I came to work for E.K. Cole in a rather unusual way because when I reached the age of 14 in January 1940, my mother, who worked for Mrs Spencer - the wife of the assistant chief engineer (Richard Spencer) showed them various items I had made in the metalwork class at school the result being that I was later asked around to their house and had a chat with Mr Spencer.
The upshot of this was that an interview was arranged with Fred Ellis - who was the foreman of the 'model shop' for the research and development department at Southend where I was offered a job as a 'trainee' when I left school at the Easter. The wage being 17/6d (about 87p) for a 5 ½ day week, which was good money for my age in 1940.
I started work immediately after the Easter break and at first was given the menial jobs like cleaning the machines and sweeping up the floors etc. but I soon got to know the engineers and quickly found myself being asked to help them and shown how to do jobs. This is when I first met Cyril Lingwood (who I was to work with for the rest of the war).
Because of the skilled manpower shortage, it was not too long before I was given responsible work to do myself working directly from engineering drawings making turned parts and other metalworking such as working milling machines although under the watchful eye of one of the skilled men.
Although I did not know the details at the time, in May 1940 Fred Ellis and Jack Leggett went off to Malmesbury to supervise the conversion of the properties in the high street since the floors needed reinforcement and electrical power etc. for the installation of machinery and equipment for the workshops at what would become WDU.
Over a period of time the Southend Model Shop was dismantled and equipment moved. I seem to remember that eventually, as the equipment was moved out, it came to a point where there was little work to do so we were all employed in helping with the break down and packing of equipment etc. which included some new 'South Bend' lathes, which came from America, a new milling machine and some 'pillar drills'
The main workshop of WDU was situated on the ground floor at the rear of Number 43a High Street Malmesbury where a new brick built building had been erected out the back of the workshop, which was equipped as 'spray shop'.
As you entered WDU from the High Street, there were small offices at the front and along the corridor; on the left there was a small parts store and at the end of the store was a staircase leading to a small room above, which housed a workbench and some lightweight equipment. This is where Mr Hutchings (Alec?) and Bob Breach - the Chargehand - worked. Opposite the store the sheets of mild steel and aluminium were kept leaning against the wall and held in place by a length of rope stretched across them and tied to an 'eye end' bolted to the wall at each end.
Further down the corridor was the entrance to the workshop where in the right hand corner were the stairs that led up to the drawing office and the laboratories. Adjacent to the stairs was a 'double door' that opened onto the rear of Mr Martins (Chief Engineer of WDU and Cowbridge) garden and house.
