Later, as we all sat down to tea, and with the disappointment still uppermost in my mind, I suddenly blurted it out. My father froze. He began shouting through a mouthful of food (he had the knack of speaking with one half of his mouth, while buttoning everything in with the other half). He came to an abrupt halt, thought for a moment, crashed his knife and fork down on the table, and in fury rose from the table. He marched across the road and stormed into the builder's offices behind our house.

Mr. Howells the builder had a grudging respect for my father (owing to the fact that Dad had personally replaced one of Mr. Howells' office windows after 'yours truly' had broken it). We learned that for some unknown reason, through their inimitable form of maladministration, the Labour Exchange had held up the placement of T. F. Howells' job vacancies for urgently required teenage employees.  He told my father to wait until he had returned.  He scurried over to his parked Jaguar, and sped off to the Labour Exchange.

Mr. Howells was not known to be a kindly man. He was strict in his dealings. It was common knowledge that on taking over the company on his father's death (before which time he had worked with the men), he sacked every man who had worked for his father. His rumoured words were, 'You may have robbed my father, but you won't rob me.'  He completely re-staffed.

Soon his Jaguar returned to the curb. He got out, and after removing his large peculiarly shaped pipe, said,

"Your son can start on Monday, Mr. Thomas.  Tell him to report to the site office."

My heart jumped.  I was in!

We had a few bits and bobs of tools at home, so on our return home, Dad said:

"Manage with them until you can afford to buy your own."

With his saw I could have felled trees.  It took both hands to lift his ball peen hammer!  But I was grateful to him for the jobs he'd found me, and with much personal effort;  particularly this one, an apprenticeship!

Mr. Dodds was the carpenter, and our instructor on site. He was called to the site office when I arrived. The site foreman had just entered my particulars in a ledger when Mr. Dodds arrived. He was a tall man, about fifty years of age, with a keen eye, and I got the impression he was a man from whom I would learn a great deal.

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