Elliotts Metals, ICI (Metals) and IMI

[TerryD147]

I'm curious as to whether there are any members who have any historical details about these businesses.

I understand Elliotts were taken over by ICI which then hived the metals business off into IMI.

My interest comes from the fact that my father Lionel Davis began work at the age of 14 as an office boy at Elliotts and remained employed by (effectively) the same business until he retired from IMI Summerfield after 48 years service.

He had a number of anecdotes which he shared with us, notably when as junior boy, one of his tasks was to take the hot buttered toast to the boss's office for his mid morning snack. The boss was one Ambrose Hopper and like most bosses at the time, was a real tyrant. My father was running along the corridor holding the precious plate in his hand when he tripped and watched to his horror as the hot toast went skidding along the corridor floor. Fearing the worst, he quickly recovered the toast, put it back on the plate and delivered it to Mr Hopper, who ate it in blissful ignorance!

 

[ChrisM]

I don't know a lot about this business, Terry. My only connections with it are the following.

I was working at Marston Excelsior (another IMI Company, in Wolverhampton), in the Wages Office, in 1960. For some reason that office had responsibility at that time for doing Elliot's wages and I had the job of being taken over by car to deliver all the wage packets there. Just the once and I can't remember much about it. I should have taken more notice because....

.....my own father started his working life there, in around 1920 after Great War service before moving to the main Metals Division site at Witton, in around 1928 or 1929, and he stayed there for the rest of his working life until retirement in 1961.

My own potted history of Kynoch reminds me that the new ICI Metal Group was joined in 1928 by Elliott's Metal Co. Ltd. of Selly Oak (rolled brass and copper, copper wire and tubes), a Company of very long standing, and one or two other local companies. And it was disposed of during a rationalisation exercise in 1964. Perhaps I saw it when it was starting to be wound down. I am not sure of the circumstances surrounding its disposal - there MAY be a brief mention to it in the IMI History but this dense volume is regrettably unindexed and so I have yet to find anything.

Two very eminent names in ICI Metals/IMI history were Arthur (later Sir Arthur) Smout and his successor, C. E. Prosser. They were both Elliot's men originally and both became ICI Metals Division Company Chairman. Mr. Prosser was succeeded in that role by Dr. Beeching before the latter was seconded to British Rail to do you-know-what. My father worked closely with both and was part of a twosome with Mr. Prosser when they undertook an extended tour of Australia and New Zealand on behalf of the Company between April and August 1949. (You went by sea in those days!)

Chris

 

[ChrisM]

Somewhere in the family archives there survives a menu from the Third Annual Staff and Foremen's Dinner in the Central Restaurant, Selly Oak, on 25th November 1927. Amongst those who have signed the card are one H. Davis (who, my late brother must have discovered, lived into his 90s in the village of Musbury, in East Devon). Others include Smout and Prosser; and the menu card also mentions Ambrose Hopper.

A gentleman named Davis was also a signatory (amongst many others including Hopper, Prosser, Smout and Kempson) of a telegram of congratulation to my parents on the day of their marriage, 31st January 1921

Chris

 

[TerryD147]

Somewhere in the family archives there survives a menu from the Third Annual Staff and Foremen's Dinner in the Central Restaurant, Selly Oak, on 25th November 1927. Amongst those who have signed the card are one H. Davis (who, my late brother must have discovered, lived into his 90s in the village of Musbury, in East Devon). Others include Smout and Prosser; and the menu card also mentions Ambrose Hopper.

A gentleman named Davis was also a signatory (amongst many others including Hopper, Prosser, Smout and Kempson) of a telegram of congratulation to my parents on the day of their marriage, 31st January 1921

Chris

Thanks for the further information Chris. It's good to have corroboration of some details.
I don't think the Davis(s) you mentioned would have been any relation of mine, as my father was the first of our family to work there and he joined at the age of 14 in 1928. Most of my family worked at Cadbury's, but that's a topic for another thread!

My father also mentioned that working on the shop floor at Elliotts was very hot work; the men used to quench their thirst in the early part of the week on beer, then later on lemonade and by Friday, just before being paid, they were reduced to drinking water.

 

[Mac57]

I'm curious as to whether there are any members who have any historical details about these businesses.

I understand Elliotts were taken over by ICI which then hived the metals business off into IMI.

My interest comes from the fact that my father Lionel Davis began work at the age of 14 as an office boy at Elliotts and remained employed by (effectively) the same business until he retired from IMI Summerfield after 48 years service.

He had a number of anecdotes which he shared with us, notably when as junior boy, one of his tasks was to take the hot buttered toast to the boss's office for his mid morning snack. The boss was one Ambrose Hopper and like most bosses at the time, was a real tyrant. My father was running along the corridor holding the precious plate in his hand when he tripped and watched to his horror as the hot toast went skidding along the corridor floor. Fearing the worst, he quickly recovered the toast, put it back on the plate and delivered it to Mr Hopper, who ate it in blissful ignorance!

Hi just seen this about Elliots Metals. I have a picture of my uncle John Thomas Cain known to us as "Jack", in the "Elliots Metals Football Team". He Lived in the Weoley Castle area of Selly Oak. This would be around 1939. He is on the right of the front row crouching. Sorry have no names for the others. Hope this is of interest.