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MEM Tyseley

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oldgoose

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I worked in the buying office of MEM in Reddings Lane in the 1970's. It was a well-established company and quite quaint and old fashioned in many ways. Waitresses dressed in black and white would bring tea and coffee round to the managers. The ordinary workers got two ladies from the canteen pushing a trolly with big urns on it. You were only allowed to use the lifts if you had a disability, were a director, or were pregnant . There were attendants in the toilets all the time, constantly making everything clean (even though the building was old).
I loved it there.Does anyone esle remember it?
 
Hello oldgoose, My stepsister worked at the M.E.M for many years. She finished some years ago because she is 87 now. I will see her next week and find out just what she did there.
 
I have many happy memories of the MEM not working there but playing on the green out side the factory. I lived oppisite in Matlock rd. After school we would play football, cricket, hide and seek and tracking, The factory railings came in handy for the ball games, and at the front there were some great places to hide. Plus the fact the very first love of my life lived in the first house past the factory on the Boulevard. It used to have a tall chimney stack with the letters MEM on it wich could be seen for miles.
 
Hello Oldgoose, I don't know a lot about the old MEM factory,but I worked for MEM for 18 years, firstly when it belonged to Delta at their factory at Premier st Nechells, and then for the last 5 years at Reddings lane after it had been taken over by the Eaton Corporation of America. I retired from the company two years ago, I heard some wonderful stories about the factory from some of the old emplyees. It is not a very good working enviroment nowadays, the present owners are shrinking the company by outsourcing a lot of their products and I feel that the company now, has a very bleak future.
 
I worked at the MEM in the late fifties, the thing I do remember was you had two 'clocking in' cards,one for the time keeping and one that you clocked on and off the job that you were on, if you were late in the morning the time keeping card was removed and a blue card put in its place, you clocked in on this card, and then had to go to personal office and explain why you were late.
The saying of the day was, MEM stood for 'Murder Every Minute.
 
Hi Old Goose, I too worked at M.E.M up to 69 in the Sales Office. Tea time was just as you described. Great company to work for. My specs got broken once, took them to the opticians on Coventry Road. Anyhow, a few days later in the office I asked If I could pop out and fetch them. The office Manager said 'ang on i'll see if there's a van heading that way and he'll give you a lift. Yes said the transport office there's someone leaving just now. So down I went for the lift, turned out to be the chaffeur going up to Elmdon Airport to pick up one of the Directors. He gives me a lift, parks outside the opticians..In I go asks for my specs, only to be told they are not ready yet, can you wait for a bit? No I said I don't want to keep the chauffeur waiting. - It was a large Limo - At that the optician looked out of the window and saw the motor..One moment sir he said, I'll just check....ah! yes they are ready sir...no charge! Friday lunch. Fish and Chips followed by the thickest steam treacle pud you ever did see 1/8d the rob-dogs.
 
My Partner worked there and so did his Mom.
His Mom was Letitia Robinson (Letty) who sadly passed away last year.
 
My Dad worked at MEM for a short while until that bit of wartime shrapnel finally finished him off in 1952. I remember going with my mother to the factory soon after his death, possibly to pick up some money (collection). The Manager we saw said that I could get a job there when I was old enough; not bad for an eight-year-old!
Ted
 
I worked in the buying office of MEM in Reddings Lane in the 1970's. It was a well-established company and quite quaint and old fashioned in many ways. Waitresses dressed in black and white would bring tea and coffee round to the managers. The ordinary workers got two ladies from the canteen pushing a trolly with big urns on it. You were only allowed to use the lifts if you had a disability, were a director, or were pregnant . There were attendants in the toilets all the time, constantly making everything clean (even though the building was old).
I loved it there.Does anyone esle remember it?
Worked in buying office 1966-75 under graham havard,he had 2 assistants jim and bob,other staff june barns,margaret knot,violet evans,and young ian from solihull,as
previusly stated was a good company to work for although a little old fashioned,my
husband lived in reddings lane and played on the playingfield adjacent the mem,well
remembers the chimney stack etc,left mem and worked for a few years at brightside
ltd which was a holiday camp compared to the mem,happy days,now live in sunny spain............. margaret prattey (nee kenny)
 
My sister-in-law worked at MEM for many years. She was from Dumfries and still speaks with a very broad Scottish accent. Her name is Edith Gould, she is still alive and is age 88 years.
 
hi guys
i had a friend whom worked there for years on the maintenance team
his name was deigo a very likeable chap in he lived in hay mills
we used to use the hay mills social until i introduced him to the tower ballroom
he loved it , as most guys would know in the days gone bye it was a great pick up place for women
and on one occasion we met a couple of women and they was from redditch
they claimed to be seperated and divorced
but not loosing sight of the mem company my mate deigo ,had a very good gather in his department
and the one lady whom deigo met used to come over to the mem in her car
and pick him up during the working hours and his gather. whomever he was would let him take the hours
out from work and did not say a word to no-one and never docked his pay at all
and she would bring himback to work and no-one was any wiser
and his poor wife never knew any different
so i reckon it was a good place to work for sadly being a heavy smoker and boozer it got the better of
him and he died of cancer inthe eightys
and he certainly praised the companyfor being a good old fashioned work place
have a nice day best wishes Astonian ;;
 
I worked at the MEM in the mid 70's, firstly on the assembly line before moving upstairs in to the stock auditing department for a spell. Worked with 'Big Chris' in the offices and an irishbrummie lad called Sean in the main stores. Still best mates with Chris Hughes who also worked in the factory back then. Even met my wife to be, care of the little factory next door to the MEM, a company called AP Springs. The MEM had a great social club, our old band Scotch Mist playing there two or three times when we first started out.... still got a ticket somewhere.... happy days! Oh yeh, I remember a spikey haired lad called Colin (had a Rod Stewart haircut) out of the buying office who bought a well flash Ford Capri just before I left there. A great character, always laughing. Anybody out there from the MEM back then, or from Klaxons up on the Warwick Road where I did my apprenticeship? Glad to see the MEM is still going anyway. Kindest regards, Fairport
 
Hi Margaret I am Ann Keay (was Ann Kennedy in Purchase Department). I was looking at photo I took of you as you left to get married wearing the hat Glennis and I made for you - remember. I see Irene Wilson and Sue Vincent from time to time and remember all the folk you mentioned in your earlier post. Great times there. Remember going to the Mayfair in Birmingham for our Chirstmas do - Iv'e got that photo too. Nice looking back. What you up to these days, after 30 years or more? Ann
 
I went to the centenary exhibition at MEM, and thought it was very interesting.
MEM took over my great-grandfather's firm of JH Tucker & Co (manufacturers of electrical accessories) back in about the 1960s.

Angela
 
My Mum worked in the Dispatch Office for a year ('67-'68) before we bought the little general stores in Reddings Lane and she always says it's the best job she had and wishes she could have been there longer. She worked mornings and a lady called Mary Ward worked afternoons doing the same job.
She said her boss was Bill (Spencer?) and she worked with Chris who ran the Post Office in on Reddings Lane too.
 
I wonder if anyone remembers a Wilf Crathorn (my uncle, sadly deceased now) and his later to be wife Edna Prue. Both worked at the MEM as tool setters maybe from after the war right through to the late 70's. They married in 1960, Wilfred aged 47 as was Edna.

Wilf had been a "prisoner of war" in Germany during WW11. He died in 1986 aged 73 and Edna died 1994 aged 78.

They used to sit together in the canteen to have their lunch.
 
hi old mother goose
i can recall the mem my best mate worked there for years he was an a electrician on maintenance there for years
we both lived down the rd from it and we drank in the hay mills social club on the cov and my mate fied in the eightys through cancer
and the gather was a great bloke because he allowed him time to take out whilst in work time to be picked up by a lady friend from telford at the mem
and have time with her over at telford cos his marrige was on the rocks and i was responible because my mate steve had never been to the tower ballroom in his life until i told him and took him there and the first time there with me he met a lovely lady they fell in love but sadly six months later he died but he did say it was a great place to work
 
My mom and nan worked at the MEM, nan I think from the mid 40s till she retired in 1970 and mom from school 1953 til 1960 I think will ask her when Midsomer has finished!! can't remember what they did, think nan did something involving punches?Will re-post after consulting mom.
Sue
 
Well partly right, nan worked on the assembly line from 1944 to 1965, she was Nancy Marston, but remarried in 1950 and her surname then was Hammond. She died in 1977.
Mom worked in the offices doing the punch cards, her boss was Ben, she was Ann Marston, then Payne from 1958. She started there in 1954 from school and left in 1961.
Would be nice if anyone remembers them!
Sue
 
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