Your first job in Coventry

Hi Sally, Yes, it was wonderful to have my own Father Christmas-when I've consulted the instructions I was kindly sent I'll upload some pictures of him!

I know exactly what you mean Colin, if you had written just a squiggle like they do they would have accepted it ! I bet all of our signatures have changed over the years. I have not reached the X stage yet thank goodness !!

The hot water bottle Got to tell you this little story , it concerns my old boss Dennis. He told us one morning while having breakfast, I nearly choked. I just could not stop laughing. For me to tell you I did not know what he was thinking would be a lie as it will become evident as you read on. It was Christmas week and Dennis had finished work then had a couple of drinks then went home, he was an happy man, his wife was not due home until about 8.30 pm, she was a nurse at Walsgrave hospital. Now Dennis thought it would be a nice gesture if he made dinner for her when she returned ( he thought it would Put her in a nice mood (wink wink) they lived just off Ball Hill in an old house and it was very cold and I am not too sure if he had central heating?. Anyway he set the seen, nice dinner warm lounge(open fire) it was real Christmasy, he had put an electric fire to warm the bedroom and waited for his wife to return. It was not long before she returned home shatter from a long day at work, but in a good mood , he ran her a bath while he prepared the evening meal . He shouted her, saying " are you ready my love ? the light of my life" ( I added that bit, call it story writers licence) she replied I will be down soon. Dennis rubbed his hands thinking all was going to plan. After dinner they settled down with a few drinks in order to relax them both. About half hour before retiring Dennis nipped off to fill a rubber hot water bottle to warm the bed ( the rubber water bottle was quite old) Dennis poured a couple of drinks then they both made for the bedroom. His wife got into bed first and moved over the hot water bottle to dennis's side of the bed but did not tell him . He was excited and without a care in the world and without thinking took a dive on his side of the bed, as he landed he heard a dull plopping sound " tell me you did not move the bottle to my side?" he exclaimed, she replied " yes I thought it would nice to warm your side " " OMG " he cried " I think I have split the hot water bottle " and sure enough he had split the bottle from top to bottom emptying the hot water onto the bed . His wife shot out of bed but it was too late she had copt the lot soaking her and the bed, well I guess that put a right damper on things ( pardon the pun) needless to say it somewhat ended any sort of passionate liaison Dennis had planned. I hurt myself laughing at his misfortune, but I promised I would not tell anyone, but I lied . It went round like a whirlwind . The comments came flowing in lol. Water bed Den? You should not sponge of your wife, more water with it Den, and so it went on. It's a funny thing but I did not get on with Dennis when we first met but we became good friends sad to say he is no longer with us I keep his memories though. Colin.

Another good read Colin, thank you, but you are a dead giveaway, as soon as I read 'the water bottle was quite old' I knew what was coming. I didn't know whether to feel sorry for Dennis for all the trouble he had gone to or his wife for having to do the clearing up ! Ye olde hot water bottle, what would we do without them, I bet there are not many houses without one.

My first job was with a firm of solicitors, Pridmore & Nelson in Queen Victoria Road. I was 15 years old and as Office Junior I had to deliver documents and letters to other solicitors, insurance companies. real estate agents, etc. I used to enjoy this part of my job because I met lots of other office juniors doing the same thing. Whatever the weather, there we were finding our way to the various offices and helping one another with directions. We weren't supposed to exchange letters so there were often a couple of us going to the same place. (I wonder whether any of those teenagers will read this and remember those times.) The envelopes for these local deliveries were all recycled by covering the address with sticky brown paper from a roll then adding another strip to seal over the end. That was a boring job! I used to cycle to work from Clifford Bridge Road, Binley (about three miles) unless the weather was really bad then I caught the bus. A couple of evenings a week I learned shorthand at Hemmings (?)in Burns Road, Stoke. My initial wage was 1pound.12s.6d per week; a beautiful white five pound note as a Christmas bonus and a rise of 1 pound after a year. Hours 9.30am-5.30pm with 1.1/2 hours for lunch and 9-30-12.30 on Saturday. When I was 16 my mother and I emigrated to New Zealand and here I am still. I usually visit Coventry when I make trips to the UK but don't like what 'they' have done to Broadgate. I loved the way it was when I left in 1956. I'm enjoying browsing this site - congratulations it's so interesting and easy to get around

I too preferred Broadgate they way it was in the 50s and 60s.

Hi Margaret, That must surely have been the Mr. Hemmings who taught shorthand and typing at Alfred Herbert's in my day. He had a good reputation for making the knowledge sink in - he must have - because I came through with flying colours.

I didn't like the short hand Dreamtime, I liked the typing, which my first job was bottom of Cashs Lane don't know if any one recalls Abbey Tyres in their office, I lasted a week, then went on to Pistons Ltd, Quinton Road, then the copy typist for City Electrical Factors, Shakleton Road Under the arches where I worked in the same office as the secretary her name was Una lovely lady, they sent me to Henlely Collage for the short hand. Thinking back now I could nt be shut in an office ever again, I would rather go to a garden centre or a community garden for the kids, sweep the streets if I had to. Yes Dreamtime I still have a hot water bottle ready on my chair when I need it

Hello Morgana, You have always struck me as a 'free spirit' Morgana, no offices for you. The shorthand still comes in handy sometimes for a quick note, but my daughter complains sometimes when I use it on the shopping list. Herbert's was my first one and only job and I did enjoy it there. Started work at 15 straight from school, no fancy graduation ball, no nothin'. Do they still use the shorthand ? I think not. It is great as long as you can read it back ! ! !

Hi Dreamtime yes that's me a free spirit, not the drink spirit either I bet to your daughter the short hand looks like squiggles I had to leave my jobs because of ill health, Pistons Ltd I had to go into the factory to give wages out and discuss their time sheets and they could nt insure me if I fell on the machinery. I started at 14 I had to have a special insurance to cover me to work from the dole office which was then situated back of the council house where you get free school meals from now. I then went on to work in a shoe shop Ormond shoes, in Jubilee Crescent, they also had a shop in Earlsdon, then went to Tesco 3 years later. Shame you did nt get a graduation ball, we did nt get any thing like that in those days did we. I doubt if short hand is still used, mainly typing on the pc, I must of fore seen the future. My daughters work friend works for an insurance company he said to me last week there was a typing pool still, until he joined a business a few years ago but he came up and solved how to do all the typing pools jobs he put in a new system which done the girls out of a job, he said they hated him for it, hence the new technology of today, puts people out of work, hence lack of jobs. I then worked for a Vicar then went on to work for the manager of Rolls Royce , to which you would probable know his mother. Lol yes if you can read the short hand back hehe.

The pools win Sitting in the canteen one morning having breakfast when we were accompanied by an engineer from another group, while we had moved our HQ from Mason rd to Leofric Exchange he was still at Mason Road. He had joined us for breakfast, he loaded his plate and sat down next to me, he was aware of or reputation as wind up merchants so I thought he would have been on his guard. He began to enjoy his breakfast when he looked over at one of the lads reading a local News Paper open at the Houses for sale, he then remarked " you lot won the Pools then? " I, quick as a flash spotted an opportunity To do a wind up. With an angry voice i shouted at the lads saying" ok , "who told him we had won? I told you all not to let on until the money had been confirmed." they looked at me gone out, but soon caught on. The interloper was soon to correct me as to who had told him, "nobody told me" he said , " I just thought as he was looking for a new house, two were talking holidays and one of you was looking for a new car I just put two and two together" " I am sorry, I thought someone in the syndicate had told you " " how much did you win then?" he asked. " I cannot tell you that, we have not heard." Please don't tell anyone, we need to keep it dark." He agreed to not tell anyone , but we knew he would, how could he keep that quite?. He left us at the table and we thought that was that , just another wind up, until we got a phone call from one of the bosses at Mason Rd wishing us well then we got a good will card from from the lads at Mason Road then we started to get goodwill phone calls from other Depts within BT. This went on for several days, "this has got to stop" I said, and so one morning in reported to Mason Rd with the intention to spill the beans before it got out of hand, bearing in mind we had never told anyone that we had won anything it was our friend at the breakfast table who had added two and two together and come up with Pools win? Well I could not believe it, when I walked through the door I was treated to a rapturous applause and cheers " you lucky xxxxxx" they shouted and began to slap me on the back saying "well done". Thats it, I bottled out, I had not the guts to tell them the truth, if I had I was in fear of my life, they kept asking me how much we had won? My reply was " nothing really " "yea we know you jammy xxx" I suppose you could say that this little ruse had gone wrong and backfired on me, I cannot remember how they got to know the truth but the result of them finding out did not go down too well. They fell out with us, not speaking for weeks after, again I made the effort to make amends, I had to eat humble pie and apologise, after the lecture I was I was redeemed, although the scam could have never worked without our breakfast guest getting it all wrong I had to admit he was setup. We soon forgot and all was forgiven. Colin.

You are wicked Colin. What would you have done if you had really won a tidy amount (bought yourself a new pair of trousers after the shock I bet) You should have treated them to a pint at least to make amends - make mine a bottle of Bailey's. I wish you luck anyway for the future.

When i was 16 just coming up to 17, i was dependant upon a lift to work from my mentor, Charlie. I was an apprentice painter and decorator with the council. Waiting this one morning at the top of Eastcotes on Tilehill Lane, Charlie just went wizzing passed me. Thinking he would turn round and come back i waited for about 15mins but no Charlie! So it was down to the buzz stop and a buzz into town, then a walk to Cox st. for my buzz to Hen lane. I was over an hour late for work but the foreman said it was not my fault as Charlie had already said that he had forgot to pick me up. So he did not mark me down as late. This was the start of a good day. The foremans hut was in the carpark of a pub and we were working in a house a few doors up from it. Cannot remember the name of the pub but now gone. Finally starting work, the first job was to emulsion the ceiling white, Placing two pair of steps, one either side of the room with a plank inbetween them, i then placed a bucket of emulsion in the middle. With Charlie one side and me the other to paint the ceiling was minutes. First coat done, the steps and plank were moved back to the start point, more emulsion added to the bucket and replaced on the middle of the plank ready to start the second coat. Charlie had already been mopping the spots of paint off the floor but he could not reach the ones under the plank so asked me to wipe them up with a damp cloth. Mayhem begins. Every thing i say now happens in split seconds, time seems to slow down. I am on my hands and knees under the plank cleaning up when Charlie stuck the mop handle where no mop handle should be stuck? In surprise i stood straight up, plank balancing on my shoulders with a pair of steps on each end, then i swivelled round just in time to see a bucket of white emulsion attached to Charlies chest. His hair which was normally jet black was white, his face white, walls white, floor white but the best was to come. On the front of our overalls was a pocket to put our papering tackle into, scissors etc, Charlies had now filled up to over flowing point with paint, at this point of time , the plank and steps had given up the fight with gravity and fell to the floor with an almighty crash, at the same time the bucket also gave up the fight and when that hit the floor ( metal buckets in those days) it was like the church bells ringing. Not only that but the last remains of the paint flew out, pebble dashing everything, three piece suite included. The lady of the house had been in the kitchen, had heard the commotion started shouting "whats happened, whats happened"and turned the door knob to come into her "Wrecked" lounge. Charlie, quick as a flash, hurled himself against the door and said " its ok, my apprentice knocked the steps over and all the furniture is against the door so you cannot come in". While Charlie was calming the woman down i noticed that the emulsion, that had been in his apron pocket, had now been draining out. It had run down his legs, into his shoes and was now over flowing onto the floor, not that it made much difference to the mess that was around the whole room. After he had calmed the lady down he grabbed a chair and wedged it under the door knob, thus stopping her from coming in. Saying to me " start cleaning up" he shot out the front door, leaving a trail of emulsion behind him. To be honest, if you had stuck Charlie up on the ceiling you would have only seen a pairs of eyes looking at you, he was that white. By the time Charlie came back i had got all the liquid paint up, He, had dumped all his clothes into a bucket and had tried to wipe as much paint off as he could. He still looked very ill (white). The foreman had given him some clean overalls, spare mops and brought huge amounts of clean water. The job of cleaning up had started. This took about 4 hours, all the time the lady would say " can i come in yet?) "Not yet, we want it to be a surprise" was Charlies reply. She would have had a heart attack if she had seen the mess at that stage. The three piece suite, luckily, was in leatherette, the floor linoleum. Charlie again shot out and came back with polish, we now polished the three piece suite and fireplace as well as the floor. No break time we ploughed on with the painting, four o clock came, finished. We finally let the lady in and she was over the moon and thanked us so much for being such clean workers, lol. Charlie threw all his clothes away and it took over a week for the emulsion to wash out of his hair and off his body, HE NEVER DID STICK THAT MOP HANDLE WHERE IT SHOULD NOT BE STUCK, EVER AGAIN!!!

The Pub you are referring to scrutiny is The Bantam, done a bit of supping in there myself....

Brilliant scrutiny, you would make a good Laurel & Hardy duo.