Follow-up

LIKE previous correspondents (Peterborough) I, too, started work in the early Sixties. My job as a trainee cinema projectionist at the local ABC Regal had been kept open for me by the manager for a few months until I left school. I had hoped to start on the memorable day of Monday, January 1, 1962, but my 15th birthday was not until January 4, so I had to wait until Monday, January 8. My first wage was £2/15s for a 42½-hour week. The day started at 10am until noon, then from 1.30pm until 10.15pm, including meal breaks. In those days, films were made up of several 2,000ft reels, each running for 18 to 20 minutes. Invisible changeovers were necessary onto the adjacent projector to maintain continuity on the screen. The light source for projection was provided by a carbon arc supplied with DC current from a mercury arc rectifier placed behind each projector. This consisted of a large glass bulb containing a small pool of mercury which emitted a blue glow when operating. The arc lamps were useful as they could double as ovens for keeping pies and chips warm. After four years, my wages had risen to just over £5. But owing to falling attendances, the manager could not justify paying me the full rate. I regrettably left the cinema to become a cameraman at an animation studio near Stroud where I received £11 a week. I continued to do relief work at the cinema into the Seventies as putting on a good performance for patrons gave me a great deal of satisfaction. Though the cinema closed 40 years ago, I still have fond memories of my time in the ‘box’.

Brian Edwards, Dursley, Glos.