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Barker and Allen

That's right,used to play for Good Hope hospital.I think they were struggling to fill the coach for Rhyl and that's how I ended up going.We all went for an Indian on the Saturday night if you remember.
Funny how you remember things from all those years ago,and struggle to remember stuff from last week.
Do you remember Mick Philips the welder and was Leo Smith there in our dept.when you started?
If I remember right they'd take Electricians and fitters on for appreticships on alternate years,the other two lads who were with me left while we were at group training at Nechells,hated every minute at that place,nearly left myself.
 
a few names i can remember - Bob Stevenson , Jack Callaghan,George o`Brian,Dave Mcdowell, Panasar from the machine shop ,Terry Thomas ,Pat ?pipe fitter ,Jimmy Singh ,Jack Bowser
 
A few i'd forgotten about there.Trying to think who Pat the pipe fitter was.One of them was Jerry Maughan.A story went round that he'd spent the whole lunch break in the car park topping up his engine oil.When someone passing asked if he was having problems they noticed he'd tried to top it up through the dipstick hole.
Cliff Morgan,fitter,who was overheard in a pub telling people he was a Doctor.When asked a Doctor of what,he said "machinery".Think it was Dave McDowell who put that around.
Ben,do you remember what happened if you announced if you were getting married there? A trip 'round the factory in a wheelbarrow covered in old suds oil.
Do you also remember the Lab roof going up in flames?They had a roofing company in re-felting and at lunchtime they went down the BA.One of them left a gas bottle on and you can guess the rest.They found the valve off the bottle a few hundreds yards away as it went through someones windscreen.
I was working 2-10 one day and as I was driving down Springhill I thought how cold it was,someone had smashed my rear screen on the car park during the shift.
Another car episode,when I came off nights at 6am someone had stolen my car off the car park and it was finally recovered outside Winson Green nick two weeks later.Happy times.
 
who can forget little Eric Stilgoe,Johnny Ramsey,Bob ??? cranefitter, Freddy Williams and George Ankle .Where do you live now Dave ?
 
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I'm in Newton Abbot now,just down the road from Torquay.
The cranefitter was Bob Evans.Bob was part of the project team previously with Trevor Davies,Les Garvey and the bloke who was the oiler/greaser whose name i can't remember.
Do you remember one of the blokes on the Tandem mill was the dad of a UB40 member?
 
yes he was the Dad of Earl Falconer,the bass player. i spent a lot of time with the oil/greaser and its bugging me i cant remember his name, he was a really nice Irishman . i worked in the garage with Joe O`Leary for quite a while until he passed away overnight and then Trevor took over
 
Fred ? (oiler and greaser) I remember Joe well,i used to take meter readings in the garage sub-station twice a day,always stopped for a chat.He couldn't have been far off retirement when he died.Was Eric Balham in the garage at the time when you were?
Do you remember the constant redundancy meetings that used to be held? I wished I had a pound for every time I was told i'd probably have to finish my apprenticeship at another firm in the group.
 
Nice picture from Express and Star archives...(click to enlarge)

Barker and Allen

photo-archive.expressandstar.co.uk photo-archive.expressandstar.co.uk

Note I have added photo in case link disappears

Barker & Allen...finishing mill installed at Heath Street South, Birmingham..jpg
 
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That's the Frohling mill if memory serves me right.I can't recognise the two operators from the photo,but I remember two of them at least,Paddy Higgins and Kenny Barratt.I can't think who else at the moment,but there was two more as the mill worked 6-2 and 2-10.
Thanks very much for the photo,i don't know how you find them.
 
Few name i can remember from production - Phil Chapman, Tommy Dickie, Wally and Dave Edwards, Tommy Enfield Jack and Barry on the acid cleaning line .Can you remember the guy who worked on the Roll Change which was situated next to the Frohling Mill
 
You've got me there,i can't remember the roll change lads,was there about four of them?
Trying to remember names from Metcast and the foundry,Pete Etheridge,Dennis Pugh,Arthur Williamson,Fred Layton.I remember Bob Stephenson was over there with another fitter Ray ??
 
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davesd1 said:
The original archway,was that the one you went through to get onto the car park?I never asked what that section did during my time at B&A,be interesting to know.
Worked there '76-'83,good times.
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Dave Coleman, I remember you always talking about the Cat, which I think was the pub you used frequently. Some other names I recall, Ron Foster, David Lorimer, Pete Piggott, Norman Hore, Brian Baker was Wiggy, Ernie Woods ( wages man who we got a sub off)
 
Ben123 said:
With Mick mcgill ,Eroll, Ron Foster,Wiggy etc cant remember anymore ,i`m at Land Rover now where Mick has just finished and moved over to Ireland to be close to Spike :):) who left Land Rover about 6-8 years ago and moved over to Ireland also. Going to try and get over to see them soon
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When you coming to see us
 
Ben123 said:
Few name i can remember from production - Phil Chapman, Tommy Dickie, Wally and Dave Edwards, Tommy Enfield Jack and Barry on the acid cleaning line .Can you remember the guy who worked on the Roll Change which was situated next to the Frohling Mill
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Was he a black fella called Tony, with the smallest forklift truck ever
 
Mick, fancy hearing from you after all these years. I was going to ask if you were still a Motorhead fan, but i think they've all passed away. Wasn't your girlfriend at the time called Hazel?
The names just keep coming back, it was if anything a good laugh with some of the characters, but worrying with redundancy meetings, which seemed to take place on a regular basis.
It was good to hear off Benny,apart from that, i've not heard or seen anyone apart from nearly knocking Errol over one night in Tile cross.
So whereabouts are you in Ireland? I've got hundreds of relations in the North, Belfast way, and i'm now roughing it in Devon after a spell in Wales.
I hope Ray Davies hasn't read the above, as he might be interested in where you live also.
 
Dave, you had long hair before me;) I still love Motorhead though
Was I right about you drinking in the Cat?
Married Hazel in 1987 and we now live on top of a mountain in South Armagh
I met Spike and Mickey O Brian for a few pints in Enniscrone pre-covid.
Remember Des Hix, the welsh man who used to jiggle coins in his pockets
Also Norman Hore who was a contractor, but stayed on
I used to cycle from Sheldon to Dudley road every day
Then cycled to Land Rover every shift for 28 years even though I had cars

Myself & Errol were the youngest in the place, so I imagine most people mentioned have passed or are very old
 
Right about the watering hole. Just pipped you on the marriage year by one,four kids and shorter hair, but a lot greyer.
Remember Mickey well, first in the builders dept. then on the cleaners. Didn't he go back to Ireland for a while,hence the job change?
Who can forget Des Hicks, Norman i think had my job, because i phoned him to tell him i'd left and to see if it was available.
Cycle from Sheldon to work? Mick, you must be a fitness freak, or tight as a shark's butt (no fuel costs). I can understand Land Rover but B&A. I'd have nicked your wheels and asked the lad's on Wertli 1, to drop them in the furnace.
I'll assume you've stayed loyal to the Blues and agree a good result yesterday.
 
carolina said:
My brother worked for Barker and Allen in 80s, but him and a few others were caught clocking each other in and out - hence 'the sack'
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Hi carolina.
I worked in the maintenance department at Barker and Allen on Dudley Road, Springhill from 1976 to 1989.
I would have definately known your brother if he worked at that building.
Would you like to pass my name on to him?
(we used to do each others 'clocking' occasionally, so I'm not judgmental over his sacking and I was a 'gaffer' for a while)
 
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