English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

My late gran used to work there...Sheila Mclean (Nee Heys)

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

English Electric was a massive industrial complex with many different workshops and departments involving both manufacturing and development of several projects which are barely remembered today. A large ceramics unit ran conjointly with the aircraft and engineering units, together with millwright and electricians workshops. When the whistle blew at days end, the works buses were filled to capacity and jammed the roads in all directions for a time.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

My dad worked there for a while, in the late 50s I think ... we lived on Rishton Rd at the bottom of Charles St. .... I remember the workers pouring down Charles St. when they got off work.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

The British Aircraft Corporation Tactical Strike/Reconnaissance 2 (TSR-2) was an ill-fated Cold War strike aircraft developed by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the early 1960s
Wikipedia
and Aircraft Net for the photo

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

My oldest and best friend's father worked in the apprentice school for years ... think machine tool. Was called Ronnie Moss. Not many apprentices didn't know him.

Have no other memories, except my friend did go working in the typing pool when she left school.

They used to have a wonderful open/fun day for employees which I loved.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Every one keep calling it English Electric.
But that factory in Clayton was purpose built for the the Bristol Aircraft Co, they built Bristol Radial Engines. My father started there in 1939 as a tool setter, and worked there throughout the war.

Retlaw

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

my dad Charley Wood worked at e-e for many years in the tool room

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

I remember 'little' Ronnie Moss well, an impatient, bad tempered soul at times, but nonetheless a competant instructer. Ronnie taught us how to use centre lathes and capstans, alongside Ted Potter who supervised the shaping, grinding and milling machine training and Peter Sagar who oversaw the benchwork and fitting. A very capable team who together, coped adequately with youngsters during their 6-month stint in the apprentice school before pointing us to the department they considered us best suited. The English Electric 'Sports Day' was always considered a major event in the annual calendar.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

The English Electric 'Deltic' locomotive was one of the company's major successes. It was largely built and assembled at the Strand Road works in Preston, though some components were manufactured at the Clayton-le-moors factory.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

The English Electric P1 Lightning and the Canberra Bomber were the forerunners to the projected TSR2 and served the country well for many years.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

both of my older brothers worked at the english electric for many years alan in the stores alongside a chap from rishton whose surname I remember was warburton unfortunately ronnie our eldest brother a welder there collapsed there and died in the ambulance with alan alongside him the year 1982 Alan is still going strong living in blackburn

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

I wonder if he knew my dad who was there from 1941 to 1945. He was a charge-hand in technical inspection.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Can remember English Electric having a Cricket team in the Ribblesdale League, in the
60s and 70s

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Started my apprenticeship in 1964 and what a good one it was served me well last 45 years.Remember Ted Potter and think Bimpson was in charge.Worked in A shop Q line and Hydrotell mills among other sections.Sad when you think of all those lost jobs and skills.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

I saw a cooker today that was made by the English Electric company :D

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

I recall Albert Bimpson. Nice chap. Last saw him about 30-years ago in Oswaldtwistle Library. Was quite poorly at the time and like Ronnie Moss, is no longer with us. I remember that the two of them used to take the pee out of Peter Sagar something rotten. Reckon they were envious of Peter's attractive wife!

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Bimpson is an unusual name.
I recall a family named Bimpson living on Hornby St in my early childhood.
A lad named Victor Bimpson was a pal of my brother - he will/would be about age 70 now.
Is this the same family?

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Love this thread, as we live on Blackburn Rd, up to 1970, I used to watch all the traffic coming up Blackburn Rd to the traffic lights and branch off left & right at the lights, the traffic at that time was unbelievable, on Blackburn - Burnley Rd, with industy such as English Electrc, the Spanyards Mill, Royal Mill, Altham Pit, Gilbraiths, Ironfields, buses coming and going all the time, fond memories of hearing the clogirons on the flags in the mornings of the workers going to there workplaces, that part of Clayton was a very buisy place, three fish & chip shops, two butchers, five or six mixed buisness, tobaconist, three bakers, The CooP, with its various departments, barbers shop, two paper shops, sorry to digress but it was fanastic when I now think about it, a little town like Clayton and all that activity, other industy, Broadleys and Cambridge Press, printing works. Slingers Abotiors, Lens cooked meat factory, Pooles and whitewells icecream. no wonder there was very little unemployment, our parents wouldnt let us sit around, can anybody add to the the indusrty of Clayton, oh I neerly forgot thr Nori, not to mention all the the industry down the bottom end.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Slingers was a Boning Shop, not n abotiors Al,building is still yon, me n darwendosser started there easter 63 from leaving school.:)

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

'Hygiene' Clayton Laundry was always a hive of industry with it's little vans scurrying about delivering and collecting. Understand they had a contract with Accy Vic' when it was a 'real hospital'. There was also the chemical factory on the banks of the River Hyndburn, hence the name: 'River Stink'. Then Rishton Paper Mill which lay in the dip on the Blackburn Road border with Rishton and C-l-moors. My folks used to tell me you could change your job every day if the week if you were that way inclined. Bliss, eh!'

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Boning shop, Cashy!!!!!!!

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Alan , whats sad about this thread, and the Howard and Bullough thead is how many jobs/futures for young people in the area have been lost by the closure of these companies and others , it used to be a natural for a 15 yr old coming out of a local Secondary Modern to apply to one of the local engineering works for an apprenticeship , knowing they would get a good training and day release to the local Tech for furthur education , where the hell have all these skilled tradesmen gone? , Most (like yourself) have left the country looking for a better life , in my view sucesive (sp) British Govts. never valued what they had and threw away a generation

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

I couldn't have put it better. I left my local secondary school at 15 and went straight into my craft apprenticeship with the said English Electric Company where lifelong skills were acquired and friendships forged that survive to this day. Although I left engineering at age-23 for a police career, I have always valued the life lessons learned through my apprenticeship under the watchful eye of my elders which, again, is something much lacking in today's disrespectful, throwaway society. What on Earth has happened to this once great country of ours?

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

After he came out of the RAF in the 50’s my father Alan Douglas worked for Hawker’s at Squires Gate and then English Electric at Warton; I Know he worked on Hunters at Squires Gate and then the Lightening at Warton but I think there was some connection with the Clayton Works.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

I am advised that the fuselage and wings were built at Clayton-le-moors and transported for assembly elsewhere.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

English Electric had factories throughout the country and manufactured a vast array of products from aircraft to locomotives and cookers to night storage heaters (bought some in the 60s - weighed a ton). They also made their own commercial computers in the 60s and had a computer bureaux in Huyton serving their Liverpool and Clayton sites - anyone heard of the KDF6 and KDF9? - probably not.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

See next message.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

I am given to understand that the English Electric factory at Clayton-le-moors was originally conceived as part of the 'Courtaulds' textile group, but was comandeered into an armaments factory at the onset of WW2. Derilect aircraft engine test-beds were pointed out to me during my apprenticeship days in the 1950/60's. Maybe older subscribers can enlighten us more on the history of the site?

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

That factory was purpose built in 1939, for the production of the Bristol Radial Engine, some people knew then, that there would be a war with Germany, even though Chamberlain thought there would be peace in our time.
My father went to Bristol at Clayton as a machine setter in late 1939.

Other factory's up and down the country were built for the production of war materials at the same time, otherwise we would'nt have had the battle of Britain when Spitfires and Hurricanes beat off the Luftwaffe. Rolls Royce were producing the Merlin Engines in great quantities.

Retlaw.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Thanks for the insight, Retlaw. Seems that the site has quite a chequered history, then? There was certainly a lot more going in the past than the current trend towards the individual units that populate the area today. Still, if the units are providing local employment, then all's well and good.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

The last remnants of the camoflage I remember seeing were the black stripes on some of the older buildings on the left, as you entered from the main gate, that was in the mid 1950's and they were very faded.
The gap in the houses was caused by a couple of incediaries, jerry was on his way back from bombing Manchester, and they were clearing the bomb racks, they could have dropped anywhere between Manchester and Liverpool, Clayton won.

Retlaw

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

no wonder the krauts lost, if they were on way back after bombing the mancs, accy/clayton is opposite way to germany, if me geographys any good.?:confused:

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Seem to remember we had this 'discussion' about a year or two ago , think one of the ideas put forward at the time was the Germans were on their way back to Germany (European mainland) after a raid on Belfast or were talking a northern loop back after bombing Liverpool ;)

ps , wellcome back , hope you had a good holiday

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Found this,

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

They were'nt lost, they were on there way back to meet up with the ones that had been bombing Liverpool. Jerry rather than fly the length of England, took off from France on his bombing raids flew up the Irish sea, one lot stayed over Liverpool, whilst the others went on to Manchester, I used to hear them dronning over head then see the searchlights pick them up over Salford and Manchester, and the flashes of the ack ack shells.

Retlaw.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

People seem to forget that jerry ruled most of europe, and didn't need to fly from germany they had most of the airfields in france to choose from.
Remember they were only across the channel.
where were the DDay landings, France.

Retlaw.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

my late mother worked at EE from 1958--- 1984 in Route card issue in the office block that ran parallell to blackburn road,her supervisor was called dennis varley,he came from padiham,and she also worked with jack hacking from rishton and edna pullen from spring hill accrington,i can remember all the buses that used to wait on the front of the factory where the old junction 7 car sales was as i used to walk passed there after i finished school in accrington,when she retired in 1984 all she got was a cheap gold plated carriage clock

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

I must have known your Mum - I worked in the RCI office 60/61 - left to join Civil Service. I well remember Denis Varley, quite a character, Edna Pullen, husband Arthur worked in another EE office. I remember Gladys Cornwall, Joan Hughes, Connie Herbert, May Maudsley, Eva Swindell, Joan Hughes, Jean ? , Mary Caulfield, others who's names I just cannot bring back.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

In the mid to late 60's I was in the Data Processing Department in the top left corner of the building behind the front office block. Our boss was David Holden and he was the only one to have much contact with other departments. I do remember Keith Salisbury in the Cashiers Office - I think he lived in Barnes Street in Clayton.

Initially the data processing was done via punched card machines in which the cards were sorted, collated and reports printed primarily for stores ledger. The data processing was then transferred to an English Electric KDF6 computer at their Computer Bureau at Huyton just off the East Lancs Road.

We used to travel there regularly to test programmes and run the computer to process the data, sometimes working through the night if that was the only time slot available. It was seriously interesting work but we also had some fun.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

We touched briefly on this before, but the English Electric Sports Day was one of the highlights on the Clayton-le-moors calendar rivalling the ever popular 'scholars walks' for attendance. I used to love watching the tug-o-war teams who came from near and far to compete. Remember also a famous test-pilot being helicoptered in from Warton to publicise the much vaunted TSR2 Project which was eventually scuppered by Harold Wilson's Labour Administration. It was the first time that many of us had seen a helicopter close up and everyone was thrilled by the event which was the talk of the shop floor for days afterwards.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Don't know if anyone can help me but my brother in law served his time at English Electric and left in 1974 to live in New Zealand, he is now over 65 and trying to trace any pension there might be. Does anyone know where I should advise him to contact?

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Found this old photo from 1945 era. Dont know how I acquired it, but, here it is. Someone MAY recognise a relative?

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

I know time has ticked on, but does anyone there remember my grandfather, Tom Baker? He arrived from Bristol in about 1941, and stayed on after the War. He was eventually a superintendent for English Electric and died in 1962 aged just 47.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

With War in Europe looming, EE was instructed by the Air Ministry to construct a "shadow factory" at Samlesbury Aerodrome in Lancashire to build Handley Page Hampden bombers. Starting with Flight Shed Number 1, the first Hampden built by EE made its maiden flight on 22 February 1940 and by 1942 770 Hampdens had been delivered; more than half of all the Hampdens produced. In 1940 a second factory was built on the site and the runway was extended to allow for construction of the Handley Page Halifax four-engined heavy bomber to begin. By 1945, five main hangars and three runways had been built at the site, which was also home to No. 9 Group RAF. By the end of the war over 2,000 Halifaxes had been built and flown from Samlesbury.
Wikipedia

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

hi I ALSOserved my time at English ElectriC in 1970 and also remember Ted POTTER AND Albert bibsom ,strict that is not the word .But they gave you a prper Apprenticeship there in them days.
I moved in 1978 to wait for it Bae systems and i AM STILL THERE

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Just seen this picture.
I do recognise one of the people in that photo.
The tall one back row was known as Big Abe.
I have a group photo of 1/2 doz men my father took outside Bristol and Big Abe is on it.
His hands were so big he could pick up 3 ball bearings, the size of billiard balls with one hand.

Retlaw.

Attached Thumbnails
http://www.accringtonweb.com/forum/a...ectric1945.jpg

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Pennylynn - asking about a possible missing pension.
The people to ask are the pension tracing service, part of Dept for Work and Pensions. Contact details via DWP Homepage - Department for Work and Pensions
Good luck

Rgds John45378

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Excuse me for butting in, but I worked as an operator at English Electric Huyton for a year or two in the mid 60's.

Bill Foster, skinny ginger nerd, that was me.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

My father worked at Bristol for a time, I think, in 1945 (he worked at several engineering firms during the war). He was a (tool) turner. I have a BAC lapel badge (his?) stamped with the number 4979 on the back.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

My dad was best friends with Tom Baker, he was always round our house when I was younger. My dad was called Jack Birtwistle and was also a superintendent. I also served my apprenticeship at English Electric as an Aircraft Fitter and worked on the Machine Tool Overall (MTO). When he died he left his engineering technical manual to my dad which he passed on to me. They use to go drinking in the Grey Horse pub and the Marlbourgh club and I think they played cricket together for English Electric.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Great to read all this. I can remember the hooter going and waiting for my grandad ( Bob Catlow) to come out of the Charles Street gate. The tsunami of folk coming down the street was awesome. Then was the added fun ( and some may remember it). There was a massive hump in the road in the middle of Charles Street... and if you encouraged Dad, the driver ,you got the Big Dipper experience ( Obviously not at hooter time!)! Bob retired in 1975 I beleive , got his watch, and cancer got him in 1976. Worked in the toolmaking shop I beleive.
It was a bit saddening when I bought one of the new houses on the old playing fields.
Come and Welcome Club for a pint anyone? I wish.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

I worked on Comps from the early 60s to 1976. My dad was Harry Burrell who worked in 'A' shop for many years

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

I did a very short spell driving Accrington buses ( three weeks, a man can only stand so much of a bell ringing in his ear all day) and one job I did was the works service from English Electric to Accrington. There was a small bus stand outside of the gates and Blackburn, Ribble and Accrington buses all waited for finishing time when all hell let loose with all the workers rushing out to catch their respective bus. The bus park is still there to this day but it is now a car park.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

What about Tom Dooley, he kept us on our toes.
I worked on Q line also then on that big rigid mill opposite
Great days and nights, not forgetting the night shift, bit of fun there with the security guys

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

http://I:Photofile\Blast from the Past

Wedding Presentation being made to a colleague on the 'Machine Tool Overall' Section during my apprenticeship days in the early 1960's. I'm second from the right, front row, standing with my arms folded.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Sorry for my cock up in the previous message. There was supposed to be a photograph with the message, but apparently it has failed to show up. Anyone can advise me how to post pictures?

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

My late mother Evelyn Keenan worked there for a while during ww2,anyone remember her.?

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

http://www.accringtonweb.com/gallery...e=13057&size=1

Click on the above and then click open to view photograph taken on the Machine Tool Overhaul (MTO) section at English Electric, Clayton le moors in the early 1960's. I'm third from the right standing with arms folded. Picture shows wedding gift presentation to Jack Woods by Albert Bimpson.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

I`ve recently read that 54,000 Bristol `Hercules` sleeve valved radial engines were made at Bristol`s `Accrington` factory.

That`s an impressive number. If production started say in 1940, when do you reckon the production run ended? :confused:

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Jim Longworth has published a number of books on the NW aviation history and heritage, you will probably find the answers there Flakmann in the Library I have a couple of his books somewhere, I'll PM you when I find them

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Think that numbers way off the mark for the Clayton factory Flakmann. My reading tells me a total of 57,400 were produced. As Retlaw says there was indeed some engine production there, I remember the engine test sheds down on the Rishton side of the site, derelect in my apprenticeship days. But the production of these engines was spread across a variety of UK sites.

The works produced more airframe sections and assemblies in the main for the war effort as a "shadow factory". Production being shared with English Electric at Preston, Fairey Aviation at Stockport and Rootes at Speke near Liverpool.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Yep Bristol was mostly machining of crankcases and other components from foundry's elsewhere, and the likes of piston rings, bearings and crakshafts which were also produced elsewhere, then final assembly and testing. Father told me they also experimented with water injection, as they discovered that engines ran better & had fewer stalls when it was raining. Motor bike riders will know what I mean. My Triumph 650 twin always sounded sweeter when it was raining, I did some experimenting on my bike and found the piston crown, valves and cylinder head were cleaner when water was added at the air intake. Very difficult to measure the precise amount but I managed it useing patience and precision.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Intersting stuff guys, Retlaw remembering the derelict engine test sheds suggests at least final assembly and dispatch from Clayton.

A Hercules sleeve seizing problem caused by very slightly out of round sleeves was solved by Clayton engineers. I don`t know what we are talking about here; a thou? a tength of a thou? ; but that suggeste the sleeves were made at Clayton. Anybody know more about that?

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

I think that the sleeves slide up and down outside the liners, The pistons run inside the liners which have slots in their sides, and the sleeves - also with slots, slide outside the liners. At certain times during the engine cycle ,these slots line up ,hence the valve effect.

These sleeves therefore must be an excellent sliding fit between both the liner and the outside finned cylinder block/head.

As far as those Clayton lads solving the early seizing problem, perhaps thr sleeves were brougt in for final lapping at Clayton to finer tolerences.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Water injection was used for short periods to boost engine performance and is still used today in drag racing and the like

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

The sleeves were seizing because when finished they were stacked on their sides, causing them to go out of true.
The solution was to stack them standing vertical.
Sounds like the sort of simple, elegant solution you'd expect from a group of Lancashire lads!

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

just saw this tonight my brother served his time at English electric in the fifties, also my mother worked there from 1939/ until 1967. my brother who is now almost 77 went to oz fifty years ago he is coming over in july for a holiday his name was jack cronshaw my mum was called violet. my late husband also served his time there almost a family affair also remember the footfall as we lived in the hygiene place good days .
violet

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Brilliant!! That`s that then.

But I`d still like to know for just how long Clayton were invoved with Hercules engines after WWII had finished. About that time the jet engine was beginning to sound the death nell for engines like the RR Merlin/Griffin/ Napier Sabre.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Apologies DtheP47, It was you who remember the Hercules engine test sheds.



Just can`t believe how many typing errors I make;
death Knell, death,knell, deth knell, de :D

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Dear Stumped
I realise you posted this a year ago but I only just found it. Jack Woods was my dad. Sadly he passed away back in December. Nice to find a picture of him with his work colleagues. It must have been Feb/early March 1962. Thank you.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

The only pistons I saw machined down there in A shop were the Napier Deltic Diesel locomotive/marine engine pistons, they had a copper crown. CNC turned as two details all fit up together final turned as an assembly and the crown details machined on a double head (Duplex) milling machine.
That was in the early 60's, they went I think to Newton le Willows for assembly into the engine although Wiki says they were assembled at Dick Kerrs in Preston. Maybe so?.

Re: English Electric Company (Clayton-le-moors).
 

Emailed my Dad the photo from this thread last night of the MTO and he recognised almost all of them on there. He worked on that section at the time but wasn't on the picture.