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English Steel (British Steel) 1960's

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I worked in the River Don instrument department, spending time in heat treatment and Izods.

 

For me my time was 4 months at a wonderful Museum .

A short time since every day begging for work to do.

 

Asking for something to d I often had the reply.......... " F *** Hell ... not you again !

 

"Tek a walk ter electric furnaces ".......... I soon took a walk in to a real world of business

 

As it happens I found work, eventually founded my own Companies and bought factories.

 

I do feel privileged to have seen the incredible machinery.

I saw the end when I discovered a worker to staff ratio of 1 to 10.

That seemed crazy to an 18 year old lad. Many workers didn't......... but simply sat in domino and card schools that were everywhere.

 

I found it sad that our Sheffield industrial heritage seemed to have lost the plot....

 

Pete

 

A lot of what you say has some truth, but that incredible machinery had some very skilled hard working people using them . Big machines work slowly and the operators had to keep an eye on them and wait until there skills were needed again. Was the Izod test machine just in side the gatehouse on the north side of Brightside lane

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I worked in the drop stamp shop in 68.69 to 1970 on the 25 6ton drop stamp

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I believe that my Grandad Jim Reynolds was a melter at Englidh Steel at the River Don works. He would have retired in the mid 60's. A small man in stature but as hard as nails and very proud of his job.

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Hi I am wondering if anyone knew my Great grandad he would have worked their probably from the 1950's and below his name was Frank Davison he was from what I gather very high up their a manager or something like that I was just wondering if anyone had heard of him?

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I spent 3 months working in the Transformation Lab for Dr Turgot Onac ( a Turk I think who lived at Grindleford) who invented the maraging steel (D50 & D51) that was used for the under carriages of aircraft ( VC10 I think ). One undercarriage collapsed at Shannon airport in about 1961 probably on a test flight & we spent much of the time testing the steel for stress corrosion in the Creep lab where he set up a rig that sprayed salt water onto the test piece.

ESC also drop forged the long support pieces which held the 4 engines on the back of the same plane.

I also worked in the Macro lab doing sulphur prints on large rolls etc in the South Machine Shop. After a couple of months our Lab coats fell apart because of the sulphuric acid & we had to have new ones!

Good days!

 

Hi johnpm - Turgut Onac was my grandad, I was delighted to learn the above information as he died 20 years ago before I had chance to fund out much about his working life. I had thought he worked on D70 (?) we had a roll of some sort of steel which we used as an umbrella stand when I was very little. If you can tell me any more about him I would be so grateful. His wife is now 90 and I am really looking forward to telling her what I have leaned above. Best wishes, rumina

 

---------- Post added 04-04-2015 at 08:26 ----------

 

Did anyone know my grandad - Turgut onac? He worked in the transformation lab in the 1960s, possibly under Geoff Allen?? Please do get in touch I'd love to hear more about his work. Thanks

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Hi johnpm - Turgut Onac was my grandad, I was delighted to learn the above information as he died 20 years ago before I had chance to fund out much about his working life. I had thought he worked on D70 (?) we had a roll of some sort of steel which we used as an umbrella stand when I was very little. If you can tell me any more about him I would be so grateful. His wife is now 90 and I am really looking forward to telling her what I have leaned above. Best wishes, rumina

 

Hi Rumina, Glad to be of help. I think D 50 & D51 were the earliest steels of that type invented by Turgot & D 70 was a later version probably developed to be more stress corrosion resistant following the Shannon airport accident where stress corrosion was thought to be the cause. The D range of steels were maraging steels with a high nickel content.

I got on well with Turgot during my 3 months there. He was very considerate with us trainees & I had a happy 3 months with him.

You are correct; Geoff Allan was Transformation Lab Manager & he too was easy to get on with. The R & D labs at ESC were inthe latter part of the main ESC office block on Brightside Lane towards the Tinsley end. The transformation Lab was at first floor level looking onto the works yard. On the other side of the corridor looking over Brightside Lane was the office of Jim Russell, R& D Superintendant.

Best wishes, John

Edited by johnpm

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My Dad worked in the special steels division for many years. I remember him talking about the work on aircraft undercarriages. Didn't they also do some for Concord ??

It was a great time for ESC, and people were proud to be a part of it.

 

Once when I was about 10, Dad took me to work with him and showed me around the workshops and let me see work in progress.

I got to sit at his desk and he showed me how to read technical drawings.

 

When it became British Steel things seemed to go downhill rapidly.

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Unfortunately Keith Crookes died in Jan 2012.I am his nephew..Contact me via the forum,but I don't read my post very often or 07748403815 -- Chris

Edited by rooby doo

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A nice old picture of a English Steel lorry

 

 

 

* * * * * 10015706443_9b409c2de3_o_zpsaefdfd99.jpg

 

---------- Post added 12-07-2015 at 16:09 ----------

 

and another one

 

 

*1394428_325528200964729_1525789964623636740_n_zps8996a838.jpg

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A nice old picture of a English Steel lorry

 

 

 

* * * * * 1394428_325528200964729_1525789964623636740_n_zps8996a838.jpg

 

In the lorry photos, I see on the sides, 'River Don Works', that was Brightside Lane, but in the colour photo, 'Vickers Works', where was that?

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I am not sure but I think it was Vickers works before it was the E.S.C.

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my husband work there his name was keith Clarkson his dad and uncle there names where harry and Ron.

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