BACK
 Almost immediately after V.E.Day a General Election was called. Of all the Political parties. The Labour Party, through the Trade Unions was the most ready for it. The massive influx of folk into war industry who had never before come into contact with Trade Unionism had found it best to join one, and in consequence came within the orbit of labour party propaganda. Wythall, where I lived, was in the Kidderminster constituency. Strange, Drakelow did too.

 The transfer of thousands of Industrial workers, mainly Labour supporters, into rural or part rural constituencies reversed the normal pattern of elections, where hitherto Conservatives had dominated. In the Kidderminster division everything favoured Labour, more so as its candidate was a very popular Local councillor, Alderman Tolley. He had got the now industrialised local carpet area in the bag, addressing meetings outside the big carpet works, now taken over by B.S.A. etc. etc. He had one on the open ground outside our Works. Bags of support from Works Trade Unionists. Only one voice raised in opposition, you can imagine how he fared.

 Sir John Wardlaw-Milne who had represented the division for some 10 yrs came to the Hostels as part of his campaign. His party arrived late, having got lost, which wasn't difficult, sign-posting having been non-existant for years. The Union boys had plastered the Concert Hall with party literature, on the chairs and everywhere. Lady Miln picked up one, read it, nudged Sir John. He quickly grasped the situation, apologised for being late, very sorry he could not stop, and he was off.

 I was sorry about that, you see it was at my suggestion to the Hostel Committe that we were included in his circuit. One can only try to be fair to all sides. Mr Tolley was an old School friend of my Uncle Norman's. At one time they were respectively Chairman and Secretary of the Kidderminster Labour Party. Norman, now in U.S.A. sent him a congratulatory Telegram after the result of the ballot - victory for Labour - had been announced.

 We Hostelites had to walk two miles to vote and mostly did too. Nationally the run-down started with the Home Guard Civil Defence being stood down. Certificates were received by all who served, whether for days or years. Later the award of the Defence Medal, which came by post some time later. One of my chaps on the Conn Rod Section was in the Home Guard, much to his disgust. He showed me his Certificate, saying, "I've never done a parade" seemed proud of it. He had dodged all duties at No.1 but at Drakelow he was forced into the Home Guard.

 Some of these chaps were clever, using the rules to their advantage. It was an accepted rule by all services, Home Guard, Fire and First Aid that all training sessions were subject to persornel not being required for production. Cyril, that was the chaps name, always pleaded with me to let him stay overtime on parade nights. Conn Rods were a key component, he could quite easily slow the job and make a case for overtime. Reluctantly I had to go along with it. Missing on parade, all that he required was his Clock Card to prove production priority. Cyril was a bad lot, the only real one in my department. His Brother Albert who came back to industry after Dunkirk worked for me too, and nobody could have had a better and more co-operative worker. He had little time for Cyril.

 Blackout restrictions, already modified were lifted. That took some getting used to. We were mainly on the Hercules engine now. Some rods for a new engine "The Centurus" were going through the Machine Shop. One batch of 24 a Prototype set. They got to my department for the final operation on a Friday evening and had got to be in the Standard Room by morning. Normally they went from us to Final View Sub-assembly, this one batch was special.

Final View - Bay 18 between tunnels 1 & 2 (Photographed in 2001)

 A Standards Room is just what the name implies, a Standard Component is lodged there. Any query, this is the place that has the final say. Each of my 24 Rods was subjected to the Standards Test. The room was closed except to special personnel. I came under that (big head). It had air lock doors, air conditioned constant temperature, it was dust-less and ventilated in such a way that no draught could interfere with any tests taking place. Perfection. I stayed all Friday, day and night and Saturday morning - 30 hours - to see the job through. As each Rod was put through the test I was present and personally took back and rectified those that needed it. One in particular is worth a mention. It shows the standard worked too. The shank of a Rod is like an H.Channel with a boss at each end. This left a cup at each end of the channel. The whole Rod is polished to perfection, weight and gauge - or one would think so - Standards, and the Test had to be seen to be believed, found a step of 1 thousand of an inch where the Polisher had done the cup and hadn't perfectly blended it into the channel polishing. His gauges wouldn't have picked it up. They, using a ball bearing of a special size discovered it. A step they called it. Technically it was, but removing the1thou. without making it more so wasn't too easy. I did it first go. I watched it tested. The Chief's words O.K. gave pleasure to me and believe me to all those present, you can guess it was the chiefs of all the sections. It is true to say we all had pride in our craft and department prestige. "Centurus" was fitted the Tempest Fighter Bombers, probably the last of the radials before jets came in.

The Standards Room off Tunnel 2 (Photographed in 2001)

 Apprehension about the future was spreading throughout the works. Older men remembered the short boom followed by a terrible slump after the 1914-18 war, and were certain it would happen again. The "Beveridge Plan" for a Welfare State outlined in 1944 would, if it came into being, cushion the worst effects, or was it just a carrot dangled before us - to boost moral and production. Some chaps with good jobs, better than they had ever had in their lives before, dare it be said - would have been happy for the war to go on. Others had thoughts and hopes of a return to the old job. One Scottish girl - I'm sure she voiced the opinion of the other scotties, told me they would never go back to Scotland to work. Carpet workers, poorly paid, never knew these sort of jobs existed. Paisley, where they came from, would be the poorer. A fine bunch of girls, hard working, full of life. They would make their way anywhere.

CONTINUED