I`m off to Monmouth sawmill in search of work. Once there I was directed by one of the workers to the Managers office. there I met Jock, a larger than life scots fella. He was a easy approachable man. Asking him if there was any opening for timber fallers, he was not long taking us just up the road from the mill to show us a woodland on the steep bank, running up from the river side and into the Dean. This consisted of mixed hardwood poles, ranging from trees 60 to seventy feet tall and 8 to 14 inches across the butts. Your typical coppice woodland. He asked if we could start felling the following day, of course was my reply. I did not even own a chainsaw. so after we left him, it was in my van and off to Gloucester. Fuster and Dennis were the main stihl dealers at that time, I was told that stihl`s made the best saws. At that time my younger brother, Stewart was with me and between us we did manage to get together £76 , parking up and into the shop, there was a good many models of saw`s made by stihl, but only one within our money, well I say that it was £80 and like I said, we only had £76. The dealer was a very hard man, he took some waring down to get that saw at our price. But we did after a good many hours. To be honest I think he was just glad to see the back of us. Yes, we had our first saw, a stihl 080. not the prittiest of saw`s, very clumsy sort really, but it was a saw and it was ours. Well the next day we were off to Monmouth to make an early start, I had not had much experience at felling trees, let alone felling them on such steep ground. We got there and got started right away, up on the bank first tree, I looked and thought , yes this one will go straight down hill, and it did. cut right off it left the stump, and went like a rocket travelling some fifty yards from where it stood. That was the wrong plan, I could not see my self scrabaling up and down that sloop all day after each tree we cut down. Change of plan, I thought that if I could get them across to go side ways on the bank the pole would stay put. Just before I did the first one this lad came down the bank, he was working further up. My saw was a bit blunt where I had touched the ground with the chain whilst cutting the first tree, So I asked this lad if he had a file to sharpen it with, He was fine, he sharpened the saw like a razor. I watched him and now I could see just how to do that myself. The next tree across the bank. Great, it stayed there, the day was getting hot and the ground very dry and dusty, Loose soil, so easy to slip on too. I soon was to find this out. Working the top side of the pole and cutting the 4 foot lengths that the pulp mills required, I got about half way across the length of this tree, when all of a sudden I slipped, my both feet going under the suspended log, the chainsaw only held by one hand and that was on the throttle trigger, the saw running flat out went over the log and run down my left leg. At first I did not feel much, but it was not long before I realized iI had a very serious injury. I did manage to get my shirt off and tie it round my leg to try and stop the bleeding. Blood was now spluttering out. But just how lucky was I that when I got down to the road the post office van came along. Stopping this van, the driver was brilliant he had me up to Monmouth hospital in minutes. Stewart stayed with the tools and my van. Little did he know just how long I would be. up at the hospital the sister there cut the leg off my trousers, then proceeded to clean the wound up. It did not look good. A Doctor had a look, thought there was nothing broken, I could still bend and move my leg, so the sister was told it was OK to stitch me up and dress the wound. 27 stitches and a plaster cast from my ankle nearly up to my thigh. How on earth was i going to be able to drive home. Stewart could not drive so getting back from Monmoth to Chepstow was going to be a mission. Well once the plaster had set, I managed to get a lift back to where my van and Stewart was. He was asleep in the back of the van, I had been gone for about 5-6 hours. I woke him and we decided that between us we could drive back home. I can laugh now, but at the time it was quite serious. I was in the driving seat Stewart was sat over the engine cover, that how J4 vans were back then. He could reach the clutch with his right leg and I could excellerate and brake with my right leg, Talk about Kangaroo petrol, we bounced along the road, Clutch smelling of burning, how on earth we were not stopped who knows. But we did get back home that day did not go well. In those days the benefits office was in Newport. that was a bus journey for me, remember I had my leg in a cast, so walking was difficult to say the least. Still I managed to get a bus to town, Chepstow and from there into Newport ,thank goodness the office was just across from the bus station. I had never ever had to claim anything before, so I was not to sure how to go about it, in the office I go, to my surprise there was a lot of people there, I filled in a form then was told to wait. I could work out how it was working because every few minutes a name would be called, the person would go up to a small window the one end of the room, sign something and be given a cheque. I thought great, I was a good while before my name was called but it did come round, I went to that window, There was a young girl behind the counter, She asked my name, then asked me to sign, next came the cheque. I looked at it, Then asked was this just for today. No came the answer, that`s your weekly allowance, £6. well my rent at that time was £5 a week. so that meant a £1 to live on. I was sat there for a moment just looking. Then without really thinking to much, I pushed the cheque back under the window and said you keep that , have a night out on me, I`m going back to work in the morning and off I went for the bus home. This will be told in my next page. .