1970 and 71

During the next 2 seasons all I seemed to do was work hard to stand still. My rent was £1000 a year. I found out much later that this was exhorbitant, the rates were based on your rent so that again was high. However I was gaining experience as to how to run a business. I found out that once you had been using a company for over a year, they seemed to realise that you were a little more reliable and would help more if possible.
When I first started, I had to order one week for the next week so if you omitted anything you were stumped. the second season though was a little better. The part owner of a delivery company contacted me and said that if I wished to have a top up. he called into town every Saturday during the season. His name was Herbert and we became good friends, if ever he had any offers he would always contact me.
Staff was always a headache but gradually I started to find the odd one that would work with me each season. I found a pastry cook and a woman who would mind the till. She was not good to the staff but she made sure that every penny was accounted for.
The season seemed to go a little better than the last one. I presumed that it was because I was becoming a little more proficient at what I was doing. I had worked for a Nationalised Industry, a Private Company quoted on the Stock xchange and now for myself. I definitely know which is the easiest and which is the hardest.
I was told of a good Accountant so in 1971 I took the books to him so that he could tell me just how I was doing. I had very little saved but I had started to accrue catering equipment so I was happy.
What an idiot I was. The Accountant was a disgrace. This is true what I write. I asked him to let me know how I had done as it was my first venture into business. To my horror, he sent the accounts straight to Inland Revenue. He had charged me 33% rent 33% rates 50% heat and 50% fuel. He had me earning about £20 a week. This was before I had took a penny for myself. I had a restaurant and was working every day from 8.00ap to 10.00pm except Wednesday which I closed at 4.00pm during the winter.
I didn't know what to do. It must have been my lucky day as the man from the local Arcade came to see me. He immediately said to me "What's up boy, it looks as if you've lost a £ and found a shilling. I told him of my plight, he informed me that he knew somebody who would help and not to worry. About 2 hours later, this man came in, introduced himself to me as the Arcades mans friend and he was an Accountant. He asked for my accounts. Took them off me, told me not to worry and he would be in contact.
It was a few weeks before I heard anything from him. We sat down and he informed me that firstly he would have to renegotiate the way my private rent, rates, heat etc was charged. He just said the old Accountant had charged me as if I was a corner shop, but it was wrong.
In the meantime I had to sell my car, borrow some money to carry on but managed to do it. Mind you it made me realise that being in business was not going to be easy and making sure that you have a good Accountant is vital. I did not worry though as the new Accountant kept me informed as to how things were going. It seemed as if he was beginning to get a far better deal for me regarding my living expenses as I was working all hours god sent. so at least I could look forward to 1972. Well perhaps. The miners were causing trouble. To be continued.

A new beginning

So it is the early days of January 1969. I have had to wait because the coast was cut off due to snow. Yes that is correct. They say there is never any snow much on the coast but over Christmas and the New Year it was bad. However as soon as I arrived the weather changed and all of January was fine and sunny, cool yes but that is only to be expected in January. I managed to get all the exterior painting done, all of the interior ready for the opening day of 1st February.
At last the day arrived and you can guess, it snowed heavily once again. During the next fortnight the weather was bad drifts in the street up to 3ft. Not a good start to my adventure into business.
My opening times were every day from 8.00am until 10.00pm except Wednesday, I had an early day off. I used to close at 4.00pm. Mind you I was only 32 at the time. The customers were mainly young ones, they would not spend much but at least it gave me some idea as to what to expect , or so I thought.
It was the same sort of routine every day, I started to try to get some staff sorted, not easy when you have never had to do it before. I managed to get a cook for the season only, she said she would help me to get started. How greatful I was too. I also had a couple of youngsters so all was slowly taking shape.
From taking about £15 in a day, Easter hit me like a ton of bricks. Queues everywhere, no organisation, staff not knowing what they were doing and me running around like a headless chicken. It had to be sorted. Thank goodness it was only for 3 days. I decided to number every table. Believe this, I was the first person in the town to get organised like that. I told staff they would be responsible for the tables I alloted to them and no others. I then told them that when an order was placed it was to be put under the pile so that each order was worked on in rotation. Now at last I felt as if I was getting somewhere and that I could look forward to the next holiday Spring Bank Holiday. No May day, not yet introduced.
Now Spring Bank Holiday is far busier than Easter, it lasts for a whole week and it is the busiest week of the year. Of course I was not prepared for this, but I at least made a better fist of it than Easter and all considered I was satisfied. There were still trains running though and at teatime all seemed to congregate at the same time and all want fish and chips. Hopeless of course I could not supply that amount in such a short space of time. Times without number customers would come to the counter, pay for the tea and bread and butter, apologised and said they had to catch the train back home. This way I stumbled through my first season at the seaside. As soon as I saved any money, it was immediately put to good use purchasing some more equipment to aid the service to the general public.
The season ended abruptly, as soon as the children went back to school the season ended. The first week in September. To try to stretch the season a little longer there was a Carnival Week, this was supposed to give youngsters a chance to participate in games, but most were back at school. The Parade on the following Saturday was good though and did bring a certain amount of visitors in. But that was that. The Caravan Parks closed the second week in September, well most of them anyway. it was then back to struggling to make a living. It certainly had been a baptism of fire for me and I was sure that I would be far better prepared for the next season. So it was relaxing and planning for the 1970 season. To be continued.

A new start

So now I have left the Railway, yes with a lot of memories. but a new beginning for me. I bought a car. Ford Anglia.
Starting a new job for me and I suppose for most was so strange. Especially as I was management. I have tried hard to remember exactly the hours the women worked and I think it was this Every morning it was 7.45am and at 12.30 to 1.00pm lunch then 1.0pm to 5. 15pm Monday and to 5.00pm the rest of the week. making it 44 hour week. Things were made more tricky though. In the next 4 years the weekly hour worked was reduced from 44 to firstly 42. 75 reduction of 15 minutes a day then a further 15 minute reduction to 41.25 hours a week. Thankfully I resigned my position before any further reductions in hours was suggested.
Being a member of staff, we occasionally had to work on a Saturday morning, this was not bad as I was used to working very unsocial hours. We never received any pay for this service though but my manager informed me that the bonus at Christmas woiuld be a pleasant surprise. Of course there was a recession on. To be honest I think that there has been loads of recessions. When I eventually went into business there were plenty of recessions. The first with Ted Heath and the 3 day week. The two miners strikes. the eighties and nineties. But that is for later.
Suffice to say. I think it was Jim Callaghan who was the P M and he put a block on any increases in pay. I think he was the last P M that said so much in cash and not a percentage. I have always believed in everybody getting the same sort of increase. If you get say £5 increase then all seems to be fair. If they say a percentage increase of say 3% . This is O K if you are on say £30.000 but of you are on £10000 then it is not so good. The gap between the higher and lower paid just gets wider.
Anyway there was a way to get round pay restraints even those days. Just as well really as the bonus that we all expected to get was not as good as most thought. I was pleased as it was the first bonus I had ever had in my life.
I must admit that I found it most difficult to adjust to work in a factory, to be on ones feet most of the day, try to get the best out of the workers and reach the targets, but gradually things became easier.
Pregnancy seemed to be the main problem, working with young women you are going to get the odd pregnancy but you seemed to lose several of the same machinists at the same time, not a lot one could do but there were always plenty of young girls wishing to work in the shoe factory as it was well paid. Piece work but rewarding work.
It was after I had been there about 2 years that there was a possibility tha I might have a chance of working for myself wityhin the next 18 months. I used to go out drinking a lot, also smoke a lot, I decided to cut these down, told nobody why and started to save up just in case.
I eventually was given the green light to make a decision to start my own business around October 1968 with me moving to the coast in January in 1969.
I asked to see the M.D and informed him of my intentions. I was surprised in his remarks to me. He said. " I will not try to persuade you not to leave, you have far more courage than I have. We know you and you know me. If it does not work out come back and see us." I was really moved although the M D was a gentleman and always insisted we called each other by our christian names.
So after being there from June 1964 to the end of 1968. I finally went to work for myself . A huge risk but one I was prepared to take. More to follow.

A few facts.

I thought I would tell a little about life during and after the war before I go on to working in the Shoe Factory.
It is a fact that almost every household in the U. K. had a button tin. Buttons were taken off every garment that was beyond use and saved. Also every paper bag was saved, I am not talking of carrier bags. I am talking of small paper bags. Nothing was thrown away. Greaseproof paper was saved from lard, margarine and butter papers. All of these were not as they are now. They were ordinary greased papers. String was saved also. In fact everything that could be saved as saved. A lot of the greased proof papers were used for the making of puddings like Spotte Dick and Jam Rolly Polly. The old fashioned way of making Jam Rolly Polly was to make pastry as if you was going to bake it. Instead it was steamed. Wrapping it in the greased proof paper, then wrapping it in a cloth and boiling it for about 2 hours. We always had it with cold milk. it was nice. Spotted Dick was made in the same sort of way. This was always served with butter and sugar. Those were the days. I was reminded many years later in the restaurant I ran when this man said to me ."Can you remember the old fashioned Jam Rolly Polly." I of course told him I did. He then told me that his mother always cooked his family which was large, a Jam Rolly Polly in the copper with the boiling of the whites. He said it was the only thing that was large enough to fit enough rolly to feed us 6 kids.
Even to this day, I still collect paper bags and string. I do not collect the foil covered greased papers though. I am still using some old pyjama pieces as dusters and cleaning cloths though.
It may seem strange but old habits die hard. Nothing ever went to waste. Even to potato peelings and vegetable leaves and tops. They were put into a bin in the street and collected to feed the pigs. I wonder what Health and Safety would say about that now?
Next time I will get back to when I start work in the Shoe Factory. To be continued.