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Old 18th August 2020, 10:39
Phillthechill United Kingdom Phillthechill is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Stamford Bridge, England
Posts: 26
Thumbs up I was with----

----'Brock's' from 1960 to 1974 coming ashore as I had got as far as I could without getting a 'Ticket'. My reasons for not getting Ticket's was quite simple! Math's were/are a complete mystery to me and, without them, I would be a 'Professional Third' plus the fact that I had a young daughter growing-up and I didn't fancy the idea of having her growing-up with me missing-out on her formative years.

Got a job at Drax Power Station as a Fitter but the CGEB was, (like the Dock's!), 100% 'Union'. On my first day a Shop Steward, (aka 'A Bully Boy'!) asked me, "Are you in 'The Union'?". I said I was in the MNAOA to which he said, "Never heard of it! If you don't join the AEU you're out!". His bullying 'warning' had me join the lowest-possible level of the 'Union'. However I couldn't stand the way 'The Unions' really 'ran' the CEGB and seeing a job being advertised, (by the old Crown Agents), for a 'Senior Inspector of Works, Diesel engines' in Botswana on a two year Contract applied, and to my great surprise and delight, got the job!

At the end of the job came home, saw a job being advertised for a Maintenance Fitter in a vegetable freezing factory applied and, (probably because of my knowledge and familiarity with working, at sea, with NH3 [ammonia] in 'fridge-systems' as their 'Plant' was a large NH3 System), got the job. I was there for six years but the Firm was bought-out and the new owners were 180 degrees different to the old owners 'restructuring' to the point I wanted out.

The Plant Engineer, I worked-with, had been sacked, when the new owners took-over, appointing their own 'man', and gone back to his previous employers (UDEC who were a firm building and maintaining Industrial Refrigeration Systems).

I was at home one day when the 'phone rang. It was my ex-Plant Engineer asking if I fancied a job with UDEC and, having been recently declared, by my, (then), wife as 'Surplus-to-Requirements', who then booted me out, I joined them.

One of the best moves I ever made!

I was with UDEC, travelling all-over the UK and also to Turkey and Saudi on Commissioning and Maintenance 'til I retired in 2001.

I consider myself to have had a wonderful working-life, (even the CEGB 'experience!!), and wouldn't have missed any of it! Phil
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