• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Lucas Great King Street memories

jennyann

Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
Thanks a lot for posting the photos of the history and the razing of
the Lucas buildings. My Mother worked as a Secretary at Lucas's
in the early l930's. She told me she had one of the first electric
typewriters in Birmingham whilst she worked there. She often told me how strict the Managers were in those days and how secretaries and typists had to be very careful indeed that their work was correct since
if they had too many typing errors in their work they had to forfeit a small
fine out of their wages!!! Lucas's did not allow married women to work in their offices at that time. If a women got married they were not allowed to return to work afterwards.

My Father spent three years in Canada, where he had gone to find work
and eventually send for my Mother. The Depression ruled that out and he arrived home penniless. At the time of their marriage in 1933 my Father was in training for a career in the electrical field so my Mother wanted to keep her job at Lucas's. Therefore, they got married in secret at the registry office in Birmingham, had a small family reception at my Aunt's house in Kingstanding. The only wedding photo I have is one of the wedding breakfast table, decorated with greenery, glasses, serviettes and a champagne bottle. No cake,no people. This was because they could not
afford to take any chances by having their photographs taken by anyone
in case someone at Lucas's found out. Only one of my Mother's close
friends at Lucas's knew about the marriage and she was sworn to secrecy also family members. I often wondered as a small child why my
parents had no wedding photos.

My parents first home was a flat in Kingstanding Road and no one they knew in this area worked at Lucas's. My mother left when she learned she was expecting her first child in early 1934. By all accounts the secret was then revealed.
Many years later I worked for a year at John Wilson & Sons(Wholesale Grocers) Ltd. which was just around the corner from Lucas's. I walked
by the place many many times and always thought it was a great
looking building.
 
Edit. Please note any missing photos from this thread may be available on the Lucas Memories site in the Great King Street 25 section here (in the menu on the left-hand side). http://www.lucasmemories.co.uk/site/GreatKingStreet/index.html

Who remembers the big Christmas party done every year for children of Lucas employees; with gift pack at conclusion? Professional entertainers, for children, delivered.
Lucas also gave employees a Christmas box (a kind of hamper).



The huge plant at Great King Street, very well built, could have been put to many good uses. It is utterly astounding it was razed. Condominiums, perhaps? A barbaric waste (nothing unusual of course).

Lucas transferred the bulk of production to South Africa. Cheap labour and no sophisticated veteran labour movement issues to deal with.
Two birds; one stone. The Shaftmoor Lane complex employed several thousand industrious artisans. [The BWs]

Very terrible business altogether. Needless to say no mass protest?
:cry:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I worked for Cannings, not Lucas', but we supplied them with a lot of equipment. I can still recall some of those women on the assembly lines - God, the'd ravish some unsuspecting young lad at thirty paces. :shock:

Whenever we had an installation job there, we'd take a raw apprentice just to introduce him to these ladies - always good for a laugh. :lol:
 
Canning

Some of the women at the Mop Works were like that too Paul!!! :lol: :lol: :oops:


Lucas, and Cannings were among some very great Brummie institutions.. As you know Paul my dad worked there for many years, he was part of that institution, a "Company Man" what a shock when the finaciers took over, what a shock for us all when these Brummy Giants were cut to the quick.

Dad would never take my advice, I told him to take the money and run, within weeks hed been "Let Go" because of ill health.
 
CANNINGS

Paul, I knew a couple of guys who worked at Cannings in the drawing office I think, Alan Randle and Micky Cooper.

I know, you've never heard of them, mind you this was around 1970.
 
My father worked at Lucas's Great King Street in the central toolroom up to his death in 1976 at the age of 56.  I too remember the wonderful Christmas parties for employees children, what organisation - it all ran like clockwork.  Attached is a photo of the central toolroom when the Queen visited Lucas in the 50's  My Dad is on the right in the first pic in the grinders shop.  In the second pic with HRH in, he has written on the back of the photo : "Just coming out of jig borers shop, she is directly in front of me on this one"
 
That good news Rod. As you say a great Birmingham institution for a large employer.
My Mother worked as a secretary there and talked about it very often. Looking forward to viewing the site.
 
Hello Everyone
Speaking of Lucas memories
My mom was a cleaner at Lucas at the Great king and farm street Monday to Friday evening 6till 10pm.When i got to thinking about her it reminded me about the sports day they would have every year down Kingstanding way and they would serve fresh strawberry teas.
 
Re Lucas's where my mother worked as a secretary in the early l930's at Great King Street. There is a photo on their memories site of office personnel from the early l930's and I am 99% sure that my mother is on this photo. She is the second from the left on the second row down from the back. She is wearing a smock which she told me that the girls in the typing pool had to wear. I think the lady on the end at her left is the Supervisor, one Miss Blaby, whom my mother told me a lot about over the years and she bought my Mother one engraved champagne glass on Christmas which we still have today. Here is the site for the photo https://www.lucasmemories.co.uk/dev/lucas_memories2c.htm
It's the seventh photo down the page in Gallery 2

Here is a photo of my Mother taken in the early l930's
 
Opening of S5 concert hall

Souvenir Programme of the opening of S5 Concert Hall in1956
 
Mike, I bet Jackie would love these pictures for her Lucas Site!
 
Hi everyone

This is a big long shot.

Does anyone remember my family working at the Lucas factory.

This was in Birmingham so not sure which one, but it was a big building and I think they pulled it down over 15 years ago?

I was with mum in Birmingham and she looked at it and said with a smile on her face, I worked there.

Her father Fred Reeves worked there all his life, his brother in law Harry Baker worked under him.

At some point Howard Reeves, Irene Reeves and possibly Raymond Reeves also worked their as well, they were Freds children.

My mother was Margaret Reeves born in 1920, she worked in the factory during the war and their she met my father Edward (Jim) Brown who along with his father was brought in from there own business to manage.

I believe that the machineists made her wedding dress out of a parashute, which was silk? For 1946 it was a very beautiful dress and rare I think to be made of silk, anyway for the war days it was very grand.

I have a wedding photograph and in it is a pretty lady who stands out, I remember asked my mum about her and she said it was her best friend. Unfortunately I do not know her name, but would think she also worked at Lucas'.

So if anyone has any info, especially about Fred Reeves and Harry Baker who would have awards? for long service please please let me know.

It will mean so much to me and my cousins.

chrisy
 
chrisy3, The Lucas factory you are asking about is almost certainly Great King St as it was their biggest factory in Brum, type Lucas or GK Street into search at the top of the page and lots of threads should come up.
 
my aunt used to work at lucas great king st.and she remembers a creepy looking guy working there named john giblin,bit of a loner lol...does anyone else remember this guys she is on about?
 
Hi I also had a aunt who worked at Shaftmoor Lane all her working life she started just before or just after the war, I think she retired late 60's or early 70's her name was Lou Griffiths and she was single and lived in Smethwick. I also lived by Kings Street Lucas factory and it was exciting when the Oueen came in the 50's all us school kids were put in scaffolding pens all around the factory so we had a good view. When I left school in 1962 I worked in the chemist at the bottom of Wheeler St and being the shy girl I was the men from Lucas on a friday as soon as they got paid used to come in the chemist for "something for the weekend" I was so embarressed I would go red and then they would tease me all the more. How things have changed they dish them out at school with the milk and biscuits now. What happy days they were I don't think I would like to be a teenager nowadays. I'm a new user to the Forum but thinks it's brill keep up the good work guys.
 
chrisy3, Please post the photos of any J. Lucas workers that you have, names get forgotten. faces stay in memory. Len.
 
Found on youtube

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRsPH3Wo1gw"]YouTube - A History of Lucas[/ame]
 
With the help of his son, Lencops and Jackie Hill I have recently assembled some information commemorating a longstanding employee at Great King Street, George Harry Griffiths. George Griffiths was in the Experimmental Workshop and served as a lieutenant in the Home Guard unit which was attached to the factory between 1940 and 1944.

The page can be viewed here and includes images of many Lucas employees then serving in the Home Guard. If anyone can help with further identification of individuals and locations, this would be very much appreciated.

Chris
 
Morning Chris, A well deserved memorial to George Griffiths and Lucas Home Guard and all members of Britains Home Guard. Len.
 
Back
Top