REME Apprenticeship

I started my working life as a civilian apprentice Telecommunications Mechanic at 33 Base (later Central) Workshops REME Newark

Started work in July 1957 at 15 1/2 as a pre-apprentice at £2-2s-6d a week. 

I became an apprentice on my 16th birthday 26 February 1958 and completed my apprenticeship on my 21st birthday.

My fellow apprentices were Ray Berry, Jimmy Reckless, John Richardson, John Barber, Brian Widdowson, Pat Simpson, Stuart Hubbard and David Lilley.

Sid Pope was in charge of hiring the apprentices and supervising them during their apprenticeship period.

Jack Hugill was nominally in day to day charge of the apprentices and liked a drink or two.

Initially when the workshops was a “Base” workshop the C.O. was a Captain. When the workshop became a “Central” workshop the C.O. was a major. The Major and a Warrant Officer, were the only military personnel on the workshops. The major went about in wellington boots and and his tunic open, very casual.

I spent the first two years in the machine shop learning turning, welding, milling and general odd jobbing.

One of my first jobs as a pre-apprentice was sorting nuts, bolts, and washers into 3 separate wooden boxes. Another job was taking axles out of packing cases and wiping off the grease they were packed in. The machine shop side also did work on jeep trailers and Diamond T trucks. I remember working with a bloke doing brake testing of trailers.

During my time in the machine shop Pat Simpson and I replaced a lost hammer. Everyone had a basic tool kit which was checked for completeness from time to time. Once I lost my hammer and needed to replace it. You could replace a broken tool from stores if you came to them with the broken bits. Pat Simpson and I concocted a plan whereby I pinched a hammer, broke the handle off near the head of the hammer and took the broken hammer handle to stores. We spun them the line that the head flew off when the hammer broke and we couldn’t find it.

Doc Mitton, who was the mechanical workshop Health and Safety man, used to light his pipe then throw the matches anywhere. Tricked him one day by dousing rags on his bench in carbon-tet and he tossed a match into the rags - whoosh! we thought it funny anyway.

Another “wheeze” was to weld a big heavy metal plate to some ones tool box and then laugh like idiots when they tried to walk off with their tool box.

Jack Cousins who worked on a milling machine in the machine shop could not string two words together without using the 'f' word.

Ray Merideth who used to get all new apprentices to 'hold on to this' (a welding rod) and the give them an electric welder belt. Had a little ditty about one of the ladies who worked in the machine shop “Rose, rose lift up your clothes.

Apprentices got all the good jobs like chipping off the rough edges of triangular bits of metal, that had been cut out with a welding torch, and filling them down smooth.

At one time some parts were made for the Blue Streak rocket programme and panic ensued one day when the blueprints for the parts being made disappeared. It was eventually discovered that the cleaners had been over zealous and thrown them out. Some poor soul had to hunt through the bins until they were found

We learnt some useful stuff in the machine shop like Milling small parts, operating a lathe and spot welding.

Radio was piped throughout the workshops. I can remember “Music While You Work” on and Peggy Sue sung by Buddy Holly booming out and Pat Simpson and I joining in at the top of our voices.

After 2 years I was transferred to the wireless shop. Now I had 2 years of day release and night school behind me I had at least a small amount of electronic knowledge. I had done the first year of Radio and TV Servicing before transferring to the first year of five of the City & Guild Telecommunications course 49. The Telecommunications course had a common first two years and then split into a Telephony stream and a Radio and Line Transmission stream. The Telephony stream was, at that time, the standard qualification for GPO engineers. Us apprentices of course followed the Radio and Line Transmission route. 

The main function of the wireless section was to rebuild vehicle and tank wireless transmitter receiver. Equipment included No. 19 set, No.62, C42 and No. 88. The equipment would come in, be stripped down, chassis anodised, cases and front panel re painted and then the equipment rebuilt and tested.

80% of the workers in the Wireless Shop were women, from teenagers to 40 somethings who did a number of different jobs. There was one team who made up wiring looms,

Sam (fag ash) Bucktin who ran the test equipment calibration workshop had two lovely daughters and seemed surprised that we (Brian Widdowson and I) liked visiting at him at home. There was always an inch of fag ash threatening to fall on his waistcoat - it invariably did.

Christmas in the wireless shop was good - lining up to kiss the young girls.

Making my first bet won 1/6d didn't think it was worth the bother

The powers that be decided not to relay Princess Margaret's wedding over the radio and the women's revolted.

Apprentice prizes two books and a scheaffer pen

Using the telephone and avoidance of.

Making our own wireless sets and how of my fellow apprentices tipped theirs over the fence on a foggy night

Jack Humphries,

Works trips - Chris Barber at RAF Swinderby, Max Bygraves and Arthur Haynes with Nicholas Parsons as his straight man at Lincoln Theatre Royal.

Day release at Nottingham Tech in 1959, let out in the middle of a maths exam to watch Notts Forest on their Cup Final win tour of the town.

Took Radio Servicing first year and then City and Guilds Telecommunications one day and one evening per week

Blowing smoke from one anti radiation alignment cage to another causing panic in the victims cage.

Vivian Woods a little man who made his own oscilloscope from odds and ends

Checking wiring looms

Water proof checking tank sets

Line testing tank sets

Final testing tank sets and supervising girls on the line building sets

Calibrating test equipment

Chances of Promotion

Temporary Chargehand supervising line of women when apprenticeship finished

Applied for Technical Officer grade three months after finishing my apprenticeship- arrogance of youth- left later to broaden my experience

Trade Union

Engineering Union first then breakaway Telecommunications Union for REME workers.

Union man once told me that the key to success was to carry a clip board and wander about all day no one will challenge you and you can do just as you like.

Joined Young Socialists for a short time very dull.

Apprenticeship Certificate

Works Outing Photos

Ray Berry, me and Brian Widdowson

Dennis Sales to my left

Apprentice Prize Books