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Written by Ron Noon at 15:20 on Wednesday, June 10th 2009
I left school at the age of 16 in July 1965 and in August, started work at Tate and Lyles refinery in Love Lane as a Process Apprentice. This was a course designed by Tates to provide training for young lads in all aspects of processing of sugar from raw to the various refined products that were on the market at that time.
The idea of the course was to train people to be the next generation of the workforce and to provide the Pansmen, Chargehands and Foremen that the factory would need in the future. It never really turned out that way as most Apprentices left for other employment as they completed their training. I was one of the few who stayed.
I remember reporting to the gate on my first morning, extremely nervous and not knowing what to expect. I was taken to a small waiting room not far from the Time Clocks and told to take a seat. Another young lad was already there, his name was Neil Dumbell and he would be my fellow Process Apprentice for the next 5 years. (As with a lot of Tates employees, his father, like mine already worked in the Refinery).
After sitting in nervous silence for what seemed like ages but probably was no more than ten minutes, we were collected by the day Foreman, George Fitzpatrick who took us to the Stores to be kitted out with 2 towels, 2 pairs of overalls, (brown Jacket and trousers for process workers), and a pair of safety boots. From there we went to the main changing room to be given our lockers which were in a section where all the other Process Apprentices got changed, I think there were a dozen or so of us all together, all at different stages of training.
I think after this we were taken on a tour of the refinery, I can’t remember the details, it was so long ago and so difficult to take in all at once. It was a hot August day and I remember being on the Sweetland Press floor in the heat and the humidity and thinking how bad the smell was, it made me feel ill, I didn’t think I would be able to stand it, but after a day or so, I ceased to notice it. How strange that we easily get used to things.
We took our tea and meal breaks in the main canteen which was in the administration block, on the first floor. There were three canteens; the largest was the works canteen, for any of the works personnel. Then there was the Junior Staff canteen, also on the first floor. This was for the Pansmen, Chargehands and Foremen. The last was the Senior Staff Canteen for Senior Management, on the second floor.
Different groups tended to use different parts of the canteen. We apprentices used a couple of tables near the windows that looked out onto the Yard and Filtration House, the shift workers used the tables on the opposite side of the canteen overlooking Burlington Street, though their meal times did n’t coincide with the day workers. The rest, i.e. day workers, engineers etc used the centre of the canteen.
Above the canteen were the laboratories and some offices. One Lab carried out routine analysis of the various products and analysed the various syrups sent in by the Recovery and Yellows Pansmen in order to work out the required Footings for these pans. The second Lab was the Tech Lab, which carried out research projects for the plant in general.
As Apprentices, we had to complete Log Books in which we had to record everything we learned about the running of each department we worked in, including flow diagrams of the plant and how it was intended to operate. In fact, the more we found out, the better. We spent a lot of out time tracing pipe work from department to department as we were expected to know, if asked by a Foreman or Chargehand, where everything came from and went to. This was also a perfect excuse to be in places we shouldn’t have been, if asked, well, we were tracing pipe lines! The log Books were checked by whoever was supervising us to see we were actually doing what was required of us. This was somewhat hit and miss, as it very much depended on whether the Supervisor in question had the time or inclination to check on what we were doing.
There was also an Apprentice Club which had a club room above the Engineering Apprentices workshop. It had previously been in a disused section of warehouse in the main factory, well of the beaten track, but was moved as naughty apprentices used to sneak off there to skive! The new clubroom, being over the Engineering Apprentices workshop, could be observed by the foreman in charge of the shop.
Another popular skiving place was on top of the Recovery House roof. On the corner of the roof was a re-enforced steel lookout point dating from the Second World War. It was an observation point for fire watching during bombing raids on Liverpool, There were others in other high buildings within the factory, but this one, being accessible by steel ladder from within the Recovery House, was very popular as a card school.
As apprentices we were given sixteen, one hour driving lessons and a driving test as part of our training, and, if we passed, we were able to book out the Apprentices Jeep, which was, in fact, an old Land rover. I never did myself, though it was quite popular with other Apprentices.
During our time as apprentices we were required to attend Day Release at one of the local Technical Colleges, the one most of us Process Apprentices attended was Old Swan. It was a twelve hour day, as it included a night school session. The courses varied depending on the ability of the apprentice in question. My course was the Chemical Technicians Course. This was primarily laboratory work. Some people did the Chemical Plant Operators Course; others did National and Higher National courses.
We spent the first two years of our Apprenticeship on days, eight to five with an hour for lunch. Then when we were in our third year, once we were eighteen, we went onto one of the shifts. I think I was on A shift. I stayed on this shift until I finished my time, at which point I went into the laboratory as a Sampler/Tester, a full time employee.
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522.382-034 - SUGAR BOILER (sugar & conf.) - DOT Dictionary of Occupational Titles Job Description - www.occupationalinfo.org.
CODE: 522.382-034
TITLE(s): SUGAR BOILER (sugar & conf.)
Controls vacuum pan sugar boilers to concentrate sugar liquor and grow sugar crystals to specified size: Starts vacuum pump, and opens valves to admit specified amounts of liquor and steam into vacuum pan, and water into condenser unit. Observes boiling of liquor through sight glasses. Adjusts valves to maintain specified temperatures and pressures and obtain supersaturated solution without caramelizing sugar. Opens valve to shock solution with pan seed (powdered sugar) and start formation of sugar crystals. Obtains samples of solution, using proofstick, and observes grain size under microscope to determine when crystals have grown to specified size. Opens pan-feed valve to control growth of crystals. Samples solution to ensure that sugar crystals remain at specified sizes as pan fills. Closes pan-feed valve when pan is filled and continues boiling until solution reaches specified concentration of sugar-crystals and massecuite. Turns valves to stop boiling and to break vacuum seal on pan. Turns valve to dump sugar into mixing tank or crystallizer. Washes and steams pan after dumping strike to remove sugar remaining on coils or calandria. Records strike on station log. May be designated according to type of liquor boiled as Soft-Sugar Boiler (sugar & conf.); White-Sugar Boiler (sugar & conf.); or according to stage in process as High-Raw-Sugar Boiler (sugar & conf.); Remelt-Sugar Boiler (sugar & conf.).