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Lucas Engineering School Great Hampton Street

I remember visiting the LES with a party from school and we were all really impressed by the work the apprentices produced.

If i recall they had to produce a test piece of several integrated cubes
after just a few weeks of training. It looked very complicated.

I joined Lucas as a commercial trainee at Shaftmoor Lane in 1966,
my Father had worked there previously as a progress clerk for 13 years.

Sadly the company wasn't for me and i moved on after a short while.
 
Mike G, I think the picture you have posted was later than 1957, I remember your brother Eric, we were at Formans Road together, he gave me a lift with all my tools when I left the company in 1966, it was sometime later that I learned that Eric had died, it was a very sad time for me, he was a great bloke.
I think you are right Alan. I took the date off the back but this is probably he date he started as LES. thinking about it I had left there before he started and I was in a toolroom in 57. Thanks for pointing it out
 
Its me again Mike G, I started at L.E.S. on 29th Feb. 1960, Eric was still there then, the guy at the end of the back row on the right of the photo is Kenneth Prigg, he only became a leader just after I started.
 
Its me again Mike G, I started at L.E.S. on 29th Feb. 1960, Eric was still there then, the guy at the end of the back row on the right of the photo is Kenneth Prigg, he only became a leader just after I started.
Hi my name is Nick Carter I started at LES in I think about September 1960. I remember box bench junior lathes and senior lathes. I remember Reggie Bunn, Teddy Kingham Mr Wallis(?) Ted Brewer and of course Reg Padmore. I was on the same intake as Reg's son John, Ray Bourne , Ian Fisher, Phil Baker (who I know went to Formans Road Toolroom) The "Rev" Taberer. It would be great to hear them again in particular Ray Bourne who I had some great times out of working hours, even went on holiday to the south coast.
I went initailly to Shaftmoor Lane BW3 toolroom and remember in particular Clifford Wingfield Bailey. We had some very good times together and I remember Ron Collins who worked with a more experienced apprentice "Fred" aka Maitland Vizor. I spent many hours on the grinding section which I found boring and soon realised that I would be happier training as a machine tool fitter and transfered to Works Engineers Dept and moved to Formans Road I worked in all three factories Plastics, Battery and Die Cast. Before I left I worked mainly in in the compressor house as the resident engineer and after a bit of thought and reorganising the schedule this must have been the best job in the world. Work on some machine Monday not much during the week except to repair the odd breakdown and save something for saturday!

Glad I found this site and look forward to reading more news of basically a happy time.

Happy new year to all
Nick Carter
 
Hi
I went to college at Matthew Boulton with Alan Lawton, Tommy Clarke & Keith Tabberer, I am still in touch with Tommy as we were also at school together & have got Alan Lawtons phone number which I got off Keith Warren another ex Lucas Apprentice who I also see very regularly.All these lads must have started LES in 1960.
Hope this may be of interest
Cheers
Dave Rock
 
I remember all those lads, but I cannot trace my old mate Roger Thomas,
 
I was in the L.E.S. cricket team with Pete Ruby, he would come out to bat, take up his crease as a left hander while the bowler set out his field, then Pete would turn round and bat right handed. When we played at Moor Lane on Saturdays, if we won we went to the Boars Head after the game, but if we lost we went to the Grave diggers in Moor Lane, I think its now called the Safe Harbour. Happy times.
 
Yeah,
I remember those names well, Tom, Keith Warren and I played in the LES football team together. I was sixteen when I started Matthew Boulton and sat next to Dave, footballer from Linread, we hit it off well from the beginning.
Every Wednesday lunchtime we went across Hurst Street to the West End Ballroom for a couple of beers and a "jive" can't say i remembered too much in the afternoon.Thanks for the memory Dave.
Alan Lawton
 
I've a photograph somewhere, if I can find it, taken at Marston Green c.1973. It's a photograph of the staff in the Electronics Lab at that time, one of whom was Nigel Mansell.
I worked with both Nigel and his Dad Eric. Mind you......Nigel was only a go-cart racer back then.

ceebee
 
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Re: Lucas Engineering School at GHSt

Firstly let me say thanks to the originators of this forum. I am an Aussie that went to the UK in 1959 and spent over four and a half years in Birmingham. I stayed at the YMCA in Erdington which had just been opened that year and I went to the Lucas Engineering School in Great Hampton Street. When I started in May 1959, it was a 44 hour week and Fridays were great because we finished early at 5 o'clock instead of 6. I spent about 18 months at the LES before going to Great King Street. Lucas was a great experience for me as I was lucky enough to get to work in many different departments in a number of the plants in Birmingham. I spent time at Chester Street, Foremans Road and Shaftmoor Lane. They sent me on an outward Bound course to Eskdale in the Lakes District. That was in January 1960 and it was the first time I ever saw snow.
We had a good Engineering School cricket side and enjoyed playing the intercompany games at Moor Lane. Great memories and I still look every weekend to see how the Blues fared ...............being a fifty year Birmingham FC supporter is a tough gig.

enjoying this forum..
Ian Rudd
 
Hi
I have a vast time capsule from Lucas Engineering Shool 1953 suitable for a museum! Including Gt King Street stuff. Please ring me for all the details and to decide what to do with it all!
Peter J Henderson
 
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Hello and welcome Peter have you contacted Jackie Hill we have a link to her website here. She has a lot of Lucas memorabilia which she takes to events and displays.

www.lucasmemories.co.uk

Peter I have removed your phone number as it's not a good idea to post it on a public website. If you want to send it to someone do it in an instant message as this is more private. Likewise if someone wants to contact you. You will get a notification top right:).
 
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My brother did his toolmaking apprenticeship at Lucas (Gt King Street I think) around the early 80's (he's now in Australia where toolmaking is still a profession), and I believe my Grandad worked there for around 40 years (between Gt Hampton Sst and Gt Kings St) I remember a service award he had and photograph. I seem to recall he was some sort of quality inspector (although shop steward appears on my dad's birth certificate).

I have some great memories of the Lucas' sports day in Perry Barr and numerous trips on the 'little train', it was the highlight of the summer.

I'll jump on the link (thanks for posting) to see if I can spot anyone
 
Hi to any ex Lucas Apprentice out there, myself ( John Anscombe) and an old friend Mick Brown are desperate to find out details of the Lucas Ex apprentice Annual Reunion. We were at the school from 1963 to 1968 can anyone help with whom to contact, and what months they have them. thanks John
 
I started my apprenticeship at GHS in 73 and have fond memories of Pete Ruby, Ted Treviethic and Mr Davies. I have less fond memories of doing 5BX on the roof. I think they took on about 60 apprentices in 73 and we were all white and all male, Lucas was not a progressive company.
 
I have a miniature approximate replica of a Tom Bowling lamp that is engraved 'To our Old Skipper from Lucas Engineering School' December 1962. I presume it's a retirement gift and judging by the superb quality he must have been a well loved senior figure at the school. Does anyone know who he might have been? I've looked at the Lucas Memories site but can't find any clues there. Any assistance would be much appreciated. Rob
 
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