I had a ...

I had a really interesting working life, and enjoyed the majority of it...

I actually left school on a Sunday, I knew I was going to go in the Merchant Navy, my mates dad had his own cutlery firm in Sheffield and he asked if I wanted to work for him for the short time that I was waiting to go to the training school in Gravesend, Kent.

I went to see my headmaster who lived close by and he agreed to it...I worked at the cutlery firm for a few months and enjoyed helping make some really fine cutlery.

did 7ish years in the Merchent Navy,travelled around, sailed with some fine people, experienced some really scary days, bloody huge waves and visited some wonderful countries...

left when I got married, worked at Brown Brothers on John Street until I got a job at Gunstones, both jobs were enjoyable, though I left Brown Brothers because the pay was awful, at least it was a job, Gunstones was far better pay but it was working double days, stayed there until they made redundancies a few year

Great hearing about your career, Ray.

I've always had an interest in peoples careers - mainly because I'm a nosey buggar! I considered the Navy or Army when I left school, but I did my cruciate ligament playing football and that was the end of that - together with my far-fetched career plans of becoming a pro (I was having trails at Barnsley FC at the time - but I was too small for their liking and was never really on the verge of becoming a pro).

After recovering from my injury (sort of), I ended up working as a bricklayer's labourer for a few years before going to college, and eventually university. I'll not put what I do now because last time I was accused of 'showing off' about my 'very important job' by my mate Katch...

Anyway, I tell you what, that manual labourer job made a man of me and I actually enjoyed it; working in the hot weather, working with a good group of lads, and getting extra money for Saturday shifts. The gang - as they call it on sites - was only small,