Author Topic: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?  (Read 10625 times)

Ogri

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Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #11 on: September 15, 2015, 03:55:32 PM »
I remember the Lucas factory in Formans Rd ,my grandad worked there in the 60s before he retired & I with 5 others in the family went to Formans Rd school in the 50s & 60s , don't know if there is any connection with pollution but 2 in the family & at least 1 old school friend haven't had the best of health over the years.

Phil

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Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #12 on: September 15, 2015, 04:21:15 PM »
My Grandfather worked at the Foremans Rd plant for most of his working life in the Bakelite molding shop. He retired from there a 65 in the 70's and died at 75 of lung and chest-bone cancer nothing to do of course with the asbestos used in the manufacture of Bakelite. 
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

pickard.r

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Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #13 on: October 03, 2015, 10:18:46 AM »
Interesting to read about this topic. I worked there for a few years starting off in Olton Works and then, when they closed that section down, we all moved down to the "old" battery factory. I recall that when I first started work in Olton Works the production staff worked a system of half an hour on the line and then half an hour in the canteen so that during an eight hour shift you only actually worked for four hours!! Amazing!
I remember the Olton Works being built, I worked down what was called  "The Burma Road" at the time as a contractor and we had to deep clean there once a month due to the high amounts of lead in the atmosphere. The idea of 30 mins on/ 30 off was to cut down the amount of time workers were exposed and were also given free milk which was supposed to cut down lead levels in the blood.

Bobby
You can lead a horse to water but, a pencil must be lead.

inchhi

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Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #14 on: January 25, 2016, 09:56:03 PM »
I worked in the plastics factory on maintenance 1978 till 89, best place I ever worked ,the people were great and so was the atmosphere. The last six years I was permanent nights . I remember Ernie Gray I believe he was a foreman . I also saw an old guy one night who disappeared very suddenly !

RodH

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Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #15 on: January 07, 2019, 10:59:59 AM »
My uncle Norman Smith worked for Lucas Aerospace in Shaftmoor Lane from the 1940's through to when he retired in the 1980's. Sadly he died last year. Anyone remember him? Also his mate Percy Cockerel.

Back in the late 70's/'80's I was living in London but working as a Sales Engineer covering the Midlands and other areas. The very first sales call I made was to the Lucas plant in York Road. After discussing business with an engineer there he said to me "You've just come up from London but you don't come from there do you? I would say by your accent that you come from somewhere very close to here." Well I didn't think I had an accent but I was able to reply that my primary school was just a 100 or so yards down the road from where we were!

Spud

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Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #16 on: January 07, 2019, 11:40:55 AM »
I new both of the People you mention if I remember correctly both worked in the Drawing Office. I think the last time I saw Percy would be about 4 years ago at Lucas Reunion which covered Shaftmoor lane and York Rd, My Son In law and my daughter both worked for Lucas Aero York Road. Of course both York Rd and Shaftmoor Lane were  taken over by Rolls Royce about 4 or 5 years ago. The York Rd site has been rased to  ground and the Shaftmoor Lane site a mere shell I think that there may some work still being carried out there but eventually both the Shaftmoor lane and York Rd operations will be moved to a new site near Birmingham Airport. Most of the move has already been completed
The Only Free Cheese is in The Trap

RodH

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Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #17 on: January 07, 2019, 11:59:33 AM »
Hi Spud, I made sales calls at Marston Green & Foremans Lane as well. We lived when I was very young in Tetley Road at the Foremans Lane End.

Am I right in thinking that the York Road plant was on the site of the old Velocette factory?

Hi De Hi

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Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #18 on: January 09, 2019, 02:02:18 PM »
Further to Akatarawa's reply . In addition to the Lucas Battery Factory there was also a Die Casting Factory, The Plastics Factory making Lighting Clusters and Lucas Transport. In the 1970s there was quite a big outcry about Pollution particulary from the Die Casting and Battery Factories. A public meeting was arranged Chaired by local MP Roy Hatesley . I attended the meeting which was held in my old school in Formans Road which backed on to the Lucas Factories . As far as I remember nothing came of it. Like Akatarawa I too worked for Lucas at their Aerospace Factory in Shaftmoor Lane from 1967 to 1997. Knowing Lucas I would like to warrant that they would do everything possible to avoid any pollution.
I remember that protest. We went on a coach to the House of Commons to Lobby Roy Hattersley. He took us all inside and treated us to tea and cakes then we went to a committee room where we put our points across to him. I must have been 16/17 at the time.


Later in the 80s I worked at Lucas Aerospace Shaftmoor Lane (The old Gas Turbine).  I worked 7 years in the Met and Chem laboratory at first then spent 3 years as a scheduler in the Processing cell. Electroplating, adhesives and rubber moulding. I left in 1989.

Hi De Hi

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Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #19 on: January 09, 2019, 02:06:38 PM »
My uncle Norman Smith worked for Lucas Aerospace in Shaftmoor Lane from the 1940's through to when he retired in the 1980's. Sadly he died last year. Anyone remember him? Also his mate Percy Cockerel.

Back in the late 70's/'80's I was living in London but working as a Sales Engineer covering the Midlands and other areas. The very first sales call I made was to the Lucas plant in York Road. After discussing business with an engineer there he said to me "You've just come up from London but you don't come from there do you? I would say by your accent that you come from somewhere very close to here." Well I didn't think I had an accent but I was able to reply that my primary school was just a 100 or so yards down the road from where we were!


I recall the name Norman Smith but can't put a face to it.  No recollection of his mate.  Which section did they work in?
edit: Just saw the post about them working in the drawing office.

RodH

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Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #20 on: January 09, 2019, 03:29:46 PM »

I recall the name Norman Smith but can't put a face to it.  No recollection of his mate.  Which section did they work in?
edit: Just saw the post about them working in the drawing office.

He was in the drawing office, always very modest so never knew his actual title. He used to spend time in Germany liaising with engineers over there and was involved with Tornado and Concord projects. Don't think we've got a photo to show you. Percy Cockerell I believe had been at school with him, Waverley in Small Heath and took over his job when Norman took early retirement.

Hi De Hi

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Re: Anyone remember the Lucas plant near Sparkhill?
« Reply #21 on: January 09, 2019, 06:32:20 PM »
He was in the drawing office, always very modest so never knew his actual title. He used to spend time in Germany liaising with engineers over there and was involved with Tornado and Concord projects. Don't think we've got a photo to show you. Percy Cockerell I believe had been at school with him, Waverley in Small Heath and took over his job when Norman took early retirement.
I worked 10 years there '79 to '89 before leaving to become a school teacher.


 

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