Ted Luck Oral History Redacted
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My name is John Lee, and I'm a volunteer at Decorum Heritage. Today is the seventh of June, 2024 and we are at the museum store. I'm talking with Ted Luck, an employee at the Oval Team in Kings. Langley as part of our oval team in decorum project. You are tedlock. Can you spell that for me, please? TDLUCK. Thank you. Edward. Can you also please tell me your place and date of birth? I live in Chipperfield 93 Scatter das Lane, CFI Hearts. Where were you born in in King Langley in 1928. Right. So let's begin. Edward. Oh, sorry, Ted. Ted, when did you start at the Oval team? And how long were you there? Four. Do you have to ask me difficult questions? All right. An approximation, then. Well, if you can't remember, it doesn't matter. Right? Uh, what was your first job then? At the oval team. And how did you get it? Oh, my first job. But the team was in the engineering department maintaining the machines. And I got that job because I got a penny an hour more than I was getting at Scammell's motor works. And it was in the days when you could walk out of one factory on the Friday and into another factory on the Monday It was good times. So how did you hear about the job? Was you told. Did you say advertised? No, I There was no advertising. I just went to the factory main gate, got an interview with the then chief engineer and got the job just like that I. I told them of my experiences, and that was good enough. So it it Well, actually, it wasn't your first job then. No, first job was Gamble's motor works. All right, so the job that you had at the O team well, was, uh, maintenance engineer. Right. So do do you have to do any training or not? Not really. They they they were quite happy. They they asked me questions about what I could do and I could, And the machines I could operate. And and I told them that that was pretty, well, everything at the time, you know? Uh sh sh a shaper. A lathe, milling machines. But pretty well, anything there was in the engineering line. I was lucky. It came easy to me, and I could do it. And so I got the job straight away. So? So your job was as a maintenance engineer. A maintenance engineer? Yeah. And so do you remember your first day? What? What? The first day? That was very interesting, I. I saw the you. You saw a foreman then? Not the chief engineer and, uh, the four as well. There's There's the steel, a rack of steel, tu belief and all sorts of stuff. He says, uh, you better make yourself a pinch. Uh, make yourself a cup. You had to get on with it and do it. I mean, I think if you couldn't have done it, that would put you straight out the game. Yeah. So we were there. Many other people in in the same department they must have been. Or at least two others. Not a lot. Two others. And we was next door to the electrical department as well, you know? And so, uh, they were very good times. Yeah, they really was. It was a It was a good a good place to work. A good place to work. Yeah. So So what were the work? Your working hours and et cetera. The working hours, that was Oh, eight in the morning at eight o'clock in the morning until about six. And I was Was it a nine hour day? But yeah, something like a nine hour day. I think it was then. And, uh, there was also a AAA shift system when I You did not, uh, want to free a free shift. A free shift has been covering 24 hours. Something like that, you know? And, uh and that was pretty good. Really? It wasn't bad, because a lot of the time I could get me, uh, no. On the night shift. So you you did lots of factories used to do six till 22 till 10. Yeah. Yeah, I'm familiar with that. I did that myself as well. Where did you? I used to work at Atlas Copco, but that's by the edit that out. Um, So how what were what were your superior? Uh, sorry. What were the management like, et cetera to towards the workers? And how did everybody get on them? Was it? Um Oh, uh, it it it was It was excellent. It really was. I know I did problems, but you didn't. You didn't seem to get problems. No, it was It was so good. And of course, uh uh, unfortunately, I was, uh I got nicknamed Red Ted because I was the union rep. I was the pensions representative, and I was health and safety. All those three jobs and, uh, the, uh, the old foreman used to say to me, Ted, do you spend more time up in that office than you do working for me? And you were quite upset about that, right? Um so how how how did you advance? Did you your ch your job change? Did you get promotion or anything like that, or did you just No, no, that's another strange thing, I. I was happy in my job, which is a bad thing, because if you're happy in your job, you're not looking for promotion. And and I was very happy in the job I was doing, and so it it didn't occur to me to try and get on, you know, and and, of course, the the wages, They were quite satisfactory too. For the time. That was reasonably good. Uh, yeah, they were good days. Have you got any years to get to work. Did you get a fill? And, uh, I used to. I used to walk. Now, How long did I could? What long and eventually I. I got hold of my motorbike because in the services, I was a, uh, dispatch rider. They called me a don I in Germany taking messages. Uh, all all here and there in the days before the Berlin Wall. And when you had to be a bit careful that you didn't wander into the Russians, though. All the French, the French, German, English, all that was OK for you. But not the Russians, though, uh, did it change different equipment and different machines? And in my time there. How many years? I was about 13 years, I suppose. About 13 years. That was and, uh and of course, it had a very good pension scheme. Uh, and, uh hey, I got less years for my pension because it was that much better than John Dickinson's that I paid. Of course, you got it transferred, you see? But it was still it was a good game. Yeah, I was under the impression that you worked there for long run No. So why did you Why did you leave from the You retired, So you you you You got the job there quite quite late in your That's right. The interview would have Foreman. I said, Well, I am 50 old mate. I said so. Um, will you take me on? He says I'm 50 as well. I hope somebody would take me on. And I see it. Fred Martin. So you said that, you know, it was a good place to work. Are there any negative reasons for working there? Was there anything that you disliked? Oh, yeah. If you were unlucky and you got a breakdown on the ovens that got hot. And that was pretty unpleasant, you know, But it didn't have It didn't often happen. So that was That was the only one. All right, so you the only negatives are the type of job that you had to do, the actual working conditions and everything. Oh, excellent. Yes, Excellent. Even if you even if you got in a tin shop and Oh, no. Then if you, uh you got more money if you earn multi, uh, skilled, multi skilled. Yeah, That's it. They're multi skilled so I thought, Right, we'll have some of that. And, uh, so we got more money for being multi skilled because that meant that you had to go out of the engineers, Uh, where you usually operated into the tin shop and, uh, backing room. And, uh, and so I said, OK, we'll go. We'll have a go at that. And that was it. But that didn't often happen, you know, because they got their own in the migrants men, Mick shy. So what you're saying is the different departments within Oval team had their own maintenance. That's unusual. Yeah, of course. When you get into the packing room and tin shop, you get conveyor belts and fast moving equipment and tins and food going all sorts of ways. And so there was a quite a bit more involved in that. Yeah. So you you enjoyed the the diversity? Yes. It was a real challenge. Right. Um, so you were you were proud to be an employee of the Oval. And how do you think the Oval team was thought of in kings? Langley, then? Well, uh, it was built on the side of the the then M one, which was the Grand Union Canal. And, of course, all the barges and the coal that we needed for the boilers to get the heat to the water. It was It came in, naturally, being by the side of the canal. And and that was that was quite it must have been quite useful for the old management to have that form of transport. Not only that, King's Langley station was just up the road if it had to come by rail. And plus, they've got their own Lorries as well. And, uh, tankers that used to bring in the malt. And, uh, there was lots going on. When I think about it, there was lots going going on. So even while you were there, which is just over 30 years ago, they were still using the canal to transport. And you? Yeah, If they wasn't, they wasn't I don't know that we were talking about the wills. Were we Bill Cole? He's talking about the world war as well. World War Two Wells. Yes, of course. The the the natural springs. Ah, they had 44 or five natural springs, and in fact, it all this information is in that book, We argue. There you go. Yeah. So you can check all this. Really? I like I I've never heard of the, uh, the springs. Oh, yes. Uh, they had, uh They went from 200 ft deep to about 350 ft people. Yeah. Hm. And, uh, uh, that they began. Keep dry up. Another reason for the demise. There was a factory. I'm pretty sure that's right. Yes. Right. Sure. How would you describe the the demise of OVALINE? Then what do you think? Effect that had in the, uh, in King's Langley? Oh, not that you're aware of it, but it must have been terrible because they must have been employed about 1000 people. Uh uh uh uh, Well, a lot. A lot of people. And they must have had to get jobs somewhere else. And so, uh, what do you think of Ovaltine as a brand nowadays? Do you think it's thought of or well, Oh, I think it It must still be sort of somewhere along the line because they might use to make the powdered milk. And at one time they made tablets, But I don't think they ever took off somehow because they want the taste for a child. The the appeal to them. Uh, now it's, uh, O. Otherwise, but, uh, to see the demise of a new factory that employs people is pretty terrible, you know? Where are the factories today? No, they don't exist, do they? Oh, that's that's progress. This is. So do you still do you participate in consuming Oval Team? Or did you while you were there, were there any perks to be an oval team? There was an O shop where you could get a big discount on, uh, any product that you fancied like the the powdered milk or the, uh or the Oval team. Uh oh, dear. So if you do, you you If you used to consume it, then do you think that's helped con, uh, prolong your life? Oh, definitely. Yes, definitely. Uh, right. Well, actually, you've gone through pretty much all of the questions I've got down here. Thank goodness for that. So but is there anything else any anything at all that you would that you can think of that you that might be of interest to us? Come on, Peter. Think of something. Oh, hi, buddy. Thanks. Oh, would it, uh, anything else? That more? Your interest? I believe. I believe that during World War Two we stored sugar somewhere in the factory. But I, I don't know what the reason would have been for that October 9th. Do you know when this interview is finished, Something will go. Bo. That's always the way. Uh, on that note, I think maybe that's an we call it, We call it. Thank you very much, Tim. Most enlightening. Thank you very much. |
