GPO TFT, (Trainee Factory Technician 1972)
I look back today with fondness about how lucky I was to pass the entrance tests to become a GPO TFT
Imagine today a young 16 year old traversing the 27 mile round trip to work and back home via 3 buses to get there and 3 or sometimes 4 buses for the return trip home on a college night, which was made worse by finishing college at 9.00 pm and finally arriving home at 11.30pm, only to leave home at 6 am next morning for a 7.45 am Factory start
But the training was worth it and first class
32 young people from all over Birmingham were in a line on that September morning waiting at the gate house, some of which have remained good friends to this day.
What’s photographed below is not special, far from it everyone in that Training School made the same itemsBelow is just a sample of the work that I made nearly 50 years ago .
I hope what follows rekindles memories
Tool Box
My Tool Box was formed from sheet steel, spot welded and soft soldered on the corner gaps to ensure all rads were smooth
The box was then painted in the works paint shop
All the internal tools and even their retaining clips and front clasp were hand made by me
Layer One
Layer Two
Each TFT had their worked marked by experienced trainers
Buzzer Box
This was a functional continuity tester in a sheet steel box
Internal View
Somewhere hidden in the depths of my loft hides an
empty 5 tray cantilever tool box I made there too
I might photograph that to during the lockdown
Source:- My own collection
