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Dollond and Aitchison, Coventry Road, Yardley

W

wigandem

proper brummie kid
hi,i worked at Dollond and Aitchison, Coventry Road, Yardley, from 1973 to 1983,i was 16 straight from school and left to have my first child.I started working as a progress chaser and loved it! we had to find all the jobs that were overdue,which may sound easy but it was a big place!! i made lots of friends there and everyone from managers to shop floor staff were wonderful,does anyone out there have any memories of working there?
:fat:


Moderator's Note:
I've taken the liberty of correcting the spelling of the Company name, wigandem. This isn't to be pernickety, it's so that anyone doing a Search in future is more likely to find this thread. Having said all that......The interesting thing is that the Dollond/Dolland part seems to be written as Dolland as much as Dollond - I always felt that it was the former. But it is Dollond, apparently, and so the correct full name is now as above. Hope you get some good responses. Chris
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hello Wigandem, Sorry I never worked there, But, I did go there for my first pair of specs. What a place ! It was huge more like a showroom ran the usual small High St. Shop.I think it was the first one of it's kind in Birmingham and I had never seen so many specs. in one place before. They were also new types of machine for checking the eyes which looked quite scary.I remember them puffing some powder or somesuch into my eyes. I remember Ed Doolan on Radio W.M. raving about the place.
Hope you find some of your workmates.
Betty Hopper
 
hi Betty,have'nt had any one contact me yet but fingers crossed!!! yes it was a huge place and very interesting to work there,the orders came in and first the frame was put in a box and put on the track up to the lens dept,them the lens were cut and fixed into the frame then back on the track to br cleaned and polished then up to the post room to be packed and posted to opticians all over the UK.You can understand how orders got mislayed(never lost!!)and us progress chaser had to work out where the order was and sort through boxes and boxes of orders and when found had to follow and take it around the factory untill it was posted out and then ring the optcians and tell them it was on its way.I think the factory is closed now but not sure,maybe someone on here might tell me.
 
Hello wigandem, What an Eye opener !!!!!! { no pun intended } All that towing and throwing for a pair of specs !!!!! I had no idea it was so complicated. I knew the actual checking of the eyes was important but I never realised the number of " backroom " staff were involved. I think bits of information are great, you get one bit then somebody pops up with another bit and eventually you end up with a complete picture. I don't know if the factory has closed down but the branch of Dolland & Aitchison in Bromsgrove has been taken over by Boots the chemist.Hope you get lots of replies cos' I will follow the thread with interest.
Betty.
 
Thanks Betty,yes it will be good if i manage to find ex D and A's, im on friends reunited page of D and A but only me and a guy i don't know!!!!! nice to chat :fat:
 
Hi wigandem, I started working there on the Twilight shift in 1987 processing the prescriptions, so obviously not at the same time as yourself. As you have said, it was a great place to work and i, like you, made loads of friends but sadly got made redundant in approx 1990 (If I remember correctly) As Far as I know it has closed down as D & A but I think some other company has taken over? I often think back to those days and remember one chargehand in particular - Tommy Gaunt who has since sadly passed away - RIP Tom!!
 
Boots has taken over all D & S branches, and certainly in my local one there is none of the old staff now.
 
Hi,I worked there from Sept 1981 to.about dec 1988,I was in the glazing dept ,I worked alongside some great guys,Paul.mansell,gary Tomlinson,steve woodall,Shaun savage,andy Wright,paul.baker,paul.stevens,and many more ,had some great times ,my work there formed my career in optical sales and latterly by me owning my own specs business,selectaspex factory eyewear direct ltd tel.01254 393090.mobile 07591 020040
 
Paul.smyth said:
Hi,I worked there from Sept 1981 to.about dec 1988,I was in the glazing dept ,I worked alongside some great guys,Paul.mansell,gary Tomlinson,steve woodall,Shaun savage,andy Wright,paul.baker,paul.stevens,and many more ,had some great times ,my work there formed my career in optical sales and latterly by me owning my own specs business,selectaspex factory eyewear direct ltd tel.01254 393090.mobile 07591 020040
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