On the back row, fifth from the left is my uncle Michael Egan. I believe this photograph was taken sometime during the mid-late 1950s in the tool room at Ashmores. Unfortunately Michael died in June 1960 – crushed by machinery while working there.
Photograph and details courtesy of Glenn Hutchinson.
Would anybody remember Derek Rafferty married to Joyce who was boilermaker foreman at Ashmores probably late 60’s or 70’s. He was a keen artist and had an exhibition at Thornaby Public Library.
Anyone remember Nigel Wardell?
Don’t suppose any one remembers my dad Albert Henry Lonsdale known to all as Harry, worked in the inspection department.
The present situation with the merging of Power Gas and Head Wrightsons is that Siemens the German Company now own the Steel Making Plant and Steel production Technology for Rolling Mills an Blast Furnaces etc and operate out of the new development on the Tees. They are designing and Building these plants all over the World and A Teesside trained and Educated Engineer in Stephen Brown. My Nephew is the Managing Director of the present set up under the Siemens Banner. They are not manufacturing these plants as as far as I know, but are designing and constructing the plants. So Stockton are still leading the World in this field.
Can somebody please tell me what was the connection between Ashmores and Head Wrightsons, did one take over the other?
Ashmore’s Iron Plant, under Davy McKee, merged with Head Wrightson (HW) Iron & Steel Division in possibly the late 60s or early 70s. Head Wrightson’s chief engineer at that time was Clive Best, a really lovely, friendly and knowledgeable man, who oversaw the merger when he came across to the Yarm Road offices, immediately prior to moving into the Power-Gas Parkfield offices opposite the foundry. The combined Davy McKee Iron and Steel Division pooled resources, processes and expertise to become a world leader in design and construction building Iron and Steel plants worldwide.
HW continued in the nuclear power generation, foundry, pressure vessel and heat exchanger design and manufacture disciplines who by then were in direct competition with Whessoe of Darlington, who by the late 60s had acquired the Ashmore’s South Works facilities. That acquisition, in my humble opinion, was an unmitigated disaster for the whole of the Ashmore’s personnel who had been unfortunate enough to be employed at South Works at that time. The decline was inevitable due to the lack of investment and poor management by Whessoe.
Ashmore’s South Works was commissioned in 1963 and were probably the best heavy manufacturing boileryard, and machine workshops, in the world. By the early 80s it was closed and the massive 60s investment, resources, tradesmen and facilities were redundant in a life span of just 20 years.
Seem to remember that Davie McKee had the Drawing Office above the R&D Dept. I left HW’s in 1961 and it was there then. Could be wrong but the name of Davie McKee sticks in my mind to the time I was at HW.s.
Many thanks for that information. I am compiling a biography of my late father-in-law, Harry Watson, who worked at Ashmores, and his departure from the firm in the late 1960s suggests that he may have been a “casualty” of that take-over.
Since my comments about Jack Matson on April 15th, my cousin Len Matson has been in touch with Bob Brown, 3rd left back row, and now 90 yr. Bob has identified the following. Back Row, L. to R. –
1) Albert Kelsey 2) Jack Matson, 3) Bob Brown, 4) ? , 5) Mike Egan, 6) ? , 7) Bill Mentier, 8) Jack Bracknell, 9) ? ,10) Jim Enright, 11)Taffy ?,
Next Row Down, three men at LH end. L to R.
12) Apprentice. Ike? Howarth? 13) just visible, George Howe, 14) Apprentice. ?
Same Row. Five men at RH end. L to R.
15) Gill Picken, 16) Albert ?, 17) Les Blackburn, 18) Don ?, 19) Alan Wall.
Front Row, L to R. – 20) George Gunn, 21) Billy Holmes, 22) Bob Hutchinson,
23) Albert Cossey, 24) Joe Waldorf, 25) Jack Haxton, 26) Tommy Brown, 27) ? ,
28) ? , 29) Reg Armstrong.
Kneeling at front. 30) Freddy the welder.
Taffy ?,
The apprentice is the late Brian (Ike) Howat, who later worked at Head Wrightsons, Thornaby.
Back Row, 2nd from left, Jack Matson. Jack was one of six brothers and a sister Doris. The others brothers were Norman, Wilf, Albert, Fred and Len. Fred and Len also worked for Ashmores. Jack was a true ‘gentleman’, a quiet and unassuming man who worked in Ashmores Tool Room all of his working life. All six brothers sang in St Peter’s Church choir (Yarm Road) where Jack is remembered on a plaque for his 85 years of choral service – thought to be a national record.
He died at the age of 95 in 1998.
The guy 4th from the left front-row looks like one of the Parkfield Iceton brothers & the guy 4th from the right front-row looks like Matty Brown.
Jackie Iceton.
I mentioned about the trial and error method in my comment on fabrication of these new metals and an incident comes to mind about a large Chrome Molly Sphere we had won the contract to fabricate. This was state of the art stuff at the time and we had to stress relieve the sphere eight times and re-weld the seams after it cracked at each stress relieving stage. When the Manager Geoff Hardy asked the Estimator who had won the contract Tommy Gladders if he was worried about his estimate, Tommy said he was so Geoff being a very understanding Manager told Tommy to have a walk down to the nearby River Tees, meaning to get Tommy a bit more relaxed with a nice walk over the fields down to the river. Tommy took the comments the wrong way and replied” I am not that @#$%^& upset Geoff” Thinking Geoff was suggesting he jump in the River. We all had a good laugh at this remark..
The young tall guy middle-row 3rd left is Jeff Blackburn, he was a popular lad in the dancehalls in the late fifties.
I spent a week in Blackpool with Jeff and his mates Tich Clarke, Satch & Foss with my mates Denny Maxwell, Ray Dea & Geoff Groarke in 1958 we had a great time there. Also in the picture are Alan Wall 2nd row far right and Bob Brown 3rd from left on the back row.
Thanks for sharing that Dave. Geoff Blackburn was my Dad. I’m sure that Mam has a photo of that Blackpool trip, so I’ll see if she can dig it out and I’ll put it on here. Maybe there will be some more faces to recognise.
Geoff Blackburn was a popular guy in the Maison De Dance & he married Sylvia Howe who was a former Newham Grange School pupil.
The man in middle row, third from right was my dad called Leslie Blackburn sadly died in 1980, I too remember being sneaked in there as a small boy when my dad had jobs to finish on a Sunday it was like an big adventure to me seeing all the big turning machines.
I agree with all of your Comments Christopher, but not an ordinary Photograph Christopher but a great photograph, of a group of men who were at the time were part of a great Company who were leading the world in some of the work they produced and some of the technology they pioneered in the the Engineering fields. The Machine shop at this time was reckoned to be one of the best and most modern in the World, as was the Fabrication Shop.
The Fabrication shop produced some fabrications especially using the latest Metals such as all types of stainless steels,Chromium Molibdenum, Monel, Titanium, and all types of Clad steels, and others which were just coming into the Engineering fields and in some cases it was trial and error that gave you the experience you required with such processes as Pre heat and Post heating of metals to make sure they did not break down in the working environment that the equipment was designed for. Ashmores also had very good Metalurgical Department headed by a Mr Skevington who were able to solve a great many problems before the fabrication of the new steels began.
The photo itself is of excellent quality and the individual faces can be recognised from it. Ashmores had their own photographer, and produced the Concord Magazine. The library was extensive and I hope these photos have been stored for posterity.. I Know they still existed after the take over by Siemens as my Nephew Stephen Brown who is now the Managing Director of Siemens told me he had seen some of the Sporting photos after the take over, and recognised me from them after all those years..I hope Siemens carries on the tradition of the old Ashmores Company as I am sure they will, and keep Teesside on the World map in design if not in manufacturing.
Nothing different to Head Wrightsons, Benny, as you say world leaders but gone forever. We had the Davy McKee for design & our own photography dept. which produced the works magazine Right Ahead.
I started as an appretice fitter & turner at Ashmores in 1962 and recognise most of the faces but can’t name them unfortunately.
Back row, eighth along from the left looks like Jack Bracknall.
An ordinary photograph, of some great social consequence. Taken at a time, when men usually spent all their working life with the same Company, with the same workmates and with a fabulous sense of ‘respect’ both of themselves, and as a group for each other. You can almost sense, ‘the pride’ these men have for their work and skills. Therefore, the story with regards to Michael Egan, immediately takes on a further aspect of tragedy, as we’ll probably never see such camaraderie in the industrial workplace ever again.