To start off, I was a school reject, as some of us were, because we’d failed our 11-plus and they didn't have a place for us in the secondary school, which should have been built but they were still in the process of building it. They didn’t know what to do with us, so we were left in a council school until we were 15.

So we staggered through our education and had to continue when we left school through a night school and then day college, to try and get some qualifications. But in the meantime I went to work at a place where they made ceramic wear, including a type of tile that was glazed and water could pass through on the glazed side.

They made quite a range of material – some of it was called Burmantofts and at one time it was quite sought-after because it was this particular type of wear that was glazed and decorated by hand. Around our area there were two factories, and because they were using the local clay to make the products they had in effect two quarries, and sadly one or two children drowned in these quarries because they fell in.

They were later filled in of course, but they did use them to extract the clay from which they made these various things. One of the better-known things was a floor tile which was very strong and impervious and you would’ve really cracked your head if you’d have fallen on it.

Anyway, we made this stuff and I progressed, though after a while it was obvious that I couldn’t compete with the others who were academically progressing further than I could, so I left for fresh things and adventures anew. And Margaret was saying “Come on it’s time we got married, it’s time we got married!”

And I went for a complete change and worked for Yorkshire Electricity Board - started off as a humble clerk, but then progressed and eventually became an assistant training officer. We were responsible for the training of about 360 young people. At the time the government had youth training schemes for young people who were at a bit of a loose end and were put into a firm where they received some formal training. We trained sales trainees, clerical trainees, and student apprentices who would become engineers working on the electricity supply system - up to 30,000 and 60,000 volts and wasn't a job to be taken lightly. We also trained craft apprentices who were electricians, craft electrical fitters, craft overhead linesmen - now they combine these trades, but at the time there were all separate. And it was so important that you had these men who were skilled, who could go out and completely rewire a house. We had an apprentice training school where they taught this. They had to be taught very skilfully, and in fact we instantly sacked one boy because he made the mistake of fooling around as a craft apprentice electrical fitter, at 30,000 volts. You just do not mess around with 30,000 volts - 240 volts can kill you!

And various things took place - we used to go out with the trainees and sadly accidents would happen. There was a lady that wanted, understandably, to stay warm in the bathroom. But it wasn't a good idea to perch the electric fire on the edge of the bath – and it fell in. You can imagine what happened – and we sadly had to go along afterwards.