History of Laycocks

[danmattom]

Re: History of Laycocks

 

Hi all Did anyone work in the clutch dis-assembly / assembly from mid 1966 onwards? Remember the conditions? Asbestos machining?

[LAURA4]

My dad worked there in the 50's. they used to have great parties for us kids at christmas and loads of day trips,we also used to go with Mum and Dad on Sunday afternoons to their club

[RMC1973]

To all you ex Laycock employees out there. It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that Joe Winter has passed away. His funeral will be held at Hutcliffe Wood on Wednesday 13th May at 12.30 pm. Joe will be sadly missed by his family and many, many friends.

[RMC1973]

A reunion is to be held for all ex-employees of Laycock Engineering Ltd on Thursday the 15th October 2015 at Laycocks Sports Club, Archer Road from 7.30pm onwards. Please make every effort to attend as this will be the first reunion with out Joe Winter and could very well be the last one depending on the turn out. If you will be attending please let Peter know on 01142 482632

[willybite]

Hi Willy.

I'd been in the CG a while before Charlie B became foreman Morris Rodgers was the foreman when I went in,a real gentleman in ever sense of the word.

There were two Georges, Edwin, Arthur, Harold, Stan, Bert, Alan and Tom who's place I took when he moved into the tool room, in about 1961/62...

 

hiya grinder j i was puzzled about one of the georges, but remember when i worked in clutch m/s a setter i think he was in c/g before he became a setter,his name was george toothill

[Aussie man]

My uncle, Colin Dyson worked there in the 60's he was an electrician. I also had a friend who told me that his father worked at Laycock's and invented the first automatic tyre remover. His sir name was Martin.

[grinder]

Hi Willy,

Not while I was in there, unless he came from Little London road ?..

The two Georges were George Marsh (who sadly has recently pass away) and George Milner.

Edited November 30, 2015 by grinder

[hagardriley]

hiya grinder j i was puzzled about one of the georges, but remember when i worked in clutch m/s a setter i think he was in c/g before he became a setter,his name was george toothill

 

I remember George Toothill, he was a Charge Hand in the Cluch Dept. Spring Shop. He was very anti-union, in fact I got the impression that he was anti-just about everything. A thoroughly unpleasant and obnoxious individual who definitely didn't like it when you stood up to him and told him to **** off if he tried to give you any grief. A nasty piece of work without a doubt.

[Daligh]

Hi Folks.

 

I joined Laycocks in 1966 as a student apprentice, and stayed 'till 1974. The training centre was firmly run by Mr Lambert! I was top apprentice and won the Laycocks Prize.

 

I studied for ONC at Granville College, and took a Degree at Bradford University.

I won two National Awards for ONC.

 

As an apprentice I worked in just about every department:

Machining(OD & Clutch), Setting (OD J Type Annulus), Inspection (RR, Clutch, OD, GE, Foundry, Forge), Production Control (Clutch), Production Engineering (OD, Ford Crapi FF, US 'Spider' Gear Box), Overdrive/Clutch road testing and Problem Investigation, Foundry Labs, Forge, Tool Room (Clutch), etc.,

I worked in heat, cold, asbestos, cyanide salts, foundry dust, forge noise, test booth oil and noise combined! I have been covered in cutting oil, fingers full of gear shavings, wet through with soluble oil.

You name it I seem to have been involved!

 

After I graduated I was sent on Management Courses with GKN HQ Graduates and was made Manager of the Overdrive Refurbishment Dept.

 

The Dept. was new, and I had to set it up from scratch. Before this ODs were refurbished in a shed on the car park. The reason it was needed was that David ?????, one of the directors, had piled literally thousands of service exchange units in stillages, and had had them hidden in an out of the way corner of the foundry.

He had supplied new units in exchange!!!!

 

None of the personnel who were assigned to me were trained in anything. In fact they were rejects from other depts.

 

I did not want this. I did not want to waste my Engineering skills as a works manager. I wanted to work in design, but GKN/Laycocks would not listen, so I left.

 

My experience is a good example of typical British Management philosophy:

 

Hide what makes you look bad, even if it costs the company money.

Don't try to do the job properly.

Show no respect for Engineers.

 

It's a sad shame that Laycocks went to the wall because of upper management ineptitude, but it's true of the rest of British Industry which has also collapsed!

[willybite]

I remember George Toothill, he was a Charge Hand in the Cluch Dept. Spring Shop. He was very anti-union, in fact I got the impression that he was anti-just about everything. A thoroughly unpleasant and obnoxious individual who definitely didn't like it when you stood up to him and told him to **** off if he tried to give you any grief. A nasty piece of work without a doubt.

 

hiya, too true I couldn't word it better I asked for a tool change it was when he first started in the machine shop and he put the boring tools in the machine upside down,

Edited January 20, 2016 by willybite