About Syd

It was in September 1958 when I was invited to an interview in Coventry with Courtaulds. They had recently got approval from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers to run a graduate apprenticeship training scheme which they had devised.

Syd's Story

THE OCCASION

There were four of us on the day of the interview. Fresh out of college we had all travelled into Coventry form Surrey, Sussex, Yorkshire and Belfast. As I had been short-listed for this interview I had taken the opportunity to bring my fiancée to see Coventry with the intention of paying her part of the expenses myself.

We had been booked into the Highlands hotel which was run by a man in his 60s with very few support staff .The hotel was in the original large family size building – with tennis courts where the current new hotel extensions are. For Breakfast we had toast, bacon, eggs and coffee after which we got the bus into Broadgate and a second bus to the company’s offices on the Foleshill rd.

COURTAULDS

On arrival we were met by the personnel manager and over a cup of coffee he told us a bit about the history of Courtaulds in Coventry. We were then taken on an extensive trip around the plant which ended in the factory canteen for lunch.

In the afternoon we were to meet the chief engineer who we gathered from his male secretary had a reputation for being a bit of an ogre. I was pleasantly surprised to find him quite amenable. I well remember the problem he put to me: - Courtaulds factories could be identified in Coventry by the very high chimneys for dispersing fumes, and would I put the factory fumes up the fume stack directly from the spinning area which needed good ventilation. He did know from my CV that I had worked in a steam boiler department during my vacations. Fortunately I had been with a team that were studying boiler chimneys and was able to give him an answer. I can only assume he found this acceptable since I was offered a position with the company which was to be my employer for the next forty years. After the interviews we were told to submit our expenses which would be paid in full.

We got back to the hotel at approximately 6.00pm because of the heavy traffic –there being no ring road at that time. My fiancée had been back for hours. We agreed to meet with the others in the hotel dining room at seven. When we got there we found we were meant to have booked for dinner if we required it and as nothing was said nothing had been prepared and were advised to go into Coventry for a meal.

THE LEOFRIC IN THE FRENCH RESTAURANT

The only place we had seen and heard of was the Leofric and by the time we got there it was eight and the only restaurant open (till midnight) was the French restaurant which was clearly going to cost us an arm and a leg but as the company was paying it wasn’t a problem for my colleagues but I was paying for my fiancée. The meal was quite superb washed down with two bottles of French wine and followed by coffee. I remember the sweet I chose was sherry trifle which had a layer of egg custard below the surface layer of whipped fresh cream. When we asked for a separate bill for the lady the waiter looked at us with surprise.

It was after closing time before we finally left much to the satisfaction of the restaurant management. As the last bus must have left we decided to walk back to the hotel and wondered if we would be locked out. Fortunately one of my colleagues had the presence of mind to ask for a late key.