Author Topic: Help required on Manlove Alliott co ltd photo  (Read 26943 times)

Offline Bob6

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Re: Help required on Manlove Alliott co ltd photo
« Reply #9 on: Tuesday 25 November 08 19:42 GMT (UK) »
Hello again Porridge,
 I took another look at my Manlove's cuttings and the Evening Post report dated May 8 2000. shows a photo of Ron Archer.
Another cutting dated July 3 2000 shows your Dad with Harold Willis, Geoff Moore(he wrote the article) Ernie Taylor, George Varley and your Dad looking drunk!! He is being held up by George Varley.
These will interest you when we meet but I would think they may be available to see at the Nottingham Evening Post.
The 2000 reunion was held at the Rose and Crown on Derby Road.  Hope it is still there!
Bob6

Offline porridge

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Re: Help required on Manlove Alliott co ltd photo
« Reply #10 on: Wednesday 26 November 08 09:17 GMT (UK) »
Hello Bob6,

Wow, they are some names from the past!

I always remember Ron walking around or sitting in his office at the back of the maintenance electricians area, always wearing a white overhaul/jacket.

As a family we used to to know Harold, Geoff and Ernie very well and Eric slightly as I think they were all service engineers who like my dad used to go out installing/fixing machines on customers sites.

Harold always seemed to be laughing/smiling and I cannot remember him ever not being jovial.

I think Geoff was one of the younger engineers and I think lived at Clifton?

They are pictures I would certainly like to see. I will check out the Rose and Crown on Derby road and get back to you.

Porridge

Offline Bob6

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Re: Help required on Manlove Alliott co ltd photo
« Reply #11 on: Wednesday 26 November 08 11:06 GMT (UK) »
Hello again Porridge,
This morning I met a chap who worked in the Tin shop at Manlove's and lives near me.   He informed me that the meetings are now held at Hyson Green Football Club.  He has promised to let me know when and where the next reunion will take place.  I will pass this on to you but it will not be until early May.   Bob6.

Offline porridge

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Re: Help required on Manlove Alliott co ltd photo
« Reply #12 on: Wednesday 26 November 08 16:55 GMT (UK) »
Hi Bob6,

Thats good news, I will await your response. Pity it is no sooner.

My Uncle Tommy Meakin used to work there as did My Dads best Friend Percy Gregory. I think Percy worked in the Gun shop, not sure where Uncle Tom worked.

I wonder what happened to Stan Hale?

I also rember my dad referring to a guy who worked in the pattern shop? (used to create the wood/sand moulds for the foundry) as Nos Mo King, named after the sign on the door.

Regards

Porridge


Offline Bob6

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Re: Help required on Manlove Alliott co ltd photo
« Reply #13 on: Wednesday 26 November 08 19:54 GMT (UK) »
Hi Porridge.
I remember the name Percy Gregory but I cannot put a face to it.
I believe Stan Hale set up a firm supplying work clothes with a good friend of mine Derek Thomson.  Derek worked in Sales under Stan.  Stan is on a group photo in my clippings.  Someone sent the photo to the Evening Post asking for identification of people in the group.
I worked two years in the Gun shop from 1949 then went in the Drawing Office working with Herbert "Tanner" Allen who was a part time professional footballer with Forest and County.  My section Leader was Harry Depledge, who became Chief Draughtsman and the Chief Draughtsman was Ted Appleton who became Technical Director.
After that I worked on all sections as a "Utility Man", did my National Service in the RAF 1955-1957 then left Manloves in 1960.
It is ironic that all this contact has come from me identifying the Rotary Dryer in the first instant, but I never received a reply from Hireman.
Bob6

Offline porridge

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Re: Help required on Manlove Alliott co ltd photo
« Reply #14 on: Thursday 27 November 08 07:27 GMT (UK) »
Hello Bob6,

Something my dad said after I left has been triggered by your comments and I now seem to recollect that Stan had some connection with a work clothing group. I remember Stan being very supportive, after my mum was taken ill, whilst dad was working at an exhibition at Olympia in London in the late 50's. We have a picture somewhere of a group in white overhauls setting up and operating a 4 roll ironing machine at the exhibition.

My other small recollections of Stan was of quite a dapper individual, well suited to sales and heading up a company. he came over as quite charasmatic.

With us having started this chain of dialogue I have had quite a few memories of both my days at Manloves as a child visiting in my dads car as well as a young apprentice. One sad memory in particular, whilst there as an apprentice electrician, was one of the older electricians/maintenance men being found deceased on one of the 'posh' toilets in the office area. Apparently he used to do this as part of his routine every day after getting to work early. This must have been a long time after you left, maybe in the late 60's.

One of the most vivid memeories I had was watching them pouring in the foundry, which to a young 17 year old lad seemed quite magical.

Uncle Percy (Gregory) was a fitter and my recollection of him at work was assembling Sterilisers in the gun shop?

One of the machines under development after I left that dad talked about often was an oil fired ironing machine which I suppose was as a result of the lack of steam supply in many new laundries and hospitals.

Another mememory, sorry if they are darting about a little, was of dad going to Carlshalton? where a laundry employee had been killed when a pulley wheel on top of an extractor came off during operation?

And a silly mememory that shapes my  inclination towards certain numbers even today was my personnel clocking on number of 711.

Regards Porridge

p.s. was the Rose and Crown the pub just down from the Queens medical centre after leaving University on the way in to town on the left?

p.p.s Also Ironic is the fact that the QE2 finally docked at Dubai yesterday, 40 years to the day she first set sail with a Manloves equipped laundry, Jimmy and, I am sure, a number of his colleagues having been responsible for installing and setting it up. He used to bring back pictures and other items from the time he spent on board getting it set up. I bet it was all replaced a long time in the past, by the time it set sail on its last voyage.

Offline Bob6

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Re: Help required on Manlove Alliott co ltd photo
« Reply #15 on: Thursday 27 November 08 22:27 GMT (UK) »
Hello again Porridge,
I do not recall Oil filled Ironers but I spent some time in the D.O. working with Harry Boam, he was the ironer design section leader.
About the extractor, we tested them by checking the r.p.m.  To do this a hole was drilled and tapped in the brass capnut which held the basket down, and a rod with a pulley wheel fitted.  A belt from the pulley to a rev. counter. Someone called out the time and I recorded the r.p.m. 
One day as I was recording the speed, the rod and pulley wheel shot past my ear!  The rod had stretched the thread in the brass capnut until it flew off missing me by inches!
Yes that is the Rose and Crown but the last meeting was held at Hyson Green Football Club.
Bob6

Offline datman

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Re: Help required on Manlove Alliott co ltd photo
« Reply #16 on: Saturday 07 February 09 11:01 GMT (UK) »
Hello Horridge

Stand by for a potted history. I knew your father very well and many of his colleagues Ernie Taylor, Harold Willis,Frank Buller and so on. In the late 1960's I was General Manager of the Sterilizer and Autoclave Division having worked in many areas  and very much involved with the move to Glasgow when the company was merged with D & J Tullis of Clydebank Glasgow. You mentioned Ron Archer and he and I use to fly up to Glasgow together during the move. Keth Oates worked for me at the time and he later became a very senior engineer within the NHS Directorship.

You have raised some very interesting questions all of which I can probably answer given the time.
Oil Heating of Laundry Machinery for instance was a late invention inthe 60's. Striving for ever higher temperatures with steam heating meant pushing up the steam pressure. Early machines worked at 100 psig and were later designed to operate at 150 psig. This meant designing pressure vessels to work at much higher pressures sometimes exceeding the pressure availble from the Laundry boiler . Pipework and heavier design meant generally higher costs. By using oil, heated at very high temeperatures in a special boiler  and pumping this through say the beds of ironing machines much higher drying performance could be obtained from a machine taking up a smaller space.  More later!
Regards
Datman

Offline porridge

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Re: Help required on Manlove Alliott co ltd photo
« Reply #17 on: Sunday 08 February 09 17:08 GMT (UK) »
Hello Datman,

Thank you for your response, very interesting. I remember once being in an area where Keith was doing some tests and I clearly remember some capacitors just tagged on to what was probably some veroboard, a last minute design alteration. My Dad wasnt that electrically/electronically minded and more mechanically motivated but I think he got on well with Keiths group and respected Keith a great deal.

Having said that I think Dad used to get on with quite a few of the people at M&A, able to joke and chat with just about anyone always ready to assist each other.

Although the move to Glasgow was after I left I can remember talk of a manager during the move, some one called Fraser? Jimmy used to work at an office at the bottom of Ilkeston road after the closure, I think it was leased from Pickfords?

I would be very interested in hearing any more informoation you have concerning M&A and of particular interest would be any details of what happened regarding the laundry on the QE2 which I can remember kept Dad busy at one stage.

Are you still in touch with anyone from M&A?

Regards

Porridge