Davy United Group

[andyf16 10]

On 26/01/2019 at 15:05, Jim Hardie said:

I know you say it's large Andy, but Dimensions: 3953 x 2357 is stretching it a bit, lol. I'm guessing that's the number of pixels in the photo.

What does it measure?

Hi Jim, it measures 380x190mm and is 5-10mm thick - it weighs a ‘tonne’ ;o) 

[HIBBSY 12]

That would be 15" x 7 1/2" in old money. sounds about right although there were lots of different sizes used. Later ones were Aluminium and a good bit lighter.

[Alan S 10]

Interesting that Google Maps takes you past the office block to the top of the private road. It looks very much as it did when I left Davy Loewy for Aus in 1977 - apart from  the sad To Let sign.  I was in Hyd Mach Div on the 4th floor and you'd often look down to  see semis bring in huge castings. for machining. Great days.

[Tykebike 0]

On 15/02/2018 at 00:54, HIBBSY said:

Sorry if this is ancient history but a recent strange course of events made me want to reach out. First a bit of background, I started my apprenticeship in Davy s training school in the mid sixties,before moving on into the Fab Shop till that closed down. I then moved into the Drawing Office as a Junior Draughtsman until redundancy cleared me and many others out of there. I met up with some of my former Davy DO colleagues at Dunford Hadfields and also later at Ashlows, before emigrating to Canada in 1981. I retired in 2010 and these past few years have visited Sheffield every year or so to see family and friends.

Last Sept/Oct my wife and I went to Tenerife for a family reunion. One afternoon we called into a local bar/restaurant for a late lunch and at the table next to us were a couple who we started chatting with, who coincidentally were from Sheffield. After comparing names and places we realized the answer "me too" was repeated far too many times. We eventually exchanged names. He was John Hobson, my name is Alan Hibbs. John was one of the tradesmen I served my fab Shop apprenticeship with over 50 years ago. HOW AWSOME IS THAT? A lot of the names I recalled are no longer with us but at the same time as me Dick Wells and Paul Twigg were also part of that years apprentice intake. Ray Ashton (guitarist of the Bittersuite) was also a Fab Shop apprentice a couple of years ahead of us.

It would be great to hear from any ex Davy Fab Shop guys.

Lots of the names mentioned in other strings on the Forum are familiar to me as I knew some of them as team mates on various Davy sports teams.

I remember you, Paul and Dick in the training school in 66, I'm John Watson and I started in the training school in August 66. I seem to recall that you and Paul were the last of the fab shop apprentices. I had tried to become a junior draughtsman but I was too young and the lads who did get in at that time were only in the DO for a month or two before they were made redundant or offered their old job back on the shop floor.

[HIBBSY 12]

Hi John, not too sure of my recall but are you the tall guy who played football? I guess at that time you'd be in the training school DO with Frank Bellamy.

[Tykebike 0]

On 08/05/2020 at 17:11, HIBBSY said:

Hi John, not too sure of my recall but are you the tall guy who played football? I guess at that time you'd be in the training school DO with Frank Bellamy.

Hi Alan, I'm fairly tall but no interest in football. I was in the training school from August 66 6o July 67 when I started in the Alley. I then went on the grinding section at the end of 3 bay. In 72 I left to go to the Poly but kept going back during the holidays to do stints in various departments.I started in the DO in July or August 76 after getting a degree. I then went into the proposals section where  I remained until I was made redundant in 98.

[HIBBSY 12]

Hi John, sorry still can't put a face to your name. I do remember a Dave Watson. I left before you joined the D.O. as I got made redundant from the D.O. around 1972 and from that time till we emigrated in 1980 had a few last in first out job experiences. The one exception to that was my time at Ashlows were I met up with a number of ex Davy D.O. colleagues for my last couple of years in the UK but the writing was on the wall there also so it was an easy decision to come to Canada. As a result I lost contact with most people at Davy's except for that chance encounter in Tenerife with John Hobson. What opportunities were there for you after 98. 

To be honest I did enjoy my time at Davy's

[Geoff Sorsby 0]

I was apprenticed at Davy United started there in 1955 in apprentice school later went into fab shop as plater welder then in1960 went into drg office in steel processors division which was then at builders center on Suffolk rd left 1963 to further my engineering career 

have got good memories if you worked at Davy’s then you could virtually get a job anywhere 

[HIBBSY 12]

Hi Geoff, you may remember my long time buddy Ray Race. He was a long time Davy man and was at Suffolk House around the same time as you. Coincidentally your progression through training school, fab shop and  dwg office was similar to mine but about 10 years ahead of me. 

Our Davy training in all aspects was second to none and recognised as such everywhere.

[No71 10]

Anyone know where Mouse (Steven Hodges) ended up? I know he went to South Africa along with one or two others but wonder if he came back home following AA BEE etc>

[Geoff Sorsby 0]

On 09/07/2020 at 18:40, Geoff Sorsby said:

I was apprenticed at Davy United started there in 1955 in apprentice school later went into fab shop as plater welder then in1960 went into drg office in steel processors division which was then at builders center on Suffolk rd left 1963 to further my engineering career 

have got good memories if you worked at Davy’s then you could virtually get a job anywhere 

Hi hibbsey 

the name certainly rings a bell but can’t put a face to it 

I went to Suffolk house straight from the training school was there for about 2 years till they asked for volunteers for redundancy which I took think I got about £300 redundancy pay and went straight into a civil engineering drawing office to get some structural engineering experience hated every minute worst decision I ever made.

[Geoff Sorsby 0]

There’s been one or people mention the MD Maurice fiennes but my father bill sorsby was the motor mechanic at Davy’s he maintained the pool cars and had to go to rolls Royce to learn how to service and maintain the director’s rolls Royce 

when Maurice Fiennes left my father bought the Rolls from Davy’s and we had the car parked outside our council house we had it for a couple of months till he sold it to an architect