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The Birmingham Battery And Metal Company (bbmc); Who Turned It Into “the Blood Tub”? When Did It Hap

Pedrocut

Master Barmmie
The Birmingham Battery and Metal Company (BBMC); Who turned it into “the blood tub”? When did it happen? And what happened to the Trust Fund?

I have put this post under a new Thread so that it does not get lost at the end of a longer thread. I think it is important to say a little about the role of the Gibbins family so they do not get tarred with the same brush as those that turned the BBMC into the company that is described in the main thread. Also a question arises as to a Trust Fund that was set up around 1908.

There was a Thomas Gibbins (1796-1863) who had been born in Prospect Row, Aston, Birmingham. He was a merchant from 1812-1823 in Rio. He was then a partner in a chemical Works in Neath from 1825-1835. He became Manager and partner in 1835 of the BBMC. He married Emma Cadbury, daughter of R Tapper Cadbury.

At least another three generations were involved with BBMC as Chairmen until John Gibbins retired in1962, however another Anthony Gibbins then became Managing Director.

Thomas Gibbins who died in 1908 left money for several hospitals and good causes, including the General and Queens. He also left 10K for a Trust scheme for old age pensioners superannuation, and a sick or nursing fund for the workmen.

William Gibbins who died in 1933 also left money to many good causes, including 10K to Birmingham University. I believe Robert Lloyd Gibbins was next as Chair.

A book was written by Arthur Rowntree to celebrate the centenary in 1936.

In 1956 the BBMC introduced a Welfare Scheme ahead of the times. It is also reported that each day the workmen will have lunch in their canteen at no cost, and with the Directors.

The company also seem to have had good recreational facilities including a playing field . But in 1960 they applied for planning permission to build houses on the playing field as they claimed only 24 out of 600 employers used it. Interestingly permission was refused as it was earmarked for a park or public open space.

Now it seems to me that present conception of the BBMC is quite out of character to that of its greater history, If we take the closure as 1990 that would be around 25 out of over 150 years.

While searching about this thread I came across this headline from 2009 in the Birmingham Post, this being almost 20 years after the 1990 closure. As we have seen the BBMC was registered as a dormant Company...

“Thomas Walker trading again after two MBOs....”

“And the remainder of the business, including the part that worked in the Far East, is trading again under the control of former sales and marketing director David Jackson as Thomas Walker Global. Mr Lomer’s bid, which also involved former directors Vic Ensor, Adrian Goodman, Jon Norton and Emma Kelly, was backed by the Thomas Gibbins trust, a Victorian charity set up to support ex-workers of the company in its early years, when it was known as the Birmingham Battery and Metal Company.”

https://www.birminghampost.co.uk/business/finance/thomas-walker-trading-again-after-3944596

JUST WHAT IS THAT ABOUT? Am I right in thinking that workmen from the BBMC are still around and should be the recipients of the benefit of this old Trust that we see as being set up by Thomas Gibbins, especially if the accounts of the injuries are right?

The Gazette...24 September 2014....Name of Company: THOMAS WALKER GLOBAL LIMITED...notice type: Appointment of Liquidators
 
The report from Illustrated London News Aug 1908 shows the description of the Trust to be set up in the will of Thomas Gibbins....for workpeople in the employ of BBMC.

7688709D-C069-4A81-93ED-59554E86F7C7.jpeg
 
Can't find any other relevant thread so will post this here. Saw this building from Trent Street on Coventry Street. Turns out it was the former Birmingham Battery and Metal Works at 38 Coventry Street in Digbeth. Established in 1836. But the engine house was built in 1838 with the chimney stack.

Would assume they later moved to Selly Oak. The site of what is now the Battery Retail Park, Selly Oak Shopping Park and the future Life Sciences Park of the University of Birmingham (around the Selly Oak Bypass, Aston Webb Boulevard).

 
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