What did you do for a living in a past life ?

Jack Ratt

Jack Ratt

Zorg Expert (I)
Supporter
British Zeds
The West Country
Joined
Dec 3, 2013
Points
200
Location
TRURO, CORNWALL
Model of Z
2.8i AUTO and 2.8i MANUAL
I was looking at some old photos the other night and came across some of me when I used to work for a living. I am / was a "rope splicer / rigger", I was apprentice trained at Round Oak Steel Works in the Black Country, now sadly closed.

Anyway, the photos below are of when I was working for Latch & Batchelor Ltd, of Hay Mills, Birmingham, the oldest privately owned wire rope manufacturer in the UK today.

The pics are of a rope we made for an off shore oil rig crane, and I can tell you it made me sweat a bit too =))

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Me and Les, what a great bloke

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A close up of the finished splice before we seized it

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This is Pete putting the seizing over the splice

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The Gaffa told me to put my overalls on for "elf an' safety reasons" =)) This is me and my mate Pete. He's the spitting image of Jim Royal, don't you think ? =))

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The finished rope being put onto it's reel ready to be shipped out to the rigs.
 
I've had my HGV for over 20 years but had 5 years out as a car salesman then promoted to sales manager looking after the sales team, finance team, workshop and valeting bay. Would I do it again? Not a bloody chance!
 
I've worked with lifting equipment in one way or another all my working life so far, since I left school in 1973. I have gone from apprentice, charge hand, works manager, depot manager, sales manager. I've worked in the lifting equipment hire industry too.

I'm currently working as an engineering surveyor, examining all types of lifting equipment and I love it. I no longer have the stress that comes with most management jobs and I just have to look after myself.

As long as I can climb ladders, and my eyesight remains good I reckon I'll be doing this until I pop my clogs
 
I've had one of my jobs for 31 years :p
And still enjoying it ;)
The other job for 15 years but in different departments :)
And the other job the longest one 35 years being a housewife :);)
 
Woolworths store manager in previous life, good fun place to be back in the day, then the money men moved in
 
No former working life for me either. More than 30 years marketing lumps of metal of innumerable shapes and sizes. :thumbsup:
 
I was a houseparent at a boarding school for children with Cerebral Palsey before we got married and then once the children were at school I became manager of the local pre-school and stayed there for 29 years until retirement last March. At same time my longest job has been as a wife for 40 years.


Mary
 
M666BMG said:
I have no wife :( :ymdevil::D

Lucky arnt I!
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Thought you wanted to get married Mark :p
What's that rock on Michelle's finger :)
Shouldn't be long now =))
 
I'm not being sold :p
As I was never brought ;)
Think Alan is stuck with me ;)
 
Hi @Jack Ratt this is where I spent 17 years. We used to use latch and Batchelors for our winding ropes and ours was biggest in Europe at the time 2 1/4" fully locked coil 2 off of 750m.

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One of our roof supports
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Nearly ready

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