1917 – 1947
SHORTS BOYS | These are the men, women and boys who worked for Short Brothers
JACK RALPH...... by himself
“I started work as a fourteen-year-old apprentice in 1942 working a 42-hour week that included day and night school. My training involved moving around at both The Seaplane Works and the Rochester Airport factory. At the Airport I was employed on both Stirling four-engined bombers and making fins for the ‘Tall-Boy’ bombs.
I remember playing football between the hangers one lunch time when an American bomber, a Flying Fortress, came in low and circled looking for assistance after having been shot at.
I saw the bullet holes in the turret, the gun-turret being underneath the plane. I saw the gunner and the ambulance racing over to help.
I also remember the ‘DOLLY’ boys and girls’. These were people who held a ‘Dolly’ machine for riveting. You had to be supple to reach into the corners.”
In 1946 Jack was ‘called-up’ for his two years National Service and went into the R.A.F. at Cosford working as an airframe fitter, rank Training A.C.2 until 1948 when he became an A.C.1 and received an extra 6d, (six old pence), a day.
The photograph is of Jack at the time of his call-up.
“My wife’s mother, Nelly (nee Osbourne), worked in the tunnels during the war.”
SHORTS BOYS
- ROBERT BOORMAN
- LOUIS BROWN
- PATRICK BRYANT
- BETTE CROWTHER
- ARTHUR HENRY CROWE
- VICTOR WILLIAM KENNETH DAY
- WILLIAM FOREMAN
- STEPHEN FOY
- FREDERICK GIBBS
- GORDON E HUXTED
- RONALD LAMB
- GEORGE & NANCY LEWING
- WILLIAM MASON
- ZENA F. NEAL
- FREDERICK QUITTENDEN
- JACK RALPH
- EWART RAYNER
- HILDA ROE
- DAVID SMITH
- WILLIAM WELLER
- WINFRED WELLER
- HARRY JAMES WOOLLEY
