PEOPLE, PLACES AND PROCESSES

Some of the places that I visited were in a terminal decline. They operated ancient outmoded equipment and manufactured products the world no longer wanted. Nearly all of them have gone: their buildings replaced in many cases by housing developments or by refurbishment into office premises. Below is a picture of a world long gone.

(HMFI)-PERCY AND THE IRONCLADS.
I had an afternoon visit to make to a company that had been on the books since records began. Certainly Inspectors had been visiting since the 1870's when it had been a floor casting foundry. Then after the 2^nd World War it became purely a casting pattern maker and then it was finally logged as being a warehouse.

The purpose of my visit was to see whether or not we could hand them over to the tender mercies of the Local Authority's Inspector. The possibly 18^th century building was quite large though it seemed to have had no significant modernisation and a lick of paint would not have come amiss. All the doors were locked and the windows were filthy. The place looked as though it had been abandoned however I finally found an unlocked door beyond which a corridor led to an office. I knocked on the office door and entered.

It was like walking into a museum. All the desks and chairs were ancient. Invoices etc were stuck on spikes and though it was 1969 there was not a biro or calculating machine in sight. A slightly built elderly man was sat at one of the desks; he was wearing a flat cap and the brown coat that indicated that he was a foreman.

He looked up at me, I showed him my Inspector's Warrant and he told me to sit down. I asked where everybody was.

He replied they're at lunch; they don't start back till 2 o'clock. He offered me a mug of tea and a cheese sandwich. The sandwich was so thick that doorstep would have been an underestimate, foundation stone would have been a more accurate description and it had raw onions in it. It was very filling.

I said to him that I needed to see the boss.

He'll be here at two he replied, now tell me, what you do as an Inspector?

I'd been in the Job perhaps 6 months however I was by then an expert! I recounted some witty experiences and talked at length about the demands of the role.

At 2pm dead he said right what do you want to know? It suddenly dawned on me that Percy was the guvner.

I asked how many people do you now employ.

He said it's down to 2 from 3.

I noted that the last figure given was 5. How long have you been down to 2 people?

He answered 6 years.

I queried him, but four years ago in 1965 you had five employees.

No he said but your predecessor told me that you wouldn't bother to come if there was less than 5 so I asked him to say that there were 5 of us.

I asked where the other employee was.

He answered, oh him he's in Hospital. He used to leave here at 5 and run all the way to catch his train at Farringdon. I told him to leave at quarter to 5 and walk. No he said I am paid till 5 o'clock. And that was that. Well about a week ago just outside the station, he'd had a heart attack and was taken to Hospital.

His daughter phoned me the next morning to tell me the news. She then said that her dad had asked whether he was still in the sick scheme and would he get paid from today or was there still the 3 waiting days! I said to her, tell him he's still on full pay.

Percy continued I visited him in Hospital; I took grapes, fags, and a few magazines. He seemed throughout the visit to be quite uncomfortable. As I was going, he suddenly said that I needn't bother to visit him again as he never mixed work and his private life. He and I started the same day in 1914 as apprentices. We were great mates and had many a laugh.

The one thing I'll always remember was when he and I had to get this big metal casting to the Admiralty. We were given money for a cab or a carter. But we decided we would go on the bus as we were told that we could keep the change from the money we'd been given. Of course in those days the top floors of buses were open so we climbed up the external staircase and stacked the casting at the back. 

Then it started to snow so we put it over our heads and some of the people on the top sat in the seat in front of us and then we slid it over them and we all held it in place. When we'd delivered the casting which was like an open topped box we'd run back from the Admiralty to save the bus fare.

I asked Percy what the casting was.

He answered these new battle ships had a lot of electrical gear and the salt water got at it. So what was need was a big box to cover them. The only problem was that when the guns fired the boxes shattered because of the vibrations. So my father had designed a box that would not shatter.

I asked whether the boxes were successful.

Oh yes said Percy, on trial a full salvo of all guns was fired and the boxes never shattered. That is till they hit the deck. You see the boxes didn't shatter but the bolts holding them in place did. We did not supply the bolts, they was Admiralty issue.

I decided to turn down the chance of seeing what the hundred thousand casting mould formers that were stored in the ex-foundry looked like but I promised Percy that I would put the number of employees down as being 5.

As I left he said whenever you are in the area drop in and have a chat and a cuppa. You see nowadays I don't get many visitors.

I never did and I really regret it.