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Tubes Limited

Barry, dont know if this photo has been on before, if it has I apologise, its difficult to keep a tab on them all.
 
Thanks Astonite, but I did see that one some time ago. You,re right though, it is difficult keeping tabs on all the great pictures that come up here. Thanks again for the thought. Barry.
 
does anybody remember my dad henry maddox he worked at tubes most of his life moving to oldbury when aston closed down he worked in the wages office thanks steve
 
Hi hotdogboy. Sorry but ive only just noticed your contribution to this thread. I never knew your Dad, although I worked there from 1964-70, and 1971-77, but what a great department to have worked in. I thanked people like him every week, back then. Hopefully someone on this site will remember him and get in touch. Fingers crossed.
 
Hi there, i,m trying to find out if anyone can remember my uncle who worked at Tubes in the early seventies. His name was Jim Bird and he sadly passed away in the seventies at the age of 46. As far as can be recalled he was still working for Tubes when he died and i was just trying to find out if anyone had any recollections of my uncle. I believe he worked on the shop floor.
Hoping you can help,
Regards,
ian.
 
Hi there, just joined this web site, amazing. I worked at Rocky Lane, TI Tubes, from 1971-1983 until HCD (Fine Finshing Dept) moved to Corby when the amalgation took place with British Steel. I read earlier posts and remember Eddy and Graham Merrell. I was in the same year at Nechells Park Sec.Mod as Graham. I started in Postal Dept then moved to FF.
Names I remember Don Fathers, Roy Williams, John Fergus, Albert Storer, Jack Evans (QC) George Spicer, Brian Page, Brenda Baker, Jeanette Johnson, Ann Dalton (Postal) and many many more. I hold such fond memories as this was my first serious job after leaving school.
Regards
Sue
 
The cafe is still there, Ive been working there the past 3 weeks, I took a couple of photos not very good quality I'm afraid I took them on my phone though the cafe window, I'll take my camera tomorrow and take some better ones.
 
hi mariew
brillient pictures and i am surprized the cafe is still there
that cafe was a little gold mine in those days even before them days early as the late 1800s
and the early 1900s many years ago in the dark ages the jelfs had that one before progressing up to the aston cross circle
i also worked at tubes in days gone bye along with my dear old friend bazz
i was the number one over head crane driver in the foundry i can remembner quite afew of those people you have mentioned
going by the pictures some body as cleaned the out side up brillient
incidently if my de
 
I'm glad I bought some good memorises back to you Astonian, I remembered my camera this time and took a few more photos, I didn't take many as we are busy ona thursday and friday, but if i have time I'll take more of the area next week.
 
Marie. Wonderful pictures again. I know it must seem strange, but I love anything to do with Rocky Lane, and especially the old forge building. I spent 12 years in total working in that old building, so its a fair piece of my life. And its great that you take the time to take pictures, and post them for my old mate Astonian, and me. Cheers, Barry.
 
Thanks Bazz I love it around there, I think that because I know I was born in that area, even though my parents moved when I was 3 I still think of Nechells as my roots, my parents loved the area and would have stayed but the house they were in was due for demolition.
 
Hi mariew
yes in deed they certaintly brought memories back to me the storyies my mother told me when i was growing up
about the war yearsand that period when her family used to run that cafe and her father ernie and bertha her mother
she was the only child to them and his father her grand father and grand mother
also by showing us all those pics of tubes and the rear gates where i chatted up my now dutchess whilst working the night shift there
and bazz and the lads and myself used to nipp across there in the after noon shifts and evening s in the pub the hen and chicks as it was in those days then the gaffers got wind of it and they started to wind down the shutters of the main gate and they told us if we get seen going over to the hen and chicks we was fired as sir alan sugar would say youre fired
but one or two of us took chances my period along with bazz was a great time you could not wish for a better crew of guys to work along side off we was one great family it was sad when they closed down for good old big bill antrobus was the chief along with stan fisher under foreman
i grew up with stans lad we went to school together and we was neibours he stole my childhood sweet heart from me
i moved away from the area and joined the army only to find out about jenny gough my childhood heart throb had married col fisher my old school chum
i was reallymoved and heart broken as i stood in the back ground of aston parish church from the rd looking down the church path and stareing i am pretty sure she seen me standing ang watching me as she glanced my way
still i have often wondered would havbe it worked out between us and also to say i do not regret marrying her as i have the best woman in the world today my old dutchess thirty odd years of marrige and still in love with each other
mareiw i think i will sign off here as i am starting to ramble on here well marie just keep them coming great pics and yet again i will sday thanks for the memoris
best wishes astonion
 
Mariew
may god bless you
its my pleasure with out your input i could not have these priceless memories to remmoniss upon
astonion # alan .
 
Re: tubes

Hello mkent1

My dad was Wiiliam (Bill) Fell and he worked at Tubes for a number of years until he died in 1970. I remember him talking about Donald Fell and I think we might be related, but I'm not sure.

Cheers
 
Re: tubes

Hello there Libermann. I never knew William, but I did have the pleasure of working with Don for about 6 years. We worked in the forgeing dept of Tubes Ltd, in Rocky Lane. He was a foreman, and I worked in the foremens office, on the shop-floor. I do hope you can find out if they were related. One thought though, there is a friend of mine on this forum called Astonian. You will be able to contact him and ask him if he knows anything. Like me, he knew Don and he might have heard of William. If you have any difficulty let me know and I will help all I can. By the way, WELCOME to the site. Barry.
 
Hi Barry ;
yes they was related and will; was on and around the shop floor he was on the tubes inspection team
and the health and safty and training officier for the forge and other departments
and it was him whom trained me for the over head crane driving postion before i was tested to pass the test
and i had to take a test before an official health and saftey offier whom comes to the factorys
and got my official health and safety crane licence and albut crump was the number one slinger
around the forge whom was my mentour slinger whom was my parner for the day
whom had to give me the instructions by hand to me whilst i was operating the crane with the official health and safety officier standing next to me in the cab from the birmingham branch of the health and safety department
i can visualize don ; now in those overalls he used to wear great guy ;
any way bazz; how are you and your other half ; and the rest of the family keeping and most of all that grand child your daughter had;? it must have been the last time we made contact by em ,
do you recall old john crump from shard end he was a big pigien fancier ; a talleish chap always first on the clock out ; bless him; and do you recall old little stan fisher the other foreman ; i knew his son very well and he lived next entry to mein fact behind our house and his sons colin got married to a cracking girl whom was my child hod sweet heart
named jenny gough ; bazz do you know if the old forge is still standing ;?.
well bazz i will contact you again before the new year as i will be scooting off to the office ;
best wishes astonian ;; alan
 
Hello again Alan. I hope this message finds you and your family well and healthy. I know you've had some problems recently, but I hope you are a little better now. Up here were so-so. Cath is ok, which is the main thing, but Ive been to the docs a few times lately with high blood pressure, high cholesteral and I keep getting blisters all over, for which Im now seeing a dermatologist at the hospital. It never rains but it pours eh ? Anyway, I dont know whether you noticed post No 75, but being as I couldnt help the man, I naturally thought of you. I thought if anyone knows William, you would. I hope you manage to contact our new member and let him know. You know I used to work in the same office as Don, along with all the other foremen. How I wish we could turn back the clock, they where brilliant times then. Well Alan, hope to hear from you again soon. So until then, you take care my friend, and best wishes to your family. Your mate Barry.
 
Alan. Sorry, but I forgot to mention, yes, the old forge is still standing (at least it was in Feb.2010), if you remember, I went to visit it, after I had that invite from the present owner of the site. He was great, he took an hour off his work to give me a guided tour round the old place. We saw the forge itself, the shower-room, and even the offices upstairs. And of course, your overhead cranes. They are still there.
 
HI BAZZ.
Nice to hear from you again sory you have abit of a run to the doctors of late ; i am sure you will be sorted soon
with your your skin problems but getting on track it was nice to have been back to the forge
but in the hour of ned i had a family problems which prevented me from meeting up with you but god willing there
will be another time when i get to brum next week i must try and get down to the old forge building and ee if there is any production going on and pop my head in the door and have a look
i really wished i could have been there with you on your visit still not to worry
i have not informed our new member yet about william yet;
if you remember old don was a little bit stocky fellow and will was a younger guy with a cow gown ;
i can remember him clear as a bell; along with a load of other guys do you remember old ginger
well bazz i will be going to brum on tueday as i have a office in the old rover at tyseley
so i will try and pop over to the forge and i will come back to you in the week and give you an up date ;
barry take care and i speak to you soon possibly around wednesday
take care barry my friend alan ; Astonian
 
Hope you do manage to visit the forge on Tuesday Alan, and look forward to hearing from you. Take care. Barry.
 
Hi Bazz, just to let you know I am an old Rocky Laner! Worked at Tubes Ltd from 1964 to 1971 as a commercial apprentice and remember only too well those freezing games of table tennis at lunch time! The company was thriving then of course and although we took it for granted there were many similar openings in big companies for sixteen year olds to enter industry, learn about people and life and get a qualification. Football dominated my life in those days, played for Tubes in the Birmingham Works League, good mix of lads from shop floor and offices and great playing facilities at their Boldmere Road sports ground. Rocky Lane and the great friends & characters I worked with hold many happy memories for me too!
 
Hello and welcome Richard. Glad you picked up on the Tubes Ltd thread. Just like you I joined Tubes in 1964 after leaving school. Was an office junior in Production Control (Harry Brough,s dept). I left in 197o, but came back in 1971 in the Forge Deot till 1977 when I moved up here. I too remember the freezing games of table tennis at lunch-times, eventually I played for the works team. I also knew some lads that played for the football team too (although Im going to have to put the thinking cap on to recall their names). And regarding the Boldmere Rd sports club, I spent hours and hours up there, before becoming the club steward when I was only 18, thanks to Ray Cook who virtually ran the club on his own in them days. Nice to hear from someone that actually remembers a lot of the things I do. I hope you enjoy the forum, and will continue to post any more memories of Tubes Ltd. Also, feel free to contact anytime you wish. Cheers, Barry.
 
Richard. Just remembered one name from the football team. John Jeffries. He and his brother Jim, both worked in the forging dept.
 
Bazz thanks for getting back, Harry Brough is certainly a name i associate with those days. George Storer (married Carol from the offices) was a great centre forward and i think his dad also worked at the factory. I still live close to Boldmere Rd & you will be pleased to know it's still a sports & social club amazingly, just had a lot of money spent on the pitches but I think the bar would more or less as you remember it. Bert Bates was the groundsman in my days there, he ran the place like a sergeant major but had a heart of gold as the lads used to mickey-take mercilessly! Am still searching the memory banks for John Jeffries! All the best, Richard
 
Great to hear from you again Richard. Now how didnt I remember George Storer ? But for the life of me, I still cant come up with any more names. Am amazed that the club is still there after all these years. And regarding the bar, if I recall right, it was only about 6ft long. With the bar in front of you, you approached the kitchen door on the right, then turn left in the kitchen, to access behind the bar.I dont know if you will remember or not, but in 1970, Tubes had a year of sporting activities to celebrate the club being 25 years old ? Myself, I practiced for months, so I could enter the 1 mile running event, and it paid off, by me winning. I still have the flag/shield that was presented. Happy days. Well Richard, this is great, so I hope you keep in touch, and hopefully, one day, I can recall some other names that might ring a bell for you too. Cheers for now, Barry.
 
Hi BazzM and Astoness, would it be possible for you to repost any of the missing photos on this thread please :)
 
My Dad worked at Tubes Ltd for a number of years, he worked in the maintenance dept as a Universal Miller, later he became a Technical Supervisor. He was also Works Convenor for the AEU for a number of years.
I think he took redundancy about 1979, his name is Ken Crockford.
Unfortunately my Dad lost his battle with a long illness on Friday evening and passed away aged 82.
I know in his time in the tool room he was involved in manufacturing the company emblems that were on the main gates, I was wondering if anybody had any photographs of the gates they could post
I have tried to find some but not having much luck. Thanks
 
So sorry to hear of your loss. Another great Tubes man gone to help out with the tubing up above. I'm afraid I dont have any pictures of the emblems on the main gates, but you are definately in the right place to ask. Hopefully someone here will be able to help. I do hope so. Best of luck to you. And my sincere condolances to you and your family.
 
Lindyloo. Weve just moved house, so everything is up in the air at the moment, but as soon as I can I will do some scouting around and, if successful, will gladly re-post for you.
 
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