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BSA Factory 1940s Onwards

fergie

fergie

master brummie
Edit. This thread is about the Birmingham Small Arms factory from the 1940s onwards. For discussion about the factory in other periods please see the thread links here:

BSA early years to the late 1800s https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...m-small-arms-early-years-to-late-1800s.48410/

BSA 1900s to 1930s https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/birmingham-small-arms-1900s-1930s.3009/

BSA during the Blitz https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/birmingham-small-arms-in-blitz.48277/j

BSA bikes https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/bsa-bikes-birmingham.8582/#post-274304






Unfortunately the image referred to below is no longer available.
I was given this photo by my Mom Sheila Johnson/Hilburn nee Bartlett
Mom reckons that her father my grandfather Charles Samuel Bartlett is in the group though it is difficult to see. She believes it was taken at the BSA Birmingham Small Arms and that it may have been taken at the end of WW2 or Coronation of Queen Elizabeth the latter I think. I know my grandfather had a couple of occupations on his marriage cert 1918 he was a rope maker and I believe he may have had connections with Waring, on his death cert it states he he was a cycle maker that was in 1959. On the back of the Photo there is a faint print stating G BROAD 109 High Street Tunstall High Class Photography. Does this tug at any ones memory. I believe there is part of the factory still remaining in Armoury Road Small Heath it suffered an air raid in November 1940 whereby many people lost there lives. According to their roll of honour there was a Lesley Harold Bartlett I wondered if he might be related.

https://www.madeinbirmingham.org/bsamem.htm
 
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Fergie,What a wonderful Photo to have, I did a bit of work in the BSA Armoury Rd in the 70's for a few days installing machinery. they were making motor bikes and scooters at the time
 
cromwell said:
Fergie,What a wonderful Photo to have, I did a bit of work in the BSA Armoury Rd in the 70's for a few days installing machinery. they were making motor bikes and scooters at the time
Click to expand...
... and I did the same thing in the 60s.
 
I saw your chat on the Ackers Trust and found it very interesting.  I went there in 1995-6 to take ski-ing lessons.  Armoury Road isn't to far from there is it?  The reason I am posting information about my family and requests is that not only do I have an interest but my Mom is very poorly and in hospital at the moment I thought it would be nice if I could find some information of interest to her and her extended family.
 
fergie,

I could be wrong but looking at the way the ladies are dressed in that incredibly sharp photo, I would guess that it's a VE celebration, rather than the Coronation.
 
The site I put on Galleries/Links www.birminghamstories.co.uk gives information about BSA. When I put this photo on I wasn't sure which was my grandfather but looking on here and comparing it to a photo of Charles in about 1956-57 I believe that he resembles the man on the right of the photo using a crutch? He would have been about 47 years old. I think you are right about VE day.
 
Cromwell you are a star its perfect, how did you do that? I have HP Imager but it won't let me restore photo's...........
 
Do you remember sending me the photo's of a relative Barnett fro Texas I forwarded them to a relative she hasn't come up with anything yet, but if you recall I , mentioned my dad met mom in Birmingham when he was based here with the USAF.  This photo is of my dad William Erle Hilburn and my grandad Charles Samuel Bartlett taken 1956-7 who I think is the man using a crutch on the BSA photo can you see a likeness.  Can I be cheeky and ask you if you can restore it too pleas.  I never got to meet my dad he passed away in 1989, I managed to find him in 1985 through the services of the Salvation Army and intended to visit in 1989 but sadly it was too late.  I don't know how it will come out though.
 
Done,Fergie sent you both photos large format by E-mail  O0
 
Hello
I am very interested in your photo Fergie
My mother and her sisters worked in the BSA war time would be lovely if they were on the photo.

Regards Pam
 
Hi Pam

Unfortunately I don't have any names, I think Mom found it with some of my Nan's stuff including a letter that my Grandad sent to her when the family were evacuated to Stoke, he remained in Birmingham because of work and to find them a house. I know that they were in the middle of the bombing hence the reason they went to Stoke. I can only guess that the one gentleman is my grandad due to the clarityof the photo and since Cromwell kindly restored it for me along with the photo of my Dad and Grandad.
 
HI FERGIE,NICE PHOTO IT WAS SAD TO SEE THE OLD BSA AT SMALL HEATH CLOSED DOWN WHEN IT DID, IT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST EMPLOYERS IN BRUM ALONG WITH THE LEYLAND, IMI AT WITTON , AND OF COURSE FORTDUNLOP, THE BSA WAS THE FIRST TO GO, AFTER THERE BIGGEST ROBBERY WHICH OCCURD THERE, THE ROBBERS GOT 15 YEARS EACH THEY SHOULD HAVE GOT MORE IT WAS THE FIRST EVER BIG ROBBERY IN BRUM , SAD TO SAY WE HAVE LOST ALL OUR BIG INDUSTREAL S IN BRUM NOW THE FINAL STRAW OUR FLAG SHIP HP SAUCE, THE FORINERS HAVE TAKEN IT ALL, THE ONLY BEST THING LEFT NOW WHICH THEY WILL NEVER GET IS OURGOOD OLD MEMOIRIES AND THEY CANNOT TAKE THEM , THERE USED TO BE THE LITTLE COTTAGE HOUSES ACROSS THE ROAD FOR THE EARLY DAYS OF EMPLYEES WHOM USED TO BE EMPLOYED BY THE COMPANY, ON GOLDEN HILL COCK ROAD , I KNOW IT WAS,NT THE ROBBERY THAT CLOSED THE COMPANY DOWN, WE ALL KNOW IT WAS THE STUPID GOVERMENT ALLOWING THE IMPORTS AND FLOGGING OF THERE MACHINES OVER HERE, JUST LIKE LONGBRIDGETHEY WANT TO SET UP SHOP HERE AND AVOID THE IMPORT TAXATION HO WELL LET US KEEP OUR CHERISH MEMORIES ,]] BEST WISHES ASTONIAN ,;;;;;;;
 
I worked for the BSA in the Export Sales Department from July 1957 just after I got married and
went to live in Small Heath and thought it too far to travel to Norton Motors in Aston!! This was just after the Bernard Docker era and BSA was making the Gold Star a wonderful motorbike. The Japanese were just starting to make inroads into our motorcycle industry then.

I could weep when I think of all the old famous firms which have gone by the wayside as listed by Aston, plus Norton Motors, Sun Cycles, Dunlop (my dad would turn in his grave if he knew what happened to them - he started at Aston Cross when he came out of the army about 1919/1920 moved to Pype Hayes with them, and worked there until he retired in 1966). Also Ansells, M & B, Atkinsons Breweries (my first job) so many. Birmingham was known as the workshop of the world - I dread to think what the future holds.
 
I understand and isn't this what use make people proud to be British and from Birmingham, I cannot understand for the life of me why companies want to take their business else where and I don't believe it has anything to do with cost when the quality is so poor. I sometimes wonder if we are at fault for accepting it as so, I just replaced my suite because the one I had 5 years had just about had it yet suites bought years ago lasted a lifetime bar the odd spring now and then. The same with cars and cycles.
 
BSA Factory, the houses on the left hand side were built by the BSA company to house their key workers.

Edit. Replacement image (Phyllis Nicklin, 1953). Image may vary from original. Viv.

image.jpeg
 
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Thats a good photo, not that I have any idea what the factory looked like. Is that the one in Armoury Road?
 
I GUESS I SHOULD KNOW BUT IS BSA BIRMINGHAM SMALL ARMS OR BRITISH SMALL ARMS OR IS IT SOMETHING ELSE. THANK YOU FOR ANY ANSWERS
JOHN
 
i bet its world wide fans dont know it looks like this,
 
Re, B.S.A.

The far part of the building in the photo posted by Dollyferret was used as the training centre for first year apprentices in the B.S.A. group, and from some smaller engineering companies in brum. this is where I spent the first year of my working life 1970/71.
 
This is me, 2nd from left, in the BSA gear shop July 1964. Niel, Graham, "Ringo" and Alec, photo taken by Ken, who left for home, Hong Kong, in Agust. He posted this photo from Hong Kong.
 
My late Father worked at BSA in Armoury Road, before the war, he then joined up but returned to the factory after the War. He was in the polishing shop. His name was Walter Jobbins, and he was a shop steward for the Union.

I joined as a typist in the spares department, on the old sit up and beg typewriters, so you can guess my age! I then became secretary to the Spares Manager, George Holden, and did work for Eric Bott as well.

My brother became an aprectice there, his Name is Nick Jobbins.

The spares moved to Montgomery Street. All three of us were there until it was shut down.

Best job, best place and wonderful people worked there. It was like a family.

I remember as a youngster going to the Christmas parties in the works canteen, ice cream and jelly, and Santa of course, and a present after. When you got a little older you went to the Panto at the Hippodrome.

When I started work there I helped at the parties. I remember Roy Orbison being at the factory and meeting him, he was motorbike mad,as we all were.

Every month we used to meet up with the guys from Triumph at Meriden for drinks and food, usually drinks at the Robin Hood in Acocks Green, have lots of photo's from those meetings. We had such a good time.

Anyone out there remember those days?

Christina (Chris))
 
Please note photo has been lost from this post.

Christina, this is me, the tall one, in the BSA gear cutting shop 1964.
 
Please note photo has been lost from this post.

Getting on with it!

My dad, Harold Bradley, also worked in the polishing shop. Here is a photograph of him taken in the B.S.A. snooker hall (entrance Golden Hillock Rd.) approx. early 1950's.
 
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