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N A SUNNY DAY IN 1938 JOE O GALLAGHER WAS RUSHING TO GET TO THE ENGINEERING FACTORY WHERE HE WORKED.

BLAST THAT ALARM CLOCK. DON’T WANT TO BE LATE AGAIN!

STORY PETER GREHAN ART MORAHIN COVER IAN KENNEDY

4 BUT THERE WAS A NASTY SURPRISE FOR JOE ON THE NORMALLY QUIET COUNTRY ROAD — A SPEEDING CAR SWEPT HIM CLEAN OVER THE PARAPET OF A BRIDGE.

LOOK OUT! ARRGH!

THE DRIVER STOPPED AND SHOUTED DOWN. YOU NEED TO LOOK WHERE YOU’RE GOING!

JOE WAS TOO AMAZED TO RESPOND BEFORE THE CAR DROVE OFF AGAIN.

5 SO JOE ARRIVED LATE AT HIS WORK AS AN ELECTRICAL APPRENTICE AT DERWENT ENGINEERING. HE WAS ELECTRICIAN’S MATE TO FRANK PEDDAR. I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT ENLISTING IN THE ARMY, FRANK.

BUT YOU’RE LEARNING A GOOD TRADE HERE.

I COULD LEARN A TRADE IN THE ROYAL ENGINEERS.

FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE SUBJECT WAS CUT SHORT BY THE ARRIVAL OF A FAMILIAR SPORTS CAR.

FOR JOE THE CAR AND DRIVER WERE LIKE A RED RAG TO A BULL.

OI! YOU CAN’T PARK THERE, YOU IDIOT.

THE DRIVER SIMPLY IGNORED JOE AND STROLLED INTO THE BUILDING.

6 LATER JOE AND THE REST OF THE FACTORY WORKERS WERE CALLED TO A SPECIAL MEETING BY THE OWNER, ARCHIBALD DERWENT. I’D LIKE TO INTRODUCE MY SON, HARRY. ONE DAY SOON HE’LL BE GAFFER HERE.

HARRY HAD JUST FINISHED AT UNIVERSITY AND WAS TO BE GROOMED TO TAKE OVER THE RUNNING OF THE FACTORY. THEN HARRY WAS ASKED TO SAY A FEW WORDS. SOME OF THEM SEEMED DIRECTED AT ONE PERSON IN PARTICULAR. I KNOW MOST OF YOU ARE GOOD EMPLOYEES, BUT THERE ARE THOSE HERE WHO NEED TO REMEMBER THEIR PLACE.

JOE IMMEDIATELY REALISED THAT HIS FUTURE BOSS COULD CAUSE TROUBLE FOR HIM.

JUST MY BLOOMING LUCK!

7 OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS HARRY BEGAN TO INTERFERE WITH JOE’S TRAINING, REDUCING HIM TO CLEANING DUTIES. RIGHT, GALLAGHER, STOP STANDING AROUND DOING NOTHING.

BUT, MR DERWENT, I WAS WAITING TILL YOU’D FINISHED...

A DISMAYED FRANK TRIED TO REASON WITH HARRY, BUT HE WAS HAVING NONE OF IT. HE LIFTED THE BUCKET OF DIRTY WATER. HE HAS A POINT, HARRY. HERE, JOE, WHAT’RE YOU DOING…?

BUT JOE HAD HAD ENOUGH AND HIS TEMPER FINALLY GOT THE BETTER OF HIM. TAKE THAT!

URGH!

OH, NO!

8 CONSIDER THAT PAYBACK FOR DUMPING ME IN THE STREAM, DERWENT!

JOE! YOU’LL GET THE SACK FOR THAT! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW?

JOE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO NEXT. HE’D JOIN THE ARMY, JUST LIKE HE SAID HE WOULD. HOWEVER, BEFORE HE COULD BECOME AN ENGINEER, JOE HAD TO LEARN HOW TO BE A SOLDIER. LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT... SWING THOSE ARMS, YOU LAZY HERBERTS!

SOMEHOW DERWENT’S FACTORY DOESN’T SEEM SO BAD NOW.

9 SOME “SKILLS” HE HAD ALREADY LEARNED, HOWEVER. MOPPING THE FLOORS AGAIN!

BUT WITH THE BASIC TRAINING OVER, JOE BEGAN TO SETTLE DOWN TO TRAINING AS A ROYAL ENGINEER.

WOW! WHAT OTHER JOB TEACHES YOU HOW TO BLOW THINGS APART?

10 AS WELL AS BLOWING THINGS APART, JOE WAS TAUGHT HOW TO BUILD THINGS, LIKE A PONTOON BRIDGE. BUT HIS BAD LUCK WITH WATER HADN’T GONE AWAY.

WHOA!

QUITE RIGHTLY, THE YOUNG ENGINEER HAD THE SENSE TO SEE THE FUNNY SIDE, THOUGH. DECIDED TO COOL OFF, DID YOU, GALLAGHER?

I NEEDED A BATH ANYWAY! BUT I JUST HOPE THE ARMY SENDS ME SOMEWHERE VERY DRY, SIR.

WITHIN A FEW YEARS BRITAIN WAS AT WAR WITH HITLER’S GERMANY AND JOE GOT HIS WISH OF BEING POSTED TO SOMEWHERE DRY.