Elf & Safety "Pastures Fashion"

Now here's another little gem,,, [ and please click on it as it is worth studying in all it's monochrome glory] straight out of the Pastures Archive & if this one dosen't get the H&S commando's moisturising their briefs then I'm half Vietnamese

Personally I cannot see anything wrong in this picture!!!! here we are way back when in our very own Citadel Steels & that is a small but very active Bessemer Convertor and it's in action as there is a distinct Black & White glow emmanating from its main orifice.

I estimate approximately 6 feet away we have the Bessemer Operator fully protected in his dads string vest, vintage flat cap and braces, with him & kneeling whilst facing east and spying the largest flagon of cider I have ever seen in my life is the operator's assistant,,,he is kneeling as a sign of respect to his boss OR he has sampled too much of the cider.

Now that wind up device is to get the operators assistant back on his feet on the odd occasion he over imbibes on the cider,, it's either that or a very early Yorkshire cast iron wrist watch.

Now in an elevated position above the convertor there is obviously the shift superintendent as he is sporting a waistcoat and is allowed to avoid looking directly at the camera to underline his elevated position in the organisation and so as to confirm this the Lord almighty has blessed him with some direct sunlight.

Now above and beyond the Bessie Operator [as they were known] we have the pointsman,,,now he has seen so many people, maimed, fried, charboiled, roasted and basted that he is well beyond protective workwear and being a practising muslim he has decided if his time's up then it's up and there's now't he can do about it.

Now his job is to alter the direction of the spoil shoot to either the preformed sand ingots or if he is in playful mood & being a bit of a japer he has on occasions tried pouring the white hot metal into the Bessie Operators right ear,,, laugh,,, he nearly died,,, he's a card that pointsman.

Now then think on this little pearl,,,, when all this was going on as a matter of routine in most town's north of the trent and before Elf and Safety was invented we not only had an empire but we ruled the world as well!!!

This was the time when we were casting driving wheels above peoples heads 365 days a year not just as some sideshow to kick off the olympics,,, thats where the empires gone,,, the Elf & Safety battalions have made British industry so uncompetetive they have handed our heavy industry to the Chinese and Indians on a silver platter,,, and we used to make them as well.

See you in Chelmsford,,, bring the missus,,, I'll show her round our enchanted garden!!!!