• Ref. Number: FB009JG
• Date: 23.02.07
• Interviewer (I): Allan King
• Subject: Factory work
• Period: 1940-1942

I

So what year did you roughly start at Short brothers then – can you remember.

J

Early 1942.

I

Right, just as they were getting going?

J

Yes. First one hadn’t flown then. And, I went to their office and one at office – the chap in the office he said go down to the hanger, cos that was the top shop – just over that wire where you can see now, he said, go down the hanger and Mr Nather was down there – well he was the boss, Mr Nather, and he said.

I

Do you remember his first name?

J

I don’t know his first name, no and he said go down and tell him, so this lad out of the office took me down and Nather came out of this DP176 – this was the new one – it was all sprayed up in camouflage which after that 3 or 4 then they were all white you know, well camouflage on top and white sides. So he says yeah you can start a week on Monday then – this was at the top shop, which I don’t know what I was doing like, I can’t remember what I was doing up here, but I was only up there about 2 months, whatever I was doing up there, and I was moved to the hanger, and I was on riveting – well, dolly boy – they would call them dolly boys them that held the rivets on the outside yeah.

I

Yes, someone with a rivet gun on one side of the sheet of metal, and you have someone holding a lump of metal on the inside

.

J

Yes that’s right and the dolly boys used to – well if was outside skin, it was just that round hole or a 10lb weight heavy piece of wood with a piece of rod going through it, you used to hold on to it while he knocked it up.

I

Yes, was it – you say knocked it up – was it by hand or with an electric or a

J

No it was by hand – a lot of it was by hand. Some were by riveting gun

I

with an air powered

J

Yes they were all air powered

I

Air powered

J

Just same as drills were air powered, yes. So

I

But some of them were literally by hand?

J

A lot of them were – and especially (inaudible) - and all that – they were all done with hammer, so I went there. I started there and me father wasn’t so chuffed when he come back. Like I say, it isn’t like now where they do what they want now, but then you went where you were told! What else have I put down here? Oh ay – there was a lot of us used to come from Kendal. There were 3,4,5 buses used to leave town hall at 7 o’clock.

I

And that’s what you did – you used to be at – walk down the hill to the town hall. It’s quite handy cos it’s not far from where you were – Lound Street.

J

Yes, yes, they used to leave from there, and then it was – 4 or 5 buses used to go – full buses – to Shorts and then you used to leave Shorts at about half past 5 at night something like that – it was a full day there, yes. And then Saturday morning was the same – 7 – 12 I think it was.

I

So you worked Monday to Friday

J

And then Saturday morning as well it was a 5 and a half day week, yes.