When Robert Gibson, of Dept 452, left the Army in January, 1944, on medical grounds, he came to Bata for a job, because he had heard that promotion at East Tilbury depended entirely on merit, and Robert has always been fond of work, and does not like to be idle for a minute.

So, after some four years in a shop, and ten doing road maintenance work for the local council, Robert became a shoemaker. He started making clogs, but as soon as Dept 452 was opened, he transferred there and became a slipper stitcher on the conveyor. He likes the work, and in recognition of his aptitude and industry, Robert was promoted shareman about two years ago.

His conscientiousness and punctuality were soon again rewarded, when twelve months ago he was appointed first man on the slipper conveyor in his department. Robert has been married for sixteen years and lives at Horndon-on-the-Hill. He has three children, and his eldest daughter, Margaret, works in the rubber factory, in Dept 322.

His son will be leaving school next year, and Robert hopes that he will be able to start training as an engineer in the engineering department. Robert wants his children to get on, and he knows that at Bata they have the chance to prove their worth, and to climb to responsible positions. Whatever spare time Robert has got, and a father of three children cannot have much, he likes to devote to gardening, and is proud of his allotment. During the long winter evenings, when gardening is out of the question, he likes to sit in the parlour either listening to some good programme on the wireless, but more often than not, he is busy at rug making. Foreman E Purkiss, in charge of Dept 452, told the Bata Record, “I can have full confidence that whatever instructions I give, will be carried out efficiently. Gibson is an industrious and reliable worker and a credit to the department.”