Margaret's first job after leaving school was at Courtaulds, on the rayon cake wrapping department. She just went for an interview and started straight away. She was only thirteen then, in 1940, as this was three weeks before her fourteenth birthday. From the cake wrapping, she moved on to the trolleys, which brought the cakes in for the girls and took them away again when they'd been covered. She had to be quick, she said, as the girls were on piece work and worked very fast. The cakes had to be handled carefully because if they were damaged, or knocked, they'd be rejects. Courtaulds workers were able to go on day release in the Flint Secondary Modern School, and Margaret took up dressmaking. They went for the whole day, instead of going to work. She thinks she earned about five pounds a week and there were frequent pay rises. As it was wartime, there wasn't a lot to buy with her wages, there were coupons for everything, so that's why she made her own clothes in the school. They used to have ENSAs in the dining room at lunch times but there was no music on the factory floor. They worked ten hour days. Margaret enjoyed the company there but in In 1946, when the restrictions changed so that people could leave the factory, she decided to join the Land Army, because she wanted to get out into the open air. She went to a farm in Tremeirchion for a month's training and stayed on there until 1949, although she could have chosen to go to other parts of the country.
Mair left the grammar school because of her father’s ill-health, at 15½ and worked for W.H. Smiths before joining Kayser Bondor c.1952. Her mother was against her working in a factory. She describes the interview, the spotless factory – timing of toilet breaks; hand-cutting – shades and sizes of materials; producing bras and slips in huge orders; the importance of KB for Merthyr. In Dowlais (1960 onwards) they made silk stockings and other garments. She remembers raising money in the factory after the Aberfan disaster. She notes the Xmas celebrations; the rate of pay, unions, one strike for pay and how Courtaulds treated them. Accidents with the cutting knives. She didn’t like working at A.B. Metals – it was dirty and the girls were different. She returned to KB and when it closed she moved to Barton’s and then to Forma – supervising the cutting room. She finished in 1995.
Maureen left school at 15 (1955) and began working at Swiss Embroidery. Sack if spoke and only stayed a week. Moved to Welsh Hills Works Corona Pop Factory. Clogs because of the broken glass - their sound marked out Corona workers..Describes process and how some bottles exploded. Made syrup from sugar- pushing wheelbarrows. Hard work. Also made squash They had ‘unbelievable’ cuts. Singing. Taking pop bottle back for money. Finished there in 1959. Trough to wash bottles. Different flavours. Very cold in winter- cold bottles. Also delivering Smiths Crisps. Social life: YMCA; pictures and dancing. Clothes shops in Porth. Washing hands in caustic soda before factory dance in Bindles, Barry. Left because she couldn’t get leave for her sister’s wedding. Her sister got her a job at the Bellito stocking factory in St Alban’s. Returned to work in Creeds (c.1960-1963), Treforest estate, making capstans; terrible smell. She was in assembly. Rush for buses after work. Her husband worked there too. Very hot.
Rita and Meirion left school at 14 (1945 and 1949 respectively). Rita started immediately in the shirt factory and left to get married (1954) but returned after three years and Meirion joined her (c.1949-1995). The boss was Johnny Morgan, brother of the owner of J T Morgan’s warehouse, Swansea. The first job was hemming woollen shirts. They had pocket money from their pay packet. The boss would tap them on their heads or pinch them if they talked. Rita worked on the button machine and Meirion made shirts. They had a book to record their work. The factory was taken over by Myfanwy Products, Gorseinon – they made dolls’ clothes and shawls for 2-3 years. Then by Croydon Asbestos making leather gloves (Heavy work) with industrial machines. The older women were kind to them. They had a piece of clothing from the J T Morgan warehouse as a gift every Xmas and a trip to Llandrindod in June. The workers’ numbers were put on each shirt. Meirion had to go to hospital after sewing her finger. Rita went to work in rollers and a turban. Croydon Asbestos closed c.1996.
VSW018 Enid Davies a Bronwen Williams, Deva Dogware, Gwynfe;Croydon Asbestos, Milford Haven
Enid left school at 16 (1965) and Bronwen at 16 (1964). Lack of transport meant it was difficult to find work if you lived in the country. Enid joined her brother in Milford Haven. Worked on picking potatoes and then in Croydon Asbestos (c.1966-68/9). She finished off leather gloves. Target – finishing 3200 gloves a week – a minute per glove. They were given premium bonds with their wages. Good working conditions: no side effects from asbestos. Bronwen looked after children before starting in Deva Dogware and she had left Deva Dogware before Enid started (c.1966-68). The working conditions were poor in DD but the workers facilitated the work. Enid made slip collars for dogs. She liked the mess. She remembers welding by gas; exporting the collars; listening to Wimbledon on the radio. Enid helped sell collars at Crufts – there were important people there. Poor conditions at Deva Dogware. Enid left to have a child, then returned until the factory closed (c. 1968/9-1972).
VSE032 Violet Ann Davies, JR Freeman's Cigar Factory, Cardiff;Currans, Cardiff
Ann left school at 15 (1955) and went straight into the cigar factory in Clive Street. The machines were dangerous – no guards. Singing and playing pranks. Smell of tobacco sticking to you. Names the girls she worked with. Got 200 cigarettes every month. Piecework. Describes processes. Making 3000-4000 cigars a day between two machines. Proud to be making King 60s and Indian Sticks. Company supportive when her mother was ill and when she had to take time off. Sick leave pay. Moved to new factory in 1960 – one big room. Radio and music. She left when pregnant in 1962 but returned on evening shift in 1963 but she became ill. Poverty and not having shoes to go out in. Tells story of Pat Perks – gymnast who competed in Commonwealth Games. Factory collected money to buy clothes etc for her. Ann worked part-time in Curran’s 1976-78- saucepan and baths factory. She worked on returns. Refused to work out in the yard. Her dad worked there during the war – terrible burns from boiling lead. Later she was a home carer for 23 years.
Iris worked in the Curran’s Factory as a summer holiday job when she was 16 (1956), although her mother was appalled because her father (who had worked in Curran’s during the war) said that factory girls were very common. The factory was making parts for tanks – heavy industry. She was told to wear an overall and a turban. Rhondda girls wore curlers under their turbans. She had to check the straightness of tank tracks (not skilled). Sitting down but physical job. She describes it. Crude jokes. She got her O Level results (through the Western Mail) when she was there. She had to pack bundles of rods and varnish labels. Story of the blind worker and his dog. Shock of working a week in hand. She wore very heavy duty rubber gloves. She was warned of one man who might harass her. She learned a lot there. Later she went on to finish her A Levels and to a career.
Madeline left school at 14 (1943). She talks of sheltering under Cardiff castle during air raids and the dangers. She worked as a hairdresser and then she started in Curran’s in 1948. They had a reputation for being racist. She talks of her experience with Littlewood’s. She worked in enamelling, making chamber pots (their handles) and mugs. She talks of different areas of Cardiff. She bought clothes and fish scrumps and went to dances with her own money. She only stayed there three months and she went to Spillers, on the flour and dog biscuits. They got a big machines and changed to working shifts. Rats. Small factory. Unloading grain from the ships downstairs. They wore turbans. She liked the sewing machine. Singing and talking. She left because of the shift work and moved to Slumberland – it was dusty there. She describes a visit to London. She describes her work and says that the company’s Paisley (Birmingham) workers were paid more than their Welsh ones. In winter her fingers would bleed from the fibres and the cold. She hit her leg and left. Then on to Fletcher’s but in the office – dressed smartly, answered the telephone and invoiced. She tells the story of challenging the boss of Slumberland about working until 6 on Fridays.
Enid’s first job was making injaroc Number 8, which she got by way of her mother’s friend Mrs Morris. Mrs Morris had initially made the candy rock at home before selling the recipe to a local factory where she then went to work. After six months or so, she moved to Ferranti, an electronics factory, and was there for 14 years. She was on the meter testing for years, her main job, testing meters ready to go out to Manweb. The factory produced meters and also 'ear defenders' for the ears of pilots flying aeroplanes and other small things like that, there was a lot of engineering going on there. She said it was a lot of fun working there and she remembers a number of strikes too, over pay disputes or if a worker was sacked unfairly. She had to leave because she was expecting her first child in 1970, and she felt sad to leave. She would have liked to have returned to work but in those days, she said, there was no way to go back because you had no one to look after the baby.
Esther left school at 15 (1965) and started in the Edwards Factory, ticketing and inspecting. Machinists didn’t like to have their work returned. They made dresses for M&S. The workers – pressers, cutting etc were divided into cages. She was not on piecework but had some bonuses. She used her wages to buy a sewing machine. She stayed there about 3 years. Everything in the factory would be covered in paper overnight and doubly so on stop fortnight. She left when pregnant (uncertain from which factory); she worked temporarily for Cymer Bookbinding on shift work with machinist sewing catalogues. She went to Revlon’s in 1988 – evening shift, part-time and after 3 years full-time. Changed shifts. She did all kinds of tasks there – labelling, filling, etc. In the beginning in aerosol dept. dangerous - if a can was faulty it would explode. Other workers were afraid of this job. Also using boiling water with the perfumes – dangerous. Many of the workers there didn’t like the factory. Talks of some workers who took advantage and didn’t do their work. Bad management. Revlon taken over – Cozy? She stayed 15 years + 5 others, off and on. She had bonus of £200 every year for not being off sick. She only worked in the rubber factory for a few weeks because of the smell – trimming the rubbers that go round the windows of cars. She discusses unfair incidents. However she earned good money.
