A Past Times item last month about the Co-op bringing back "divi" and the branch where in the 1960s the manager "patted" individually-wrapped portions of butter into one big block to please his older customers triggered memories of 1944 for reader Mr J Wilkinson, of Wibsey.

"I left school on a Friday and started work the following Monday (there was no gap year in those days). At the age of 14 my first job was as a grocer's assistant at the Maypole Dairy on Tyrrel Street, almost opposite the Town Hall in Bradford. This was a chain store specialising in dairy products and where patting butter' was common practice.

"Butter came in 56lb cartons, and portions for weighing were cut off using a cutter and beaten until pliable using a patter. Both implements were in the form of a wooden paddle rather like a rectangular ping-pong bat. The cutter was much thinner than the patter and had sharp edges, whereas the patter had a ribbed surface, leaving a pattern on the finished product.

"The process was performed on a marble slab where water was sprinkled to prevent sticking (there was no mention of adding weight).

"I didn't stay long with the Maypole, having been given a job nearer my home in Shelf with the Buttershaw and Wibsey Co-op. Although all Co-ops came under the same umbrella there were many individual societies with varying numbers of branches, with the smaller ones often paying a better "divi" than the larger ones. The B&W had just three branches: Beacon Road, Wibsey (now a late shop), North Road, Wibsey (now a Conservative Club), and Halifax Road, Buttershaw (where a hire shop now stands after the Co-op building was demolished).

"Each counter hand had a book full of tear-out coupons on one of which, when a customer was served, was recorded the date, amount spent and customer's account number. The tear-out coupon was given to the customer and a carbon copy was retained in the book. These records were used to calculate the customer's divi. Certain customers religiously saved all the coupons and frequently disputed the amount they were paid, albeit rarely more than a few coppers.

"I also recall the dreaded Mondays when many of the bulk products were weighed to save time during the busier periods. Soap flakes and flour were the worst and used to play havoc with the sinuses, as there were no face masks at this time. Just about everything came in bulk, though I do recall that margarine came pre-packed in half-pound blocks. Rationing brought a different challenge and would require more than a little space to records.

"Looking back, the days were often hard, but they were happy days."