Our striptease act was a proper gas!

MOST people have had an embarrassing moment in their life, and I’ll never forget one of mine. When the country decided to use the newly discovered North Sea gas in the Sixties, it required all household gas appliances to be converted. My pal Pete and I went on a three-week course to learn how to convert cookers and fires. We were then let loose on the public, so two Sheffield likely lads set off for their first job in Northampton. A large van would park up in the street that was being converted to be used as a workshop and base for the men. We would all congregate there in the morning to receive our daily tasks. As we were new to the crew, we were allowed to work together. After a few weeks, a barrel of laughs and a few changes of digs, we were getting into the job and had managed not to blow up any houses! As we assembled for work one Monday, the boss gave us an address where we had to convert a cooker and gas fire. He told us the owner of the house would not be in, but had left the key for us. No problem — we set off down the road with our tool bags. Just then, the heavens opened. I’ve never seen rain like it. By the time we arrived at the house, we were absolutely drenched. On entering, or should I say squelching, into the house, we quickly took off our wet clothes. Pete found an electric fire and a clothes horse, so we stripped off to our underpants, put our clothes to dry and started work. After an hour, we were engrossed in our work, singing away like a couple of wannabe pop stars, and did not hear the owner arriving home. What we did hear was a loud: ‘What the heck’s going on here?’ Not being very diplomatic, Pete replied: ‘Who are you?’ (Quick somebody, find me a stone to crawl under!) ‘Who am I?’ he exclaimed.‘i live here!’ Pete and I looked at each other and just burst out laughing, pointed to the clothes horse and tried to explain how we came to be converting his appliances in our underpants. Luckily for us, the man saw the funny side and we all had a good laugh. So Pete and I survived another day and proceeded to have many more adventures among the unsuspecting folk of Northampton for the next two months.

Ian Taylor, Barlborough, Derbys.