Preface

Dave Weldon, Age 17

This diary was bought on Saturday the 16th November, 1974 at Smiths bookshop in Huyton. My career started on the 2nd September 1974 at Fords. At the moment I'm doing basic workshop etc, I start block release on the 2nd December.

The course is quite easy at the moment but I keep "bodging" my jobs, ie, cockups.

Went home at Christmas, the usual round of things. Good party at Mariangelas, found a half bottle of gin. Another party at Dave Burts, not much but Dave got tapped up with Karen Gray?!! Love?

Dave Weldon, Age 50

It was incredible that I kept a diary that year, so much going on in my young life. I state that the course was quite easy, but due to all the drinking down in London I actually failed maths in first Ordinary National Certificate year and our training boss pulled some strings so I could sit it again four weeks later. I was not the best in the group on the practical side, hence messing up some of the tasks give to me, again something that improved with experience.

That Christmas party, drinking a half bottle of gin. The diary makes no mention of me passing out in a toilet and only being found after almost everyone had gone home, it was a defining moment and I was not going to drink gin for over 10 years after that night.

Tapped up, have not heard that phrase for years.....