Here we go then… From about the age of 12 I wanted to be an officer in the Army - always been interested in military history. At 13, went to the Army Careers Info Office on the that used to be on the Centre. Given loads of bumpf and told that there was no such thing as class distinction within the Army Officer Corp, bearing in mind I lived in a council house in south Bristol and went to a comp school. Fast forward 5 years and a VERY naive me failed dismally when I attended the selection board in Westbury. As a fall back, I’d already got a job in Insurance (like many others of my age at that time) and stayed in that industry for 7 years, then joined the Police. Spent 7 years at Redland nick (now a school), 7 years on Traffic at Avon Street (now an office block) and finally 16 years on the Force Accident Investigation Unit dealing with fatal/potentially fatal collisions on a day-to-day basis. Retired from the Police in 2009. Did a couple of years doing Asda home delivery (part time - hard work), a couple of years Waitrose home delivery (part time - a doddle) and for the last 9 years have been a part time minibus driver for a local independent school, a role I really, really enjoy!
I had 2 kids and a mortgage before 21! but back then jobs were either advertised or you went round to companies asking if they had any vacancies... I struck lucky with my third job ... we [ a mate and I ] worked at BMF in Bitton and after some horrendous car maker strikes it looked like we we would be on short time! so went looking I was just 17 then and got a post at St Annes Board Mills. Loyalty had kicked in here, my mate didnt so I went back in and apologised " I couldnt take the apprenticeship post as my mate hadnt been taken on" The personnel manager said give me a minute, came back and said send your mate back in, they took us both on although he was not taken on as an aprrentice , and we stayed their till it shut down .
