Friday 15th January 1937

Toothache trouble took a further turn today – attacked me at the works. It’s such agony that I could hardly think! Miss Walmesley gave me some aspirins, thank God!

Soon afterwards, when the pain had subsided, I was summoned to Mr Val’s office and spent an hour there. I am to be a representative. On Monday I transfer to the testing room and am to travel about with Beech, our technical man, when he goes out to jobs. (Don’t quite know what I shall have to do when he does not go out!)

After two or three months of this, learning how paint is used on the job and how to deal with complaints, I shall become a traveller. Area unknown; may be London or some distant, unexplored place. Shall probably have to specialise in “industrial” paints, i.e. paint which is sold to manufacturers. At present, I think Paripan has only two customers for this type of paint. On the strength of these “glorious expectations” I drew a new pair of overalls, my old ones being slimy, like some nauseating reptile.

Lunchtime: I phoned the nearest dentist and made the earliest possible appointment – for tomorrow morning.