Bachelors Foods

[911wasalie]

I knew Col. Bachelor, he was the Hon. Colonel at the R. Sigs TA unit on Barnsley Rd. A little fat man but always pleasent. I asked him once how he started and he told me he acquired an old lorry and would drive out to Lincolnshire buying up peas then processing them for the chip shops. We once went down to the works to try and recruit a few for the regiment but with little success. He took us into the directors dining room where he told us not to order the pea soup, I didn't ask why.

[redted50]

My mum worked there for about 25/30yrs,in the cannery I think.I remember she once told me they had a visit from a tv celeb,an actor from a 60s tv series called 'Man in a Suitcase'.Think his name was Richard Bradford,from the old black & white days.In fact she got a signed photo of him.Also,her & some of her workmates once appeared on a tv show,filmed at Batchelors in the 60s or early 70s.The show was called something like 'sing along with (piano)Joe Henderson & there she was,sat on the front row.Its a pity they didn't have video recorders in those days.

[JOGI]

Hi KirkuP.Very pleased to read your post. I was there. 1967-78/79, so the names you mention are all familiar to me. Harry Ratherham died 2/3 years ago and Percy Wolstenhome last year. I constantly re-live the memories of my job there. Have you any knowledge of when the dept. closed down?. Regards. John.

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Batchelors Christmas Party

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THE HAGG

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[KirkP]

Hi John...I'm sorry to hear about both Harry + Mr Wolstenhome. Harry took both myself and Dave under his wing when we were trainees...I used to love listening to his stories from WWII. Never ever called Mr Wolstenholme by his christian name, think he got a lot of respect (as did most of you in those days) from the young lads that we were. Plus half the time he scared us to death as well.......I believe that it closed down maybe 2 years after we left to move to Inverness. I once saw Maurice managing a pub in Sheffield about 16 years ago..Never knew what happened to Colin / Sylvia though I believe Maureen married a butcher (think they called him John as well...) over in Eckington or some where like that.

[JOGI]

Hi KirkP. Thanks for your reply. You summed up Percy perfectly.I never once called him by his first name. Harry and I got on very well. I regret we lost touch finally.By the time I contacted him, he was too I'll to converse. Noted your info. about Maurice with interest.The last time I saw him was when he came to my house with a watch( a leaving present from D.P on my illness say 78/79.). All the best. John

[NigelSimpson]

Ok - a bit of a longshot. I am trying to understand what happened to my family after leaving Ireland. The story goes that half of the family went to the isle of Man and worked in Clucas Laundry and the other half went to Sheffield and worked in the Batchelors Pea Factory. They were the Thompson's but the only name I have is Violet who married and became a Crowther. She died in the late 1980's.

 

Anyone heard of any of them ?

 

Thanks

[Kadogo]

hi, my aunty worked in Batchelors canteen on the night shift. She was there in the 60's and 70's, she retired about '82 she is in her 70's now and lives on parson cross, I am sure she could share a few memories with you, I'll let her know about this thread.

 

ps i remember her cupboards being full of batchelors peas, curry powder etc, oh and she worked in the canteen so she also had the blue plates in her cupboards....dont know how they got there:suspect:

 

My Dad used to go to Firth Park School with Harry Batchelor.

[innit]

Hi KirkP. Thanks for your reply. You summed up Percy perfectly.I never once called him by his first name. Harry and I got on very well. I regret we lost touch finally.By the time I contacted him, he was too I'll to converse. Noted your info. about Maurice with interest.The last time I saw him was when he came to my house with a watch( a leaving present from D.P on my illness say 78/79.). All the best. John

 

I remember you John. I was at Batchelors DP dept for a few months in 1973 on a placement from Sheffield Polytechnic when I was doing my Computer Science course. I remember Harry, Maurice, Marjorie, Percy, Barbara and a few programmers and analysts- Roy Nixon, John Hadfield, Paul Barton (?), Mike Hawley, Willie Womble, Peter Stevens and other faces I can't put names to now. There were two operators, Andy and a tall guy named Mick. I met Mick again in the eighties in California where he'd made a fortune working for Hewlett Packard. There was also a bloke called Mike Evans there but I could never figure out what his job was- think his wife worked there too. Remember some of the office girls too Lynne Jeffcock, a girl called Pam and a lovely girl by the name of Beverley.