Ionic Plating Works

[David Quick]

Yes Fred, but we divorced long ago.

So Forum guys, I found a little gem in the loft, my old note book from when I was the Vat Section process chemist. I've uploaded my diagram of the layout (1966/67) and all the tanks are numbered. Anybody remember what each tank contained? Ignore the rinse tanks and drag outs which according to my little green book are 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 16, 21, 24, 26, 29, 32, 34, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 50, 51, 53, 54, 55, 57, 58, 59, 62. A clue: tank 49 was the chrome vat that you could see through the window grill from Halberton Street as mentioned in a previous post. Have fun!

DQ

 

[David Quick]

Also from the little green book, the lead shop. I recall the lead shop & the inspection being on the way down to the precious metal plating department

DQ

 

[David Quick]

Yes Fred, but we divorced long ago.

So Forum guys, I found a little gem in the loft, my old note book from when I was the Vat Section process chemist. I've uploaded my diagram of the layout (1966/67) and all the tanks are numbered. Anybody remember what each tank contained? Ignore the rinse tanks and drag outs which according to my little green book are 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 16, 21, 24, 26, 29, 32, 34, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 50, 51, 53, 54, 55, 57, 58, 59, 62. A clue: tank 49 was the chrome vat that you could see through the window grill from Halberton Street as mentioned in a previous post. Have fun!

DQ

Re the vat section plan from the ‘little green book’:
Tanks 1-5: cleaning line for steel and copper alloys
Tank 6: hot anodic cleaner for steel
Tank 8: 50% hydrochloric acid
Tanks 10-13: cleaning line for polished nickel Rover parts
Tank 14: dull cadmium
Tank 17: cyanide copper
Tank 20: Perflow semi bright nickel
Tank 22: bright nickel
Tank 23: cyanide copper
Tank 28: bright nickel
Tank 30: dull nickel
Tanks 31, 33, 35: bright nickel
Tank 38: nickel strike
Tank 39: Satylite nickel
Tank 44: decorative chrome
Tanks 48, 49: crackfree chrome
Tank 56: brass
Tank 60: lacquer for brass
Tank 61: tin-nickel alloy

DQ

 

[David Quick]

Also from the 'little green book' some material costs Ionic was paying c1966. It was £sd in those days of course (pound, shillings and pence not to be confused with LSD the hippy drug which was getting a lot of press at the time). Also, this was before metrication so oz, lb, cwt, g (gallon not gram). I have an internal memo from Shaun Gwynn dated 16th May 1967 advising switch to metric system for expressing routine analysis results. Why the hell was he called Shaun anyway? His initials were MJM (!)

 

[David Quick]

Fred, you'll like this, I found a memo from Clive Pearce with your name on the circulation list. Hope you can read it, suffice to say it is 50 years old and it's one of those flimsy carbon copy sheets from the typewriter (remember them?). The memo refers to a nickel drag out problem. Clive makes a comparison to a labourer's wages which apparently was six shillings and six pence per hour. Woohoo!

 

[David Quick]

These are some other names that from the 1964-1968 era that I found from some old vat section meeting minutes which I still have (amazingly):

John Ellis - chemist, I think he came from Dudley
George Wallington - lead shop production/ inspection(?)
Arthur Rudge (?)
George Marshall (?)

Anyone remember them?

DQ

 

[freddy]

Dave,

Sorry for the tardy reply, we've been away for a few days.

Vat Section quiz .... null points. I racked what's left of my brains trying to think if there even was a semi-bright nickel or not. I had thought there was a sulphuric etch in there somewhere, it might have been after your time. Mike Turley got so fed up with the new issue of pagers we were given, he lobbed it in the etch and left it there.

Clive's memo .... Why me? I only ever went on the grid to get warm when 21 shop was freezing (virtually always)! I did occasionally fill in on high days and holidays I suppose.

Lead bond .... remember the fridge in there? One weekend I left the fishing clubs maggots and casters in it, and some escaped; Monday morning Olive Pagett went ape. George Wellington was indeed the inspector come production guy.

Shaun Gwynn ... I remember his given names as Micheal John Mainwaring Gwynn; Sean / Shaun is the Irish form of John, but who knows? I liked him a lot, we had a common interest in rifle shooting and I used to go to his club small bore range which was underground at Birmingham University. I can't remember now why he jacked, but there rumours of a rich widow; I hope they were right.

John Ellis ... wound up as MD of RoHoCo up in Wolverhampton, a very nice guy and good white finish chemist. When I was Chief chemist of the Anochrome / WEP group we did a lot of business together.

Arthur Rudge.... Sure it wasn't Bobby Rudge who was a sort of leading hand labourer and shop steward? Tall chap dark haired with a voice second only to Frank Paget's, and a dry Brummie sense of humour. He'd be the guy that filled the anode cages.

George Marshall ..... Chief Inspector, holed up in the inspection office that was sort of inside the bottom lab, his half back was Albert Adams, one of the Ionic anglers. George was an inoffensive round faced chap who lived in Moor Lane near Villa Park. He got his name in the papers for chasing a burglar out of his house with a Samurai sword, so not so inoffensive after all!

Since this thread kicked off I think I've located Jimmy, and possibly Dave Clarke too; if I do manage to get in touch I'll let you know.

Fred

 

[David Quick]

That’s amazing Fred, it would be great to catch up with these guys again. How come the memories of the place are so vivid?

When I unearthed the little green book from the loft, I also found my old lab note book which dates back to March 1965 which must be when I started. This decaying relic, with it’s chemical stains & slight whiff of almonds, records the R&D work I carried out during that period. I also found minutes of vat section meetings which I was entrusted with. Whilst I have no intention of boring anybody stupid with this lot, it does evoke memories for further posts.

Attached is the TCIMF examination paper for 1966. We all did the night school course at the old Matthew Boulton Technical College which was an austere imposing old building at the top of Suffolk Street. The lecturer was an ex Cannings man who had an eye condition which resulted in very bad eyesight. Most Ionic students had such good technical training and experience at work they would smash the course with ease.

DQ

 

[freddy]

Dave,

Ditto on Matthew Boulton, I did the Tech Cert. there too; must have 1968. I was laid up for a long time in 1966 with a busted knee joint. Can't recall anything much of the lecturer though. For some daft reason I can recall his exposition and my notes of the Kanigen electroless nickel process like it was yesterday, even the deposit hardness figures. What I did last Sunday morning is a mystery. I think memory is like that.

Brian Kilgallon played in the Ironic football team that was started and managed by Wilf Manning, lovely guys; I'm not sure that Goosey Baker didn't play too, I bet you remember him. Another Bluenose!

 

[David Quick]

Fred,

How could I forget Goosey. Johnny Baker wasn't it & didn't he work in stores. Quite a character I recall. Dave Clarke & I used to have a few laughs with him. I remember we all played in a friendly match against Dudley I think. We were football mad in those days. I haven't lived in the Midlands for many years now so i'm ignorant to what a Bluenose is, i'm guessing it's a Blues supporter.

Picking up on the further education trail, while I was at Ionic I did day release HNC Chem at Chance Technical College as it was called then. I bet that's long gone.

Dave

 

[David Quick]

Looking at my Ionic lab notes from 1965 to 1967 re trouble shooting, product trials, testing & investigations etc., the amount of technical input amazes me. I make this observation in comparison to the rest of my career in the metal finishing industry where I never ever experienced that level of input again. I think some pretty bright plating technicians passed through Ionic during it's time on earth

 

[freddy]

Dave,

I've got my old barrel section notes up in the loft someplace. The last time I picked them up they still reeked of cyanide!

Keep in touch, if I find Clarkie or Jim I'll let you know asap

fred

 

[David Quick]

Bert Wallbank always told a joke at the Christmas party. I never forgot this one. If you worked at Ionic, you are unlikely to be offended: Young Fanny Green from accounts was making her way across the the plating shop floor sporting a mini skirt which was the current fashion. An observant foreman leaning on the rail of the vat section with his line manager asked 'Is that Fanny Green?' The manager's reply 'Nah, it's just the reflection off the nickel solution'. Dont blame me, blame Bert.

 

[RMW]

Dear All,
I was idly googling Ionic yesterday, after finding a number of Ionic memorabilia in our house, and stumbled across this forum. What a wonderful find for me, full of so many treasures! My grandfather was Bert Wallbank, although I never met him, and my father was the youngest of his children. Sadly, my father also died too young, at the age of 57 in 2010, from an industrial illness. Bert's wife, Mary, lived to the age of nearly 101 and was the kindest, wittiest, most sensible woman I could ever have imagined knowing, and a fantastic artist. I am, I suppose, a bit biased, but she certainly made an impact on everyone she met in a quiet understated way. She died with 3 children still living, 14 grandchildren and a whole horde of small great-grandchildren - a true matriarch! She was deeply loved.

I am so pleased to see that Bert was respected by his staff (you can never be sure when you know someone was the Boss!) and that you all had such a riotous time! I'm quite jealous, I think I need to go out and start living...!

Thank you so much for your memories,
R Wallbank

 

[David Quick]

Dear All,
I was idly googling Ionic yesterday, after finding a number of Ionic memorabilia in our house, and stumbled across this forum. What a wonderful find for me, full of so many treasures! My grandfather was Bert Wallbank, although I never met him, and my father was the youngest of his children. Sadly, my father also died too young, at the age of 57 in 2010, from an industrial illness. Bert's wife, Mary, lived to the age of nearly 101 and was the kindest, wittiest, most sensible woman I could ever have imagined knowing, and a fantastic artist. I am, I suppose, a bit biased, but she certainly made an impact on everyone she met in a quiet understated way. She died with 3 children still living, 14 grandchildren and a whole horde of small great-grandchildren - a true matriarch! She was deeply loved.

I am so pleased to see that Bert was respected by his staff (you can never be sure when you know someone was the Boss!) and that you all had such a riotous time! I'm quite jealous, I think I need to go out and start living...!

Thank you so much for your memories,
R Wallbank

It's great to see a surviving Wallbank contributing to this thread. Working for Ionic remains etched in the memory bank as seems to be the case for many. Why? I don't know except that we were a more carefree lot working hard but managing to enjoy working life just the same. There were also some incredible characters there, some of us who survived the cyanide fumes and tell the story. It is also true that that the company was a leader in a small but specialised metal finishing industry and remained so for a long time. Many of us who left, stayed in the industry and carved out good careers thanks to the grounding we received there. I hope we can all keep this thread going. Just waiting for a reunion!

David Quick

 

[freddy]

Dave,

Great to hear from you again, and also one of Bert's grandchildren. Whoddathunkit?

I really respected Bert, not least for his occasionally acid sense of humour, but also for his technical brilliance.

We've been pretty regimental about this CV-19 thing and the lockdown and so I'm putting that forward as an excuse for not doing anything about bringing some of the old gang together. But it would be fun!!

I'll get on with it; do you have a handle on the whereabouts or careers of any of our contemporaries that might help in tracking them down?

 

[David Quick]

Dave,

Great to hear from you again, and also one of Bert's grandchildren. Whoddathunkit?

I really respected Bert, not least for his occasionally acid sense of humour, but also for his technical brilliance.

We've been pretty regimental about this CV-19 thing and the lockdown and so I'm putting that forward as an excuse for not doing anything about bringing some of the old gang together. But it would be fun!!

I'll get on with it; do you have a handle on the whereabouts or careers of any of our contemporaries that might help in tracking them down?

Lord knows. When I moved south I lost touch with everybody regretfully. The only ones I ever bumped into were Eddie Baker, Tom Ketteridge & Roy Castle and that was years ago. It's 50 years since my time at Ionic so anybody I know is going to be at least as ancient as me, if they are still around at all.

 

[Chris Rem]

Hi, Just by chance I came across your query. As it happens i worked very closely with Tom Flynn in the 1960's. he was one of my mentors. I first met him in 1959 when I joined Ionic. I was his assistant from 1965 to 1967 and worked in the same office.
He was one of teh people who started up Ionic with bert Wallbank. Ionic was a wholly owned subsiduary of Guest Keen and Nettlefolds, at that time the largest screw manufacturer in the world. Tom was originally the production control manager and it took a lot of persuading for him to become Plant Manager.
He knew teh place intimately and had the unique ability to walk round the shop floor first thing in the morning and know everything that was going on.
I statred under Colin Prosser, and Eddie Baker the technical department, got moved to Dudley Works as a Chemist and then returned to grove Street as Tom's asistant.
The intent was that I should learn from the master how to run a factory, whih I did by osmosis.
Tom was the perfect Plamt manager for Ionic. he never seemed get upset, raise his voice or lose his temper but managed the company by example, hard work, good selection of staff and an intimate knowledge of everything that went on.
he led the comany through two fires, a strike and constant pressure from GKN.
His only drawbacks was that he was a chain smoker, was slightly overweight and chewed aspirins like candies.
names that come to mind are:
Colin Prosser, Chief Chemist
Eddie Baker,asst. Chief Chemist
Derek Sutton, Barrel Section Manager
Ron Stockley, Rack Department Manager
Dan Eaton, Work Study
Dave Wesbury accounts, General Manager after Bert retired after a heart attack, and eventually co-owner.
Dick Spenser who became deputy Chief accountant.
Let me end with the statement that Ionic was a happy place to work in and that everyone was good to know. If you need more then e-mail me.

I worked in the Wiring Up Dept from 15 to 23 . many names listed that I remember . I kept in touch with Alan Kenny who sadly passed away a couple of years ago . Eddie Hiscock was best man at his wedding and he too died just a few months before Alan both from Prostrate Cancer . Fun times in the Wiring Dept ,read a thread that said not a place to go if you were a shy young man lol . Blushing made any young bloke fair game lol .Billy Ford ,Robert Belcher ,Ernie Cale just a few of the long serving workers . Lilly Whitehouse , Ray Mercer long gone to the pearly gates but still remember the laughs and arguments that made everyday go quickly

 

[Chris Rem]

I’m the Dave Quick that Freddy refers to in his last post. Amazed to see my name come up like that after 50 years. Freddy, forgive me, I don’t really remember you. But were you the guy with the Morris Traveller? I was in the lab from 1964 to 1968 under Eddie Baker and ended up as process chemist on the vat section when Eddie Hiscox moved up. I regretted leaving Ionic for a long time but I was young and impetuous and desperate to get out of Birmingham at the time. It was without doubt my happiest time ever in employment. The place was full of characters and events that stick in your memory. I never forgot the place. Some memories:

Dave Clarke was a big buddy of mine, lost touch when I left. There was a nice old guy who worked the vat chrome, I think his name was George Benson. Dave C and I used to drink with him in the Engine. It was a bit of a race as to what would get him first, the copious pints of mild he consumed or the chrome ulcers.

I recall an inebriated Ernie Cale leading a Christmas singsong from a table in the Cape one year. Ernie’s nephew Steve Bott working in sales for a time. Steve was the ultimate mod, floral tie, Rod Stewart hair, the lot.

Jim Alldrick and I used to fetch the bacon sandwiches at morning break when everybody congregated around a desk in the corner of the lab. Great banter, loudest voice award went to Frank Paget who was getting married to a girl in sales.

Eddie Hiscox used to give me a ride home in his Austin Healey Sprite.

Alan Kenney, great practical joker. He would fill your boots with screws and on one occasion glued somebody’s boots to the floor. He also made a pulley system for lowering a large dummy spider in to the doorway to scare the girls when they came through the lab.

Tom Ketteridge, I last bumped into him some years later at M&T when they were in North London.

Bert Wallbank always gave a short speech at the Ionic Christmas party, there was always a risqué joke in it.

During summer, we used to sun bathe or kick a ball about on the flat roof above the lab. Needless to say the atmosphere wasn’t too good up there. Colin Prosser put a stop to it, quite rightly.

The wiring section was a place to avoid if you were a young man. The ladies there were, shall we say, not shy. It wasn’t the place to be if you were easily embarrassed. Roy Castle married one of the girls at a very young age. I bumped into him many years layer at Pender Plating in Poole (Twickenham Plating Group Ltd), where I eventually ended up.

Dave Quick

Alan Kenny owned the Sports Car . I was one of the Wiring up girls . I was friends with Alan Kenny . Eddie Hiscock nice guy . He asked me out but to quiet for me . Both he and Alan were friends for life and died within months of each other from Prostrate Cancer . Eddie married a girl from the Ionic ,I didn’t know her but they had a couple of daughters and she left him with the girls to bring up The older women on the wiring section use to call him Scratchit . Lilly Whitehouse was the loudest but we had some great laughs . I am still e Mail mates with Jimmy Gull he worked there for a few years too . My mother Jane ran the twilight shift 6 till 10 for years . Her second husband had worked as a Truck Delivery guy Jack Brain .

 

[David Quick]

Alan Kenny owned the Sports Car . I was one of the Wiring up girls . I was friends with Alan Kenny . Eddie Hiscock nice guy . He asked me out but to quiet for me . Both he and Alan were friends for life and died within months of each other from Prostrate Cancer . Eddie married a girl from the Ionic ,I didn’t know her but they had a couple of daughters and she left him with the girls to bring up The older women on the wiring section use to call him Scratchit . Lilly Whitehouse was the loudest but we had some great laughs . I am still e Mail mates with Jimmy Gull he worked there for a few years too . My mother Jane ran the twilight shift 6 till 10 for years . Her second husband had worked as a Truck Delivery guy Jack Brain .

Hi Chris, I think I remember you but so long ago. I was chemist on the vat section so always hanging on the bar by the cleaners where you girls loaded the jigs. Roy Castle married a girl from the wiring section I think. Dave Quick

 

[Chris Rem]

Hi Chris, I think I remember you but so long ago. I was chemist on the vat section so always hanging on the bar by the cleaners where you girls loaded the jigs. Roy Castle married a girl from the wiring section I think. Dave Quick

No offence if you don’t recall me . I sat next to Linda Clements , she was friends with Ernie Cale ,not sure if he is still alive so will say no more . Wendy Woakes that was Married Johnny Socket( later divorced ) who worked there too . Rita and Connie Crumb . A few girls came and went ,not for the faint hearted as piece work . Made good money think around £10 a week give it take . one of the Labourers Dudley once said he thought the Women should get paid the same amount as the men . I told him I wasn’t going to take a wage cut lol . Horace was another of the Labourers and we use to wind him up something chronic . I was there from age 16 to 22 or 23 . Married in 67 but not to anyone from the Ionic . When I handed in my notice Ron Stockley wouldn’t speak to me for the week . As I left on the Friday he can out of the office and said “ you‘ll be back “ I never did . I went back to visit years later and the place was getting ready to close . Rob Belcher came outside to chat . Such a shame ,all those memoirs and people . Eddie His opened up his own Gold Plating Small Company up on Spring Hill somewhere . We young ones use to go to the Cape of Good Hope on Friday’s for drinks . Dennis Edwards ,Tony and a few others but when they demolished our house round the corner in Reynold St it got too hard . I have posted photo of some of the old crowd at a Xmas Party at the New Inns in Handsworth . I am the one in the white dress on the end right hand side with Lily Whitehouse singing with Ray Mercers Band . Dress was stained with Rum and Black by the end of the night lol .I was in touch with Terry Amos on FriendsReunited but FB bought them out . He became an Ambulance Driver and retired when I last heard from him ,he was having health issues . I had his e Mail address but no replies now for some time .

 

[David Quick]

No offence if you don’t recall me . I sat next to Linda Clements , she was friends with Ernie Cale ,not sure if he is still alive so will say no more . Wendy Woakes that was Married Johnny Socket( later divorced ) who worked there too . Rita and Connie Crumb . A few girls came and went ,not for the faint hearted as piece work . Made good money think around £10 a week give it take . one of the Labourers Dudley once said he thought the Women should get paid the same amount as the men . I told him I wasn’t going to take a wage cut lol . Horace was another of the Labourers and we use to wind him up something chronic . I was there from age 16 to 22 or 23 . Married in 67 but not to anyone from the Ionic . When I handed in my notice Ron Stockley wouldn’t speak to me for the week . As I left on the Friday he can out of the office and said “ you‘ll be back “ I never did . I went back to visit years later and the place was getting ready to close . Rob Belcher came outside to chat . Such a shame ,all those memoirs and people . Eddie His opened up his own Gold Plating Small Company up on Spring Hill somewhere . We young ones use to go to the Cape of Good Hope on Friday’s for drinks . Dennis Edwards ,Tony and a few others but when they demolished our house round the corner in Reynold St it got too hard . I have posted photo of some of the old crowd at a Xmas Party at the New Inns in Handsworth . I am the one in the white dress on the end right hand side with Lily Whitehouse singing with View attachment 151397Ray Mercers Band . Dress was stained with Rum and Black by the end of the night lol .I was in touch with Terry Amos on FriendsReunited but FB bought them out . He became an Ambulance Driver and retired when I last heard from him ,he was having health issues . I had his e Mail address but no replies now for some time .

Chris. Boom! I recognised you instantly on that photo. Can you identify any body else on that fabulous picture? Dave

 

[Chris Rem]

Chris. Boom! I recognised you instantly on that photo. Can you identify any body else on that fabulous picture? Dave

Sorry No forgot who they all were . office Staff I think some of the other Wirers . Mavis Dolly Rita all lived a round Heath St

 

[David Quick]

No offence if you don’t recall me . I sat next to Linda Clements , she was friends with Ernie Cale ,not sure if he is still alive so will say no more . Wendy Woakes that was Married Johnny Socket( later divorced ) who worked there too . Rita and Connie Crumb . A few girls came and went ,not for the faint hearted as piece work . Made good money think around £10 a week give it take . one of the Labourers Dudley once said he thought the Women should get paid the same amount as the men . I told him I wasn’t going to take a wage cut lol . Horace was another of the Labourers and we use to wind him up something chronic . I was there from age 16 to 22 or 23 . Married in 67 but not to anyone from the Ionic . When I handed in my notice Ron Stockley wouldn’t speak to me for the week . As I left on the Friday he can out of the office and said “ you‘ll be back “ I never did . I went back to visit years later and the place was getting ready to close . Rob Belcher came outside to chat . Such a shame ,all those memoirs and people . Eddie His opened up his own Gold Plating Small Company up on Spring Hill somewhere . We young ones use to go to the Cape of Good Hope on Friday’s for drinks . Dennis Edwards ,Tony and a few others but when they demolished our house round the corner in Reynold St it got too hard . I have posted photo of some of the old crowd at a Xmas Party at the New Inns in Handsworth . I am the one in the white dress on the end right hand side with Lily Whitehouse singing with View attachment 151397Ray Mercers Band . Dress was stained with Rum and Black by the end of the night lol .I was in touch with Terry Amos on FriendsReunited but FB bought them out . He became an Ambulance Driver and retired when I last heard from him ,he was having health issues . I had his e Mail address but no replies now for some time .

Sorry No forgot who they all were . office Staff I think View attachment 151425some of the other Wirers . Mavis Dolly Rita all lived a round Heath St

 

[David Quick]

Re the pic at the New Inns Ionic Christmas party: I think this must have been about 1966/67. The guy singing into the mike next to LW is Dave Clark, chemist who worked with Alan Kenny on the barrel section, and next to him, looking rather wet behind the ears, is yours truly! It took some time to establish this but my wife said my nose gives it away and the fact that I am with Dave Clark. We were big mates and we used to do a lot of things together, football, drinking, more drinking etc, (I think we were well smashed in the photo or you would never have got me up there). He used to give me a lift to work everyday in his maroon mini & even gave me some driving lessons in it. I completely lost touch with him when I left in 1968 & moved to London. So this photo is priceless to me and I cant believe you've unearthed it. I don't know the other two on the picture, anybody recognise them? Great to have you on the thread Chris. Have you got anymore?

 

[Chris Rem]

Re the pic at the New Inns Ionic Christmas party: I think this must have been about 1966/67. The guy singing into the mike next to LW is Dave Clark, chemist who worked with Alan Kenny on the barrel section, and next to him, looking rather wet behind the ears, is yours truly! It took some time to establish this but my wife said my nose gives it away and the fact that I am with Dave Clark. We were big mates and we used to do a lot of things together, football, drinking, more drinking etc, (I think we were well smashed in the photo or you would never have got me up there). He used to give me a lift to work everyday in his maroon mini & even gave me some driving lessons in it. I completely lost touch with him when I left in 1968 & moved to London. So this photo is priceless to me and I cant believe you've unearthed it. I don't know the other two on the picture, anybody recognise them? Great to have you on the thread Chris. Have you got anymore?

Was Christmas 1967 . The year I got married . pleased you are actually on the photo ,what a surprise .
I have a few other photos but mainly of the girls I worked with . Sad you lost touch with your mate but it happens ,lives take off in other directions once we get married ,get mortgages and then kids .the other photos . Tony Wendy Dennis day out at the Zoo and the others are taken from across the road from Ionic during Lunch Break . Wiring Girls .

 

[JimG]

hi frankf
are you sure it was heath street,and not one of the roads behind it
at this precise moment i am racking my brains out
because i am sure it was the back roads that brought you out by the grove
picture house, there was a very long rd that ran down beside the the picture
house and thats where i remember the ionic plating company
when you walked down there it would bring you to heath street
and i know they was a very big plating company
if one of our experts on the maps can have a quick look they could see the
road i am on about its the road emediately as you hit the grove picture
house , and not the one after it ,whilst i am on the grove can some-one tell
me ,what was the name of the little pub across the rd from the grove
picture house ,as i have for gotten it ,not the one directly next to the
picture house as i know that one it became mcdodonalds
have a nice day every body best wishes astonian ,;;

 

[JimG]

Ionic plating was in Grove St, Bham 18, it shared a junction in the road with Grove Lane, that junction was at the top of the road, where the side of Grove Cinema was.

Just past the Grove Cinema, still on the left hand side going towards Birmingham on the Dudley Road was Halburton Street, that had a bend in the end of the road bringing it back onto the Grove St, towards the bottom was Ionic Stores and Ionic Garage these were opposite that junction and was the path that led to GKN.

The next road along Dudley Road on the left was Dugdale Street, Dugdale Street ran from Dudley Road down to Abberley Street, Abberley Street, ran from Winson St, down to where it joined Grove St.

If you went to the back of the Still Vat section by the lift there were some windows and you could look into Halburton Street, if you imagine Halburton Street as a letter J, the bottom part of the jay was where it came back onto Grove St, and was where eventually after Ionic purchased the factory over the road, the factory was renamed Abberley Works and was to become the new Ionic Plating Barrel Section.

Initially GKN had its own plating section, but after the Second World War, Ionic Plating was opened up opposite GKN in Grove St, later it purchased the factory down Grove St, that was renamed 21 Shop. So as time progressed you could walk into the original Ionic plating in Grove St, along a path between the Vat section and the Barrel Section, through a doorway into 21shop, and across the road into Abberley Works.

The pub opposite the Grove |Cinemas was “The Engine” I believe

I started as a progress chaser at Ionic circa summer 1960, I was made redundant and my check was dated 24 July 1986, and was the worst day of my life, I never really got over the loss of my job at Ionic, it has to be the best plating company and the best job in the world.

Dave Westbury was born in Aston and was the nicest guy anyone could wish to meet, David sadly died about 2012 ish

Ronald “Ron” Stockley, died 22 March 2014, I estimate he would have been in his late 70s, he was in the Guards as a serviceman, and always retained that superior image of a disciplined guardsman.

Ernie Cale I believe could still be alive and living in the new apartments on the site of the old “Punchbowl” on Wolverhampton Road South, Quinton,

Ray Mercer died 3rd January 1992, age 64 years

 

[JimG]

Just for the record, Ionic Plating Company Limited was finally wound up in 2003.

Details at the bottom of this page:-

https://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/57098/pages/13364

Maurice

24 July 1986, my redundancy cheque was dated...Jim G

 

[Chris Rem]

Must have been a tidy sum Jim after all those years . Think I left in 1970 . Hard to believe Ray Mercer has been gone for almost 30 years . Most of the “Gaffers“ will be quite old now as are we . where did the time go
Recall having a dodgy sausage sandwich from the canteen one morning and it decided to exit just as I was rushing to the loo Tom Flynn was walking in . Splash .just missed his shoes . I just kept running .
who was that other progress chaser that literally rushed everywhere . Little bloke . He slipped over while leaving the Canteen one day, down he went and then up and going again . Rob Belcher the joker stood up and started clapping “ bloody hell did you see that and he never spilled a drop of his Tea . The little guy broke his arm at some stage but still rushing around . Anyway he went to Dudley Rd Hospital to get the cast removed and Rob came round and said have you seen ?? I said yes thought he was getting the cast off .
notice he said “ it’s the other Arm . He fell off the Bus and broke the other arm . Robs mother worked on the wiring for a time ,think they lived in Shenstone Road . Rob married a girl who worked at Etams ladies clothes shop in Town and later bought a house in Harbourne . I heard Rob died a few years ago but not sure if that’s true or not . but can still remember him shouting out comments in the Canteen at Lunch time . Steak and Kidney pie “ ok own up who’s got the kidney . If I had known at the time what a great place to work it was I would have enjoyed it more lol