The following people have documented their recollections of Nigeria whilst working for Marconi in the 50s and 60s.  These are:

• Martin Hinton - click here
• David Samways - click here
• John Wilson - click here
• Doug Kennett - click here 

This masterpiece, produced by John Wilson, has just surfaced after many years.  For those not familiar with Nigeria we all worked at the P & T Training Centre at Oshodi some 15 miles from Lagos.

Speech before the daily battle of Oshodi

With sincere apologies to Will Shakespeare.

He that shall live this day, and see old age,

Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,

And say 'To-morrow is Oshodi Day.

'Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,

And say 'These wounds I had on Oshodi clay.

'Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,

But he'll remember, with advantages,

What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,

Familiar in his mouth as household words-

Samways the Tall, Wilson and Ridgewell,

Hinton and Clarke, Boot and Barker-

Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.

This story shall the good man teach his son;

And the name of Oshodi shall ne'er go by,

From this day to the ending of the world,

But we in it shall be remembered-

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that teaches here with me

Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition;

And gentlemen in Marconi now-a-bed

Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That served with us at Oshodi each day.

Reminiscences

For those of you who have worked in Africa these photographs may rekindle some memories.