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Lucas Shaftmoor Lane Branch Works 3

There was a section foreman named Wigley i can`t recall his first name in Aerospace BW5, Shaftmoor Lane, a very jolly man.
 
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This is my dad Arthur Wigley in 1966. I'm not sure whether it is close enough for you to see him lencop. He was a very pleasant jolly person, so maybe it is the same person. :) Mo
You will need to click on it to enlarge it.
View attachment 13689
 
Sakura. I will make enquiries, the man i`m thinking of was more chubby and very bald.
 
Lucas Mere Green

Hi All

I have had an emial from Mike Walker

Mike lives in Canada now, and has sent me a picture of the Cricket Team at Mere Green about 1966

Can anybody put any names to the picture

www.lucasmemories.co.uk Mere Green Gallery 1 photo 9

Cheers

Jackie
 
Does anyone remember anyone moving from Shaftmoor Lane to other companies--My father moved to Clifford in Spring Rd for instance. There were several big names close by, Velocette, Midland Gear Case and Berry's Magicoal.

The local watering holes seemed to be The Shaftmoor and The College Arms and I am also trying to trace anyone who remembers Cyril Hall (Greengrocer) opp the College Arms.

Also can anyone say what is going on at the former Lucas site, it looks derelict?
 
Hi Malvern

The Lucas factory in Shaftmoor Lane is going to be a retirement village and some houses

I have already appealed for the Lucas name be incorperated somewhere in the finshed project

Jackie
 
Jackie--I have just got two roads named further down Spring Rd on the Barratt development--You have to come up with a historical reason and explanation and keep plaguing the developer because its the developer that has to make the suggestion to the council. I also however contacted the council too.

Give them options and check for duplicates names in other areas of the city, Lucas for instance may be taken but Joseph or Generator or Loom or something like that may not.
 
Hi Malvern

I have been in touch with the developer and I don't think there will be a problem

But I will know where to come if I do need help thanks

I think the Lucas name is a very good historical reason

Jackie
 
Hi Jackie

What I meant was that if you can provide some background information rather that just saying 'It was a Lucas factory' the council have more to look at when considering it--that's what the council told me anyway
 
My thoughts are that the retirement village & housing developement on the Lucas site will run into many problems because it is a brownfield site and there will many problems, B3 factory had coolant gulleys in the floor and the m/c`s would pump it up to cool the machining operation, after use it drained into another gully back to a cleaning & filtering unit (very big) a lot of coolant must have soaked into the floor. Len.
 
I have not looked at the Birmingham History site for some months and forgot how good it is.
My father Arthur Sparling was a Forman at Shaftmoor Lane during the war. Over two hundred women worked in his department making revolving gun turrets for bombers. I remember being taken there one Sunday morning and being allowed to sit in a gun turret and pressing the pedals to make it go round.
Afterwards we went to Tysley Working Men’s club and played snooker.
I remember dad telling me about one of the ladies getting her hair caught in one of the machines and being scalped, not a nice thought.
Memories.
 
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Re: Redevelopment of Lucas BW3 Factory Shaftmoor Lane
The photos & text that Jackie Hill has posted of the Lucas Shaftmoor Lane plans for the site must bring happy & sad memories to all ex-Lucas employees it does for me, i worked there for 28yrs lots more enjoyed 40yrs employment, yes i say enjoyed because it was a family company with families of workers employed, we had our ups & downs and our falling outs, in most cases we soon became friends again, i enjoyed going & working there i know there are thousands of pensioners and ex-workers out there lets hear your thoughts on the development of the site, maybe you have got a name you think should be used on a community hall?, we have to move on and the only thing that can not be done is to restore Lucas BW 3,4 & 5 to their former working state, come on Lucsites lets hear from you!!!. Len Copsey ex-WED B5
 
My Father, Arthur Sparling, was a foreman at Shaftmoor Lane during the war. I believe he was in charge of a large number of women and they made those round swinging gun turrets that fitted under the bombers.
The work was very hard and demanding, and eventually he had a nervous breakdown and was never the same man again.
On Sunday mornings, when the factory was quite, he would take me with him and let me sit in one of the gun turrets, and I would press the left and right foot pedals to make it swing round. Afterwards, we would go to Tyseley Working Men’s Club for a game of snooker.
He did tell me of one incident when one of the girls had not put on her protective hair net, her hair caught in a machine and it was all ripped of.
 
Just found this one. My dad with the officers of Shaftsmore Lane fire dept. A Reflections photo. 12-05-1954
 
I only worked at Shaftmoor Lane for a year and a bit back in 1987/1988. I met my future/current husband there. Simon Short, we've been married 15 years and been together 19 years. It was a lovely place to work at then. Our children also attended the few Christmas parties that were held there. My sister used to work at Shaftmoor Lane too, in the photography dept. Brother Richard worked at the Electrical side and brother Bert used to work on the Shaftmoor Lane site. Talk about keeping it the family :eek:)
 
Wendy and Richard are now working to keep the memory of Lucas alive
They took all the photo at the Re-union this year and last year

This years photos will be on the website within the next week or so


Jackie

www.lucasmemories.co.uk
 
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