I joined the Surrey Comet (known as Knapp, Drewett & Sons Ltd) as an apprentice composition in August 1954. I attended Twickenham Technical College for training in the early years; the job with the Surrey Comet was recommended by my headmaster at Richmond Road Secondary School, as he said ‘Pleece was good at English'.

At the Surrey Comet then, there were three main lines: Mr Jamieson was on the right hand side as you looked from M & S …. boots; Mr Gosling's line was on the left, so that line could look at the Church and Barratts Shoe Shop, through the windows at Kingston; in the middle of this plant the ‘apprenticeship' line was run by Eric Gale, a man who, if I remember correctly, was a motor-cycling enthusiast!

The whole of the compositors floor stood where M & S …… (same word as above space, is it ladies?) upstairs goods are now sold!

‘Laughs with the apps'

The first ‘laugh' was a problem involving myself and the head printer, a Mr Arthur Haddy Ball; a good man from the north of England.

As a junior, I was detailed by the Owen ‘apps' to help them out by fetching their food and drink for the morning break. So, off I go to the local bakery for rolls, cakes, and 1/3 .. pint of milk etc.

One day, unfortunately, Mr Ball found …..missing and reprimanded me for leaving the plant to get the ‘apps' goodies! He stated that as I was out of the plant, "you might as well go home"!

This I did.

However, I decoded to stay at home, and it was a few days later when, apparently, Mr Ball asked ‘where Pleece was'. He was told that he had gone home because ‘you told him to'. He could not believe that going home was supposed to be a short punishment, and not a few days off!! Anyway, I did return and eventually promoted to be on one of the smart productions at Knapp Drewett, the Architectural Review!

The second ‘laugh' (and there were many) took place in 1957, when a major dispute sent all the men out on strike. This (get ready) left all the apprentices doing the mens work, to the best of their ability, and enjoying some great times.

Once, things would go very quite. Then you realised that the ‘apps' (at the M&S close to the Boots door floor area) had gathered, and that the ‘apps' at the other end (by the M&S lifts from ground floor to first and second floor) realised that the time was ripe for a quoin fight!

For those not knowledgeable with printers terms, quoins were the bevelled wooden pieces that held the ‘furniture' in ‘….', etc to hold all the type together.

These proved to be lethal weapons and the fight would last a good time. (I shudder to think what Health & Safety experts would have said!!)

Other little episodes included ‘burning old dirty hankies', eating little sweets left behind by the strikers, and stapling some man's shoes to the wooden floor!

These are some of the bits and pieces which made life as an apprentice at the Surrey Comet enjoyable.

I would not have changed it for the world. It gave me a great start to my career in print, mainly newspapers, which I have enjoyed.

Mr Roger Pleece
St Clair Drive
Worcester Park