Newton Chambers & Company Ltd

[Ted Hills 10]

Thanks for stirring up the old memory box bri bloomer as I started at NC in 1954 and finished up in Warren Lane initially as an apprentice machinist under Albert Wragg our paths must have crossed at some point. I moved into the tool room under Walter Martin and remember Charlie Jordon who during the lunch break would cut your hair behind the tall tool stores, Graham Harrison is another name I remember but the others need more prizing out, was Albert the drill sharpener? trying to recall the young man with polio in the wheelchair who inspected and set up all the gauges, I used to push him out to his invalid vehicle parked at the back of the factory every day so I should remember but its gone. You mention M Greensmith I wonder if this was Maurice who I remember well from the Thornclife firefighting team events, now that really was something else. I finished up in the Jig & Tool drawing office about 58/59 before doing National Service in RAF from 60-62. then continued in D.O. until I left in about '66. Certainly happy days. Ted Hills

[bri bloomer 10]

Hi Ted i remember you well tall and straight with mop of red hair,the guy in the wheelchair was Bernard ? it will come to me later.Eric Grayson cutter grinder,Eric Bradbury tool grinder,Ken Bidwell,worked on jigs and fixtures.I worked on the copy lathe,M Greensmith is the same guy you trained with in firefighting team,Graham Blackburn was also in the team.I also remember your brother David the electrician.I worked there till they closed it down you would,nt recognize Thornclife the boiler shop site is now a large housing estate the welding shop area are all office blocks.Take care Ted.:::

[Ted Hills 10]

bri bloomer- you filled in a few names I've been struggling to recall like Graham Blackburn from the firefighting team and Ken Bidwell who got saddled with Biddle until he strongly objected, of course it was Bernard I must have had a mental blockage, I've just thought of a Clive in the tool room who sold me his rather fine Ellis Briggs racing bike. Do you remember Mavis in the machine shop office, she really was quite a girl. I must confess I'm struggling to place you, were you the weight lifting idiot who manhandled the blank shafts from the storage rack into the machine to save on waiting for the crane? You said you knew my brother David but sadly what you wouldn't know is that he died of bowel cancer in April '04. He set himself up as a freelance gardener after he left NC and did OK at it until '03 when he had to give it up.For some life just aint fair. Ted Hills

[bri bloomer 10]

Sorry to hear about David,and yes iam that idiot and although i do go to the gym six days a week i have some aches that i attribute to all that heavy lifting,and i remember Jack Rolland telling me i would pay for it in later life ,he worked on first vertical borer at the bottom of the m/c shop.And Mavis is still going she married Brian Black who worked on the second com turret lathe down from the time office he mated Harold Shaw the shop steward who allways wore the black beret .i was there at end and when they shut warren lane i was sent down to n/c engineering m/c shop as forman/work study engineer,until they finally closed that down and concentrated it all in the construction shop that only lasted a couple of years.a couple of months after i was made redundant they set me back on to help the autioneers with the sale of the m/cs and cranes,and then to supervise the clearance of all the equipment i remember one of the big horizontal borers went for £400.just for scrap.If i remember anything else of interest i will post it.Take care Ted Bri.

[Ted Hills 10]

So you were there at the bitter end bri. that must have been heart breaking, something that had started in 1793 to finish like that, its hard to take in. In hindsight it was a great place to work for, the training was second to none as I discovered in all the other jobs I had including a spell at Rolls Royce until they crashed in '71. I was lucky whenever I was made redundant I always found a job straight away.You're right about the extended family and great characters I have nothing but good memories about the whole thing. I often wonder why the whole thing collapsed though, surely something could have been salvaged, but on second thoughts most large engineering companies have gone to the wall not being able to compete with the Far East so perhaps it was inevitable, still sad though. What are you doing now? Ted

[bri bloomer 10]

After i finished at N/c,ihad a short spell at working as bowling green assistant for 6 months then back turning at Turton Platts for 6 months ,then finally the last job was working for Sheffield Brass Founders and Graham Blackburn was the manager,it finished up like a mini Warren Lane Eric Smedley who worked with Fred Noble in the maintainance at W/L John Collins,David Whiting,and Alan Heeley the last two you might not know.As i post this reply i am up to my ankles in Thorncliffe News going back to 1946 when you read some of these old papers and they report on the retirements of the old craftsmen at N/C its remarkable how many of them worked into thier mid 70,s doing 60 yr,s plus .and many of them are 4,th and 5,th generations.Just come across a photograph of a presentation in 1957 those present were S C Tyrrel,W H ague,R S Goodhind,and Jack Dorgan,+Mr Morton .The apprentices present were Barry Hodkin Harry Butler yourself Michael Helliwell Clive Brooks Terence Palmer and Graham Blackburn . Also when look through the old th/news the photographs shows what diversity of skills there was in that valley some of the fabrications were amazing the guys who worked in the template shop were real engineers i was just a 2,nd rate turner at Warren Lane the last 14 yrs at Brass Founders required much more attention .If i come across anymore points of interest i will post them ,all the best Ted ,Bri.

[Ted Hills 10]

bri. - What a memory you're bringing it all to life again. When I applied to go in the DO. I did a draftsman's training which included a spell in the training school and then into all three shops ie. foundry and construction. Part of the time in the construction shop was spent in the template shop and by a stroke of luck it was at a time when NC. had got the order to build a boom for the R & R walking drag line in rolled steel sections rather than tubes. There wasn't a parallel section on the whole boom, the foundry pattern shop made wooden models so we could set up intersections and make wooden templates. Then the shop built the boom outside because it was too big to fit in the shop. They certainly did some fantastic work. Thanks for all the names, I wish I'd kept all my copies of the Thorncliffe News. Ted

[bri bloomer 10]

Glad i have stirred a few memories Ted if i come up with anything that i think might interest you i will post them,just a couple to finish with did u ever see the full size cast iron or cast steel stag that stands infront of the white buildings,well i have done some research as to its origin,delving through the Thorncliffe News i have come across a couple of articals it was one of two that was cast for the 6th earl Fitzwilliam for his estate at Wentworth he ordered one but they cast two in case there was a waister,well the spare one was positioned on the bank to the left hand side of the white house,it was cast by Tom Fairies an old family name at Thorncliffe in 1890 so its stood there 120yrs,although i think it was moved just a few yards from near the top of the bank to where it stands now at the bottom of the bank what stories that stag could tell.the other is a story of Herbert Trickett,s retirement at the age of 73 with 60 yrs,well that was,nt a record because William Cliffe worked at Thorncliffe for 67yrs thats not a bad stint Ted .take care Bri .<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<:;

[bri bloomer 10]

When I started work at Thorncliffe in the late 70s, I was shown some nearby houses and told they were made of iron panels, made at NCs. I think that they might be on Mortomley Close. Does anyone know if this is correct, and if it is, how were they constructed?

the houses you refer to were built in 1925 in Mortomley Close ,they also built an estate i think it is in Derby 500 hundred houses,they are built of tank plates about 4ft square which are then bolted together .>>>>>>>>>>>

[bri bloomer 10]

Hi Ted i have been talking to Graham Blackburn regarding Bernard,s second name it was Scott,is nickname was Bunny,Graham says he remembers you well

[Ted Hills 10]

bri - In an earlier message you mentioned Michael Helliwell I seem to remember him from my time in the training school particularly in the gym at lunch times. He started boxing there under TAK and he also had a brother who did the same. At WL remember one of the bothers marrying one of the girls in the production office typing pool, can't remember her name but the other girl in the office was Elaine I think, When you think these times were 53 years ago it's amazing I can remember anything at all, but it's great to have had some jolts to the grey matter. They were good times mostly. Ted

[bri bloomer 10]

hi Ted in responce to your enquiry about Michael Hellewell is brother was called Keith they were twins not quite identical Keith worked in the welding shop they both became formen ,Michael did marry a girl out the office cant remember her name but i have got thorncliffe news report somewhereof thier wedding.i have been reading some reports on the walking dragline,s the one i am reading now was for Calgary Power Limited to remove overburden from the coal fields near Edmonton in Alberta Canada ,it can remove between 50/60 ton per bucket full,the order was worth 1.5 million dollars .do you remember the thorpe twins Peter and tony both boxers just found a photo of them talking to Alan Hewling just before they went to do thier national service.