Tubes Limited

[Richard Dye]

Hi Neiljarvo, I remember you as an apprentice although I don’t think we were ever teamed up.
You mentioned the wall collapsing - the road was Catherine Street, strange that you were working on the 6 - 2 shift as I came on for the 2 - 10 shift and remember looking in the trench and even picking up the discarded Polorode negatives - probably taken by Factory Inspectors ( forerunner of H&S ) and you could clearly see the bodies lying there…..
If my memory is correct, I think you left for a Compressor Service Engineers job ….perhaps Tilghman out of Manchester. ?
You will remember the compressors at Tubes were Bellis and Morcom a great Birmingham Company.

I was partnered with Tony Payton and Sammy Evans and of course other apprentice during the 5 years, I finished my 5 years just as the continental shift pattern was starting and was happy to sign up, earned good money, I was part of Alf Fosters team with Bob Collingwood and Chalky White as foreman supervisors ….even have a photo taken during our lunch break on a 10 - 6 shift, Bob Collingwood is in it as are all the shift fitters, me included …..Tony Payton’s clothes locker is in the background, embellished with the night clubs he would go to ….Rum Runner etc and groups he liked…Smoky Robinson etc
Happy days indeed……often wonder what everyone ( apprentices ) ended up doing and where they all are now.

My first posting after the apprentice workshop was the Pilger Mill ….wow my ears would ring each evening as I cycled home - no ear defenders back then.
I also remember in1963 when I started the working week was 42 hours, starting at 0730 , finishing at 1715 Mon, Tue, Wed and Thus, but 1700 on a Friday…. sometime during 65 it got reduced down to 40 hours and we finished at 1700 .
Day release initially at Aston Tech and then several years later at the new Polytechnic at Perry Barr

The threads indicate that Baz is unable to join in….great shame as he started all this and has been a great ambassador.

Hello Lad, what exactly is the “continental shift pattern”?

 

[Lad in the Lane]

Hi, the continental shift pattern was basically a continuous 24 shift pattern of 3x8hr shifts, 7 days a week.
Typically we would work 6 days on the 6 - 2 shift, get two days off and return for 6 more days on the 2 - 10 shift, ….2 days off and return for the 10 - 6 shift fitters….effectively we got Saturday and Sunday off every 6 weeks…..good pay though

 

[Punch]

Hi Lad in the Lane I left you a message which is the last one on page 13

 

[Lad in the Lane]

Hi Punch, good to hear from you…. Have sent a reply, but can’t find it on the forum
If it doesn’t turn up, I will re type and send again.
The Lad

 

[Punch]

Hi Punch, good to hear from you…. Have sent a reply, but can’t find it on the forum
If it doesn’t turn up, I will re type and send again.
The Lad

Thanks for getting back to me but I can’t see your reply so could you send it again.
I’ve always remembered T.I moto (We made it big by keeping it small).

 

[Lad in the Lane]

Hi Punch,
Don’t know what happened to my reply, must have pushed the wrong button!
Anyway good to hear your memories of Tubes. Unfortunately I don’t remember working with you, but back then if you were on a different team you only ever saw people during end of shift / start overs ….. although I worked with most of the guys during my apprenticeship and knew them all, once the company went onto the shift pattern they had to employ a lot of new people and you only got to know those on your shift
I did a 6 month spell during my apprenticeship working in Fine Finishing at the time your dad was a fitter in the department and I spent a lot of time with him working on the hydraulic circuits of the honing machines….he was one of the good guys. I think he had only recently returned back to work following his accident whilst in the Drawbench Department….. perhaps on the 200 ton Drawbench ?
Worked with Harry Bowen and Harold Armishaw on the machine tool repair section and on the now very rare occasions when I see a Daimler Dart I always think of Ian Cook - you may recall he had a dark green one ? I seem to recall Harold spent his final years working in PPMS ….issuing the Red cards for breakdowns or the Yellow cards for scheduled jobs.
I worked in the Forging Department on several 3month placements - we had a nice fitter’s workshop at the canal end of one of the bays and once the continental shift pattern started and we were all located in the central workshop near the main clocking in gate they set up a satellite workshop in the Forge annex across the road in Cheston Street…..far enough away from the main workshop and a nice place to escape to for a quite break , no phone or tannoy …..that is until your dad came hunting for us!

Around 5 years ago I downsized , had a massive clear out …..not enough space in my small place for everything, but my daughter kept the photos - next time I’m there and it’s warmer I will go into the loft and dig out the photo and very happily send it over for you guys to enjoy. It’s a good one of your dad …he is standing whilst the rest of us are all sitting round the mess table.

……weather like today I would certainly prefer to be in the forge standing in front of one of the open furnaces - no winter fuel allowance needed there !
Happy days
The Lad

 

[Punch]

Hi Lad thanks for your very interesting reply.First of all I agree there’s nothing like standing in front of a furnace with a temperatures of 1200 degrees in the middle of winter holding up your overalls watching the steam come off them before you put them on.The forge it self was very cold in the winter due to the heat from the furnaces pulling cold air in from outside hence we wore donkey coats.
I can recall the maintenance department in the forge it was in 2 bay with a emergency exit and a small wooden office where the fitters would have there break,3 people in there and it would be full.
When I was a welder my little work shop was next to the sub station.
I remember some of the apprentices who became fitters like Nigel Brooks,Peter Woods who joined the cruise ships then came chief maintenance engineer for Solihull Health Authority and Tony Harris who became a prison officer.
As a 11year old I’ll never forget being woken up in the early hours of the morning as two ambulances personnel bought Dad into our flat with a plaster cast above his knee after his foot being trapped by the dog on the 200 ton draw bench.
I’ve never seen my dad in so much pain and the results of that accident affected him for the rest of his life.
Looking forward to see the group photo and Dad.Thanks

 

[Lad in the Lane]

Hi Punch, your reply has made my day …. remember working with Nigel Brooks both as apprentices and then as he was a couple of years older than me him as a fitter and me still as an apprentice - we made and fitted replacement hydraulic steel pipes for the GFM machine. And interesting to hear about Peter Woods ( Pete ) …. I certainly recall him, but never worked with him, he would have been about 3 years older than me , he used to shuffle around with his boots untied always seemed very laid back …..when he had finished his apprenticeship he worked in the forge and cadged a pair of overalls from a GFM service engineer over from Germany ….very smart grey with zipped chest pockets ….good to hear what he got upto, did well for himself by the sounds of things
Nigel was still there when I left and I often wondered how long he stayed …. recall him changing from motorbikes to cars…he bought a Singer Sunbeam version of the mini ….. I had an old A35 van !
And yes Tony Harris I also recall ….a prison officer, thankfully I never got to meet him in that capacity….probably Winston Green ?
Certainly happy days, sorry to hear that your dad passed away ….way of the world, I guess he would have been in his early 80s ? Just hope he was able to enjoy his retirement years
Best regards
The Lad

 

[Lad in the Lane]

Hello late to this site but was an apprentice from 64 to 69 and left in 70 after a stint in the forge as a fitter.
Played football for the brilliant first team on the best pitch in the midlands carefully looked after by Bert Bates.
Remember having to get a move on when the " bolts went on the Pilger Mill main drive sheared" and the alarm sounding when the rotary hearth furnace stopped rotating!
Great times with special people especially the characters in the fitting shops.

Hi Neil,
I’m a Newbe to the site and am only just beginning to understand how it works…I think this reply may trigger a ‘ pop up ‘ notification for you?
I’ve shared a few memories with Punch …see pages 13 and 14 and your posts also awakened memories from the past….
Pilger Mill,,.. recall changing those sheer pins and then on the bench knocking out the broken halves and replacing them with new ones…..also manually baring the main drive wheel on the mills so the rolls could be dressed during the lunch break- would earn a ‘ straight through ‘ hours overtime payment for that , not much though as my weekly pay at that time was £3 15s 1d
Enjoyed reading of your own memories….names from the past etc.

I was a year in front of you …..some of the ones from my intake were : Keith Davies, Pete Cutler, Pete Rosser, Keith Scrivener, Alan ? ..he packed it in when he was 18 and went to work on the dustbins , Geoffrey Fox and a couple others but those names at the moment escape me .
Strange now reflecting, recalling the smells of the area HP Sauce and Ansells Brewery….like Tubes all gone from Aston Cross and those once great business are no more. ……we will all now be retired and in our 70s / 80s. The old Aston Cross area as we knew it is completely changed
Fond memories of happy times …..the engineering apprenticeship was a great foundation for a career that worked for me……somewhere in a storage box I still have my Blue apprentice AEU card along the Green card , which at the time just about guaranteed getting a skilled job in any midlands factory, Lou from the Heavy Gang was the union guy and would come round each week to collect our union subs ….unfortunately during the 70s the union's, which did a lot of good became too strong and the wildcat walkouts by the likes of Red Robbo at Longbridge was the start of the decline for British Industry.
Cheers from The Lad

 

[Richard Dye]

Hi, the continental shift pattern was basically a continuous 24 shift pattern of 3x8hr shifts, 7 days a week.
Typically we would work 6 days on the 6 - 2 shift, get two days off and return for 6 more days on the 2 - 10 shift, ….2 days off and return for the 10 - 6 shift fitters….effectively we got Saturday and Sunday off every 6 weeks…..good pay though

Thank you! I have used a number of different shift patterns and did not recognize that name.

 

[Lad in the Lane]

Hi Lad thanks for your very interesting reply.First of all I agree there’s nothing like standing in front of a furnace with a temperatures of 1200 degrees in the middle of winter holding up your overalls watching the steam come off them before you put them on.The forge it self was very cold in the winter due to the heat from the furnaces pulling cold air in from outside hence we wore donkey coats.
I can recall the maintenance department in the forge it was in 2 bay with a emergency exit and a small wooden office where the fitters would have there break,3 people in there and it would be full.
When I was a welder my little work shop was next to the sub station.
I remember some of the apprentices who became fitters like Nigel Brooks,Peter Woods who joined the cruise ships then came chief maintenance engineer for Solihull Health Authority and Tony Harris who became a prison officer.
As a 11year old I’ll never forget being woken up in the early hours of the morning as two ambulances personnel bought Dad into our flat with a plaster cast above his knee after his foot being trapped by the dog on the 200 ton draw bench.
I’ve never seen my dad in so much pain and the results of that accident affected him for the rest of his life.
Looking forward to see the group photo and Dad.Thanks

Hi Punch, I’m back…..climbed into the loft and dug out the photo previously mentioned and if I can get the technology to work it should be attached ? …..if it fails I will try again.
The pics were taken in 1969 during our break on a 10 - 6 shift ( nights ) , the pic with 5 people were : left to right
can’t remember, but could be Fred, George McCann, one of the Conroy brothers Jim? not Dennis , Sid who was our shift general guy, helped out with anyone and looked after us with fetching sandwiches from the cafe across the road…looking at the paper on the table he had probably just brought in F&C …Sid was a great guy, and lastly your dad, our shift foreman, Bob Collingwood.
The pic with the 2 people are Wally, wonderful guy from the Black Country, during the war he was conscripted into the coal mines as a Beven Boy , next to him is The Lad .

 

[Lad in the Lane]

Hi Lad thanks for your very interesting reply.First of all I agree there’s nothing like standing in front of a furnace with a temperatures of 1200 degrees in the middle of winter holding up your overalls watching the steam come off them before you put them on.The forge it self was very cold in the winter due to the heat from the furnaces pulling cold air in from outside hence we wore donkey coats.
I can recall the maintenance department in the forge it was in 2 bay with a emergency exit and a small wooden office where the fitters would have there break,3 people in there and it would be full.
When I was a welder my little work shop was next to the sub station.
I remember some of the apprentices who became fitters like Nigel Brooks,Peter Woods who joined the cruise ships then came chief maintenance engineer for Solihull Health Authority and Tony Harris who became a prison officer.
As a 11year old I’ll never forget being woken up in the early hours of the morning as two ambulances personnel bought Dad into our flat with a plaster cast above his knee after his foot being trapped by the dog on the 200 ton draw bench.
I’ve never seen my dad in so much pain and the results of that accident affected him for the rest of his life.
Looking forward to see the group photo and Dad.Thanks

PS You and other readers might also recognise Bob Jinks, pic taken with The Lad outside the Welding Shop, we had entered an apprentice challenge against apprentices from Dunlop, Bob and myself won it ! I seem to recall Bob went on to work in the Forge Toolroom as a turner

 

[Lad in the Lane]

Hi Punch, as promised pics found and posted …let me know if they don’t appear
Cheers The Lad

 

[Lad in the Lane]

Hi Lad thanks for your very interesting reply.First of all I agree there’s nothing like standing in front of a furnace with a temperatures of 1200 degrees in the middle of winter holding up your overalls watching the steam come off them before you put them on.The forge it self was very cold in the winter due to the heat from the furnaces pulling cold air in from outside hence we wore donkey coats.
I can recall the maintenance department in the forge it was in 2 bay with a emergency exit and a small wooden office where the fitters would have there break,3 people in there and it would be full.
When I was a welder my little work shop was next to the sub station.
I remember some of the apprentices who became fitters like Nigel Brooks,Peter Woods who joined the cruise ships then came chief maintenance engineer for Solihull Health Authority and Tony Harris who became a prison officer.
As a 11year old I’ll never forget being woken up in the early hours of the morning as two ambulances personnel bought Dad into our flat with a plaster cast above his knee after his foot being trapped by the dog on the 200 ton draw bench.
I’ve never seen my dad in so much pain and the results of that accident affected him for the rest of his life.
Looking forward to see the group photo and Dad.Thanks

Hi Punch,
Various pics posted check out a few previous posts ( couple of days ago)
The Lad