The History of Ruddington Depot
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Post War Changes
Vocational courses for ex-service men
In Box 10 stood the empty hostel which had been used to house single men who worked in the filling factory, particularly the foreign workers who did the heavy manual work. It was re-opened briefly in early 1947 to house people from Wilford village who were evacuated from their homes when the River Trent rose to record levels. After that it was used by ex-service men on vocational training courses who carried out their practical work on the site. There was a great shortage of skilled labour after the war, and post-war reconstruction was hampered by the inability of the construction industry to recruit skilled workers. National training courses were begun for recently demobilised service men which qualified them as bricklayers, plasterers, joiners, painters and decorators and so on.
The certificate awarded to Leonard George on completion of his bricklaying
courseLeonard George came to Ruddington to join one of these courses.
“At first I had digs in Nottingham, but then I got a place in the hostel on the Depot in Ruddington. It was a long, low wooden building with a corridor down the middle, and 15 or so rooms along each side. The rooms were very narrow with just a bed, a chest of drawers and a chair, but there was a radiator at the end which was wonderful in the terrible winter weather of 1947. There was snow right up to the windows, and it lasted for weeks.
I was on a bricklaying course which lasted for six month, and I got a certificate at the end. There was a lot to learn in a short while. We did hardly any practical work out of doors because of the severe frost, but there were two hangars which we used when we were not in the classroom. After the course was over we worked on a large building project in East Leake to gain more experience. When we left we got jobs as trainees on lower wages for a time.
I enjoyed the course, the hostel and Ruddington, which I found a very friendly place. After being in the forces it was all very good.”
The Story > Chapter 5 > Section 5.06