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Turner Brothers Toolmakers
- Thread starter proper brummie
- Start date
Hi Mike.
Many thanks for the response and for the kind comments about my father. I have spoken to my Sister regarding the Cuban misile crisis and, as she was a teenager at that time, she remembers my Dad's concerns. It really is lovely to communicate with someone who worked with my father.
Regards
Rob.
Hi Goffy.
Thank you too for the kind comments, and yes he did smoke a pipe, in between the Capstan full strength if I remember !!!
Rob.
Hi there, just new to this site. Wondering if anyone knew my grandad Charles (Charlie) Moseley. He worked at Turners for many years, not sure of the dates, but for sure in the 60's, possibly before and after. Thank you.
m.humphreys
master brummie
I can recall Charlie Moseley but I cannot put a face to the name nor what Dept. he worked in. I was there from 1958-1967 and when I first started there was supposedly almost a 1000 employees. Do you have any photo's of your grandad that you could post on this thread?
Thank you. I just spoke with my uncle yesterday, and I remember him saying that grandad was a "P..... clerk", and I can't remember what that "p" was for, although as I read through the posts earlier, something did ring a bell regarding that. If I find it again, I will let you know. I actually do have a photo of grandad somewhere, one of the only two pictures I have of him, and ironically enough, it is a photo of him at work - at Turners. Sad part is I have no idea where it is right now as it is in a "safe" spot, one of many that is too "safe" to find. When I find it, I will post it for sure, and it seems it might be of interest to others, simply having the photo of inside the factory.
Grandad was a gentle soul, one of the genuinely nice guys. He was a hard worker, and each morning, walked from Ladywood to work with his pac-a-mac under his arm, then home again at the end of the day. He sadly passed away in the early 70's, but I remember him vividly as a very special man.
Thank you.
That's it, a "progress clerk".
Bernard67Arnold
master brummie
One of my oldest school friends, Roy Pash who sadly died a couple of years ago started at Turners Bro in
1944, he dad paid his apprenteship fees, he did his National Service in the RAF when he had finished it,
Bernard
1944, he dad paid his apprenteship fees, he did his National Service in the RAF when he had finished it,
Bernard
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m.humphreys
master brummie
Most of the people I knew at Turner's I lost touch over the years apart from the odd one or two but I daresay many have passed on. There is one guy I could ask as he is in his late 70's now and is someone I worked with for most of my life from 1967. If you knew what department he was progress clerk for it would be a help. Another I can ask is my father in law as he was a machine tool fitter at Turner's, it may be he might remember him although his mind seems to wander a little these days, well he will be 85 next month.!!
m.humphreys
master brummie
I remember Vic he was a shaper in G dept. His colleagues on the section were Stan Flaherty and Ron Bowley. I always remember Vic having a brand new Ford Cortina when they first came out I think it had a registration plate with A at the end, the first time year letters were introduced in the UK.
Michael, youv'e certainly have a sharp memory, Vic Stevens name rang a bell to me but I could'nt put a face to it. then you mention the
Ford Cortina and it all came flooding back, and Stan Flaherty, I knew him from way back before "G", he was working in "K" shop when
I first started.
Ford Cortina and it all came flooding back, and Stan Flaherty, I knew him from way back before "G", he was working in "K" shop when
I first started.
m.humphreys
master brummie
There was another big shaper in the dugout in front of the works office Graham and I think that was operated by Tony Hemus. You would remember Vic, he was not that tall and had flowing fair hair and wore glasses and he wore a boiler suit whereas the others wore cowgowns. I think he lived in the Northfield area of Birmingham but not sure about that.
I believe Vic Stevens worked at Turners for many years. His sister Eunice worked in the office (payroll I think).
Vic was a shaper, I remember as a child visiting him at Turners (late 1970s-earlier 80s) where he worked in the far right hand corner of the factory near the front door onto Princip Street.
His memory is fading after his stroke but he still speaks fondly of days at Turners building jigs for aircraft wings??????hope that makes sense to someone!.
He also mentioned being the first aider for the factory for many years
Vic was a shaper, I remember as a child visiting him at Turners (late 1970s-earlier 80s) where he worked in the far right hand corner of the factory near the front door onto Princip Street.
His memory is fading after his stroke but he still speaks fondly of days at Turners building jigs for aircraft wings??????hope that makes sense to someone!.
He also mentioned being the first aider for the factory for many years
m.humphreys
master brummie
When I first started at Turner Bros they were indeed making jigs for aircraft wing, they were to faciltate the fitting of the wing root to the fuselage. They were built up at Turners and then shipped to the customers factory where they where finally set up and aligned. The aircraft was the Handley Page Victor bomber which was part of the nuclear detterant at that time.
The dug out Graham was in between the two ramps that lead from the top part of G shop into the newer part that backed onto Cecil St.
Got it!, Thanks Micheal, I remember working on some large jigs which may be the jigs you are referring to, The "drawings" for those parts were
printed full size onto sheets of aluminium called "lofts" which we would carefully cut out to produce the templates for making the jigs.
printed full size onto sheets of aluminium called "lofts" which we would carefully cut out to produce the templates for making the jigs.
m.humphreys
master brummie
They were built up towards the bottom right hand side of lower G shop. I remember there was a lot of piano wire used to line up various location pads and the measuring equipment that was used was the types used in civil engineering. I think they were coming to the end of the contract when I started but there was a a good few toolies from G shop made a few bob in expenses whilst working at St.Albans and Radlett, Len Foulks be one of them !!. I remember when they had the pads set on the jig ceramatrix would be poured into the gap to make an accurate jig.
This information is great, Vic is ninty next month and old memories seem to raise his morale, Ill pass all this back onto him. Yes he did live in West Heath for 50 years, unfortunatley he has had to leave his home and now lives in a residential home in Water Orton. He has mentioned being late for work at Turners on occasion during the second world war after doing overnight fire watch duties in Birmingham town centre. He said after being late for work he had an argument with some people responsible for reserve occupations. Following this argument he was drafted into the forces however returned to Turners after the war. He keeps mentioning someone who ran a scrap metal company or skip company who used the have dealings with Turners or were located near to Turners. He seems to think the chap that owned that firm became a Lord Mayor of Birmingham.
He also speaks about Frank Turner who had sons and a daughter???The son went on to run Turners???I hope I have understood all this correctly!!
When Vic finished at Turners he had completed 50 years service. His late wife was a shop steward at Lucas, Great King Street for many years too, making flasher relays.
He also speaks about Frank Turner who had sons and a daughter???The son went on to run Turners???I hope I have understood all this correctly!!
When Vic finished at Turners he had completed 50 years service. His late wife was a shop steward at Lucas, Great King Street for many years too, making flasher relays.
m.humphreys
master brummie
The scrap dealers would have been Broadhursts who had premises in Blews St which was the other side of Newtown Row. I think it was also a garage as well as a scrap yard. It was Frank Turner's son in law who ran the company for a while, his name was Webley, I cant recall his first name though, might have been Lawrence. Frank had a brother who became estranged after a bust up, and I only recall hearing of him by his nickname " Shaggy".
m.humphreys
master brummie
Was it Whittaker Graham? I think Jack was a nickname for Webley as I have a letterhead from TB somewhere and Webleys initials were L.G.?
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Whittacre, thats the man, Michael. I have a Turner Brothers notepad somewhere, the sort they would hand out at exhibitions, this carries the directors names etc, you are probably right, but I think the names of their wifes would also appear on these documents as directors of the company. If I can find it I will scan it and add it to the forum and also a letter with my offer of a job (which I took). these items may be of interest to someone.
Do you remember the Turner Brothers calendars they used to have printed, I wish I had one, they had comic caricatures of many of the well known workers in cartoon toolroom picture scenarios.
Do you remember the Turner Brothers calendars they used to have printed, I wish I had one, they had comic caricatures of many of the well known workers in cartoon toolroom picture scenarios.
m.humphreys
master brummie
I always used to get one of those calendars, not sure now how I got my hands on them but there was always one hanging in my bedroom during the years I was there, like you I wish I had kept them that would bring some old faces back to life..............Whittaker's name was Ben IIRC
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Thank you Wendy, That looks like the entrance to the old "K" shop where I started work, it was on the opposite side of the road to the main building, above which was "D" shop where I did my machining training. "K" shop was eventually amalgamated with "D" which then in turn was moved along to the end of Cliveland street into "G" shop, That building became the maintainance department.
m.humphreys
master brummie
Spot on with that Graham, I worked in there around 1962 the moved down to G dept. around 1964-5. I worked with George Wilson and we were located around the second open window from the left. I think Reg Perry had the first bench and Joe Oakley was the foreman.
m.humphreys
master brummie
He was a very likeable bloke, nothing ever seemed to faze him no matter how much pressure he was under. I remember working on those rubber forming tools for the flaps that were to go on the TSR2 aircraft, the one that got scrapped around 1965-5. The smaller tooling for the flap formers were made downstairs, Pete Snape made a lot of those.
HistoryHound
New Member
Hi
My mom and Dad both worked there for many years...Janet Allen and Henry (Harry) Cattell. My Mom worked as a secretary for Alan Thompson and Dad was an engineer/mechanic.
Does anyone remember them?
I remember going to some great children's parties...pantomines were very popular. I also used to visit Mom in her office a lot and meeting lots of people...my name is Beverley.
My mom and Dad both worked there for many years...Janet Allen and Henry (Harry) Cattell. My Mom worked as a secretary for Alan Thompson and Dad was an engineer/mechanic.
Does anyone remember them?
I remember going to some great children's parties...pantomines were very popular. I also used to visit Mom in her office a lot and meeting lots of people...my name is Beverley.