Rabone Chestermans Pomona Street

[sheilawragg1]

:hihi:sheila cant place the face but your name rings a bell. must have worked with you at sometime in the canteen or in the warehouse at some point but a lot of time has passed by n we have all moved on. still see roy waller now n then cos we frequented the same pubs at times. Hope your keeping well but cant place the face at the moment. I also remember the name frank think he was a foreman and worked on the loading bay. Did he have dark hair n wore dark rimmed glasses mid 40's early 50's I seem to recall Jax xx

 

The Frank I am on about was foreman of holesaws, he spent a lot of time though in the warehouse and stores. I worked mainly in Holesaws (on top floor), my mum Betty Smith was the inspector for steel tapes and my daughters Andrea and Joanne Wragg worked in F&F. That was on the corridor from the warehouse. You never know we may even go in the same drinking holes:huh:

 

---------- Post added 31-08-2013 at 21:48 ----------

 

the thing that allways got you about chestermans was the smell , it had it own rather unique smell ,it hit you as soon as you started to climb up the stairs to the main foyer . i have never experienced it any where else

 

The smell was from the coating they used on the steel rules before they went to the pantograph and dividers dept.

[Jaxmanuel]

sheila what drinking holes do you frequent.These days i spend most of my drinking time in The Three Cranes although I go in The Sportsman on cambridge St now and then. Used to go in The Grapes Trippet lane, The Museum (now the Hogshead) Dove and Rainbow, The Wapentake, Rebels / Penthouse, Limit and a few others besides., but you might remember my mum Shiela Ball and my Sister Susan White/ nee ball better as i think my sister used to work in the tapes dept and me mum worked in holesaws alongside frank both worked at chestermans for about two years before I arrived, n both left in or around 1981 and I stayed till 1984 when the redundancies happened xx

[Saben]

Robian. I married Brenda Wain! She was promoted to Company Cashier and they paid her half the salary of the male predecessor! Then she became "Northern Area Accountant" of the holding company RCF. When kids came along she took a part time job at an electro plating company. The part time job expanded and she ended up as the Managing Director and chairman of The metal Finishing Association. Now we are both retired.

Last night we had Jenny Zee nee Bell, another ex Chesterman, at our house.

[neilos]

Does anyone remember Gary Stringer or Arthur Lax in the electricians shop.

 

---------- Post added 05-11-2013 at 20:20 ----------

 

Does anyone on here remember Mary Taylor and sister Lily who worked in A Tapes

[John D.]

Yes I remember both Gary and Arthur. I was on the mechanical side of maintenance there so was never under Arthur's authority, but Gary became foreman over us. They were both good guys.

Edited November 5, 2013 by John D.
sticky space bar

[neilos]

Hi John I remember you,i'm Neil I started in the fitters shop in 1969 just after Peter Parker then transferred into the electricians shop and became Harry Jacksons apprentice how are you mate. Neil taylor. You were Jim Swift's mate. Its John Davis if my memory serves me well.

Edited November 6, 2013 by neilos
adding to the thread

[robian]

Robian. I married Brenda Wain! She was promoted to Company Cashier and they paid her half the salary of the male predecessor! Then she became "Northern Area Accountant" of the holding company RCF. When kids came along she took a part time job at an electro plating company. The part time job expanded and she ended up as the Managing Director and chairman of The metal Finishing Association. Now we are both retired.

Last night we had Jenny Zee nee Bell, another ex Chesterman, at our house.

 

My regards to Brenda, say from Bob who worked in the sales office with Mr Booth on Home Sales, then with Mr Beeley on Exports. Good to see she made such a successful career for herself. I think her predecessor as Cashier would have been Eric Ward. I'm afraid I don't remember Jenny Bell, must have been after I had left. Time flies moment: it is 50 years ago this month that I was called into Robert Bell's office and told that despite Mr Antill's assurance that "no one will lose their job as a direct result of this merger" I and many others would be made redundant end of March 1964, and RC is long gone, having been swallowed up by Stanley Tools years ago. Hope you are having having a happy an enjoyable retirement.

[lobster]

didn't Brenda have a sidekick called Sandra

[Saben]

Yes Sandra Gittings married Terry. They live in Thirsk now. We still get Christmas cards from them every year.

 

---------- Post added 06-11-2013 at 13:10 ----------

 

My regards to Brenda, say from Bob who worked in the sales office with Mr Booth on Home Sales.

Brenda & Jenny Bell both started as comptometer operators on the same day.

We often go on holiday with Jenny and her husband these days.

Your tape making equipment was taken to Stanley's Hellaby factory. Then when Stanley Tools wanted to close a factory in France the French government cut up rough. The tape making equipment was then sent to France. As a service engineer for my employer I had a trip to Stanley Besancon to sort some of it out for them.

[John D.]

Hi John I remember you,i'm Neil I started in the fitters shop in 1969 just after Peter Parker then transferred into the electricians shop and became Harry Jacksons apprentice how are you mate. Neil taylor. You were Jim Swift's mate. Its John Davis if my memory serves me well.

 

You have an excellent memory Neil. Yes I'm fine thanks, and happily retired now. How about you Neil? Are you still in touch with any of the lads?