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Another funny thing......
When I worked at Ironbridge power station back in the '70s, we worked a shift cycle that included seven night shifts on the trot - sometimes even ten if you had to cover absences.
I got into the habit of not shaving during the whole period, so I would look really scruffy by my last night shift. This lead to an amusing occurrence........
Just before leaving home at about 2115hrs, I just swilled my face under the bathroom tap to wake me up a bit, grabbed a multi-coloured towel from the airing cupboard, dried off and left. When I got to work, I went to the office to relieve my oppo on evening shift. He looked at me aghast and asked me if I felt ok, as I looked like death!. I replied that I was fine. After he left I went to the control room to see the lads there and went to the No.1 unit first to chat with Nobby Clarke, the operator. He looked at me a bit funny and asked if I felt well. I said that I was ok but I'd been asked that already. Anyway, progressing on to No.2 unit, my usual routine, the operator there said, "You look awful JJ - are you sure you should be at work tonight"? I replied, "Well I thought I was ok but I'm not so sure now!!
I went straight through to the shower room and looked in the mirror.....bloody heck, my face was all colours, mostly shades of green, blue and red!! I swilled off with water and all the colours went down the plughole. I then realised what had happened - all the colours had come out of that bloody towel - it was a brand new one and obviously cheap..... We all had a good laugh and it soon got around the shifts, creating a notice pinned up..."Offers invited for JJ's towel - three days sick leave guaranteed with only one application".
In the CEGB, we got up to 3 days sick leave without a doctor's note. This was obviously abused and the industry slang for an illicit 3 days off, by phoning in sick varied from station to station. At Ironbridge it was called a 'Tinkler'; at Ferrybridge it was called a 'Ringer' and the best I reckoned was at Northfleet, where it was called a 'Phoney'.
JJ.
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