working at the lts
by John Tythe
My dad asked what I wanted to do work-wise and other than JS, I had no idea. He said that he would get me a job in the LTS, I’d have to work to get my tickets, but after that I would never have to do another days work in my life! I didn’t believe that there were any jobs like that, but he was very nearly right.
I worked at the the London Test Section (LTS), where we tested and inspected everything that the GPO bought and used, from ball point pens, to telephone exchanges. It was a wonderful place and unlike anywhere else in the GPO, except the Birmingham Test Section and the Dollis Hill Research Dept.
Jobs had rated times, a set time for the work to be done. Once you became proficient at the job, the spare time was yours to do what you will. Tea played a great part! One job had a rated time of 40 hours, so one job a week. I could do that job in half an hour, once I had mastered it. 39.5 hours to kill every week. I was the best customer at Islington SE Library in Essex Road!
As an apprentice, one old boy asked me if I knew what we did in the Test Section. I replied that we test and inspect everything the GPO buys. A long sigh came from him, accompanied by a slow shaking of his head. He looked me in the eyes and said “Here we train for retirement, so that it doesn’t come as a shock.”
I was caught rushing one day, “Oi, what you rushing for?” I was asked. “Never rush, you’re here until half past four!” That day I learned the Test Section walking pace. I still travel at Test Section pace, much to other peoples annoyance!
I stayed employed in BT until 1992. By then I had bought out (1985) part of the Section that tested Electricians Rubber gloves. I still run that now, so in reality I have never left the job.
Things got quiet in the glove testing business, so I did the Knowledge for a while in 1993. I did the first two days on a push bike. The runs stuck in the brain much better than the ones done on the moped. It wasn’t the runs that were tiring, but the 20 miles in and out on the push bike that wore me out. I went down to the Knowledge School in the Cally and found a moped for sale on the board, bought the clip board and away I went. After 6 months I got busy at glove testing and hardly ever went out again and when I did, I couldn’t stand the traffic, even on the moped, so I knew cabbing was not for me. But I did like motorcycling, which in turn led to the 1300cc Honda Pan European bike that I ride.
December 2013
My dad asked what I wanted to do work-wise and other than JS, I had no idea. He said that he would get me a job in the LTS, I’d have to work to get my tickets, but after that I would never have to do another days work in my life! I didn’t believe that there were any jobs like that, but he was very nearly right.
I worked at the the London Test Section (LTS), where we tested and inspected everything that the GPO bought and used, from ball point pens, to telephone exchanges. It was a wonderful place and unlike anywhere else in the GPO, except the Birmingham Test Section and the Dollis Hill Research Dept.
Jobs had rated times, a set time for the work to be done. Once you became proficient at the job, the spare time was yours to do what you will. Tea played a great part! One job had a rated time of 40 hours, so one job a week. I could do that job in half an hour, once I had mastered it. 39.5 hours to kill every week. I was the best customer at Islington SE Library in Essex Road!
As an apprentice, one old boy asked me if I knew what we did in the Test Section. I replied that we test and inspect everything the GPO buys. A long sigh came from him, accompanied by a slow shaking of his head. He looked me in the eyes and said “Here we train for retirement, so that it doesn’t come as a shock.”
I was caught rushing one day, “Oi, what you rushing for?” I was asked. “Never rush, you’re here until half past four!” That day I learned the Test Section walking pace. I still travel at Test Section pace, much to other peoples annoyance!
I stayed employed in BT until 1992. By then I had bought out (1985) part of the Section that tested Electricians Rubber gloves. I still run that now, so in reality I have never left the job.
Things got quiet in the glove testing business, so I did the Knowledge for a while in 1993. I did the first two days on a push bike. The runs stuck in the brain much better than the ones done on the moped. It wasn’t the runs that were tiring, but the 20 miles in and out on the push bike that wore me out. I went down to the Knowledge School in the Cally and found a moped for sale on the board, bought the clip board and away I went. After 6 months I got busy at glove testing and hardly ever went out again and when I did, I couldn’t stand the traffic, even on the moped, so I knew cabbing was not for me. But I did like motorcycling, which in turn led to the 1300cc Honda Pan European bike that I ride.
December 2013
