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charliewag
knowlegable brummie
Hope I have done this right, a couple of photo's of Hughes I think the 1960s. My late wife used to work there.
Radiorails
master brummie
That factory was quite an impressive building, I am sure it was able to meet the standards required in food manufactury.
Hughes 1930s 'Wheel of Fortune" biscuit tin. Can't say I remember these biscuit manufacturers. Think the factory was bombed during WW2. Viv.
Radiorails
master brummie
Thanks Alan, have now merged the threads. Viv.
Hi everyone, my father, Edward(Ted) Hinton worked at Hughes from before ww2, where he met Ethel Franklin, who he then married. When he was demobbed, he returned to Hughes where he stayed until the firm closed. I remember the paint factory as Thornley and Knights. Dad was a foreman carpenter...but did many jobs (no demarcation in those days) Even being in charge of fire practise on the first Wednesday in every month. After ww2 he was the only worker with a car, so had to go to digbeth every morning for blocks of ice to enable them to make chocolate biscuits in summer! I know that in the early fifties the managing directors were Mr. Townsend and Mr Wilson. I seem to remember that Hughes supplied Woolworths with a lot of biscuits. Some of the production workers were Bill Fisher, Albert Cheshire, a girl on the switchboard called Margaret. Hope this stirs some memories. Good luck Paul Hinton.
Hi paul many thanks for joining this great site and you havee most certainly stirring my memory as its late now and i have to get to bed owing to my ill health i really would like some more i wish you had come on early you may have read my early years on mr hughes and patterson and hughes and my grand parents chains of coffee shops and before years resturaunt patterson and hughs sold there city resturants in the city arcades as they was completeing with joe lyons levevel with waitress and the high silver ware they served with paul my grand mother meaning my mothers mother is a hinton whom married into the jelfs what part are you coming from with your hintons so my grand father hinton could there be any chance you could tell me more my grand father hinton was a serving police officier you are the first person i have ever met with the name hinton so you see paul i hope we can speak more at a another time thanks for coming on it was the senior alfred hughes whom was begging to marry my mother when he came regular to there home and premises best wishes Alan Astonian;;
Hi paul hinton if my memory serves me correctly ted is a cousin to the phelps family of hockley whom i may say is alsoa cousin to me i beleive he was related to there parents harry and winnie phelps whom are the parents of two guys namely bryan phelps and his brother barry whom died afewyears back now and i think it was i will have to check my records againi think it was winnie whom he was related to not harry phelps
Annie Murray
master brummie
Hello All, Does anyone happen to know anything much about Hughes's during ww2? For example what the working week was - 5 days, 6? Or what? Also how did products change with rationing etc and did they have their own air raid shelter on the premises/a cellar? Any light shed of any of the above would be hugely appreciated.
All good wishes,
Annie
All good wishes,
Annie
JMB
proper brummie kid
I think the BBC might have had a transmitter at the factory during WWII.
They had a series of low power Group "H" transmitting stations around the country.
A BBC engineer died at Bordesley in 1940, he was described as being at a New Station there.
His probate shows he died at the Hughes Biscuit Factory so makes me wonder whether it was a Group "H" station - they often used factory chimneys as aerial supports.
Also these sites often continued to be used through the Cold War for the Wartime Broadcasting Service though their use was kept secret.
Some became local radio transmitters later.
I would be interested to here is anyone can confirm this.
They had a series of low power Group "H" transmitting stations around the country.
A BBC engineer died at Bordesley in 1940, he was described as being at a New Station there.
His probate shows he died at the Hughes Biscuit Factory so makes me wonder whether it was a Group "H" station - they often used factory chimneys as aerial supports.
Also these sites often continued to be used through the Cold War for the Wartime Broadcasting Service though their use was kept secret.
Some became local radio transmitters later.
I would be interested to here is anyone can confirm this.
Radiorails
master brummie
For those unfamiliar or interested there is a lot to read here. It is principally about Daventry, but at least that is in the Midlands.http://www.bbceng.info/Operations/transmitter_ops/Reminiscences/Daventry/bowman1.htm
JMB
proper brummie kid
If the Bordesley site was Group "H" then the pictures of Daventry are a bit irrelevant, it would have used a much smaller transmitter, probably the ET4336 as here.
Radiorails
master brummie
I worked at a Rowntree biscuit manufacturer in Birmingham which was listed as Hugh’s Biscuit factory when I tried researching it on history of Rowntree. Never heard it called that when I worked there. At that time we shipped worldwide to all the Woolworths and they were their only customer. Used to ship to Marks and Spencer’s and kept trying to get themAccording to the London Gazette, Alfred Hughes & Sons Limited, biscuit manufacturers, were still operating from Bordesley Green Road in 1972, but I can't find a liquidation notice, so I presume that they were either absorbed into another business or are still operating somewhere out there!
Maurice
back as a customers. We had a little store where we could buy Rowntree sweets and rejects including our biscuits. My family got sick of me giving them boxes of biscuits. We had a great canteen too. I tenner the smell in the morning and could tell what we were making that day, lemon etc. The roadway entrance was lined with flowers.
I dealt with customer complaints, like rings or mice tails etc found in biscuits. I did taste testing for the r&d, officially I worked as a junior secretary to the President Sir John and also I helped in several departments including HR, accounting and sales. Head of sales was a lovely gentleman who was married to a member of Rowntree family. I worked there for about 2 years I believe the time was I was age 16 -17 or 17-18 . Right before it closed In either 1971 or 1972 I got another job and worked both till the end.
Welcome GBINUS. Thank you for recording your memories on this thread. Sounds like the original name was dropped after Rowntree took over.
A couple of adverts from the 1920s and 30’s when the Hughes name was still in use. Interesting that their advertising seemed especially targeted at children. Viv.
A couple of adverts from the 1920s and 30’s when the Hughes name was still in use. Interesting that their advertising seemed especially targeted at children. Viv.
Attachments
irene floyd
master brummie
My sister Pamela Floyd worked at Hughes early 70s.Irene
The factory occupied by Hughes Biscuits was built by Wolseley Motors in WW1 to produce complete aircraft and airship machinery. The first planning application to start building the factory was submitted to the council on January 21st 1915.
Boomy
Mark0ne
Brummie babby
Hi all
My mom worked at Hughes/rowntree biscuits in the early 1970s, most nights after school I would wait outside the factory gates for her to finish her shift and then we would walk home together, I remember the boxes of broken biscuits she would sometimes bring home and one biscuit in particular that was covered in caramac chocolate
I also remember attending the children's fancy dress party at Christmas
My mom worked at Hughes/rowntree biscuits in the early 1970s, most nights after school I would wait outside the factory gates for her to finish her shift and then we would walk home together, I remember the boxes of broken biscuits she would sometimes bring home and one biscuit in particular that was covered in caramac chocolate
I also remember attending the children's fancy dress party at Christmas
jmadone
master brummie
What a lovely picture
Hello All
My Mom worked for Hughies on the mallow machine and the cream machines around the 60s I think
if anyone recalls her name Christine Loveland , she worked there for a few years and spoke of her friend an Italian girl often,
be nice to hear off anyone who knew my Mom ,,,
I think there are some photos I shall have to try find them
Paul
My Mom worked for Hughies on the mallow machine and the cream machines around the 60s I think
if anyone recalls her name Christine Loveland , she worked there for a few years and spoke of her friend an Italian girl often,
be nice to hear off anyone who knew my Mom ,,,
I think there are some photos I shall have to try find them
Paul
Welcome Paul. We’d love to see your photos when you find them. Love mallow so, to me, your mums job would have been bliss !!
Viv.
Viv.
Here’s the Adderley Park factory in the 1930s. Helpfully the purpose of each building on the site is labelled. Viv.
Hello Viv
I wished id found this site sooner as my Mom would have loved this as she was always telling me of her fun times at Hughies.
unfortunately she passed away in Heartlands hospital in April 26th 2020
her funeral was Monday 1st June 2020 ,
I will try find the photos she had , and post here in her memory as I know she would have loved to share them
Regards Paul
Condolences Paul to you and the family. That'll be a lovely and fitting tribute to your mom. We'd be interested to see or hear of anything you feel able to pass on when you're ready to.
Kind regards Viv.
Kind regards Viv.
lmr3103
master brummie
When I was at Wyndcliffe Junior school in the late 60s, early 70s a little boy started who couldn't speak English very well . Because I was a good reader my teacher asked if I would help him learn to read and write. The little boy's Dad had got a job at Hughes and every so often would come into school with a box of broken biscuites for me as a thank you. And yes my favourites were the ones covered in Caramac!
Lynn.