Tricks Pulled On You By Workmates!!

[Leo Tomlinson]

On 25/05/2013 at 01:26, zakes said:

Tricks Pulled On You By Workmates!!

 

Gudd’un, nice thread this one Old Tup. I always enjoy reading your stuff so keep it up. I’d also like to add my TUPpence worth and if nobody wants to read it they can double it to fourpence.

 

I started a thread a cuppla years ago:- INITIATIONS, was you initiated at work? Zakes 22-9-2010. I told of my initiations at Davy’s once by women and once by men. I also told of my initiation at Globe and Simpson. I was (wo)man handled on all three occasions but by no means in a rough way, although by the letter of law, it is classed as assault. In the case of the Davy’s women it was sexual assault (but who’s complaining, not me) Lol. Another initiation was at Neville Watts when I was given the runaround, no big deal. In the first three cases I was at first freetened when I was grabbed (surprise attacked) because I didn’t know what was going to happen (journey into the unknown). It turned out to be okay though because to me it was just a bit of fun at my expense. It was fine by me, but to others put in those situations they might not of thought it fine. It is a matter of opinion. Some of you have started already with verbal bullying of choogling and of TimmyR because they don’t share your idea of what fun is.

 

At Globe and Simpson I received another form of initiation when a girl (name I can’t recall, but I think she lived in Deepcar), was sent to me by the other women and Bryan Payne, I suspect. This was the type of initiation I’d always dreamnt about, Wow. The canteen at Globe’s was rammed full of gorgeous lasses then at dinner time in 1973. At Francis Colley’s on Garden Street later that year, I had a similar thing happen with a girl in the loading bay but she shall remain nameless because I quite liked Pat.

 

Here is another ‘Initiation’ of the wrong type (that some of you may enjoy) and the consequences that followed. How things get out of hand when the victim is seen as a soft touch.

Francis Colley:- There was 6 of us on a night out from work boozin’(1973), and we were in the West Street Hotel (Stones). Three of the other 5 thought it a good idea to creep up on me when I went to the lav. Whilst I was splashing me boots they jumped me. They turned me upside down and lowered me head first into the bog in the cubicle then flushed it. I was wet through and needless to say I went home. During the next (and last) 3 weeks (got fired for an unrelated incident) of my time at Colley’s I didn’t speak to the three pillox, and I was on my guard as well.

 

From 1975-92 I lived abroad. In 1994ish I was in the Yorkshireman’s Arms on Burgess St, behind Coles. There was a group of people sat at a table having a chin wag and I recognized a voice. The voice belonged to one of the three blokes from Colley’s from all those years ago. Without him noticing I got a good look at his face and it was definitely him. All the fear, anger and shame came back to me as if it was only yesterday and I decided I was gonna get him. He eventually went to the toilet then a minute later I followed him in. I went straight up to him from behind then crashed his head forward against the wall then dragged him with all my might into a cubicle. I got him into the puking position then flushed the bog. A minute later I was gone.

A year or so later I went into the R and B’s on Scotland Street. There were two suited men stood at the bar and I instantly recognized one of them also from 1973. I supped me pint steadily but I was seething with the thought of what happened in 1973. I went outside the pub and waited for him to come out. Within seconds of coming out he also went down like a sack o’taters. On both these occasions I said after the incident, “Remember Francis Colley 1973, West Street Hotel?” I wish I could find the third bustard from that time. The second incident was the last time I’ve hit anybody.

 

I remember a lad called Spike at Davy’s who got beaten up because he wouldn’t join in with the ‘bit of fun’ initiation stuff. A year later at Wigfall’s I witnessed someone called Jowitt getting bullied because he also didn’t want to join in. There always seems to be people who want to take things too far and they expect others to follow them.

 

The four initiations I mentioned earlier were done for a laugh for them, but not for me. As it happened I saw the funny side afterwards then shrugged it off. No harm done to me. That I had taken it all in good heart I became accepted. Wow! Thanks! Other people who may be timid could have easily become upset by these antics played and they would have felt they had been bullied. For this reason I never joined in with this ‘it’s only a bit of fun’ thing. Ganging up and attempting to scare or hurt someone’s feelings is a cowardly thing to do.

 

I don’t post much on SF, but do spend loads of time surfing and have discovered many verbal bullies. Lots of them seem to be the usual back slapping, attention seeking people with their constant daily postings letting everybody know they are still alive and kicking. Some of them seem to have a dark side to them as has been shown already on this thread. Around a dozen posters of 60 odd on this thread have admitted to having tricks pulled on them. The rest just boast about what they did, saw or heard about. Read the thread title. Just remember it’s not only me who has a long memory, there may be people out there with an axe to grind against you.

 

What is a ‘little bit of harmless fun?’

 

1. Locking somebody in a dark cupboard, with the doors jammed? I read on this thread.

2. Putting cack and dead mice into peoples pockets or sandwiches? I read on this thread.

3. An electrician putting a plumber’s life a risk? I read on this thread.

4. Tampering with other people’s property? I read on this thread.

 

Where does it end?

A good post , one of the best from times gone by .

[trastrick]

Me and Baggie Birch joined Wheelers at the same time, at 15. We got started in their "stores", in Paradise Square, half of which was the payroll office.

 

Our routine was to fill the requisitions from the job sites, so we could get familiar with the gear, cables, fittings and tools.

 

At lunch time this 16 year old pure angel (from Stocksbrige) from the payroll office, would come into our lunchroom and tease us.  She would plop herself down on our laps and drive us crazy. She would whisper in our ear, do we have a girl friend, does she do this to you?  She wouldn't allow us to touch her, so we just sat there sweating!  Lol

 

It was a pleasant, but frustrating initiation.

 

Later on we got the usual stuff on the job sites. Go get us 18 sky hooks from the blacksmiths. Take this extention ladder up to the rolling mill, etc.

 

And later,  a memorable, but scary  one in Batchelors Peas, which seemed to employ only women. They would all be arrested today.

 

 

[Ant68]

As a teenager, and tea boy (yes it was actually one of my jobs) I often had to pop to the shops to get milk to make the 20 odd brews twice a day……

 

Anyhow, I had the usual ‘long wait’, and ‘left handed spanner’ (these do exist, but that’s another story..), gags, which I was wise to.

 

One I hadn’t heard of at the time was a bubble for a spirit level - which the Foreman smirkingly asked for one day as I headed out for more milk - he even gave me a fiver to pay for it.

 

Half an hour later in the snap cabin where we were all eating lunch, the foreman shouts over, ‘Hey, did you get the bubble I asked for??. This was quickly followed by sniggers from lots of the lads. Until I handed him a blown up plastic bag I’d tied up - ‘Yup, here you go, they only had large’ I said.

The place erupted with laughter, the foreman sat down sheepishly, and he let me keep the fiver !