Mick O'Connell

Mick O'Connell was a bullying foreman at Amalgamated Steel and part of his responsibilities included the loading bay where Dennis Tanner worked. Harry Hewitt warned Dennis that Irishman Mick had a vicious temper if you got on the wrong side of him but the naive Dennis thought he was just a rough diamond.

Dennis's lack of punctuality and general inability tested what little patience Mick possessed. Even before Dennis had turned up late, he showed his iron control of the men when he chatted to worker Lionel but insisted he carried on working while he did so. He tore a strip off Dennis - or "Archibald" as he called him - but told him in no uncertain times that he be on time and not make a fool of him. He added for effect that the last "sunbeam" who worked for him ended up with a dislocated shoulder when a crate accidentally fell on him. Mick then led the other men in a tea break, making sure that Dennis was firmly excluded from this ritual.

Dennis messed up an order that night, sending it to Glasgow when it was meant for Leeds and Mick told him he'd be fired if he made one more mistake. Dennis had grown to loathe the job and when he found a crate whose contents had been destroyed by Lionel he took the blame in order that Mick had an excuse to sack him. He was sent on his way with a week's wages.