"1941-1943"

A review of Smethwick Drop Forge Ltd by V.J. Humphries written on Wednesday 6th of April 2011

My name is Victor John Humphries, I am 86.5 years of age, I worked in the machine shop on the biggest Butler Planing machine in the shop, it had a 20 foot table,and at the age of 16 I was asked to work on the night shift, I told the foreman Charlie Wood that according to the factory acts I could not work nights until I was 18, he said to me "sonny there is a war on and there ain't no factory acts.and if you work at night it means more money, I said when do I start,he said next Monday night , start at 6pm til 6am ..7 night a week, which means an 84 hour week, for which i got about 3 pounds ten shillings,wich works out to about 10 pence an hour (big Deal),at the end of the shift. we would go outside to catch the bus to kidder only to find that about a foot of snow had fallen during the night,so No bus, and a long walk to kidderminster after a 12 hour shift.I did this for 18 months, and got so pissed of I volunteered for the Royal Navy, I was rejected because i was in as reserve Occupation, so I played up and the superintendent of the machine shop (who was I believe

a professer of engineering from Edinburgh university gave me a weeks notice so that i could join up, which started another phase in my life I joined HMS Renown as a Radar operator and servived WW2 am now heading for 87, Quiz: What was the name of the Stamper that was caught by the night nurse, having sex with a female who worked on a clipping press in the female toilets with the lights out,and theres more. kind regards Victor John Humphries 17 Anchor fields Kidder minster. but now in West Australia .

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