I am a totally blind person now. I did have a small amount of sight when I started working. I went from Leeds to an engineering centre in Harbourne, Birmingham, started by an old sea dog Ray Jago. He believed that he could show a blind person how to operate a lathe, centre lathe, capstan lathe, drilling machines - to do it all safely by touch. It seems frightening in a way when you realise how fast these machines are running but he did show you how to place your hands towards the moving part. Bearing in mind there is cooling fluid running on the tool, I could actually touch the tool as it was cutting. The only thing you had to watch out for were steel cuttings coming off, wrapping round your fingers - and these things have a razor edge on them. I just got used to doing it. Everyone in the centre was blind or partially sighted.

When I left there I had made a test piece to indicate to an employer what kind of thing I was doing. I took it to a small engineering company in Leeds and showed it to the managing director. When he saw it he said “can you start this afternoon.” I started there at 19 and finished at 65. I was looked after and I did what I had to do. It cuts both ways.