Transcript

So, as an office boy what was a normal day like? What did your job involve?

Well, there was about 10 chargeman platers. There was 3 cabins in the west part of the yard and Mr Campbell was in an office by himself, which was the middle one, and then there was about 6 in one, and about 4 in another. I used to make sure that their tea or coco – whatever they wanted was made for them at a certain time, ‘cause we were only allowed a certain time and any messages that they wanted – anything the Mr Campbell wanted – if he wanted to see someone he would send me to get this particular person and I had to respect – you learn to respect people. The strange this was meeting people who I live beside and when I was calling them Mr they said ‘Don’t call us ‘Mr’ here son – call us by me first name, but you can call us ‘Mr’ outside again!’ It was the same with the women – the lady next door to me – she worked in the yard as a, what we call a slabby – slabby was the lady who put paint on roughly like and when I used to call her Mrs the other ones used to laugh ‘cause her name was Ester, as it happens, but I used to always respect her! I would have got wrong off me mother if I called her Ester – she wouldn’t have minded like!