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First Jobs

F

Frantic

Guest
What was your first full-time job and where was it?
Mine was at a company called Newmans in Hospital street (I think). They made the 'Britton' hydraulic door closers. I was promised an apprenticeship as a Toolmaker after a trial period, so I was set to work drilling holes in steel plates and then countersinking them from 8am to 6pm, for the princely sum of 2 pounds 16 shillings & sixpence. This went on for months. After complaining endlessly about the effect that the suds was having on my hands, I eventually got 'Promoted' to assembly. I believe that I could still pull one of those things apart and put it back together again with my eyes closed. I eventually got fed up of waiting for the promised apprenticeship and my brother got me an apprenticeship where he worked at 'British Pens' in 'Smerrick' I often wonder if Newmans is still going as it was an old company when I worked there. Maybe some of you historians know a bit more.
 
I left school and started at Cago Plastics in Burlington Street Aston. I earned just over £6 a week I think? My first job was fettling plastic dust covers, which they made to fit most makes of stereo systems back then. It was a fantastic place to work, we were a family, and generally speaking we all got along great. I was made up to machinist only after the guy who had been doing it cut his fingers off on a moulding spindle, which had been wrongly set up. I got a five pence an hour rise, and soon learned the job. They made me redundant twice, and I went on to do other jobs. But even to this day, if they were still in business, and they asked me to return, I'd be back like a shot!! I have no doubts that several of the other guys I worked with would do the same.
I formed some very strong friendships, and even though I lost touch for over thirty years, I have recently been able to find a few of my old pals, and we are the same best of mates we always were.
 
That's great Rod, It's good to have fond memories of ones working life. It seems to me that just about everywhere that I ever worked (with the exception of Brandauers) has been knocked down. One thing that I always tell the Aussies is how much fun we used to have at work. The pranks that we used to pull on each other. Like nailing a dead fish to the back of someones drawer, and watch them keep opening it trying to find the source of the smell :lol:
 
Well as for fun at work!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could tell you some incredible things, that happened at Cagos, not all of em legal :lol: :lol: As you say the pranks were brilliant. The very same coffee cups that come out of machines today were a good source of amusement when work became boring. As well as moulding plastics, we also fabricated special items. This meant using a variety of solvents, one of which was great for gluing coffee cups full of coffee to work surfaces. Suffice it to say it made a real mess when the solvent gave in and up came the cup at a tremendous rate of knotts :lol: The factory had a good supply of rats, which one of the guys was frightened to death of. This guy would sit alone through the night, armed with a shotgun(YES REALLY!) and when us day shift guys went in come morning, the floor was pock marked where he had blasted at anything that moved. We never did find a shot up rat? not that I remember anyway. We were very very careful how we entered the building on these morning, making sure we shouted to this Guy before opening the door! Most of these fun things happened when Britain was on a Three Day Week, because of the power strikes, in the seventies, to get around it our gaffer came up with the day and night shift, for three whole days, so he got a whole week, and a days extra outta the factory, for less money, what a bounda! but we loved him like our own dad LOLOLOLOL
 
NEWMANS

Hi Frantic
Yes, newmans is still going strong but was taken over by the Ingersol-rand group. I suppose it is being run from the U S A .
I used to earn my living by repairing thier door closers and floor springs.
I travelled all over the country, sometimes not coming home for weeks on end.
As you say, the Briton door closer was the companies bread and butter, but they also produced locks, door furniture and window fittings,
they took over Legge Locks at Willenhall.
At one time 90 per cent of clubs, pubs, cinemas, theatres and public buildings were fitted with thier products.
Eventually the Japanese worked thier way in and eased out the British firms, many of whom were in the Midlands area.
Unfortunately it was a case of sacrifycing quality for economy, as with a lot of industries.
 
JOBS

Not my first job, but certainly one of the strangest jobs I've had, was working for a dental laboratory in Small Heath.
It was my job to deliver false teeth to various dentists all over the Midlands.
I used to ride a motorbike with a box on the back. Sometimes the dentist would ask me to wait while he checked the teeth were ok. Some returned them to me and asked me to tell my boss that they didn't fit correctly.(How the hell did he know this, unless the patient was there trying them in while I was waiting outside)
I left there and went to work for Blunt Taylor in Phillips St, delivering motor spares instead. (much more manly )[/b]
 
I left school at 16 and worked at LEWIS,s in town started on £6 2s 6d in the tools and tiles dept in the basement .

We were "so poor" that they gave us lunch vouchers otheriwse we could not afford to eat ,you could get a drink,a meal and a pud for the voucher .


I worked there for eight years and grew up there really. recently got in touch with a couple of friends from those days.


My boos was a littel man called Jerry England , when I came in late afetr drinking too much he would shout bed or bus
 
:lol: :lol: :lol: Sorry Postie but I just had this picture of you on your motorbike riding down a cobblestone street in the winter and all of the teeth jumping up & down making a chattering noise :lol: :lol:
 
Hell!

Postans Paints Ne'chells. Thought I had died and been sent to hell, on the first day. Oh how I hated school, but I think I would have willingly gone back that day!!!!!
 
First job

my first job was at the BSA in Armoury Road, a great place to work
I could get a dinner and pudding for a tanner in the subsidised canteen, which was just as well as I was only earning abut three quid a week :(
One of my best memories is walking into one of the assembly shops for the first time and seeing, lined up in rows ready for despatch - no, not great big super bikes but little red bantams for the post office telegraph boys.
By the way I've just caught up with this site - great job Rod and it's nice to see some of the names from the old virtual brum forums especially Postie.
 
KeithH said:
Hell!

Postans Paints Ne'chells. Thought I had died and been sent to hell, on the first day. Oh how I hated school, but I think I would have willingly gone back that day!!!!!
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When were you there Kieth? How long did you stay ? Colin
 
My first job was in the Cashier's Office at Birmingham City Transport in the Council House extension, down in the basement. It was a case of not knowing what I wanted to do when I left school, and a job with the Council seemed a safe option to my mother. The interview was a bit like going on a cheapie holiday with resort and accommodation allotted on arrival. I just got a letter that said I'd been accepted and was to report to the Chief Accountant at BCT (then Edgar Ashby).

It was my first encounter with office backbiting, fortunately not directed at me. People who were normally quite placid and pleasant would suddenly turn on one or more of their colleagues for no apparent reason and a huge argument would ensue, on one occasion resulting in the 'victim' leaving. I wasn't prepared for that and didn't like it, but never encountered it in any other office. Perhaps many were in a dead end job and thought they should have been promoted and weren't.

Maurice
 
My First Job was an Apprenticeship at G.E.C. in Witton in the early 1960's. Started at one pound and fifty pence per week but I could not have wished for a better training , the Indentures were pages of parchment with elaborate print and seals which really made people sit up and take notice at future interviews. Very lucky young man to have gone there. Mike
 
Apprentice to Birmingham sculptor WILLIAM BLOYE Had the honour of working on many of his projects, including the now FAMOUS, GOLDEN BOYS statues. Did this from age 14 until my RAF (wasted two years), at age 18 Age Then became a musician?
 
Ryland Garage 1960 as a trainee mechanic as my Mother couldn't afford for me to be an Apprentice. Started in the stores three months before my 15th Birthday and paid out of petty cash, great boss who realised times were difficult for us.
 
Left school at 15 and was employed by B'ham co-op as a trainee manager (errand kid) in No 6 Grocery, on Moseley road. Left to join the army at sixteen and a half.
 
Left school at 15 joined Birmingham co-op as a punch card operator ,but was handing out pass books after the Divi was added at first great bunch of girls mostly in our overalls with big white collars ,
 
My first job was as a lab-assistant in the Chemistry Dept at Birmingham University. There was never very much to do, everyone was laid back, and I loved it - all for a fiver a week. Loads of things to do around the Campus, and I got myself into the Students Union via a 'guest membership' (no such thing) and went to the Saturday Night Hops for years, when The Spencer Davis Group was the resident band. There was day-release if you wanted it, and I went to Handsworth Tech. After nearly 4 years there I felt the need for a bit more in my pay-packet, and reluctantly left.

G
 
I also went to Handsworth Tech but spent a couple of years learning how to eat Cheese and onion cobs, playing darts and drinking beer at the local pub. Ended up having to go to night School instead at Aston tech which certainly taught me a lesson in the folly of not knuckling down.
 
postie said:
JOBS

Not my first job, but certainly one of the strangest jobs I've had, was working for a dental laboratory in Small Heath.
It was my job to deliver false teeth to various dentists all over the Midlands.
I used to ride a motorbike with a box on the back. Sometimes the dentist would ask me to wait while he checked the teeth were ok. Some returned them to me and asked me to tell my boss that they didn't fit correctly.(How the hell did he know this, unless the patient was there trying them in while I was waiting outside)
I left there and went to work for Blunt Taylor in Phillips St, delivering motor spares instead. (much more manly )[/b]
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My first job in `57 was as a wages clerk at R M Douglas, civil engineers. There was a lot of snobbery in the office & the worst offender was the boss. I turned up for work one day in a blue suit & he let me know immediately that it was not fit & proper for the office & sent me home to change. I got my revenge when playing cricket for the office. I was a decent fast bowler & Mr. Dale who fancied himself as a wicket keeper received a nice one to the mouth & lost a few teeth ( & blood ). After 18 months i could stand it no longer & jacked it in. Went to work at Roberts rubber factory in Witton, nice people & 4 times the wage i was getting at R M Douglas. Happy days.
 
i was a apprentce. on auto electrics .and fuel injection i went to handworth tech. too. mvm1 to mvm3.
 
Smudger said:
My first job in `57 was as a wages clerk at R M Douglas, civil engineers. There was a lot of snobbery in the office & the worst offender was the boss. I turned up for work one day in a blue suit & he let me know immediately that it was not fit & proper for the office & sent me home to change. I got my revenge when playing cricket for the office. I was a decent fast bowler & Mr. Dale who fancied himself as a wicket keeper received a nice one to the mouth & lost a few teeth ( & blood ). After 18 months i could stand it no longer & jacked it in. Went to work at Roberts rubber factory in Witton, nice people & 4 times the wage i was getting at R M Douglas. Happy days.
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And then you joined the army mate.
I bet you were more use to your country than that lot were and I bet you had more self pride.
 
mw0njm. said:
i was a apprentce. on auto electrics .and fuel injection i went to handworth tech. too. mvm1 to mvm3.
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Rylands always used A T Gittins for our major electrical work, making up new wiring looms always seemed a very complicated job. We also had our own Merlin calibration machine for checking and adjust the CAV fuel pumps off the Gardner engines. Did the MVT 1 to 3 at Handsworth then Aston Tech.
 
nickcc101 said:
Rylands always used A T Gittins for our major electrical work, making up new wiring looms always seemed a very complicated job. We also had our own Merlin calibration machine for checking and adjust the CAV fuel pumps off the Gardner engines. Did the MVT 1 to 3 at Handsworth then Aston Tech.
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great ta for reply nickcc101 .i still make up looms for old tractors for farmers .i never want to see another inline or dpd pump :laughing:again.
 
The first vehicle I drove was a tractor, the common grey coloured Ferguson* of the times. I was twelve years old and the farmer showed me, by making the fist lap around the field, how to cut hay. I was on holiday on the Gower peninsula. The grown ups did the hard work with pitchforks and loading. It was very enjoyable and got me into a farming frame of mind so at fourteen and fifteen (supposed to have been at least seventeen) I worked with the volunteer agricultural camps each summer school holiday time.

* Tractor make amended for accuracy.
 
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Radiorails said:
The first vehicle I drove was a tractor, the common grey coloured Fordson of the times. I was twelve years old and the farmer showed me, by making the fist lap around the field, how to cut hay. I was on holiday on the Gower peninsula. The grown ups did the hard work with pitchforks and loading. It was very enjoyable and got me into a farming frame of mind so at fourteen and fifteen (supposed to have been at least seventeen) I worked with the volunteer agricultural camps each summer school holiday time.
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(marking time again) i worked on these when i was apprentis grey fergie i own one now. del if off thread.
 

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferguson_TE20
It will be seen that the company had a few early places for manufacture but Coventry became their home post ww2.
Coventry is beyond Birmingham's boundaries, but it would not surprise me to know that some of the parts needed for the tractor were sourced from one or more of the cities factories.
I bet we will be told! :grinning:
 
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