I was in charge of a shift engineering team which looked after the conveyor system’s electrical and mechanical components. Oliver Morey (T2A), Albert Appleyard (T2B) and myself (TO) were the team.
I was to leave the parcel office after a couple of years to be the TO in charge of the electrical / mechanics of the main sorting office in City Square, Leeds.
In 1973 I left the GPO to take the position of Chief Engineer at Almonds Bakery, Gain Lane, Thornbury, Bradford.
On leaving the GPO which had now become separate to telephone division I was asked what I wanted to do with the money in my superannuated account. The Government of the time had started a scheme that enabled you to put money into an account which would in time give you an extra pension on top of the standard pension you received at aged 65. You paid 7% of your annual salary into the account. Well there was about £170 ( quite a lot of money in those days) in the account. I decided to leave the money frozen in the account – the reason why I can’t fully recall. However, what an astute decision it has turned out. I started drawing the index-linked pension in 2008 and it is now (2023) worth some £3,500 per year.
cont…………….
I joined a dating agency, Countrywide Introductions run from Brighouse. In those days conducted by post. I went on lots of dates. Some good but mostly bad. I met and fell in love with divorcee Sylvia Coral Musgrave,
I fell in love again with Christine who I married on 16th August 1985. We are still in love. See Marraige
In 2002 I was made an offer I could not refuse and sold the lease of the Dusty. See Dusty
2002. We moved into 189, Thornhill Road, Rastrick, Brighouse bought for £55,000. We are still here. I did odd part-time jobs. A chauffeur and assistant kitchen-fitter with Jim Stewart who I had met at the Dusty Miller. In 2011 I ceased all work. Christine worked as a sales assistant at Sainsburys, Brighouse for 13 happy years.
While at Almonds I met a fellow engineer called Geoff Foster who lived at Thornbury. Geoff introduced me to his dad Les and mum Win who were landlords in the 60s of the Thornbury Tavern in Leeds Road, Bradford. Geoff had an elder sister Lyn (my girlfriend for a short while), a younger sister Ann and younger brother Bryn. I was to remain friends and in touch with Geoff until his untimely death in 2011 at the age of 63. Sadly his sister Lynne died just eleven weeks after his death.