Peter Hedley on Shipbuilding

Lisa: Can I ask if you remember your salary as an apprentice?

My first salary was £2 and six-pence. I shall always remember that. Um, we had two weeks holidays where John Samuel Whites shut down, for Cowes Week and in August, and we used to get a bonus of two weeks’ pay which was a lot of money to us in those days but no, £2 and six-pence.

We could work piecework and overtime which we tried to do when we could, but it was, well looking back it was good money, but it really was only a few shillings.