The Legend of Keith Street

The Legend of Keith Street

Back in the 70s and the 80s there was a lunchtime drinking culture. All over the country, it was just the done thing back then, certainly at SEGAS, at lunchtime you went to the pub, or over to the gasboard club for your lunch. Anyway, when I was an apprentice, for a while they put me with a fitter called Keith Street. He was a funny bloke, always laughing, always jolly, always pissed.

He was the epitome of the lunchtime drinking culture. He was on a cushy job on callout and the escape van, and always poured a few quid over the bar, normally the Star in Church Road, and the gasboard club. But he was a good bloke and didn't have a bad bone in his body for sure.

And there were many legendary stories, including him falling asleep in someones meter cupboard. But the best story of Keith, that obviously came from the girls in the office upstairs, who must've cried laughing sharing it.

One afternoon, after an obviously good session, he went to get on the radio, to see if there were any jobs that needed doing, as he was on the emergency van. But forgot what his callsign was? Couldn't remember for the life of him what he had to say to contact the office, Streety to base....Streety to base!! he slurred into the handset. That was not the callsign assigned to him. Haha!

The words "Streety to base" spread like wildfire all over the office, and down to the fitters lobby by the morning. There were many other stories, falling down some stairs on a beano in Blackpool, and something to do with a washing machine I think? He was the epitome indeed.

Streety to base....Streety to base! Quality..

The legend lives on.

Cheers Keith!!!