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GEC WITTON WORKS

hi aston ;
i never worked there myself , but my late father-inlaw was a foreman
in gec parsons electirc avn;
he was theeni on twenty years charlie williams until he retired and died afew years back now
seasons greeting astonian ;;
 
Hi Again did you know the Dept; or which part of GEC/PARSONS???
ALL THE VERY BEST TO YOU & YOUR FOR THIS SEASON & THE NEW YEAR
THE BARON (ASTON)
 
Hi thought you might like a list of the fitters who worked in the Big Shop.

Sup Freddie Pitt (you'll get my a... kicked son), Dudley Poole MBE (foreman), George Ellis, Ronnie Mason (tool club king), Charlie Davis, Harold Walker (Shop Stew.) & son, Harold Bishop (miser), Taff Evans Rugby bully), Billy Hughes, Joe Robinson (HYD Seal King), Stan Jacques (Navy Machines), Harry slip ring (king mad as a hatter), Macdonald's father & son, Harrison brothers (up the Villa), Alf Byrant(Static Balance), Johniie Worral, George Goldinggay, happy days.

CID, cid works policeman (we have ways of catching you) Black gaiters and all.

Happy Christmas to you and your family, and all ex Gec Witton Staff where ever you are.
 
George Goldingay & I went to ASTON Tech Elec Lab Burners Street on day relesase together back in the mid 50s. Thanks for the names Ray it help put names to faces long gone.
What part of N DEVON do you now hail from? that is my HOLIDAY AREA for at least one hol a year. If you look at the tread on Woolacombe You will see why.
 
Hi

A small village between Barnstaple & Bideford on the Taw river, been down here over 3 years, nothing to go back for.

We have West Midlands News on Sky and saw that the Sutton Coldfield T/V transmitter was 60 years old, we used to live not far from it in Four Oaks before moving down her.

Sadly George died he was a lectuteer at Sutto Coldfield College.

Have good Christmas, we hope to be able to walk Instow beach after lunch on Christmas Dayit'sonly a mile down the road.

Ray




The Baron said:
George Goldingay & I went to ASTON Tech Elec Lab Burners Street on day relesase together back in the mid 50s. Thanks for the names Ray it help put names to faces long gone.
What part of N DEVON do you now hail from? that is my HOLIDAY AREA for at least one hol a year. If you look at the tread on Woolacombe You will see why.
Click to expand...
 
Sorry to hear about George He was a great guy we had many a joke while at ATC;
Now thats my part of the country we have cycled from BROUGHTON ? to Great Torrington a long that lovely Tarka trail a number of times.
Hope you have a great Christmas & are able to get that walk on the beach.
We will be down in Brean Somerset for the new year so I to hope we get to walk on the beach on new years day.
keep the memories comming guys & gals.
 
My Gt Uncle was William (Bill) Lloyd worked at GEC all his life (including the War Years) I think in the offices possibly as a draughtsman but he was in charge of the ST Johns Ambulance people and became a commander of the Order of St John. My Gt Aunt Anne Kelly was secretary to one of the big bosses, she was at one time the fastest typist in UK - this later took a toll on her hands as she got chronic arthritus and her hands clawed, she was alovely lady and never married - she too worked there all her life. Both if they had lived would be well in their 90's. I did 6 months as a temp in the Bosses Office that was enough for me.........I got out and went motor racing with Dunlop and F1 teams.
 
Laurie_B said:
There's an clip from the British Pathe newsreel website of a visit to the G.E.C. works in Witton in 1956 from Georgi Malenkov the Soviet Commissar for Power Stations,that might be of interest.
https://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=40275
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Thanks very much for sharing this site with us it's brilliant, I was actual there that day and have a picture him inspecting an alternetor rotor with out the endbells on.

The machinist on the big lathe in Turbo shop is Bob Cartwright there was no better machist than Bob, when they used to machine the bare rotor forging the metal would come off red hot and in big chunks, the labourer in the picture would be there cleaning the lathe bed all day.

Again many thanks I'm sure this will get the old memory box going.

The departments show are The new Turbo Shop, High Tension & Test, Transformer Dept, the Test with the two large brass vertically mount ballls was quite frightening to see operating, they used to arc very high voltage across them to reproduce a lightnig storm.

Ray
 
Mike Bond said:
Hello to the Baron,
Thanks for your reply on the 6th, it is so long ago but I remember more faces than I can names.
Alot of my family worked at Witton. My Father worked in the Process Planning Dept, a cousin of mine,Geoff, worked in the Drawing Office but I think that may have been over in switchgear.
After my Mother died, my Father remarried into the Walker family and I became a cousin to Bob Walker whom I think you knew and also his Father,Sid--both have now passed away, Bob fairly recently with cancer.
The forman in the Turbo Shop was I think Melon or Mellor, he walked with a limp and I don't care how tough a guy thought he was but everyone moved when they saw him comming along. Stan Jacques was more approachable but no ones fool. I remember Jack Meggot, a chap called Avery ( both charge hands ) and two guys by the name of Eric, one was short and never stopped talking and the other was a huge Irish chap with a trimmed beared, one of the strongest men I have ever met but one of the kindest.
I to was shocked when I discovered that the whole complex had gone.
Before he died my Brother (ex G.E.C.) lived near Aldridge and in his nearest Pub was a group of ex G.E.C.chaps who enjoyed talking about the old days. He remembered that if the conversation was lagging for any reason someone would only have to mention the word "WEINSTOCK" and the whole place would errupt.
I will always consider myself fortunate in having trained/worked at G.E.C.. Some of the men I worked with only had a basic education but where highly intelligent and worldly wise, their wisdom and guidance helped to shape my character for the rest of my life.
A huge vote of thanks to you Baron and to people like Ray Griffiths and everyone else who has contributed to the site, you have helped to fill in many of the gaps to my memory that develops with time.
Click to expand...

Hi Mike.

I think I remember you, were you the small slight little chap had green overalls, bit half soaked always been got at by Percy Grimsley.

Do you rember Bob Ash he finished his apprenticeship and then joined the West Midlands Police, I think he ended up a Detective Chief Supt.

I finally found so pictures of mates in Turbo see attached you'll see Wal. Colley the foreman he might have a limp but he'd get down the shop quicker than you.

A Son
 
Hello to Ray Griffiths,
Can I offer you a sincere apology for not replying to some of your threads, I managed to get Christmas/Newyear at home this year and I'm afraid that I have made the most of it- hence I haven't checked the forum for some time.
 
Hi again Ray,
THREAD 224. How could I get Wal Colley's name wrong after he kicked my backside so many times. I spent a lot of time working with Eric Golder and his workmate who was about 6'4" tall and broad but his face is another name I cannot put a name to.Ray , if you look at THREAD 200 and the middle photo of the testbed, he is the chap with his foot on the bearing pedistal watching the other two guys feede the Rotor into the Stator.
THREAD 250. What a shock when I viewed the three photo's. Where on earth did you get all this information from Ray. I remember all the faces on the three photo's
The role call you gave for the big shop, I spent most of my time with Ronnie Mason- an excellent chap with loads of patience. I also remember CharlieDavies and Harold Walker and I think every Apprentice remembered Harold Bishop.
I've said this before Ray but the chaps I worked with had so much experience of life and that helped to shape my own character, I'm afraid the youngsters comming through now haven't got that privilage.
 
Hi Mike

Reg Marlow was Eric's mate.

Do you remember Harold Bishop and the pop bottle down at Ebbw Vale.

Nice to speak again after this time.

Yuor right Ronnie Mason was a gent always got a smile used to run the tool club for Pond's in Corparation St. in Birmingham.
 
Hello Ray,
In reply to thread 250, I think you have the wrong chap. I was about 6'2" tall, about 14 stones with glasses who used to play rugby for G.E.C. and then Sutton Coldfield. Thanks again for all the memories and photo's, you have certainly helped to fill a large void in my memory bank
 
Hello to the Baron,
The same applies to your good self Baron, thanks to you this thread was created in the first place and with it all the memories for so many people. A huge "WELL DONE" TO YOU.
 
THANK YOU mike but with out the input by guys & gals who worked for the GEC this tread would have gone no were. Your name rings bells in my head but can not put name TO Face can you please tell me what depts you worked in over your years with GEC .
I did 36 years with GEC /PARSONS WITTON & a further 6 years GEC RUGBY.
 
hi frantic, I remember your dad who I worked with on nights.I worked on the 20ft planing machine from 1967 till 1983.He always loved his swimming and would tell us about diving into lakes on christmas morning
 
A neighbour of mine used to work with stators for the Spitfires during the war at the GEC, she was born in 1923 so must have been in early 20's then, maiden name Vera Cox. She says it was very precise work and had to be done properly, clean environment but time consuming, not sure if they were hand wound but if not done correctly they had to unwind them and start again. She did not like the job and wanted to work on other projects, and admitted putting too much tape over the windings so it would not fit in the set properly from time to time, but was always made to redo it.

Her late friend was called Graf, her father dropped an F off the name as during/after WW1as he was called the' Hun' and insulted etc as his family were of German origin.
I understand the WarDepartment/GEC called the girl in to explain the change surname as they must have heard about it.
 
Just a shot in the dark? ANY ONE REMEMBER A John L Beven worked in one of the Drawing offices? made redundent about 1968.Rugby Player & Keen Caver.
I know this is a bit short on info but this guy was my sons late fatherinlaw of whom we have very little history,
 
That neighbour recalls some names from her time at the GEC, Fullar, Pecke and Green I believe. (She ended up in the offices and followed up with other office jobs later in life and mentions meeting William Hill once and recalls his drink was whisky and dry ginger)
 
Re: GEC/Parsons

Linda said:
Many of my family worked at GEC /Parsons Witton over many a long year, and I beleive my Uncle played cricket at the Magnet Club.......is that where they had the children's parties....I went to a few of those...but that is over fifty years ago so do not remember too much about them.I also think my other Uncle went fire watching during the war at the GEC.

If the names Harry or Len Peakman ring any bells

Harold Dawson

Jim Nicholls

I would love to hear from you always interested in anecdotes about my family

Best Wishes

Linda
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Just joined the forum and have been combing through the threads. Not sure if you are still here Linda, but your post brought back some fond memories. My dad joined the GEC in 1934 as a 14 year old and left in the mid 60's. I think he spent his entire time in the Transformer shop, he was one of the foremen. Also have some great memories of the Magnet club, the sports days, and the Christmas parties, I can even remember the colour of the curtains on the stage which were black and yellow. My dad was the umpire of the GEC cricket team for many years, and I scored for them from about 1960 until 1964. I remember Len Peakman, he opened the batting. Some other names from that team I can remember are:

Paddy Ryan, Tommy Owens, Tommy and Bernard Cotton, Cox (can't remember the first name), Len Boyman
 
Abt one remember the inter drawing office cricket matches Kown as THE TASHES Due to some of the guys who returned from the armed forces WWII having shaved off there tashes & set fire to them putting the ashes in to a small cotainer,mirrorimg THE ashes?
Iwas in EDO WHEN MANY OF THESE TOOK PLACE.
 
Any remember the Tea Lady in the admin Block in the 1960s "Joan Hunt" the mother of STEVE HUNT of ASTON VILLA fame. One of the nicest ladies you would wish to meet.
 
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