GEC WITTON WORKS

[The Baron]

Worked on the same floor as Terry Doidge When we were with PARSONS PEEBLES I was with Projects dept & Terry Parsons Accounts Great Guy & Happy days.

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I found these three pictures of when I worked at GEC LRPD Wages Office around 1966-1968.

In the first pic I am on far left, then Moira Jennings, and Margaret (Peggy) Wilkinson in the middle on her retirement day.

Second photo from left. Mr Thompson (head of wages office) Herbert Albinson, Theresa Small, Peggy Wilkinson, Moira Jennings, Terry Doidge and myself.

Third photo is Mr Rooke (head of LRPD accounts office) with Peggy Wilkinson and Theresa Small at the back.

Cant remember the names of anyone else.

 

[wiltslizzie]

Hi, it's been a long time since your question but I have only just discovered this thread. My Dad Fred Hartland(Hawton) worked with Keith Jenney. Wasn't he the chap who played ice hockey? I remember going to watch and being allowed to go on the ice either in the interval or after the game.

 

[The Baron]

Just seen these Photos Wow how I remember so many names & faces .just love it.

View attachment 86973View attachment 86974View attachment 86975

I found these three pictures of when I worked at GEC LRPD Wages Office around 1966-1968.

In the first pic I am on far left, then Moira Jennings, and Margaret (Peggy) Wilkinson in the middle on her retirement day.

Second photo from left. Mr Thompson (head of wages office) Herbert Albinson, Theresa Small, Peggy Wilkinson, Moira Jennings, Terry Doidge and myself.

Third photo is Mr Rooke (head of LRPD accounts office) with Peggy Wilkinson and Theresa Small at the back.

Cant remember the names of anyone else.

 

[The Baron]

Hi wiltslizzie Your Brother helped me fit my extra BT phone points. Nice to hear from you,always had great respect for your dad Regards Keith jenney

Hi, it's been a long time since your question but I have only just discovered this thread. My Dad Fred Hartland(Hawton) worked with Keith Jenney. Wasn't he the chap who played ice hockey? I remember going to watch and being allowed to go on the ice either in the interval or after the game.

 

[Scarlet]

Has anyone ever heard of a factory named Miller, my mother who sadly has dementia now keeps talking about when she worked there during the war (2nd) years. We have never heard her talk about this before so we are intriqued. We've tried googling for Miller but can't find anything. She lived in Lozells and we do know she worked at various times in Witton as well as Lozells and Handsworth.

 

[Astoness]

hello scarlet..do you know the address in lozells where your mom lived or what type of work she did...i cant think of a miller factory at the moment...

lyn

 

[Astoness]

found a W H MILLER branston st badge makers...

 

[roverman]

Not sure, but was there a firm "Millers" that made dynamos somewhere in Aston

 

[roverman]

Just found a Millers in Aston Brook Street in the 1930s made cycle dynamos

Regards Reg

 

[BernardR]

Millers made a number of parts for motor vehicles. I seem to recall they became part of Butlers and they in turn became part of Joseph Lucas.

 

[mikejee]

From 1943 Kellys:
Miller H. & Co. Ltd. motor lamp mfrs. 205 Aston Brook st 6. T A " Monarch; " Aston Cross 1575

 

[cookie273uk]

During my days on PO Telephones/BT from 1956 onwards I began on the Aston area and I am positive Millers was still going then in Aston Brook St I used to maintain their switchboard, also nearby Nortons and Phillips. Eric

 

[Scarlet]

hello scarlet..do you know the address in lozells where your mom lived or what type of work she did...i cant think of a miller factory at the moment...

lyn

Hi Lyn, mom lived in Mayfield Road but said she walked to Witton, not sure how far that would be. She claims to have been making something that was to do with bombs, said they had a lot of gunpowder there that they were not allowed to speak of. It seems odd that its only now she has dementia that she is speaking about this and seems very sure of herself, but of course it may all be nothing.


Thanks to the rest of you for the suggestions, I'll follow up on the info you've given and see what more I can find

 

[Scarlet]

Millers made a number of parts for motor vehicles. I seem to recall they became part of Butlers and they in turn became part of Joseph Lucas.

I seem to remember we use to go to Christmas Parties held for families at Lucas, so maybe that is a connection.

 

[Astoness]

Hi Lyn, mom lived in Mayfield Road but said she walked to Witton, not sure how far that would be. She claims to have been making something that was to do with bombs, said they had a lot of gunpowder there that they were not allowed to speak of. It seems odd that its only now she has dementia that she is speaking about this and seems very sure of herself, but of course it may all be nothing.


Thanks to the rest of you for the suggestions, I'll follow up on the info you've given and see what more I can find

hi scarlet... it must be very difficult for you to get a true story from your mom but if you do find out anything more please let us know...

all the best

lyn

 

[Martyn]

Great Clip brings back a LOST time of a GREAT FACTORY & BRITISH INDUSTRY AT IT BEST.Did any one go to the open days ,I will never forget the flash test between those two balls as seen in the clip.Remember that visit well I had been with the GEC for just one year, working as an EDO Apprentice.

Attached is a map of the GEC site for visitors to the Family Day in 1951 including where to see the High Voltage Demonstrations.

 

[ray c]

yes a tony simpson did go to hams hall, but he didn,t work there, also mick cartner he didn,t work there either,!!! ray cope, THATS ME, i worked there, cyril batch also worked there. we all left parson,s 1973ish. 6 people left parsons lrpd one friday, poor jack meggett was walking round holding his head. mick payne, a lad called tony and someone else can,t remember who. other names i can recall, jim footman went to live in bristol,kenny hart went to australia working at kwinana p.station there,s a name. the 2 brothers who did all the drilling ken and bob, colin webb, despatch, we use to sell t bags ,deodarant, pots and pans you name it, we sold it from that bench. happy days, made some good friends, had some brill. nights out with the people who worked in lrpd, remember going to penns hall, very posh back in the day, also the crown aldridge, we had a sit down meal, then cabaret,this artist? had about a dozen white doves flying round the room, well after a while these doves decided they had had enough of being told what to do, they went berserk and started flying round the room and sh-----g all over the place. all good fun till the entertainments committee got the cleaning bill. threads 291,299 GEC SCOTT.

 

[Ray Griffiths]

Ray
I think your talking about Turbo shop, I left 1963 to work at Hams Hall there was myself Ray Griffiths, Terry Law, Ray Domney, & John Porter, Terry and myself was the only ones to see our time out with CEGB, Powergen I finished at Ham Hall Workshops 1992,Terry finished soon after myself from Hams Hall C.

Jack Megget worked nights with Cyril Batch and Jackie Wilde, day foreman was Wal Colley and Stan Jacques, Jack Megget had a bad accident damaging his eyesight a hydraulic pipe come adrift whilst pushing fitted bolts into stator joint links on Kincarding 200 mw

Where did you work at Hams Hall, I remember Billy Hughes ex GEC coming out for Parsons I remember Cyril Batch coming out.

regard Ray Griiffiths

 

[kembar]

I worked in Transformer winding till 1968.Won the JJ Grace cricket trophy in 1960 beating Admin.

Paddy Ryan was there captain.Great days.

 

[ray c]

hi ray, started at turbo shop october 1967, left feb. 1973, had 18 months car works, drews lane, hams hall c june 1974, mick cartner a few months before that, tony simpson came about 2 years later cyril batch shortly after. i left hams dec.1978. jack meggett was asst. foreman when i started at parsons ,stan jacques foreman. arthur woodward superintendant lovely man. colin tasker, graham ellis, reg marlow, eric golder,two top blokes, ken russell referee, albert sabin,dave doidge, keith slade, dave keith, percy grimsley, jim cooper, gerry ? irish lad, gordon blackwell, keith chester, johnny smith top car mechanic, john and bob simner, ?? riley crane driver fettler, noel crane driver, jack? slinger, plus the one and only mike shiny boots brown overalls immaculately dressed bond!!! i still keep in touch with mick payne through our love of crown green bowls, we are both captain,s of our respective over 60,s teams. tony simpson keeps in touch we go out for a bite to eat a few times a year, he treats me at the local chippie, i treat him at his favourite restaurant!!! nothing changed there then. i know a few have gone to the big turbo shop in the sky but so many good memories, ray c.

 

[sara thompson]

Hi my dad also did the night shift. phillip thompson was your dad a life guard instructor,

 

[sara thompson]

My Dad (Tom Collier) worked for GEC/CA Parsons from 1947 to about 1985. He was a Radial Driller / Slotter on the night shift. Anyone remember him?

if its the tom collier i know he used to be a life saving instructor on tuesday evenings at moseley road baths, and then drop
me off at the george pub, and then he would go into work,

 

[Kevkonk]

The tall bloke making the presentations looks like someone who used to play for the cricket team, but I could be mistaken. I think the person's name I'm thinking of is Cox.

Hi,I just noticed your comment. I knew a lady who worked at the GEC who had a stepbrother who also worked there as an accountant

 

[sara thompson]

I was only a child when i knew tom collier, he and my dad phillip thompson worked the same night shift, tom collier used to take me swimming at woodcock street baths and moseley road baths,

 

[Zambodini]

Deleted

 

[RichardH]

Re: Stafford Fred.

Was an a GEC apprentice in 1965, a C A Parsons apprentice in 1965

Worked with Tom Dilworth, Kieth Richardson in Projects moved into Tyburn Road after the closure of Witton.

Then worked at GEC Rugby, GEC Stafford, Parsons Peebles, Clarke Chapman, Dowding & Mills and now AREVA T & D (old Gec Measurements Stafford Site)

In answer to your question Viv Horder died several years ago. Kieth Richardson is still going strong as is Tom after two new hips.

Jim Allworth has changed his name to Stafford Fred.

Regards to all old Witton stars.

Fred, you haven't worked a day in your life mate!
Hope all's good with you.......thought you'd like to know that Rod Williams retires today

Cheers,

Richard Howlett

 

[RichardH]

Towards the end at Witton, I was working for Parson Peebles machine service department and Bill Brown was in charge. Remember in 1983 being a job in near Alexandrian in Egypt with Bill, Bill always had a nack of getting into scrapes, one was as follows our job there was to change out a damaged generator stator and refit a new one which was being sent from the UK. The new stator arrived in a large wooden crate, Bill said be careful unpacking the new stator as he intended to send the old stator back in it. One day Bill noticed that parts of the crate had been removed by the locals to build shelters on the site, he complained to the Egyptian engineers and was told security would stop people taking the wood. After work one night Bill decided to retrive the wood that had been taken, so the five of us were carrying this wood back when we were stopped by one of the security guards (army conscripts) pointing a rifle at use so we all went into single file behind Bill, the outcome was we did not speak Egyptian and he did not speak english and he had the gun, so we had to take back our wood from where we got it. Bill was not well pleased, weon the other hand thought it was funny, not at the time but later

Hi,

The job mentioned was Mahmoudia Egypt...............I was Tony Badlands apprentice for 6 months or so......top bloke Tony was!

Cheers,

Richard H

 

[Wendy]

I was given this magazine today by a friend who was having a clear out. It is entitled Witton News, Spring, 1966.

Imagine my surprise and thrill to see our old neighbour Geoffrey Weaver (known to me as uncle Geoffrey). He worked for many years at G.E.C. He was head of planning and later personnel manager. I was very fond of him and his wife, who were very kind to me as a child. They were a real aunt and uncle to me and my brothers and sister. This was probably because they didn't have any children. I visited them in the late 80's with Michael and our boys in Clevedon where they retired to. Some people have a great impact on your life and they certainly did on mine.

 

[moggy]

Does anyone know where the war memorial is, the one that was outside of the Magnet Club at G.E.C. Witton in the 1950s & 1960s ?

Moggy

 

[Martyn]

I used to score for the GEC cricket club for a few years, think it was 1960/2, my dad was umpire for many years. He worked in Transformer 1935-around 1964 I think, then went off to help run a company started by a chap called Povey who was a manager in Transformer. Paddy Ryan was skipper when I scored. I also remember Tommy Owens (usually 2nd team), Len Peakman, Cox (openers), Hunt, Boyman, Tommy and Bernard Cotton and Thompson, who was a very quick bowler, and I remember him breaking someone's jaw during a game at Sutton Congs and Meths. The cricket square in those days was immaculate, and so was the outfield. I remember the scorers hut being in the corner by the old water tower. The changing rooms were in the boiler house under The Magnet Club.

I came back a few years ago to have a look round, it left me in tears.

I think when the cricket club packed up some of the pads/balls/bats etc were given to the orphanage at the Beggar's Bush, New Oscott which is now a Tesco supermarket. I was about ten years old at the time and on their way my father, who worked at Witton from when he left school just before the war until it closed, let me have a bat that I still have. It was originally from Harry Parkes' shop who I believe also worked at Witton for a time.