove
the disc, throw it away, and start again and take a chance of not getting caught.
Tachograph insertion=
On the tachograph inside the dashboard ,you turn a small key and it opens up [like a ladies powder compact] and it is hinged and it pulls back about6 inches away from the dashboard ,and it splits in to two compartments, when looking in the back all you see is very fine needle pints sticking out but they are retracted,so then you get your paper round disc tachograph that has a circle cut out in the middle that you push gently over a protruding knob .that is if you are driving on your own… now,if you are what is called double manning,two drivers in the same cab on the same run you put another tachograph in the other compartment .so now they are separate but in the same place as the protruding knob goes through both [well sort of] so what it means all the lorry movement however minuet will be recorded on both the discs at the same time. Anything connected to the electrical power source to the tachograph will be recorded. Like fuses being pulled… I will elaborate on the fiddling later…
The regulations were always interpreted in different ways at different company s.
Drivers were their worst enemy’s when braking the law. It was worse than a minefield.
If it suited you as a driver you did it [right or wrong]we used to exploit our self s .sometimes for company glory, bragging rites .various reasons .to be talked about .status .and best of all of all never stop moaning about it…and never tell the truth…lying you were skilled at. Because a transport office wherever you worked would never every tell you the full story or the truth…I took me years to learn it ,not quite all but a lot, you learned something new every day . However more later I have jumped the gun, as I have only just done my first run.
This was in 1980s it all has changed dramatical now… I get home and i really enjoyed it, it did not seem like work ,and you were on your own, the hours and pay did not then seem to matter I realised we had been double manning.
I did not get a phone call until Wednesday would I be in for 1 pm .
So I put the same gear in my car and got there for 1pm ,and the brand new D A F was standing there in the loading bay with it refrigerated unit roaring away as if in massive pain, I later found out it takes a while for the fridge unit to cool the goods and trailer down to the required temperature that the goods inside should be transported at and to be excepted at the deliver point ,where they would have a quality control person checking all the goods coming off .so that is why the refrigerated unit on the trailer is running hours before you leave as to get the produce down to the accepted temperature .[very important] then though id did not mean so much as I was not really aware of the importance ,but I would soon learn…
Once I went into the office to see Alan ,the man I had seen briefly when I was at the interview[ he passed me] he was there. and he said to me yes can I help you ,i replied I would like to mr Webb , ok why, I then told him who I was, just hold on a minute he said ,and off he goes.
After a time Alan comes in and said to me look Vic! I am really sorry but I should have employed another man not you and the boss, who you have just seen ,Mr Robin East is fuming at me because he wanted a younger man,than you.
So he asked me to go and have a coffee elsewhere ,give him half a hour and then come back. i was just a mad but did not show it and off I went.
When I got back it had all been sorted ,big ■■■■ up ,not my fault, please ,your job is safe ,big hand shake ,then in comes MR east another handshake , and welcomed me into the company…
I thought ,hello, my cards are marked here, do not ■■■■ it up ,do as your told and learn,and that is what I did, they give me the keys to the D A F. and off I go, with the biggest grin in Northampton,if only my old mates could see me now, I thought I was the dogs ■■■■■■■■, yes I know it is only a lorry however one of the best then in England…one delivery only on the other side of Birmingham ,do not forget the empty pallets the last words said to me ,then come back here ,fill up and then go home.
I get to the supermarket depot delivery warehouse after a bit of a run around but get there in the end,never get it right first time or even second,[ finding places] and queue up, lots of other lorry s waiting all with their fridges roaring away I look at mine and can see the temperature gauge is hovering on + 4 that was right ,well that is what I was told ,thought nothing of it,walk up to the outside security office with my loads delivery notes still grinning, hand them in. then I came down to earth with a ■■■■■■■ great bang,Your late !!,you have missed your delivery slot . No one told me it should have been 3 pm. No wonder it was a ■■■■ up at the depot…anyway all I could do was wait for a [slot] = [ term used for getting a unloading bay to back on to if there is time or if someone else is late] the security chap said they would see when they could get me in it maybe 9 o clock tonight so I waited, and learned to have some eating and drinking and to read as there was nothing where we were…i did walk to a shop later…
Eventually get unloaded,and the empty pallets put back on the front of the trailer. [[Two mistakes I made however I did not know it at the time,]]i drive home to the depot .filled up with diesel at the public garage, with the company s card, hid the card and put the keys where I was told to after I had parked up ,no one around ,so I go home it was 2 am.
On the way home I am starting to think about the hours I have done for basic pay,and trying to think is this the right thing to be doing, and I am trying to talk myself out of doing what I am doing, something I am fairly good at most times however I have got this thing in my head that the work and job ,and time off is worth it,plus the new lorry s , plus not a bit of dirt, no hard work, just pushing a few pallets around clean clothes. So i have made my mind up ,that there are no more jobs around I am lucky to be working,get on with and just do it, and by the time I had finished bollocking my self I was home and I never question myself again ,well not then,
Phone call at 11 am come in ASAP please,i get to work about 1pm ,Alan said come in to the office
I go in and I can tell something is not right,
Vic, what about the pallets,!![Alan]
What about them ,they were on the front of the trailer,
yes,[Alan]
well,
you are ten pallets short,also they are not the correct pallets.[Alan]
Alan what are you talking about ,when I left this lorry this morning at 2am there were 15 pallets in that truck.
are you 100%sure [alan
yes of course I am ,i might be new here ,but I have not had the pallets,where would I get rid of pallets at night ,look at my Tachograph I came straight back here from the delivery,
After he had checked the graph over, he apologised .and said you can go home we have nothing tonight for you so its all o k ,no problem ,they found out much later that a man from the warehouse team was coming in early a taking the pallets to sell, at that time there was big money in pallets.
PALLETS=
A pallet must have 9square blocks of wood about6 inches all round. 1 at each corners and the others in the middle. and the slats of good wood about a 1inch gap on the top so they are solid ,and the underneath have just wider gaps and less slates ,so the pallet can take a 1 metric ton in weight…good for a 1 for 1 exchange when at whare -houses.
The other system is the same pallets that are painted blue and are made by a company called GKN and are governed by a 1 for 1 system also a tickets system ie=if you leave 20 or later 21 pallets at a whare house and they cannot give you the same in return ,you then get a stamped ticket saying that you are owed them pallets,and they were transferable at any depot in the country. or you can go to a pallets collection yard and collect that number of pallets from them, only G K N yards ,however there was a black market trading in blue pallets as well as ordinary ones ,country wide ,CASH.
Also there were the fruit pallets that the fruit was imported from Spain, excreta they were flimsy good for nothing however if you did not keep at eye on what people were giving you in exchange you would end with some, and when you went to re exchange them you were basically ■■■■■■ and you own fault. But over time as it went on for me ,you got very good at dealing with pallets .
There was a lot of money in 20 pallets, then1983/4£ 60+ black market.
Well! that is sorted ,and the blue pallets system is massive ,every product that needs pallets are on G KN blue pallets not just Europe the world.
Work seemed to pick up as it was nearly every night I would be doing a market run or a late supermarket ,i also got to meet and see the other driver s and the owner drivers and I was getting! that,yes this job is what I want, all the owner drivers were all nice and clean and smart, the same as the tractor units .i was so impressed I had no idea that men were doing regular runs [trips ] to Spain and bringing all kinds of fresh and frozen goods back to the uk. i will admit I was like in awe ,wow what a job , they would talk about the ferry’s they used, .driving through FRANCE down to the Spanish boarder , mentioning all kinds of names ,Spanish and French ,talking about customs ,delays boarder hold up, police stops .getting fined in FRANCE, all kinds of , what seemed to me at the time a exciting type of job and life and it was what I wanted [why??] a lot of it was bragging rites, it was always someone they knew, but impressive ,would I end up the same .?
A few of the other drivers not like me ,were very young ,just 21 years old ,no driving experience at all even I could tell that they had not done any haulage company driving at all, just the way they were but they were there the same as me so it was nothing to do with me. And they were very friendly with Alan,as if mates so to speak ,i did think well, that could be my downfall but I would have to wait and see.
Two of the drivers were full time firemen .and drove for Alan on there 4 days off, my next thought was not a lot of future job security,they do not need the job and when they work and not me, I could not get to grips with that ,no wonder the pay was not extra for nights. But as men they were good ,and would help when needed loading at the yard[depot]
The company seemed to me to have quite a lot of new trailers but not with the name painted on so after a time I got to know that they were all hired from a big trailer rent company on a monthly basis,all this new to me, some of the tractor units were the same even the nice blue painted D A F
so what it meant in company terms they did not own anything ,all hired , this was a completely new idea of working,so they could just fold up and move on. also a lot of the owner drivers were doing the same,hiring trailers ,and tractor units.
THE REFRIGERATED TRAILER.= THIS IS LATER ON WHEN I WAS ON FRIDGES PERMANENT==LIKE A SHORT HISTORY OF WHAT FRIDGES WERE USED FOR AND HOW WE LOADED THEM WHEN I WAS A DRIVING.
In the trailers built before 1983/4 had just a fridge unit control box on the front side of the fridge and all the workings and blowers on the inside of the trailer ,so if you looked in side the trailer from the back doors then ,at the front you would have seen a metal blower fan unit sticking out, just about the size of a modern set of two Chester draws hanging down from the front sticking about 2 foot out ,meaning that you were not able to push pallets right to the front flat they would have to be half size,so if you had boxes you would have to take half of them off in the trailer ,push the other to the front under the fridge blowers ,then try to re stack the rest around the blowers , the ones you were left with you would re-distribute on the pallets as they were in the trailer …meaning no matter how tired you were you had to be with the loading all the while…
The next awkward thing was the meat hooks,!what meat hooks yes, not all the fridges at Northampton had meat hooks .i had no idea how or when they were used and by what or why, I knew that there were about 330 ish meat hooks hanging down along 5 rails in the roof of the trailer, what was holding them up I do not know [I still wonder today what was unseen in the fridge roofs] ,T he meat rails were like .if you look at a zip any zip,undo it and look at the sliding thing ,one is attached to the zip and the other not look down at the side not attached,and you see the hole that you attach the other piece of the zip to,turn it towards you and you see .like a rail. The thin gap, that is what the meat rails were like,and you threaded the meat hooks along the thin gap from the door end ,to where you wanted them all at the front out of use and the way. Along these rails the whole length of the roof ,at intervals attached ,were small steel clips that you could put down inside the rail to stop the hooks from sliding back or forward ,these were very important…Especially when we were loading all the different meats.
You knew what you had done once you had slipped them all off the rails and in to boxes,or old plastic bread baskets the long ones…and them put them in to the trailer box or left them inside the warehouse
FRIDGE SIZE AND WEIGHTS.
The first fridges were on 2 axles,[4 wheels] on the rear a Fridge unit[ the cooling system] inside on the front . A steel ribbed floor , thick heavy doors and side walls,Overall weight with tractor 17.000k gs[17 tons]
around 19834/5 new ones arrived.=3 rear axles ,singular tyres ,refrigerated unit outside on the front,lightweight chassis,flat [not ribbed] chequered steel floors, visible screw heads,a thin steel holed strip attached to the side wall to put restraining bars in [ to hold loads back from falling] about 4 foot high off the floor .also later they built under slung boxes underneath the trailers to hold 24 empty pallets and the meat hooks in plastic boxes. and various other features as years went on and of course the lighter they weighed the better. in the end there was no chassis as of now ,very lightweight, that was the ultimate aim years ago lighter net weight higher pay load.
I AM GOING A BIT FORWARD IN MY STORY,HOWEVER IF I DESCRIBE THE USE OF THE FRIDGES,AND PRODUCTS WE /I CARRIED AND TRAILER DEVELOPMENT YOU WILL HAVE SOME IDEA ?
I will just start with the loading all meat was loaded not by the driver at all it was done at the abattoirs by loaders [porters] ,it was a very hard job,you would not have wanted to have loaded meat then have to do your driving work ,it was all ways very clinical ,we had to wash the trailers out with high powered jet washes, and cleaner,either before arriving at the abattoir , or there ,also the temperature and to be cooled down in the trailer before loading as you backed on to a sealed loading bay,temperate controlled , next to the massive fridge s within the abattoir where all the meat is being cooled down in the fridges for loading , the trailers were meticulously inspected by [ 1] the VET, [2]A MINISTRY OF HEALTH INSPECTOR NOW [ M. A F. F] before any loading took place at all.
DIFFERENT MEATS EXPORTED I CARRIED
BEEF=,fore quarters [front legs /shoulders.[2] … ALL OVER EUROPE
Hind quarters [rear legs[ 2]…1animal could weight 1 ton [1000gks] less slaughterd.
COW BEEF,= OLD MILKING COWS. AS ABOVE SLIGHTLY LIGHTER.
SHEEP,LAMBS= to FRANCE SWITZERLAND, BELGIUM .HOLLAND GERMANY. ITALY. GREECE.
EWES. MUMS. = MUTTON. LARGE for ITALY SPAIN. A very fatty product.
PIGS, =FAT OLD SOWS,LARGE. For ITALY, SPAIN. GERMANY. FRANCE. [briiteny area loved fattty meat why ,who knows.]
PIGS=SMALLER =BACON,HAM. For SPAIN. ITALY ,AUSTRIA .FRANCE the best were kept for our markets…
BOAR MEAT,= HAD TO BE TRANSPORT SEPARATIVE FROM ANY OTHER MEAT, AS VERY ODOROUS .Mostly loaded that in Germany for ITALY
BULL MEAT=ALSO CARRIED ON THERE OWN. MOSTLY to Italy big old carcasses
SOME TIMES BOXES OF ALL GAME BIRDS, VERY LARGE AMOUNT OF WOOD -PIGEON ALSO VENISON NOT HUNG UP BUT STACKED UP BECAUSE IT WAS FROZEN.
WHEN WE LOADED FOR ITALY, FROM ANY COUNTRY YOU HAD TO LEAVE THE MIDDLE HANGING RAIL EMPTY,SO AS THE VETS COULD WALK ALL THE WAY DOWN THROUGH THE LOAD TO CHECK WHAT YOU HAD ON THE LORRY CORRESPONDED WITH THE PAPER WORK,TOSSERS,THEY WERE LITTLE ■■■■■■ IN OTHER WORDS ABSOLUTE ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ WOULD HOLD YOU UP TO 2 DAYS.
It was because the way the meat markets were going if more imports were in the country, the local prices would be higher . Without imports ,it would not be only me waiting there would be up to 20/30 lorry s, waiting to unload all over a ITALY .however if you were in Transit ,going outside ITALY for delivering you would soon be out of the customs /vet .the Italians call their vets doctors,so the first time I went there I took me ages to find out what were they on about…
Basically we took any hanging meat anywhere , also frozen meat that was what was called INTERVENTION [remember the butter ,wine mountains] yes ,there was a meat mountain but it all went abroad ,we never got the benefit of it, when ROMANIAN was freed, we took loads of meat to GERMANY to cold stores close to the old east German boarder , that was then transfer d from the cold stores to the ROMANIANS very poor lorry s back to ROMANIA. when you saw what a sorry state the men [drivers ]were in and their pathetic lorry .s they had absolutely nothing, not even cups to drink out of ,jam jars they used ,we all give loads of tins and all old clothes even some dirty washing of ours to them. I will elaborate later…also I was not then on for Rokold…we did help out a lot of romainian drivers .
That was later on I will go back to 1984 .
Evening deckboy, what a superb , factual, analysis, you write of the “mish mash” , corrupt Euro system, that prevailed back then, (and even more so today)!
Keep on going, this really would make a good book!!!
Aurevoir.