ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW
Fred Fila
September 30, 1983
by Larry Lowenthal

0:00:23	How he came to be at the Armory, Sept. 1938. Had been trained as a barrel straightener at Stevens Arms.
0:01:00	"Prestigious" to work at the Armory.
0:01:24	His salary as barrel straightener.
0:02:12	Lived in Chicopee Falls.
0:02:56	Why he has hired--the Garand was going into production.
0:03:17	Worked at the Watershops in the barrel shop.
0:03:50	Shifted departments at the Watershops during the war, doing different jobs when there was no barrel straightening to do.
0:04:19	Left the Armory in Spring, 1943.
0:05:34	Three processes of barrel straightening.
0:05:50	His training, background.
0:06:57	Description of the barrel straightening process.
0:11:20	Describes different processes of rifling--scraping, hooking.
0:12:36	More about straightening.
0:14:38	Finished barrels went to the Hill plant.
0:15:45	4 men working in barrel straightening--their names, their jobs.
0:16:33	World War II--training the newcomers.
0:20:04	Women in barrel straightening.
0:20:26	Working hours during the war.
0:20:58	Number of barrel straightening machines before and during the War.
0:21:24	Working around the clock--trying to keep the light even and constant.
0:22:22	Amount of time involved in process.
0:24:09	Rate of pay.
0:25:50	“Ring” process of straightening.
0:28:12	Inspection process.
0:29:33	More about inspection.
0:32:02	Chain of command in barrel straightening.
0:32:58	Working conditions.
0:35:40	Watershops periodically used the dam for power.
0:36:01	Lunch--brought his own. With the war, a cafeteria set up.
0:37:23	Minorities hired during the war effort.
0:37:50	Draft exemption.
0:39:12	Not much contact between Hill and Watershops.
0:42:00	His home life, including childhood on Uncle's farm.