Page 166 - IT'S A RUM LIFE BOOK TWO "BOSTON 1960 TO 1970"

(Previous photograph: the Brightlingsea Boat en route,
view from the rear. The size difference between the towing
vehicle and the trailer and load is easier to see here.)

We arranged to meet in Lincoln on the Friday for lunch, a
welcome return to what had been our regular weekly “sales”
meetings before the “dreadful” changes.
In those good times, I had regularly arrived in the Lincoln
District Office mid morning after making various calls to
clients on the journey from home. Fred would find me some
slow moving products in the warehouse that he needed selling
and after I had concluded that task he bought me lunch at the
local Trust House Hotel.
All this of course had been totally contrary to company
policy. Salesmen “should not” visit the local District Office on a
regular basis, but Fred always did what suited him best.
Before I forget, this also included my weekly instructions
to visit his wife at their home near Sleaford every Monday to
have lunch with her.

EXPLANATIONS
Needless to say, our lunch took longer than usual, we did
eventually drift back to District Office and conclude by
incarcerating ourselves in Fred’s personal office.
He was very understanding and practical with his advice.
He did not wish me to leave the company and break up our
excellent team and we resolved that I would find a driver to
take on the boat deliveries we had already booked, including
the “Magyar” contract.
This would enable us to see if the boat delivery business
was likely to become sufficiently profitable in the future. My
Firestone income was still good and regular and what Fred had
suggested made good sense.
I was able to find someone quickly as it happened. I had a
client near Sleaford who manufactured mini excavators and

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