English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).

[mattylad]

I saw a cooker today that was made by the English Electric company

[Stumped]

Originally Posted by miners boy

Started my apprenticeship in 1964 and what a good one it was served me well last 45 years.Remember Ted Potter and think Bimpson was in charge.Worked in A shop Q line and Hydrotell mills among other sections.Sad when you think of all those lost jobs and skills.

I recall Albert Bimpson. Nice chap. Last saw him about 30-years ago in Oswaldtwistle Library. Was quite poorly at the time and like Ronnie Moss, is no longer with us. I remember that the two of them used to take the pee out of Peter Sagar something rotten. Reckon they were envious of Peter's attractive wife!

[MargaretR]

Bimpson is an unusual name.
I recall a family named Bimpson living on Hornby St in my early childhood.
A lad named Victor Bimpson was a pal of my brother - he will/would be about age 70 now.
Is this the same family?

[Alan Gilmartin]

Love this thread, as we live on Blackburn Rd, up to 1970, I used to watch all the traffic coming up Blackburn Rd to the traffic lights and branch off left & right at the lights, the traffic at that time was unbelievable, on Blackburn - Burnley Rd, with industy such as English Electrc, the Spanyards Mill, Royal Mill, Altham Pit, Gilbraiths, Ironfields, buses coming and going all the time, fond memories of hearing the clogirons on the flags in the mornings of the workers going to there workplaces, that part of Clayton was a very buisy place, three fish & chip shops, two butchers, five or six mixed buisness, tobaconist, three bakers, The CooP, with its various departments, barbers shop, two paper shops, sorry to digress but it was fanastic when I now think about it, a little town like Clayton and all that activity, other industy, Broadleys and Cambridge Press, printing works. Slingers Abotiors, Lens cooked meat factory, Pooles and whitewells icecream. no wonder there was very little unemployment, our parents wouldnt let us sit around, can anybody add to the the indusrty of Clayton, oh I neerly forgot thr Nori, not to mention all the the industry down the bottom end.

[cashman]

Originally Posted by Alan Gilmartin

Love this thread, as we live on Blackburn Rd, up to 1970, I used to watch all the traffic coming up Blackburn Rd to the traffic lights and branch off left & right at the lights, the traffic at that time was unbelievable, on Blackburn - Burnley Rd, with industy such as English Electrc, the Spanyards Mill, Royal Mill, Altham Pit, Gilbraiths, Ironfields, buses coming and going all the time, fond memories of hearing the clogirons on the flags in the mornings of the workers going to there workplaces, that part of Clayton was a very buisy place, three fish & chip shops, two butchers, five or six mixed buisness, tobaconist, three bakers, The CooP, with its various departments, barbers shop, two paper shops, sorry to digress but it was fanastic when I now think about it, a little town like Clayton and all that activity, other industy, Broadleys and Cambridge Press, printing works. Slingers Abotiors, Lens cooked meat factory, Pooles and whitewells icecream. no wonder there was very little unemployment, our parents wouldnt let us sit around, can anybody add to the the indusrty of Clayton, oh I neerly forgot thr Nori, not to mention all the the industry down the bottom end.

Slingers was a Boning Shop, not n abotiors Al,building is still yon, me n darwendosser started there easter 63 from leaving school.

[Stumped]

Originally Posted by Alan Gilmartin

Love this thread, as we live on Blackburn Rd, up to 1970, I used to watch all the traffic coming up Blackburn Rd to the traffic lights and branch off left & right at the lights, the traffic at that time was unbelievable, on Blackburn - Burnley Rd, with industy such as English Electrc, the Spanyards Mill, Royal Mill, Altham Pit, Gilbraiths, Ironfields, buses coming and going all the time, fond memories of hearing the clogirons on the flags in the mornings of the workers going to there workplaces, that part of Clayton was a very buisy place, three fish & chip shops, two butchers, five or six mixed buisness, tobaconist, three bakers, The CooP, with its various departments, barbers shop, two paper shops, sorry to digress but it was fanastic when I now think about it, a little town like Clayton and all that activity, other industy, Broadleys and Cambridge Press, printing works. Slingers Abotiors, Lens cooked meat factory, Pooles and whitewells icecream. no wonder there was very little unemployment, our parents wouldnt let us sit around, can anybody add to the the industry of Clayton, oh I neerly forgot thr Nori, not to mention all the the industry down the bottom end.

'Hygiene' Clayton Laundry was always a hive of industry with it's little vans scurrying about delivering and collecting. Understand they had a contract with Accy Vic' when it was a 'real hospital'. There was also the chemical factory on the banks of the River Hyndburn, hence the name: 'River Stink'. Then Rishton Paper Mill which lay in the dip on the Blackburn Road border with Rishton and C-l-moors. My folks used to tell me you could change your job every day if the week if you were that way inclined. Bliss, eh!'

[Alan Gilmartin]

Boning shop, Cashy!!!!!!!

[steeljack]

Alan , whats sad about this thread, and the Howard and Bullough thead is how many jobs/futures for young people in the area have been lost by the closure of these companies and others , it used to be a natural for a 15 yr old coming out of a local Secondary Modern to apply to one of the local engineering works for an apprenticeship , knowing they would get a good training and day release to the local Tech for furthur education , where the hell have all these skilled tradesmen gone? , Most (like yourself) have left the country looking for a better life , in my view sucesive (sp) British Govts. never valued what they had and threw away a generation

[Stumped]

Originally Posted by steeljack

Alan , whats sad about this thread, and the Howard and Bullough thead is how many jobs/futures for young people in the area have been lost by the closure of these companies and others , it used to be a natural for a 15 yr old coming out of a local Secondary Modern to apply to one of the local engineering works for an apprenticeship , knowing they would get a good training and day release to the local Tech for furthur education , where the hell have all these skilled tradesmen gone? , Most (like yourself) have left the country looking for a better life , in my view sucesive (sp) British Govts. never valued what they had and threw away a generation

I couldn't have put it better. I left my local secondary school at 15 and went straight into my craft apprenticeship with the said English Electric Company where lifelong skills were acquired and friendships forged that survive to this day. Although I left engineering at age-23 for a police career, I have always valued the life lessons learned through my apprenticeship under the watchful eye of my elders which, again, is something much lacking in today's disrespectful, throwaway society. What on Earth has happened to this once great country of ours?

[Doug]

After he came out of the RAF in the 50’s my father Alan Douglas worked for Hawker’s at Squires Gate and then English Electric at Warton; I Know he worked on Hunters at Squires Gate and then the Lightening at Warton but I think there was some connection with the Clayton Works.

[Stumped]

Originally Posted by Doug

After he came out of the RAF in the 50’s my father Alan Douglas worked for Hawker’s at Squires Gate and then English Electric at Warton; I Know he worked on Hunters at Squires Gate and then the Lightening at Warton but I think there was some connection with the Clayton Works.

I am advised that the fuselage and wings were built at Clayton-le-moors and transported for assembly elsewhere.

[SoulManic]

Originally Posted by mattylad

I saw a cooker today that was made by the English Electric company

English Electric had factories throughout the country and manufactured a vast array of products from aircraft to locomotives and cookers to night storage heaters (bought some in the 60s - weighed a ton). They also made their own commercial computers in the 60s and had a computer bureaux in Huyton serving their Liverpool and Clayton sites - anyone heard of the KDF6 and KDF9? - probably not.

[Stumped]

See next message.

[Stumped]

I am given to understand that the English Electric factory at Clayton-le-moors was originally conceived as part of the 'Courtaulds' textile group, but was comandeered into an armaments factory at the onset of WW2. Derilect aircraft engine test-beds were pointed out to me during my apprenticeship days in the 1950/60's. Maybe older subscribers can enlighten us more on the history of the site?

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Stumped

I am given to understand that the English Electric factory at Clayton-le-moors was originally conceived as part of the 'Courtaulds' textile group, but was comandeered into an armaments factory at the onset of WW2. Derilect aircraft engine test-beds were pointed out to me during my apprenticeship days in the 1950/60's. Maybe older subscribers can enlighten us more on the history of the site?

That factory was purpose built in 1939, for the production of the Bristol Radial Engine, some people knew then, that there would be a war with Germany, even though Chamberlain thought there would be peace in our time.
My father went to Bristol at Clayton as a machine setter in late 1939.

Other factory's up and down the country were built for the production of war materials at the same time, otherwise we would'nt have had the battle of Britain when Spitfires and Hurricanes beat off the Luftwaffe. Rolls Royce were producing the Merlin Engines in great quantities.

Retlaw.