Norman Pilton worked in transmissions at Westland and recalls the importance of getting to work on-time

When the war ended I was back in Yeovil for a while and started in the fitting shop. I remember a charge hand there, a Mr Bird. He was always known as Dickie Bird and he used to live in Sparrow Road and his house was called The Nest. Dickie Bird, Sparrow Road, The Nest!

In those days you clocked in at 7.30. At 7.31 you were OK but if you hit 7.32 you lost a quarter, you lost a quarter of an hour. I remember this chap coming in. He was about half an hour late and this foreman in the fitting shop said “what’s the matter then Harry” or whatever his name might have been “you coming in late like this”. He said “I’m sorry Mr Gosling but I overslept” and he said “well you’d better go home and have some more rest and come back when you are not so tired” and sent him home just like that.

You just couldn’t believe it really how things have changed now to what it was in those days.

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