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    Leyland Rover
    Time Well Spent
    The Up-Country Man
    Ebook series3 titles

    Memories of an automotive engineer Series

    By Kenneth C Ryeland

    5/5

    ()

    About this series

    "Time Well Spent" is a personal account of Ken Ryeland’s training as a motor fitter in Birmingham, where he served his apprenticeship with British Railways (London Midland Region) from 1957 to 1963.
    Birmingham, the veritable “Workshop of the World”, could offer a limitless variety of industrial and clerical jobs during the 1950s. Work was so plentiful in those days that it was possible to resign from one company in the morning and start work at another by lunch time on the same day. Many skilled men took advantage of this happy situation by changing jobs if they could secure an extra few pennies an hour over their current rate. Any young man wanting a job could find one easily, so when Ken Ryeland was about to leave school at the age of fifteen to venture into the world of work for the first time, he had plenty of scope. However, rather than allow his son to settle for any old job, Ken’s father was determined to guide him into something worthwhile. Young Ryeland was told by his father that he could aim for any job he liked, provided he agreed to serve a proper apprenticeship. Little did Ken realise at the time how much of an influence this wise fatherly advice would have on his future life.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKenneth C Ryeland
    Release dateJan 1, 1973
    Leyland Rover
    Time Well Spent
    The Up-Country Man

    Titles in the series (3)

    • 2

      The Up-Country Man
      The Up-Country Man

      The Up-Country Man

      Kenneth C Ryeland
      5/5 - 1 rating
      5/5 - 1 rating

      "The Up-Country Man" (Third Edition) is a factual and personal account of the events leading to secession and the conditions inside Biafra during the early days of the Nigerian civil war. In April 1967, a young British engineer arrives in Nigeria to take up his new job. The country is seven years into a volatile independence and Ken Ryeland struggles to come to terms with the culture shock and the endemic tribalism that pervades every level of society. On being transferred to Enugu, capital of the troubled Eastern Region, he is further challenged when the Regional Military Government rebels against the Federal Military Government in Lagos. An act of secession quickly follows and the short-lived Republic of Biafra is born. Almost immediately, the new republic is plunged into a bloody and bitter civil war of survival with the Lagos government and Ryeland soon finds himself trapped in the rebel enclave as Federal troops move in for the final assault.

      "The Up-Country Man" (Third Edition) is a factual and personal account of the events leading to secession and the conditions inside Biafra during the early days of the Nigerian civil war. In April 1967, a young British engineer arrives in Nigeria to take up his new job. The country is seven years into a volatile independence and Ken Ryeland struggles to come to terms with the culture shock and the endemic tribalism that pervades every level of society. On being transferred to Enugu, capital of the troubled Eastern Region, he is further challenged when the Regional Military Government rebels against the Federal Military Government in Lagos. An act of secession quickly follows and the short-lived Republic of Biafra is born. Almost immediately, the new republic is plunged into a bloody and bitter civil war of survival with the Lagos government and Ryeland soon finds himself trapped in the rebel enclave as Federal troops move in for the final assault.

    • Leyland Rover
      Leyland Rover

      Leyland Rover

      Kenneth C Ryeland
      0 ratings
      0 ratings

      'Leyland Rover' is an account of Ken Ryeland’s several tours of the Far East as a service engineer for British Leyland during the early 1970s. After serving an engineering apprenticeship and several years working in Nigeria, Ryeland and his family returned to the UK, where he joined the Rover Company at Solihull. His task was to audit the company’s UK distributor network, checking the quality of service offered to car and Land-Rover customers. Twelve months later he joined Rover/Triumph’s overseas service department and further reorganisations under the British Leyland International banner added Jaguar and Austin/Morris vehicles to his responsibilities. Ryeland’s apprenticeship, previous overseas experience and thorough knowledge of the products paid dividends, enabling him to ensure that Leyland’s Far East distributors conformed to all operational and engineering standards. Not easy when strikes, poor build quality, indiscriminate sales policies and sheer bloody-mindedness conspired to frustrate his efforts; and that was just the UK side of the business. The culture and different working practices in the various countries presented even greater challenges for Ryeland. Held hostage by the military in Malaysia; interrogated by police in Afghanistan; hospitalised in Thailand and summoned by the king in Nepal; just a few of the trials and tribulations faced by Ryeland when attending his ‘patch’.

      'Leyland Rover' is an account of Ken Ryeland’s several tours of the Far East as a service engineer for British Leyland during the early 1970s. After serving an engineering apprenticeship and several years working in Nigeria, Ryeland and his family returned to the UK, where he joined the Rover Company at Solihull. His task was to audit the company’s UK distributor network, checking the quality of service offered to car and Land-Rover customers. Twelve months later he joined Rover/Triumph’s overseas service department and further reorganisations under the British Leyland International banner added Jaguar and Austin/Morris vehicles to his responsibilities. Ryeland’s apprenticeship, previous overseas experience and thorough knowledge of the products paid dividends, enabling him to ensure that Leyland’s Far East distributors conformed to all operational and engineering standards. Not easy when strikes, poor build quality, indiscriminate sales policies and sheer bloody-mindedness conspired to frustrate his efforts; and that was just the UK side of the business. The culture and different working practices in the various countries presented even greater challenges for Ryeland. Held hostage by the military in Malaysia; interrogated by police in Afghanistan; hospitalised in Thailand and summoned by the king in Nepal; just a few of the trials and tribulations faced by Ryeland when attending his ‘patch’.

    • Time Well Spent
      Time Well Spent

      Time Well Spent

      Kenneth C Ryeland
      0 ratings
      0 ratings

      "Time Well Spent" is a personal account of Ken Ryeland’s training as a motor fitter in Birmingham, where he served his apprenticeship with British Railways (London Midland Region) from 1957 to 1963. Birmingham, the veritable “Workshop of the World”, could offer a limitless variety of industrial and clerical jobs during the 1950s. Work was so plentiful in those days that it was possible to resign from one company in the morning and start work at another by lunch time on the same day. Many skilled men took advantage of this happy situation by changing jobs if they could secure an extra few pennies an hour over their current rate. Any young man wanting a job could find one easily, so when Ken Ryeland was about to leave school at the age of fifteen to venture into the world of work for the first time, he had plenty of scope. However, rather than allow his son to settle for any old job, Ken’s father was determined to guide him into something worthwhile. Young Ryeland was told by his father that he could aim for any job he liked, provided he agreed to serve a proper apprenticeship. Little did Ken realise at the time how much of an influence this wise fatherly advice would have on his future life.

      "Time Well Spent" is a personal account of Ken Ryeland’s training as a motor fitter in Birmingham, where he served his apprenticeship with British Railways (London Midland Region) from 1957 to 1963. Birmingham, the veritable “Workshop of the World”, could offer a limitless variety of industrial and clerical jobs during the 1950s. Work was so plentiful in those days that it was possible to resign from one company in the morning and start work at another by lunch time on the same day. Many skilled men took advantage of this happy situation by changing jobs if they could secure an extra few pennies an hour over their current rate. Any young man wanting a job could find one easily, so when Ken Ryeland was about to leave school at the age of fifteen to venture into the world of work for the first time, he had plenty of scope. However, rather than allow his son to settle for any old job, Ken’s father was determined to guide him into something worthwhile. Young Ryeland was told by his father that he could aim for any job he liked, provided he agreed to serve a proper apprenticeship. Little did Ken realise at the time how much of an influence this wise fatherly advice would have on his future life.

    Author

    Kenneth C Ryeland

    After 20 years living and working in Africa, the Far East and the Middle East, the author returned to the UK and occupied various senior engineering and research posts within the motor and insurance industries before retiring in 2004. He is a widower, has three grown children and likes gardening, writing, cross-country walking, classic British motorcycles and fine red wines.

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