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Ron Levett, born in Alfriston, East Sussex, enlisted in 1943, and whilst posted to the British Liberation Army, took part in the liberation of Germany. He then returned to England, working in electronics and developing an interest in the new entertainment of the time - television.
I managed to get some overtime at GEC, working evenings and weekends to help complete an order for the Swedish Navy for communication receivers, which brought in some extra money but this was only a stop-gap.
I heard that Courtaulds, a chemical firm spinning rayon was looking for workers, with a high rate of pay, so I went along to see them. The rayon they were making was used by Dunlop to produce car tyres. I managed to get a job with them and started the following week.
Rayon is made by passing the cellulose from wood pulp, via a nozzle containing fibres, through sulphuric acid. The acid must then be neutralised by allowing a solution of caustic soda to pass over the strand of fibres. It must then be passed over two rollers and down into a rapidly spinning drum.
When it hits the side of the drum, centrifugal force causes it to start forming a coil. The nozzle, down which the fibre passes on its way down into the drum, is driven up and down, forming a coil of rayon. The fibre had a chemical added before entering the machine, dyeing it to the required colour.
Although the firm provided protective clothing, such as a long rubber apron and Wellington boots, the combination of acid and alkali got into my clothing and holes soon appeared in my trousers and shirts. There was a smell, which was all pervasive throughout the works, that I could smell even after having a bath and changing.
The machines were only switched off very occasionally for maintenance, meaning that a twenty-four hour shift system was in operation. These were from 6 am until 2 pm, shift two from then until 10 pm, and then shift three from 10 pm until 6 am.
The morning shift was my favourite, walking to work in the morning air before the city stirred, then being able to go home at 2 pm, early enough to take in a film before tea. The other two shifts were not very good at all.
Each of the machines in the factory consisted of around twenty-four spinning positions, each with its own motor and control system. The motor needed switching off, ten minutes before it could have the coil of rayon removed, it took that long to stop.
One man had to control the whole machine so he was kept pretty busy starting up the spinning process and removing the coils when they were finished.
One good thing about the shift system was the fact that when a certain time had passed, it worked out that a long weekend was possible. I was earning quite good money at the job, but it was not very agreeable, so when my weekend came up at Easter, I decided to take it in Sussex.
It was very pleasant to be back in clean country air for a change, and I decided to walk round to see my friend Frank. He told me that his firm had decided to alter their conditions of employment and he was thinking of looking for another job.
He had been working for a firm based in Lewes, but was working in London on neon lighting, restoring lights that had not been working throughout the war. The firm had been paying travelling time up to London, but they were now going to move the office to London, meaning that the electricians from Sussex would lose quite a lot of money.
When he said he was going into Brighton to look for a job I said that I would come with him because I was getting rather fed up with my existence in Coventry.
Frank was running a pre-war Morris 8 at the time so we drove into Brighton and parked in Gardner Street, which was where most of the radio shops were situated. We found a shop, which specialised in 16 mm film equipment, but was also manufacturing high fidelity amplifiers.
When we enquired about jobs the boss, Mr. Stan Goodsell, said he was looking for labour. We asked what the hourly rate was and was told one and nine pence.
We said we would start for half-a-crown and it was agreed we would start in two weeks. I went back to Coventry and worked out my notice, said goodbye to my landlady and came back home to Alfriston.
Ron Levett, 2001
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