Some years ago my dad, Norman Williams, wrote these words about his time working for the Gas Board in Birmingham (1948-52).
'I applied to the Birmingham Corporation Gas Department as they wanted men to train and work in their laboratories. The applicants should have a school certificate in Maths, Physics and Chemistry. I was offered a job as a junior chemist. I started at the Central Laboratory on the Gasworks at Nechells at the beginning of April 1948.
My first morning job was to go on the roof of the Central Laboratory and record data including maximum and minimum temperature in degrees F, wet / dry bulb temps i.e. humidity, barometric pressure and wind speed – I’ve maintained an interest in weather since then. Weather conditions often determined gas demands and helped to predict demands. Other work included analysing coals, cokes, viscosity of tars, flashpoints of tars, calculating British Thermal Units (BThUs) of gases i.e. heat values using a Boys Calorimeter Test'.
Unfortunately dad's memory is not so good (he is 95) but he was interested when I told him about the demolition of the gas holders at Windsor Street