de Havilland memories of Colin Capps

DHAETS (1952-7)

1.  Mr Cathcart (a retired prison officer) and his wife functioned as warden of the hostel provided for some us ‘lads’.

2.  The J.D.O. was ‘overseen’ by Mr Stacey otherwise known as ‘stutterbum’.  He permitted indeed encouraged some ‘twitnut’ from Norwich to build a model Comet with two fuselages.  It was finished in a domestic quality silver paint and ‘flew like a brick’-just the once! Betsey Brothel who looked after the boxes of emery sparks and G drills in the stores was being courted by Jack Oaten one of the fitting instructors, rumour had it.

3.  Both Mick Rose and Rosie Lee had new 350cc Enfield Bullets.  Lucky swine.

4.  ‘Winkle’ de Winton at one time had a Scot Squirrel that leaked so much oil he had to ride it in ‘wellies’.

5.  The lad from Norwich proudly brought in his pop’s ex police Wolseley to show off.  He promptly drove it into a hedge causing the headlights to point skywards.  A phenomena which caused much concern and took him some time to discover i.e. not until driving after dark in some woods did he realise he had searchlights and not headlights!!!

6.  Who remembers the de-greasing pits?  What would the HSE have to say about them today.  Or for that matter the tackle we donned to paint the inside of Comet wings with blue bostick.  On hearing a scurrilous rumour to the effect that danger money was to be paid, I raised the topic with management and was told to ‘get ye hence’!

7.  I remember both John Hellings’/Clive Johnson’s Austins (purporting to be 7’s but nearer 6.5’s).  Also John Berger’s Clyno.

8.  I  also recall PNRJ (I think||) punching CJ’s trilby and filing it in one of Duffy’s folders. (sheet metal instructor well known to Terry H.)

9.  Who remembers Phillips ‘doing bodies’ for us in front of a Vampire I was working on setting up the gun stirrups.  A baby brownie camera, suitably modified, was part of the set up.

10.  What happened to the lovely Lamorna who joined us for a year or so.   The steps up to the JDO were boarded up to avoid leading trade apprentices from the straight and narrow.

11.  Mathematics was taught at the Tech. in the evenings by a Mr Cunnington, who appeared never to shave other than with an axe.

12.  The Suez crisis intervened in our training and many were the depths sunk to in order to acquire petrol.  I had about 50 gallons stashed, mainly in quart beer bottles, in our garage, which was below my bedroom!!!!

13.  Cessation of Comet production left us with little or no work for some months.  We were told to get lost by supervision and spent many a happy hour resident in Comet equipment bays in the erecting shop. (Studying or snoozing)

14.  Some departments I reckon had more than their share of lunatics.  Take Structural Test (the further the better) Enough said about Mary and Ken whose surnames I forget.

15.  I worked with a guy who basked in the nickname ‘the ram of Boreham Wood’.  He used to smoke one gasper a day with about an ounce of Boars Head tobacco in it.  Result, a permanent yellow streak up the side of his face which fascinated me I recall.  We fitted the two passenger doors into Comets.