A couple of Interesting Movies

There's lots of good old documentaries out there on you tube 

These two been a couple of them

Paul 

That load of coal into Millers truck in the 1st clip no doubt would be illegal now.

Open air workshop . How vehicles were repaired . The I beam axle being straightened at the end , looks like it's from the banged up Chevrolet.  

www.awm.gov.au/collection/C188811

A testament to army drivers, the rows of pranged trucks ! 

www.awm.gov.au/collection/C189126

Did Australians really sound like this. 

www.awm.gov.au/collection/C188700



 

Not all bad things come out of war. Think of the tens of thousands of people who were trained in every trade then sent out to work in these rough conditions having to improvise.

I would guess that the majority of those can-do mechanics, electricians and fitters that kept city and farm equipment going in every tiny town in the nation up until the 80's had their grounding in those army trades during WW2.

Yes , I guess many people learnt trades during WW2. But for some, not to a full apprenticeship level, there wasn't enough time for the serviceman to do a four year apprenticeship course, they learnt the basics and then they thrown into the deep end. 

Reading books on RAAF radio technicians, the peacetime course was  3 years , during the war, the course  was condensed down to 6 months of cramming. The trainees slept at the Exhibition Buildings in Carlton,  Melbourne. The failure rate was high and the ones that passed were sent out to repair aircraft  wireless sets in the tropics. 

My father was a Leading Stoker in the navy, looking after ships boilers. After the war, he sat for a boiler attendants certificate and they failed him !  Go figure that one. 

@fighting rust:
I've met plenty of excellent tradesmen over the years, some meticulous, some able to improvise beyond what seems reasonable, yet hopeless at written tests, which seem to be all that matters to some.....

Jarrod.

Years ago, I worked at a dealership, and they were advertising for a panel beater. One of the best in the trade applied but was asked if he had his "ticket".
His reply was, "Do you want a tradesman or a piece of paper?'
He got the job and was there for years instructing others and apprentices.

Apprenticeships back in the day were not 4 years.

A grade mechanical certification was not standardised until the 50's. Many, if not most mechanics were working without any overall education plan, learning on the job. The blokes trained during the war on fast track courses all found jobs afterwards as nobody cared about bits of paper just if you could do the job. Many of these mechanics had their own business employing others.

When bureaucracy intruded, thousands of practicing mechanics were automatically given A grade certificates based on experience under a legislative "Grandfather" clause. Very few were investigated or tested. The basic requirement was 10 years in the trade. Those who could demonstrate any formal trade schooling (as Army people had) or even broken apprenticeships, may have had their work qualification cut to as little as 5 years. It was a common sense approach that standardised everyone without disrupting the industry. I am sure there were no more rotten mechanics in that group than there are now with  4 years apprenticeship.

The existing mechanics had no need for any bits of paper but the government embarked upon a publicity campaign to convince the public that anybody operating without an A grade certificate was an inferior tradesman and a very risky proposition to work on your car. You probably remember the big signs outside workshops right up until the 80's   "A Grade Mechanic on Duty"