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Fisher & Ludlows factory

It's amazing how the subconsious mind works even when your asleep. I was asking in my post #59 if anyone remembered a little chap that sold the cigarettes and sweets in "E" block back in the 50/60's. His name came out of the grey matter in the middle of the night (Spooky) Tommy Harrison. Long gone by now, but I imagine his name lives on with his relatives.
 
It's amazing how the subconsious mind works even when your asleep. I was asking in my post #59 if anyone remembered a little chap that sold the cigarettes and sweets in "E" block back in the 50/60's. His name came out of the grey matter in the middle of the night (Spooky) Tommy Harrison. Long gone by now, but I imagine his name lives on with his relatives.
 
Does anyone remember a chap named Bill Thompson who worked at Fishers during the sixties, after he had a heart attack he was given a cleaners job so he could remain in work, bet it wouldn't happen nowadays.
 
nickcc101 said:
Does anyone remember a chap named Bill Thompson who worked at Fishers during the sixties, after he had a heart attack he was given a cleaners job so he could remain in work, bet it wouldn't happen nowadays.
Click to expand...
I worked with an apprentice named Billie Thompson, he started the same time as me in 1955. I believe he left later and ran a pub near Coleshill. He originally came from the Shard End area I think. He would be around 72 now if he is still alive.
 
Bikeral72 said:
I worked with an apprentice named Billie Thompson, he started the same time as me in 1955. I believe he left later and ran a pub near Coleshill. He originally came from the Shard End area I think. He would be around 72 now if he is still alive.
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Many thanks for the info, the chap I remember died in the mid sixties and used to live in Kingstanding but if he had lived would have been getting on for 100 by now.
 
can anybody help on one of my walks down to bandq on chester road erdington by the spitfire island i past the old fisher and ludlows factory now jaguar cars and on the last gate before you cross over to castle vale there is a couple gates made up of propelers can anybody tell me about these if you go onto google earth you can see them on the pillers but im sure a couple years ago all the gates was made up of i think spitfire propellers please help or ill go mad cheers i love that island
 
My father was a fireman and ambulance worker at F& L in the early 50's.As a matter of interest,the works Morris Commercial fire engine is preserved in the transport museum in Leyland Lancs
 
Hi Paget: There is a thread on the forum called "The Spitfire" with many posts. Among them is one by The Baron, a long time member of the forum, who mentions the propeller gates at Castle Bromwich. No photos though. Here's a quote:

"ANY ONE EVER LOOKED AT THE GATE POSTS ON THE JAGUAR SITE JUST BY SPITFIRE ISLAND CHESTER ROAD CASTLE BROMWICH.
THE METAL ANGLE POSTS HAVE BUILT IN TO THEM SPITFIRE PROP'S & SPINNERS.A REMINDER OF THE GREAT FACTORY THAT PRODUCED THAT FANTASTIC AIRCRAFT.'
(I AM SORRY IF THIS MAY HAVE BEEN POSTED BEFORE)
 
Is there anyone out there who is old enough to remember my Dad? He worked there in the 50s, 60s and poss early 70s, when he took early redundancy.

He worked as a welder on (AFAIR) the Vanguard, the Nash, the Mini and last of all, the Jag, in A2. He may be remembered as (I think) an unbeaten Draughts player and was a Football pools collector in the 60s.

His name? - Lloyd Goulbourne. He recently met other workers from there, Derek Walter, founder of my club in Tamworth and Ron Eamonson, another club member.

Mum (Barbara) worked there, too, as a machinist in the trim section. I remember her making seats for the Mini and the 1100. One of her co-workers was Dot Roberts.

On another note, I remember the scrap Bendix washing machine drums being sold and subsequently had legs fitted to become garden incinerators.
 
I remember Ron Eamonson well. He interviewed me for the job I went to from Fishers, to Rootes in Coventry. He was a well liked chap. When he came back to Fishers from his National Service days, he came back to the apprentice training school in Ashold Farm Road. The idea was to break him in gently to working in a factory again. He was given a job of making some steel cabinets.When they were finished he stood back to admire his work, then went off to get the supervisor to show him. In the mean time we welded all the doors up, so when he came to show off his work, things didn't work out quite how it should, but he took it all in good spirit. He was a very nice bloke.
 
My mom Selina (Lena) Taylor worked in the press shop in the 60's and 70's. love to hear from anyone who knew her. My uncle Jim Hoban also worked there as a FLT driver.
 
Pauline walker said:
HI Kevin,
I worked at F.L. in the 50s and I left in 1960 to get married. In those days when you got married it was quite normal to give up working. I started as a clerk in the transport office and I was taking pitmans shorthand lessons after work. I was very lucky, because of this I was promoted the the Cost & Damage Managers secretary. Which entailed going on to the factory floor with my boss, and taking down in shorthand the extent of any damage occuring on the shop floor. We also used to take pictures of the damage. Those were very happy days my boss was called Alan Whittaker and I often wondered what happened to him. I made many friends during my time there but sadly as the years go by you seem to loose touch. I had not thought about F.L until I read your post. I am sure there will be lots of people with lots of mermories . Names I remeber, George Bousefield who worked with Alan & me and from the transport office, Gwen, Pat, Brenda, Stan Appleby,Shelia and Thelma, Thanks Kevin for jogging my memory.


Pauline.
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Hi Pauline, you mention George Bousefield - did he live in Grosvenor Street West, Ladywood?
 
Stumbling over this thread recently reminded me of my father who worked for F&L from the mid 30's starting at Rea Street as a Junior Cost Accountant later moving to Castle Bromwich in the early 50's and finally finishing his days with British Leyland as Financial Director.

Amongst his bits and pieces was a copy of the Centennial Souvenir book "A Hundred Purposeful Years" that was given to all employees in the early 50's to commemorate the event

Many of these I can remember from visits to the factory on Saturday mornings when memories of the Nash Metropolitan in the baby pink and garish fifties Stateside styling easily come to mind. Powered by no more than the engine from the Austin A35.

The attached scans are taken from the book with minimal processing

https://images.birminghamhistory.co.uk/coppermine/displayimage.php?pid=10775

The Main Avenue of the car body press shop at Castle Bromwich

https://images.birminghamhistory.co.uk/coppermine/displayimage.php?pid=10776

Beetle back Standard Vanguards "in the white" on the Body Building line

https://images.birminghamhistory.co.uk/coppermine/displayimage.php?pid=10777

Phase 1 "split screen" Morris Minor car body shells on the Metal Finishing conveyor lines

https://images.birminghamhistory.co.uk/coppermine/displayimage.php?pid=10778

Beetle back Vanguards "in the pink" being wet sanded down before finish coating in the paint shop

https://images.birminghamhistory.co.uk/coppermine/displayimage.php?pid=10779

Standard Vanguards being finished and trimmed out prior to to shipping to Coventry to be married up with the chassis and engine etc.

https://images.birminghamhistory.co.uk/coppermine/displayimage.php?pid=10780

Stainless steel sink units being formed after annealing in the vertical furnace. Note the "hand drawn" Lister truck in the foreground.

https://images.birminghamhistory.co.uk/coppermine/displayimage.php?pid=10781



Bendix washing machine drums being removed from the fusing oven after vitreous coating

https://images.birminghamhistory.co.uk/coppermine/displayimage.php?pid=10782

Final assembly of the Bendix automatic washing machine


https://images.birminghamhistory.co.uk/coppermine/displayimage.php?pid=10783


View of the Castle Bromwich factory and the Fisholow vehicle fleet looking toward the Tyburn Road gate.

[URL="https://images.birminghamhistory.co.uk/coppermine/displayimage.php?pid=10782"]https://images.birminghamhistory.co.uk/coppermine/displayimage.php?pid=10784[/URL]

General view of the Main Works canteen. Memories of "Workers Playtime" over the Tannoy perhaps.

Some more if you want them.
 
The photo's are wonderful speedwing, my Dad would have loved seeing these. Thanks for sharing them with us!
 
I would very much like to look at the photo's on post #75 Re Fisher & Ludlow factory, but the system keeps asking me to login. When I do try and login, it is saying my login details are wrong and doesn't recognise my email address either.
 
Bikeral72, you need to log in to Coppermine, click the blue box at the top of the index page.

hope this helps.
 
You will need to first register with Coppermine as it is a separate entity.

Sent from my HTC Desire X using Tapatalk 2
 
Well, I finally managed to get the photo's, thanks Speedwing. Unfortunately most were before my time there. I started as an apprentice in 1955 and although some of the production of Bendix washing machines and sinks were still being produced, I didn't have much to do with the factory until I came down from the apprentice training school in Ashold Farm Road. By then we were producing Nash Metropolitan's, A35, vans and later the Mini. The press shop hadn't change though, only the tooling for the different cars. Very interesting part of the history of Fishers. Thanks again for showing them to us.
 
My father worked for Fishers all his working life starting at the inner city factory (where he lost the first joint of his index finger in a press) and later moving to Castle Bromwich. He was a tool setter and eventually became a foreman. His name was Tom Henn. During the war he rigged up a tractor to provide power during power cuts (I think that is correct but it was something similar) and his photograph was in a booklet picturing him sitting on the tractor. Unfortunately we have since lost the book. I would love to see that picture of him again and wondered if the Birmingham Library might have some information. Have really enjoyed reading this thread.
 
Here are a few more pictures generally from when F&L left Rea Street for the Albion Works in Tyburn Road, Castle Bromwich which I believe was in 1950.

We had moved from the top of Ladypool Road to Castle Bromwich around the autumn of 1952 which was probably when my dad moved to the new offices to the right of the main gates facing Tyburn Road occupying an office on the front left corner facing the security gatehouse. After demob he returned to what was left of the F&L offices and factory at Rea Street and worked there until 1952.

He worked at CB throughout the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's working his way up the greasy pole costing most of the vehicles that were produced by the then Austin and Morris, Standard and Triumph and in latter years British Leyland after the Press Steel Fisher years.

I was fortunate to see the very early ADO14 Mini prototype shells in the making when the panic over Suez focussed attention on the need for small economic cars.

Dad found the uncomfortable truth that the first Minis went out the gates at a loss on every sale which wasn't good news to deliver to Sir Leonard Lord over at Longbridge.
Thankfully the 1100 made good profits.

We even had prototype Bendix washing machines in the house care of F&L which my mom had to document the performance of each load. Some I recall leaked like sieves.

https://images.birminghamhistory.co...=lastup&cat=10449&pid=10882#top_display_media

The aerial view shows the site which was constructed during the war as a shadow factory and famously built Spitfire and Lancaster assemblies. These were hauled across the A452 Chester Road on the left for final assembly at Castle Bromwich airfield to the east. Running east to west is the Derby railway line and the red brick Castle Bromwich station is visible on the road bridge. Out of frame would have been the Birmingham Industries Fair buildings along the south side of the railway.

In the top right is the edge of Hodge Hill estate with the A452 curving up to the Clock Garage in the middle whilst at the top left is the old part of Castle Bromwich village with the Hall on the ridge.

https://images.birminghamhistory.co...=lastup&cat=10449&pid=10883#top_display_media

During the war years F&L were heavily targeted including some of the shadow factories such as Tile Hill near Coventry where production had been relocated and the nearby Coventry Radiator plant at Canley.

https://images.birminghamhistory.co...=lastup&cat=10449&pid=10884#top_display_media

The Albion Works Tool Room with very little in the way of safety guarding or yellow paint on the floor!
There appears to be some form of visual hierarchy determined by the colour of your overalls or did one make a style choice when dressing first thing?

https://images.birminghamhistory.co...=lastup&cat=10449&pid=10885#top_display_media

One of the small press shops which formed, pierced and raised the myriads of small pressings that went into a car body. Even on a Saturday morning when I went there as a child the noise was deafening. In another shop I recall be dazzled by the spot welders that married the various widgets into something recognisable like a right hand rear wheel arch for an A30.

https://images.birminghamhistory.co...=lastup&cat=10449&pid=10886#top_display_media

Here is were big presses stamped out the large components like wing, door and roof skins etc. When one of these presses closed there was often sparks and smoke as the oiled surfaces of the virgin steel sheet became suddenly heated by closing dies and combusted.

https://images.birminghamhistory.co...=lastup&cat=10449&pid=10887#top_display_media

The noise from some of the big daddy presses could be heard from top of the Water Orton Road if the wind was in the right direction and inside the plant the whole building and ground shuddered as the dies struck and closed.

https://images.birminghamhistory.co...=lastup&cat=10449&pid=10888#top_display_media

The sick bay with a chappy having his eye brows plucked, a lady with a poorly finger following a serious typing accident and a chappy with his legged propped up on a special poorly leg stool whilst the nurse in the vignette is about to administer an all purpose Aspirin to all of them. Possibly a staged picture.

https://images.birminghamhistory.co...=lastup&cat=10449&pid=10889#top_display_media

Finally a few cuttings showing the Social side of life at F&L, the man with the cigar is Arthur Keates who was the big cheese in those days and had an office next door to my dad's though considerably bigger and a whole lot plusher.
 
I may have posted this before.My dad was a fireman at F&L in the early 50's and the fire engine is preserved in the museum at Leyland
 
In the photo with the sick bay - it certainly was set up for the photographer. The man in the glasses with his leg propped up was my Dad, George Bowen, who was the 'welfare officer' there from 1950's to late 1970's - and there was nothing wrong with his leg!!
 
Clearly many of the pictures were staged or were stock shots airbrushed by F&L's advertising agency Toon and Heath of Solihull which probably explains the lack of feverish activity particularly in the body shops.

Many of the pictures were derived from monochrome originals taken after the Saturday morning shift ended and were later hand tinted some having staged "extras" posing in the foreground.

Glad you spotted your father.
 
Picture Gallery 008.jpgPicture Gallery 018.jpgPicture Gallery 019.jpgPicture Gallery 030.jpghi folks...jimbo has asked me to post these great pics of his father in law at work at fisher and ludlow welding mini floors...his name is joe phillips and is still going strong at the age of 94...joe is on the the right on pic 2 and his mate billy bryan is on the left
lyn
 
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