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Ionic Plating Works
- Thread starter Frankf
- Start date
hi frankf
are you sure it was heath street,and not one of the roads behind it
at this precise moment i am racking my brains out
because i am sure it was the back roads that brought you out by the grove
picture house, there was a very long rd that ran down beside the the picture
house and thats where i remember the ionic plating company
when you walked down there it would bring you to heath street
and i know they was a very big plating company
if one of our experts on the maps can have a quick look they could see the
road i am on about its the road emediately as you hit the grove picture
house , and not the one after it ,whilst i am on the grove can some-one tell
me ,what was the name of the little pub across the rd from the grove
picture house ,as i have for gotten it ,not the one directly next to the
picture house as i know that one it became mcdodonalds
have a nice day every body best wishes astonian ,;;
are you sure it was heath street,and not one of the roads behind it
at this precise moment i am racking my brains out
because i am sure it was the back roads that brought you out by the grove
picture house, there was a very long rd that ran down beside the the picture
house and thats where i remember the ionic plating company
when you walked down there it would bring you to heath street
and i know they was a very big plating company
if one of our experts on the maps can have a quick look they could see the
road i am on about its the road emediately as you hit the grove picture
house , and not the one after it ,whilst i am on the grove can some-one tell
me ,what was the name of the little pub across the rd from the grove
picture house ,as i have for gotten it ,not the one directly next to the
picture house as i know that one it became mcdodonalds
have a nice day every body best wishes astonian ,;;
L
ladywood
Guest
Sorry Frank, can't help you, but my father was a plater at a firm called Elkingtons in New Hall Street, which later became the Science Museum.
I spent many Sunday afternoons there at the science museum, listening to the hiss of the working beam engine and trying to win on a, simple electronic game of 'Beat the Fox'.
Never to miss downstairs Donald Campbell's, Railton Special.????
ladywood
Findwilliam
proper brummie kid
Hi,
I worked there (during a summer holiday job in 1964 I think). I was at Holly Lodge Grammar school and in the Sixth Form, planning to go to university. I just pitched up at the Smethwick unemployment office at beginning of the summer holidays, and was sent down there. I didn't trell them I would only be working there temporarily.
Yes, it was on Grove Lane, I think (I may have old pay slips somewhere -- I am a bit of a hoarder). Or it may have been Grove Street. I well remember walking all the way from Greenfield Road to get there for 07:30 (would a schoolchild do this today?).
I worked on silver and gold plating. Both were rather specialised at Ionic and I worked on my own (most of Ionic did chrome and similar plating) in a small room dedicated to precious metals. Silver plating was 'easy'; several of us worked on it. We did plating of electrodes for Kelner-Solvay process. I remember lifting 250 lb and 350 lb crates of the copper lectrodes to be plated on an off low loader trolleys. On my own -- a teenager. Didn't think much of it at the time. But I was naive, and fit (I guess). Health and Safety?!!
I also did gold plating (I was the 'gold plater' there for a couple of months). Mainly of small electrical items. I remember gold-plating a shilling for fun -- looked like a sovereign (don't know what I did with it). This was more problematic. I remeber plating items, having them tested, finding them unacceptable quality, ... for several weeks, before we got process right. As gold was so valuable, we stripped the gold off scrap items using aqua regia (a mixture of nitric an hydrochloric acid -- very corrosive -- but dissolves gold). I just put the acid in a bucket, then dipped a sieve containing the plated items in it and shook it until all the gold had been dissolved. The sive (made of iconel?) gradually dissolved as well of course.
I remember working late one night and switching off my gold plating tanks at the wrong place. When the early shift came on the next day, they swithed on the power, and when I arrived, I found the gold-plating tank was overheating (I recall 140 degrees Fahrenheit, but my memory may be faulty there). But it was definitely fuming. So I panicked, switched things off, ... And felt a little faint. Which was worrying, as the plating solution was a cyanide salt of gold, and evolved HCN (highly poisonous -- used in american gas chambers). This smells of almonds, but as I have had no sense of smell since I was a child. So I ran out, telling those I passed to evacuate the room. When outside, I knew I would now in a few seconds whether I would survive or not. Obviously I did.
Another memory I have is of finding two slabs of solid silver at the bottom of a plating tank: each about 100 mm by 8 mm by 400 mm. Quite valuable. Just lying in the tank. But we would never have dreamt of 'nicking' such items in those days.
As the gold process was so problematic initially, I got to talk to the works chemist, who soon realised that I knew much more about chemistry than the average recruit from the job centre (I was doing A and S level chemistry and physics, and had already passed A-level chemistry a year early) and he tried to persuade me to take a job there, and study for a degree (or even PhD part time). But I decided to continue with my original plan and left at the end of the summer, to complete my studies at Holly Lodge. We parted on good terms, but I cannot remember his name.
I am very proud to have worked (even if only for 2-3 months) in a Smethwick factory. I also worked at Scribbens-Kemp (loading lorries) and Mitchells and Butlers. All gone now. But I do feel I have a link with industrial Smethwick/Bham of the 1960s.
I worked there (during a summer holiday job in 1964 I think). I was at Holly Lodge Grammar school and in the Sixth Form, planning to go to university. I just pitched up at the Smethwick unemployment office at beginning of the summer holidays, and was sent down there. I didn't trell them I would only be working there temporarily.
Yes, it was on Grove Lane, I think (I may have old pay slips somewhere -- I am a bit of a hoarder). Or it may have been Grove Street. I well remember walking all the way from Greenfield Road to get there for 07:30 (would a schoolchild do this today?).
I worked on silver and gold plating. Both were rather specialised at Ionic and I worked on my own (most of Ionic did chrome and similar plating) in a small room dedicated to precious metals. Silver plating was 'easy'; several of us worked on it. We did plating of electrodes for Kelner-Solvay process. I remember lifting 250 lb and 350 lb crates of the copper lectrodes to be plated on an off low loader trolleys. On my own -- a teenager. Didn't think much of it at the time. But I was naive, and fit (I guess). Health and Safety?!!
I also did gold plating (I was the 'gold plater' there for a couple of months). Mainly of small electrical items. I remember gold-plating a shilling for fun -- looked like a sovereign (don't know what I did with it). This was more problematic. I remeber plating items, having them tested, finding them unacceptable quality, ... for several weeks, before we got process right. As gold was so valuable, we stripped the gold off scrap items using aqua regia (a mixture of nitric an hydrochloric acid -- very corrosive -- but dissolves gold). I just put the acid in a bucket, then dipped a sieve containing the plated items in it and shook it until all the gold had been dissolved. The sive (made of iconel?) gradually dissolved as well of course.
I remember working late one night and switching off my gold plating tanks at the wrong place. When the early shift came on the next day, they swithed on the power, and when I arrived, I found the gold-plating tank was overheating (I recall 140 degrees Fahrenheit, but my memory may be faulty there). But it was definitely fuming. So I panicked, switched things off, ... And felt a little faint. Which was worrying, as the plating solution was a cyanide salt of gold, and evolved HCN (highly poisonous -- used in american gas chambers). This smells of almonds, but as I have had no sense of smell since I was a child. So I ran out, telling those I passed to evacuate the room. When outside, I knew I would now in a few seconds whether I would survive or not. Obviously I did.
Another memory I have is of finding two slabs of solid silver at the bottom of a plating tank: each about 100 mm by 8 mm by 400 mm. Quite valuable. Just lying in the tank. But we would never have dreamt of 'nicking' such items in those days.
As the gold process was so problematic initially, I got to talk to the works chemist, who soon realised that I knew much more about chemistry than the average recruit from the job centre (I was doing A and S level chemistry and physics, and had already passed A-level chemistry a year early) and he tried to persuade me to take a job there, and study for a degree (or even PhD part time). But I decided to continue with my original plan and left at the end of the summer, to complete my studies at Holly Lodge. We parted on good terms, but I cannot remember his name.
I am very proud to have worked (even if only for 2-3 months) in a Smethwick factory. I also worked at Scribbens-Kemp (loading lorries) and Mitchells and Butlers. All gone now. But I do feel I have a link with industrial Smethwick/Bham of the 1960s.
Findwilliam
proper brummie kid
Wasn't the "Beat the Fox" machine also able to play noughts and crosses (called Tic-Tac-Toe) in the rest of the world? I remember the valves and relays in it. I used it as an example of an implementation of a conceptual system (one to play noughts and crosses) using different technologies when I was teaching system modelling from 1984 onwards. These days, everyone would assume you would just 'write a program'.
The machine (which I remember as "Noughts and Crosses"/"Fox and Geese") was one of my favourites of the old Science Museum -- which was much better than the new one, in my opinion. And the Railton special, beam engine and a working electric organ were my other favourites.
The machine (which I remember as "Noughts and Crosses"/"Fox and Geese") was one of my favourites of the old Science Museum -- which was much better than the new one, in my opinion. And the Railton special, beam engine and a working electric organ were my other favourites.
Hi there, thanks for your reply, fascinating stuff about life inside the plating works. I originally posted the request for info as my dad worked at Ionic during those years and became works director. I was a young 10 yr old at the time you went there for your summer job, but as I grew older I understood a little about what an electro plating plant did but not the detail. You are right about it being on Grove Lane - I always remember Heath Street but as someone has mentioned here, that was GKN srews and fastners but Ionic was part of the GKN group.
I have memories of the kids christmas parties there every year also.
If anyone else worked there during this period or knows someone who did, I'd be interested to hear from you.
Many thanks
Frankf
I have memories of the kids christmas parties there every year also.
If anyone else worked there during this period or knows someone who did, I'd be interested to hear from you.
Many thanks
Frankf
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Hello ---My first post on this Forum,I lived in this area as a little boy,actually at 25 Halberton Street and from memory the pub was called the Engine,the house we lived in was my Nans and remember going with her to this pub a number of times with her jug for a couple of pints of Mild.
Hello ---I am new to this forum and although I didnt work at the Ionic Plating Company my father did in the early 1950s.
From memory the factory was in Grove Street and had "sides" on two streets Grove Street and Halberton Street , I lived in Halberton Street at the time and can clearly remember looking through the mesh windows at Vats of bubbling liquid and being convinced that it all looked like something from a horror film
.Cheers.
F
freddy
Guest
I worked as a research and process chemist at Ionic (known internally as "The Ironic") in the late 60's and early 70's.
The main factory lay in the area bounded by Grove Street and Halburton Street; there was another big site just off Burntree island on the Birmingham New Road. Following a major fire in part of the Grove Street works, the old Wrights Ropes factory the other side of Halburton street was purchased and filled with the most modern mass finishing machines available at that time. The entrance and loading bays were round the corner in Abberley Street.
The directors I can recall are Bert Wallbank the founder and MD, a most brilliant man, and Mssrs. Archer, Flynn,and Prosser. The Sales Director was I think Tom Ketteridge(?) who made violins as a hobby and loved his game fishing. I can recall him showing me and all the guys from the angling club a 17 pound salmon in the boot of his motor. Bert died much too soon, and his place was taken by Dave Westbury, renowned for his beautiful secretaries. I asked him once why all his girls were so gorgeous and he replied "Well they only cost as much as the plain ones!" Lovely man.
Most of the workload came from GKN in the form of fasteners for zinc plating. The silver plating section was a bit of an offshoot as FrankF says, and I didn't have much to do with it. I can recall that one of the operators was a wee Irish chap, Charlie Lemon. The works were roughly split into two sections, vat plating and barrel plating. The vat section was pretty old hat, but the Abberley Street barrel section was state of the art. Ron Stockley managed the vats, and Jim Hughes the barrels, with Ernie Cale, Frank Pagett, Arnold Dodd, Freddie Boulton, Bob Belcher and Jim O'Sullivan as foremen. Ray Higgins ran the nightshift for years.
The chief chemist referred to might have been Colin Prosser who became a director, or Sean Gwynn who left not long after I started, or perhaps Clive Pearce, though he came a bit later on.
It was quite a hard drinking outfit as were many factories at that time; "The Locomotive Engine" and "The Cape of Good Hope" were more like office extensions; I used to do my shift changeover in the Cape, and Woodland Street Club doubled up as the Personnel Dept!!
I look back on my time there as some of the happiest of my working years.
Regards
freddy
The main factory lay in the area bounded by Grove Street and Halburton Street; there was another big site just off Burntree island on the Birmingham New Road. Following a major fire in part of the Grove Street works, the old Wrights Ropes factory the other side of Halburton street was purchased and filled with the most modern mass finishing machines available at that time. The entrance and loading bays were round the corner in Abberley Street.
The directors I can recall are Bert Wallbank the founder and MD, a most brilliant man, and Mssrs. Archer, Flynn,and Prosser. The Sales Director was I think Tom Ketteridge(?) who made violins as a hobby and loved his game fishing. I can recall him showing me and all the guys from the angling club a 17 pound salmon in the boot of his motor. Bert died much too soon, and his place was taken by Dave Westbury, renowned for his beautiful secretaries. I asked him once why all his girls were so gorgeous and he replied "Well they only cost as much as the plain ones!" Lovely man.
Most of the workload came from GKN in the form of fasteners for zinc plating. The silver plating section was a bit of an offshoot as FrankF says, and I didn't have much to do with it. I can recall that one of the operators was a wee Irish chap, Charlie Lemon. The works were roughly split into two sections, vat plating and barrel plating. The vat section was pretty old hat, but the Abberley Street barrel section was state of the art. Ron Stockley managed the vats, and Jim Hughes the barrels, with Ernie Cale, Frank Pagett, Arnold Dodd, Freddie Boulton, Bob Belcher and Jim O'Sullivan as foremen. Ray Higgins ran the nightshift for years.
The chief chemist referred to might have been Colin Prosser who became a director, or Sean Gwynn who left not long after I started, or perhaps Clive Pearce, though he came a bit later on.
It was quite a hard drinking outfit as were many factories at that time; "The Locomotive Engine" and "The Cape of Good Hope" were more like office extensions; I used to do my shift changeover in the Cape, and Woodland Street Club doubled up as the Personnel Dept!!
I look back on my time there as some of the happiest of my working years.
Regards
freddy
Hi Freddy,
many thanks for your post - I know its took a long time to post back but I'd forgotten about this site!
Great to hear tha you remember my dad - Tom Flynn - if you have any more memories of him or about Ionic I'd love to hear them.
Great to hear that these were some of the happiest days for your work career too!
Regards
Frankf
many thanks for your post - I know its took a long time to post back but I'd forgotten about this site!
Great to hear tha you remember my dad - Tom Flynn - if you have any more memories of him or about Ionic I'd love to hear them.
Great to hear that these were some of the happiest days for your work career too!
Regards
Frankf
andrewmacdonald
New Member
Hi, Just by chance I came across your query. As it happens i worked very closely with Tom Flynn in the 1960's. he was one of my mentors. I first met him in 1959 when I joined Ionic. I was his assistant from 1965 to 1967 and worked in the same office.
He was one of teh people who started up Ionic with bert Wallbank. Ionic was a wholly owned subsiduary of Guest Keen and Nettlefolds, at that time the largest screw manufacturer in the world. Tom was originally the production control manager and it took a lot of persuading for him to become Plant Manager.
He knew teh place intimately and had the unique ability to walk round the shop floor first thing in the morning and know everything that was going on.
I statred under Colin Prosser, and Eddie Baker the technical department, got moved to Dudley Works as a Chemist and then returned to grove Street as Tom's asistant.
The intent was that I should learn from the master how to run a factory, whih I did by osmosis.
Tom was the perfect Plamt manager for Ionic. he never seemed get upset, raise his voice or lose his temper but managed the company by example, hard work, good selection of staff and an intimate knowledge of everything that went on.
he led the comany through two fires, a strike and constant pressure from GKN.
His only drawbacks was that he was a chain smoker, was slightly overweight and chewed aspirins like candies.
names that come to mind are:
Colin Prosser, Chief Chemist
Eddie Baker,asst. Chief Chemist
Derek Sutton, Barrel Section Manager
Ron Stockley, Rack Department Manager
Dan Eaton, Work Study
Dave Wesbury accounts, General Manager after Bert retired after a heart attack, and eventually co-owner.
Dick Spenser who became deputy Chief accountant.
Let me end with the statement that Ionic was a happy place to work in and that everyone was good to know. If you need more then e-mail me.
He was one of teh people who started up Ionic with bert Wallbank. Ionic was a wholly owned subsiduary of Guest Keen and Nettlefolds, at that time the largest screw manufacturer in the world. Tom was originally the production control manager and it took a lot of persuading for him to become Plant Manager.
He knew teh place intimately and had the unique ability to walk round the shop floor first thing in the morning and know everything that was going on.
I statred under Colin Prosser, and Eddie Baker the technical department, got moved to Dudley Works as a Chemist and then returned to grove Street as Tom's asistant.
The intent was that I should learn from the master how to run a factory, whih I did by osmosis.
Tom was the perfect Plamt manager for Ionic. he never seemed get upset, raise his voice or lose his temper but managed the company by example, hard work, good selection of staff and an intimate knowledge of everything that went on.
he led the comany through two fires, a strike and constant pressure from GKN.
His only drawbacks was that he was a chain smoker, was slightly overweight and chewed aspirins like candies.
names that come to mind are:
Colin Prosser, Chief Chemist
Eddie Baker,asst. Chief Chemist
Derek Sutton, Barrel Section Manager
Ron Stockley, Rack Department Manager
Dan Eaton, Work Study
Dave Wesbury accounts, General Manager after Bert retired after a heart attack, and eventually co-owner.
Dick Spenser who became deputy Chief accountant.
Let me end with the statement that Ionic was a happy place to work in and that everyone was good to know. If you need more then e-mail me.
andrewmacdonald
New Member
There were two fires. One at the Dudley works around 1962 and one in the barrel section around1965. The first was caused by a spark from a spinner when spirit based dyes were used on phosphating. The other was caused by oil accumulating in the open drain from the cleaning line, but I do not know what sparked it.
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Just for the record, Ionic Plating Company Limited was finally wound up in 2003.
Details at the bottom of this page:-
https://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/57098/pages/13364
Maurice
Details at the bottom of this page:-
https://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/57098/pages/13364
Maurice
terenceamos
New Member
Hi frankf my name is terence amos and i worked at the ionic plating company between 1962-1968,i remember ron stockley this is a picture of him on his retirement,ernie kale, robert belcher (william ford who was my uncle).have you got any pictures from the wonderful place we used to work at,which was in grove street,hope to hear from you soon.
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B
BernardR
Guest
Hi -The forum has a policy of allowing only email addresses that are already in the public domain (such as an enthusiasts group) to prevent members emails attracting spam. Members can exchange emails via the Instant Message (IM) system which can be accessed by clicking on the members name.
Just in case there is anybody there!
I worked at GKN for about 18 months (!957/9) as a Schedule Sales Clark which involved doing your own progress chasing. There were 3/4 of us in a sort of team, our Leader/Supervisor was Alan Peace, there was then John Kelland and myself and we had a very attractive typist (who for sometime was my girlfriend ) Olive Huggins.
Between us we were responsible for making sure that screws and fasteners were available for manufactures other than the motor industry( which had it's own section), these were people like Electrolux and the like.
A lot of the fasteners were made as special items and we had to ensure that our customers production lines were kept running by having their orders filled on time.
We therefore often had to go to the factory floor to see why the goodies were held up in production. Whilst from memory this was mainly Heath St. Mill it also involved the other mills and Ionic Plating.
When we found our items we then had to try and get them out of the hold up and onto the next process to make sure that they were shipped out on time. Over time you got to meet and rub along with the production staff and the actual people on the floor. If they were on a tea break you learnt that if not invited to join them you left them in peace and went back at there convenience.
I once made the mistake that on being told the only problem was that my screws were finished one processed but couldn't be dealt with by the next department as they needed moving the 20/30 feet that divided the sections, no worries I picked up the hook and dragged them over!
What a mistake that was!! It was explained to me that I was not employed as a porter(or whatever) that I was not in a Trade Union and that if I did not return them to their original place the whole Mill would be on strike by the time their tea break was over.
I duly returned the screws to where I found them, explained that I was new to the system, apologised to all concerned and went for a 10 min. walk.
On my return I was told that the tray would be moved after lunch (the best they could do!!) and if I came back then we could go from there. Sounds funny now but not at the time.
I must say that after I had learnt my place I got on well with just about everyone.
I sometimes had to see them in Ionic, but apart from the smell I think I always enjoyed my visits there and was fascinated to see my babies going through the vats.
Looking back now I realise that I enjoyed my time in the GKN Group, but left for greener pastures and better pay. Cheers Tim
I worked at GKN for about 18 months (!957/9) as a Schedule Sales Clark which involved doing your own progress chasing. There were 3/4 of us in a sort of team, our Leader/Supervisor was Alan Peace, there was then John Kelland and myself and we had a very attractive typist (who for sometime was my girlfriend ) Olive Huggins.
Between us we were responsible for making sure that screws and fasteners were available for manufactures other than the motor industry( which had it's own section), these were people like Electrolux and the like.
A lot of the fasteners were made as special items and we had to ensure that our customers production lines were kept running by having their orders filled on time.
We therefore often had to go to the factory floor to see why the goodies were held up in production. Whilst from memory this was mainly Heath St. Mill it also involved the other mills and Ionic Plating.
When we found our items we then had to try and get them out of the hold up and onto the next process to make sure that they were shipped out on time. Over time you got to meet and rub along with the production staff and the actual people on the floor. If they were on a tea break you learnt that if not invited to join them you left them in peace and went back at there convenience.
I once made the mistake that on being told the only problem was that my screws were finished one processed but couldn't be dealt with by the next department as they needed moving the 20/30 feet that divided the sections, no worries I picked up the hook and dragged them over!
What a mistake that was!! It was explained to me that I was not employed as a porter(or whatever) that I was not in a Trade Union and that if I did not return them to their original place the whole Mill would be on strike by the time their tea break was over.
I duly returned the screws to where I found them, explained that I was new to the system, apologised to all concerned and went for a 10 min. walk.
On my return I was told that the tray would be moved after lunch (the best they could do!!) and if I came back then we could go from there. Sounds funny now but not at the time.
I must say that after I had learnt my place I got on well with just about everyone.
I sometimes had to see them in Ionic, but apart from the smell I think I always enjoyed my visits there and was fascinated to see my babies going through the vats.
Looking back now I realise that I enjoyed my time in the GKN Group, but left for greener pastures and better pay. Cheers Tim
Hi time born
I recall the ionic plating down by the grove picture house and the cape of good hope pub which many many years later became amacdonald
I new a guy called Steve a little fellow a local lad whom was during his time was a special constable whom worked there he lived on dudley red
But also you mentionioned the screws I have a first hand info about a guy all those years ago whom worked in the heath street section
Selling screws on a small basis whom made money from it in a small way for years andeventualy
He set up the company whom is behind it now known as screw fix world wide he made the bussines from that company
In heath street gkn. He later in life gave the business to his son he eventually continued to make big money and he sold the business
Now living in the other side of the world with the fortune of what his father made from the screw selling and his own hard work as well and sold the business to some one else now but that's where screw fix was born and raised and he was a black country fella from Tipton
Would you have known the man whom was selling screws on the side from a little shed within the complex
Best wishes astonian,,,,,
I recall the ionic plating down by the grove picture house and the cape of good hope pub which many many years later became amacdonald
I new a guy called Steve a little fellow a local lad whom was during his time was a special constable whom worked there he lived on dudley red
But also you mentionioned the screws I have a first hand info about a guy all those years ago whom worked in the heath street section
Selling screws on a small basis whom made money from it in a small way for years andeventualy
He set up the company whom is behind it now known as screw fix world wide he made the bussines from that company
In heath street gkn. He later in life gave the business to his son he eventually continued to make big money and he sold the business
Now living in the other side of the world with the fortune of what his father made from the screw selling and his own hard work as well and sold the business to some one else now but that's where screw fix was born and raised and he was a black country fella from Tipton
Would you have known the man whom was selling screws on the side from a little shed within the complex
Best wishes astonian,,,,,
Hi Astonian, Sorry to say I don't know of the fella that set up Screw Fix, at first I thought it may have been my old mate Wally Pearce who was one of those clever clogs. As a young bloke he was the Asst. Manager at The St John's Mill. He was seconded to go to Hong Kong and help set up a factory for GKN and it was to be for 2 years. I had left GKN and at that time I was going to Australia as a 10 pound Pom.
The plan was that my 2 years would be up and I could return to the UK without having to repay my fare to the Aussie Govt (Free holiday eh!).
At the end of the 2 years Wally wrote and said his time was up and how about we meet in Tokyo and come home together. He was a good boy and had saved his money etc., I was the Black Sheep and had spent my money as soon as it came to hand on wine, Beer, women and other such like!
So Wally went home got married and was out of work when GKN folded. He spent his severance pay on buying up a lot of stock from GKN and set himself up in business. As he had a daughter, didn't become a Millionaire (as far as I know) and still lives in the UK it ain't him.
I don't know of anyone trading out of a little shed but a hell of a lot of the stock walked out of the factory. When I asked the Warehouse Manager if I could get a few screws for a job I was doing at home he said help yourself but take a gross box not take a few out of the box as people would complain that they were short changed.
The Head of Security was a sort of chubby Hitler looking bloke and the story was that he designed his own uniform which was a bit over the top and not only was he disliked but he was a bit of a laughing stock.
The main office doors were near the Heath St. exit and you came out the revolving door then had to go down 5/6 marble stairs to the roadway and main gate. One evening one of the office staff had a bit of an accident and his briefcase fell out of his hands and about 6 gross of screws spilt down the steps to everyone's amusement.
The poor bugger was trying to recover them with the aid of others coming out and amid heaps of laughter. This was within a matter of feet from "Adolf" who "Saw Nothing".
The plan was that my 2 years would be up and I could return to the UK without having to repay my fare to the Aussie Govt (Free holiday eh!).
At the end of the 2 years Wally wrote and said his time was up and how about we meet in Tokyo and come home together. He was a good boy and had saved his money etc., I was the Black Sheep and had spent my money as soon as it came to hand on wine, Beer, women and other such like!
So Wally went home got married and was out of work when GKN folded. He spent his severance pay on buying up a lot of stock from GKN and set himself up in business. As he had a daughter, didn't become a Millionaire (as far as I know) and still lives in the UK it ain't him.
I don't know of anyone trading out of a little shed but a hell of a lot of the stock walked out of the factory. When I asked the Warehouse Manager if I could get a few screws for a job I was doing at home he said help yourself but take a gross box not take a few out of the box as people would complain that they were short changed.
The Head of Security was a sort of chubby Hitler looking bloke and the story was that he designed his own uniform which was a bit over the top and not only was he disliked but he was a bit of a laughing stock.
The main office doors were near the Heath St. exit and you came out the revolving door then had to go down 5/6 marble stairs to the roadway and main gate. One evening one of the office staff had a bit of an accident and his briefcase fell out of his hands and about 6 gross of screws spilt down the steps to everyone's amusement.
The poor bugger was trying to recover them with the aid of others coming out and amid heaps of laughter. This was within a matter of feet from "Adolf" who "Saw Nothing".
Paul Ketteridge
New Member
Hi Freddy,
My dad Tom Ketteridge was I believe sales manager, I don't believe he became a director, also he was never a violin maker or fisherman.
Unfortunately I don't know the sales directors name.
Kindest regards,
Paul.
My dad Tom Ketteridge was I believe sales manager, I don't believe he became a director, also he was never a violin maker or fisherman.
Unfortunately I don't know the sales directors name.
Kindest regards,
Paul.
Hi Paul,
sorry I wouldn't have known tom ketteridge....thanks for posting tho...any info or stories about Ionic are welcome.
frankf
Well it's been a good while since I posted last, but this may interest some respondents.
Terry, I can recall the name "Terry Amos" but can't put a face to it. Did you work on the vat section? Ron's picture shows a relatively mild looking man, but he was a holy terror to slackers and idlers, fortunately I got on with him very well, but those who crossed him rarely did it twice!
Andrew who posted above was a I think a contemporary of two guys who were also chemists and moved on to other jobs within the company; Eddie Hiscox and Alan Kenny. I was in the wave behind them and worked with Jimmy Alldrick, Dave Quick and Dave Clarke.
Andrew might have known the late Mike Turley who was a chemist at the Dudley works, Les Jones the site manager, John Smart the maintenance guy, and Les Harper, one of the foremen. I didn't have much to do with Dudley, just occasionally filling in for guys on holiday or off sick, and installing a couple of new processes. It wasn't a place I much enjoyed; old fashioned, cold and a bit shambolic, not a patch on the new facility that Tom and his fellow directors built in Halburton Street after the barrel section fire in the Grove Street works.
In my time there were two Grove Street fires, the first in the old 21 shop which destroyed two big automatic barrel zinc plating machines and the phosphating area, would have been around 1968. The cause was never clearly established, but the huge wooden Belfast roof burnt out and set everything under it ablaze. I'm sure this was reported in the local Press, not least because the steel tanks holding the cyanide based plating solution distorted and sagged, allowing the stuff to enter the storm drains. The second was in 3B section, a manual barrel plating set up, which was started by a fitter welding (or at least working hot) over some cleaning tanks, and would have been post 1970. I've got some snaps up in the loft of the damage to 21 shop, and the workforce in the assembly areas after the 3B fire. This latter was definitely attended by the M&B brigade, they were the first to attend.
3B was quickly rebuilt, the damage was mostly to the roof area immediately over the source, but 21 shop was a complete write off, the steel structures bent like sausages and even the outside wall was compromised, hence the move to Halburton Street. To make up for the loss of production capacity the old manual lines were worked as hard as we could go, so I found myself working shifts. For a young chap about to get married and saving up for a mortgage deposit, this was good news, the shift bonus was +25% of my basic pay!
Other names that have come to me are George Marshall, Albert Adams, Billy Ford, Olive Pagett, and Henry Knight all in QC, Cassel Mckenzie, Margaret Nolan and Margaret Howe in the Lab, the Mooney brothers, Arnold Dodd and his brother, and "Bronco" Lane, Gordon Woodley and his dad Bert, all in the barrel section, Johnny Stamp and Gren Pickin in the phosphate shop, Alf Trubody in the dem shop, June Gastinger, Sue Berrow, Brian Kilgallon, Mick Lahane and Larry Smith in the offices, and Rose and Pearl, two West Indian ladies who were very funny and very rude! Dave Palmer aided Dave Westbury, Lew Jones understudied Tom Archer in the engineering dept. I think Lew was in command when the company finally folded. Mike Burrell, a dear friend who died much too early was assistant to Colin Prosser the tech. dir. and did a lot of research into barrel plating. Mick Lahanes wife ran the canteen and produced a real he mans cooked breakfast for a princely nine pence, cheaper than a pint of mild in the Cape.
Match and pleasure fishing was the big sporting interest, and the angling section was very active; Ionic supplied a mini bus and driver so we could have a pint after a match, and the annual "fishing club do" was always a hoot.
Although I never regretted leaving Ionic for a better job, I also never found anywhere else where you could have as many laughs in spite of, or even because of, working hard, and I missed that. A couple of us were sent on a residential Shop Floor Supervisors course run by the Engineering Employers Federation, which was my first management qualification, and has stood me in good stead to this day, even though I'm retired. In some ways I think the management would be seen as paternalistic by some today, but it wasn't any the worse for it in my opinion; they looked after their people.
As Andrew said it was a good place to work.
Freddy
Terry, I can recall the name "Terry Amos" but can't put a face to it. Did you work on the vat section? Ron's picture shows a relatively mild looking man, but he was a holy terror to slackers and idlers, fortunately I got on with him very well, but those who crossed him rarely did it twice!
Andrew who posted above was a I think a contemporary of two guys who were also chemists and moved on to other jobs within the company; Eddie Hiscox and Alan Kenny. I was in the wave behind them and worked with Jimmy Alldrick, Dave Quick and Dave Clarke.
Andrew might have known the late Mike Turley who was a chemist at the Dudley works, Les Jones the site manager, John Smart the maintenance guy, and Les Harper, one of the foremen. I didn't have much to do with Dudley, just occasionally filling in for guys on holiday or off sick, and installing a couple of new processes. It wasn't a place I much enjoyed; old fashioned, cold and a bit shambolic, not a patch on the new facility that Tom and his fellow directors built in Halburton Street after the barrel section fire in the Grove Street works.
In my time there were two Grove Street fires, the first in the old 21 shop which destroyed two big automatic barrel zinc plating machines and the phosphating area, would have been around 1968. The cause was never clearly established, but the huge wooden Belfast roof burnt out and set everything under it ablaze. I'm sure this was reported in the local Press, not least because the steel tanks holding the cyanide based plating solution distorted and sagged, allowing the stuff to enter the storm drains. The second was in 3B section, a manual barrel plating set up, which was started by a fitter welding (or at least working hot) over some cleaning tanks, and would have been post 1970. I've got some snaps up in the loft of the damage to 21 shop, and the workforce in the assembly areas after the 3B fire. This latter was definitely attended by the M&B brigade, they were the first to attend.
3B was quickly rebuilt, the damage was mostly to the roof area immediately over the source, but 21 shop was a complete write off, the steel structures bent like sausages and even the outside wall was compromised, hence the move to Halburton Street. To make up for the loss of production capacity the old manual lines were worked as hard as we could go, so I found myself working shifts. For a young chap about to get married and saving up for a mortgage deposit, this was good news, the shift bonus was +25% of my basic pay!
Other names that have come to me are George Marshall, Albert Adams, Billy Ford, Olive Pagett, and Henry Knight all in QC, Cassel Mckenzie, Margaret Nolan and Margaret Howe in the Lab, the Mooney brothers, Arnold Dodd and his brother, and "Bronco" Lane, Gordon Woodley and his dad Bert, all in the barrel section, Johnny Stamp and Gren Pickin in the phosphate shop, Alf Trubody in the dem shop, June Gastinger, Sue Berrow, Brian Kilgallon, Mick Lahane and Larry Smith in the offices, and Rose and Pearl, two West Indian ladies who were very funny and very rude! Dave Palmer aided Dave Westbury, Lew Jones understudied Tom Archer in the engineering dept. I think Lew was in command when the company finally folded. Mike Burrell, a dear friend who died much too early was assistant to Colin Prosser the tech. dir. and did a lot of research into barrel plating. Mick Lahanes wife ran the canteen and produced a real he mans cooked breakfast for a princely nine pence, cheaper than a pint of mild in the Cape.
Match and pleasure fishing was the big sporting interest, and the angling section was very active; Ionic supplied a mini bus and driver so we could have a pint after a match, and the annual "fishing club do" was always a hoot.
Although I never regretted leaving Ionic for a better job, I also never found anywhere else where you could have as many laughs in spite of, or even because of, working hard, and I missed that. A couple of us were sent on a residential Shop Floor Supervisors course run by the Engineering Employers Federation, which was my first management qualification, and has stood me in good stead to this day, even though I'm retired. In some ways I think the management would be seen as paternalistic by some today, but it wasn't any the worse for it in my opinion; they looked after their people.
As Andrew said it was a good place to work.
Freddy
Hi Freddy, I was at Ionic at what seems the same time as you (1967-1970). I came as a qualified chemist and worked in the lab. I remember all those people mentioned. I was intially at Grove Street doing R&D, then to Dudley for a stretch, finally back to Grove Street. I remember Mike Turley very well, and was shocked to see that you wrote the 'late' Mike Turley. There was another person in the lab at Dudley at that time (1967-8) but I cannot recall his name.
Among the lab people was Roy Castle and Robin Tea. Colin Prosser was director, with Clive Pearce as chief chemist. Then Azam Azamgarhi appeared on the scene. His reorganisation of the lab at that time was problematic.
It did cause a commotion when Margaret Howe and I left the company rather dramatically.
But it was an interesting place to work, and a great transition from the academic work of university to the reality of industry!
Brian
Among the lab people was Roy Castle and Robin Tea. Colin Prosser was director, with Clive Pearce as chief chemist. Then Azam Azamgarhi appeared on the scene. His reorganisation of the lab at that time was problematic.
It did cause a commotion when Margaret Howe and I left the company rather dramatically.
But it was an interesting place to work, and a great transition from the academic work of university to the reality of industry!
Brian
David Quick
master brummie
I’m the Dave Quick that Freddy refers to in his last post. Amazed to see my name come up like that after 50 years. Freddy, forgive me, I don’t really remember you. But were you the guy with the Morris Traveller? I was in the lab from 1964 to 1968 under Eddie Baker and ended up as process chemist on the vat section when Eddie Hiscox moved up. I regretted leaving Ionic for a long time but I was young and impetuous and desperate to get out of Birmingham at the time. It was without doubt my happiest time ever in employment. The place was full of characters and events that stick in your memory. I never forgot the place. Some memories:
Dave Clarke was a big buddy of mine, lost touch when I left. There was a nice old guy who worked the vat chrome, I think his name was George Benson. Dave C and I used to drink with him in the Engine. It was a bit of a race as to what would get him first, the copious pints of mild he consumed or the chrome ulcers.
I recall an inebriated Ernie Cale leading a Christmas singsong from a table in the Cape one year. Ernie’s nephew Steve Bott working in sales for a time. Steve was the ultimate mod, floral tie, Rod Stewart hair, the lot.
Jim Alldrick and I used to fetch the bacon sandwiches at morning break when everybody congregated around a desk in the corner of the lab. Great banter, loudest voice award went to Frank Paget who was getting married to a girl in sales.
Eddie Hiscox used to give me a ride home in his Austin Healey Sprite.
Alan Kenney, great practical joker. He would fill your boots with screws and on one occasion glued somebody’s boots to the floor. He also made a pulley system for lowering a large dummy spider in to the doorway to scare the girls when they came through the lab.
Tom Ketteridge, I last bumped into him some years later at M&T when they were in North London.
Bert Wallbank always gave a short speech at the Ionic Christmas party, there was always a risqué joke in it.
During summer, we used to sun bathe or kick a ball about on the flat roof above the lab. Needless to say the atmosphere wasn’t too good up there. Colin Prosser put a stop to it, quite rightly.
The wiring section was a place to avoid if you were a young man. The ladies there were, shall we say, not shy. It wasn’t the place to be if you were easily embarrassed. Roy Castle married one of the girls at a very young age. I bumped into him many years layer at Pender Plating in Poole (Twickenham Plating Group Ltd), where I eventually ended up.
Dave Quick
Dave Clarke was a big buddy of mine, lost touch when I left. There was a nice old guy who worked the vat chrome, I think his name was George Benson. Dave C and I used to drink with him in the Engine. It was a bit of a race as to what would get him first, the copious pints of mild he consumed or the chrome ulcers.
I recall an inebriated Ernie Cale leading a Christmas singsong from a table in the Cape one year. Ernie’s nephew Steve Bott working in sales for a time. Steve was the ultimate mod, floral tie, Rod Stewart hair, the lot.
Jim Alldrick and I used to fetch the bacon sandwiches at morning break when everybody congregated around a desk in the corner of the lab. Great banter, loudest voice award went to Frank Paget who was getting married to a girl in sales.
Eddie Hiscox used to give me a ride home in his Austin Healey Sprite.
Alan Kenney, great practical joker. He would fill your boots with screws and on one occasion glued somebody’s boots to the floor. He also made a pulley system for lowering a large dummy spider in to the doorway to scare the girls when they came through the lab.
Tom Ketteridge, I last bumped into him some years later at M&T when they were in North London.
Bert Wallbank always gave a short speech at the Ionic Christmas party, there was always a risqué joke in it.
During summer, we used to sun bathe or kick a ball about on the flat roof above the lab. Needless to say the atmosphere wasn’t too good up there. Colin Prosser put a stop to it, quite rightly.
The wiring section was a place to avoid if you were a young man. The ladies there were, shall we say, not shy. It wasn’t the place to be if you were easily embarrassed. Roy Castle married one of the girls at a very young age. I bumped into him many years layer at Pender Plating in Poole (Twickenham Plating Group Ltd), where I eventually ended up.
Dave Quick
Hi Dave, Hi Brian,
What a treat to hear from you both; really made my day.
Dave I remember you and Jeannie very well. Did you ever tell her about your feelings for Servilan in Blake's Seven and Nyree Dawn Porter in The Forsythe Saga?
I was indeed the guy with the Morris, only it wasn't a Traveller, just a white saloon. When Judith and I got wed, and went on a brief honeymoon, some bright spark (probably Alan b****** Kenny!) wired a kipper behind the radiator. I only found the wretched thing three days later when we got to Carlisle!
In those days I was known as Fred Molloy, not Freddy so that might ring a bell. I started as a research chemist with Roger Hayward and Mike Nixon but rapidly got bored and transferred to process chemistry, almost exclusively on the barrel section. Jimmy Alldrick and I worked shift about for what felt like donkeys years.
Brian, I can remember to this day when you and Margaret Howe "left the company rather dramatically." Typically, me being as dumb as a rock, I hadn't a clue what was afoot. I was coming up the stairs from Reception when you both walked past me and Margaret said "Bye bye Fred we'll be leaving you now" and gave a little wave. I just bimbled on thinking it was some sort of joke. When I got into the Lab and asked what was gong on, all I got was The Thousand Mile Stare from Maggie Nolan.
I recall us all going to Rolfe Street baths for a swim some lunchtimes, and also occasionally slipping up to GKN Rec in Bearwood for a sandwich and a game of table tennis.
I remember you in R&D running the AAS machine day after day. I think you were well off out of that.
More sad news .... Frank Paget passed away with a sudden heart attack just after you guys had left. I was absolutely stunned, really devastated. We'd been very good friends and buddies working together. He was the first of "our" generation that I'd lost, and poor Mike Turley was the second. Broke me up for a long time.
Dave Clarke stayed in the plating trade for a long time after he left Ironic, and was at still at EC Williams in Spencer Street in the late 80's. Roy Castle was at some outfit in South Wales around 2000 odd. Merthyr Plating I think.
Robin Tea married Geraldine, who I think was Tom Archers secretary. Last I heard he was on the road for Schloetter.
Dave, it was indeed George Benson, and amusingly his wife was Ivy, though she didn't play the trumpet! They were lovely people, and Judith and I were very fond of them both. When George went off shift he'd walk into the bar at the Cape and order two pints of mild. Whilst the second was being pulled the first went down without swallowing. Did you go to Jimmy and Carols wedding in Kings Norton? We had a terrific night there with George and Ivy.
Azamghari, known as Aazzonga; what a star. When he dropped a brass Hull Cell panel into the cleaner in the dem shop, Alf Trubody gave him a vat magnet to fish it out. I don't think the penny dropped even after ten minutes. Alf nearly had a hernia laughing. Colin Prosser protected him for far too long, but eventually Bert dropped the hammer. It turned out that he'd forged the qualifications on his CV and job application, and was actually a BSc Pharm (failed) Aberdeen. So that explained a lot.
Jimmy and I devised what we called the "Aazzonga Gambit". If we didn't quite know how to fix a problem, we'd work out what we thought Aazzonga would do in the same circumstances and do the exact opposite. Never failed!
When he had responsibilities in Dudley he'd be at Grove Street, when he had responsibilities at Grove Street he'd be at Dudley and when both called he'd disappear somewhere on the New Road; he was some sort of Schroedingers Chief Chemist, the quantum Aazzonga.
Personally I never had much of a problem with the wiring ladies though I do recall Dan Eaton claiming he'd had to separate Jimmy and one of them with a crowbar on a particularly jolly Christmas Eve. Apocryphal I'm sure. Rose and Pearl the West Indian pair often worked together sorting mixed loads of fasteners; I've still both sets of fingerprints on my bum, bless them. They were great girls.
The Christmas parties (was it The Prince of Wales?) were great fun and equally charged hormonally. I need to draw a bit of a curtain over that to protect the guilty.
Dave, I agree with you, my days at Ironic were also by some distance the happiest of my working life. We were young kids having lots of laughs, earning reasonable money, and learning a lot socially and professionally. This may be an old mans way of saying that I had more fun as a 23 year old than I do at 73, but whatever, it's still the truth.
The only downside was the place being full of Bluenoses!
The best of luck to you both, and all the other ex-Ironics, it's been great to hear from you and know that you are well
Regards
Fred Molloy
What a treat to hear from you both; really made my day.
Dave I remember you and Jeannie very well. Did you ever tell her about your feelings for Servilan in Blake's Seven and Nyree Dawn Porter in The Forsythe Saga?
I was indeed the guy with the Morris, only it wasn't a Traveller, just a white saloon. When Judith and I got wed, and went on a brief honeymoon, some bright spark (probably Alan b****** Kenny!) wired a kipper behind the radiator. I only found the wretched thing three days later when we got to Carlisle!
In those days I was known as Fred Molloy, not Freddy so that might ring a bell. I started as a research chemist with Roger Hayward and Mike Nixon but rapidly got bored and transferred to process chemistry, almost exclusively on the barrel section. Jimmy Alldrick and I worked shift about for what felt like donkeys years.
Brian, I can remember to this day when you and Margaret Howe "left the company rather dramatically." Typically, me being as dumb as a rock, I hadn't a clue what was afoot. I was coming up the stairs from Reception when you both walked past me and Margaret said "Bye bye Fred we'll be leaving you now" and gave a little wave. I just bimbled on thinking it was some sort of joke. When I got into the Lab and asked what was gong on, all I got was The Thousand Mile Stare from Maggie Nolan.
I recall us all going to Rolfe Street baths for a swim some lunchtimes, and also occasionally slipping up to GKN Rec in Bearwood for a sandwich and a game of table tennis.
I remember you in R&D running the AAS machine day after day. I think you were well off out of that.
More sad news .... Frank Paget passed away with a sudden heart attack just after you guys had left. I was absolutely stunned, really devastated. We'd been very good friends and buddies working together. He was the first of "our" generation that I'd lost, and poor Mike Turley was the second. Broke me up for a long time.
Dave Clarke stayed in the plating trade for a long time after he left Ironic, and was at still at EC Williams in Spencer Street in the late 80's. Roy Castle was at some outfit in South Wales around 2000 odd. Merthyr Plating I think.
Robin Tea married Geraldine, who I think was Tom Archers secretary. Last I heard he was on the road for Schloetter.
Dave, it was indeed George Benson, and amusingly his wife was Ivy, though she didn't play the trumpet! They were lovely people, and Judith and I were very fond of them both. When George went off shift he'd walk into the bar at the Cape and order two pints of mild. Whilst the second was being pulled the first went down without swallowing. Did you go to Jimmy and Carols wedding in Kings Norton? We had a terrific night there with George and Ivy.
Azamghari, known as Aazzonga; what a star. When he dropped a brass Hull Cell panel into the cleaner in the dem shop, Alf Trubody gave him a vat magnet to fish it out. I don't think the penny dropped even after ten minutes. Alf nearly had a hernia laughing. Colin Prosser protected him for far too long, but eventually Bert dropped the hammer. It turned out that he'd forged the qualifications on his CV and job application, and was actually a BSc Pharm (failed) Aberdeen. So that explained a lot.
Jimmy and I devised what we called the "Aazzonga Gambit". If we didn't quite know how to fix a problem, we'd work out what we thought Aazzonga would do in the same circumstances and do the exact opposite. Never failed!
When he had responsibilities in Dudley he'd be at Grove Street, when he had responsibilities at Grove Street he'd be at Dudley and when both called he'd disappear somewhere on the New Road; he was some sort of Schroedingers Chief Chemist, the quantum Aazzonga.
Personally I never had much of a problem with the wiring ladies though I do recall Dan Eaton claiming he'd had to separate Jimmy and one of them with a crowbar on a particularly jolly Christmas Eve. Apocryphal I'm sure. Rose and Pearl the West Indian pair often worked together sorting mixed loads of fasteners; I've still both sets of fingerprints on my bum, bless them. They were great girls.
The Christmas parties (was it The Prince of Wales?) were great fun and equally charged hormonally. I need to draw a bit of a curtain over that to protect the guilty.
Dave, I agree with you, my days at Ironic were also by some distance the happiest of my working life. We were young kids having lots of laughs, earning reasonable money, and learning a lot socially and professionally. This may be an old mans way of saying that I had more fun as a 23 year old than I do at 73, but whatever, it's still the truth.
The only downside was the place being full of Bluenoses!
The best of luck to you both, and all the other ex-Ironics, it's been great to hear from you and know that you are well
Regards
Fred Molloy
Last edited:
David Quick
master brummie
Fred Molloy - of course, now I remember. Jeannie was Dave Clarke's other half though. I'll search the memory bank and get some more stuff down - this is great!
DQ
DQ