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Shepperton Film Studios | The Times Newspaper | ICT Putney | ICL Harrow | 1900 Programming | Freelancing |
Long summer-vacations and shorter Christmas vacations, from the age of about 14 or 15 I worked for pin-money at:
 | Howell & Hall Bakery in Hayes, Middx - in their Admin/Accounts department, typing addresses on Invoices mostly - got to be very fast with "Woolworths" - spent 2 summer vacations there (probably 1958/1959) Vi, Mr Farquhar, Patricia ?? (Comptometer Operator) are remembered names. Can also remember being the "Security Man" (what an idiot) - who every week put on a "waistcoat" which got filled with money (weekly cash takings) - and I was driven with another guy (my guard) to a local bank, where it was counted and deposited; |
| GPO - the Post Office in Southall - delivering the Christmas mail - that was very "atmospheric" - getting up around 04:30 - cycling the 3 or 4 miles to the Post Office in the pitch black, cold mornings, into the warm, bright, noisy sorting office - sorting my bag of mail - hot cups of tea and sandwiches, then off out around 07:30/08:00 on my round, about 2 hours - then back for a second round about midday - must have been 1960; |
| Arrow Electric Switches an American company (my mother worked there) manufactured electric switches, at a factory near where Aeradio had their office block, opposite the wood yard - near the bridge over the canal, just where you enter Southall if coming from Hayes along North Hyde Road. This was working in the Stores - and picking/packing to order - lots of climbing and looking in dusty boxes for old/deleted items - probably summer 1960; |
Finishing A Levels at Ealing Tech at the age of about 17 (1960), and needing to get out to work to earn some money (University was never a consideration) the two halves of the family provided different career opportunities:
| Father's side was mostly in the Film Industry, |
| Mother's side were largely Commerce oriented (which fitted well with what I'd been studying - Accounts, Economics etc..). |
It was decided I should spend a day visiting Shepperton Film Studios to see if I liked the "atmosphere" - what a day!!
I don't know how the decision was arrived at, but somehow I never got into the film industry, but via introductions by my cousin Peter Olney (thanks Peter) I was able to join the Accounts Department of The Times newspaper.
I worked at:
1900 Programming - London & South Africa