A new Raleigh website

[Riddo 47]

A new Raleigh website went "live" this week. Contains lots of interviews with ex-employees and loads of previously unseen photographs taken by them. Also press cuttings and memorabilia. For once there are contributions from people across all departments, not just the shopfloor/Alan Sillitoe viewpoint. Apologies if someone else has loaded this up elsewhere (didn't check!)

Here's the link (hope it works)

http://new.iworkedatraleigh.com/

[Riddo 47]

Doh....!!!!

What have I done here?

Can somebody who knows what they're doing put this in the right place please - Raleigh I suppose?

[mick2me 3,033]

Easy done... Easy sorted...

Nice find

[katyjay 5,090]

Thanks for the link, Riddo, I looked at the people and found someone I worked with, Danny Singh, in the computer dept.

[Riddo 47]

Thanks Mick2me for sorting that, I'll try to be more careful in future!

Katyjay, I was at Raleigh too for 16 years, working in the QC labs under Bob Flint & Dave Harris. I think Cliff(?) O'Dell was the overall exec for us. Many memories, especially the smell & noise & vibrations as we walked along the main corridor from Faraday Rd entrance up to the Electroplating Shop at the far end. We didn't have computers in the labs during my time, everything was recorded in notebooks and ledgers. But I do remember one of the lads coming back from town one lunchtime, having bought "one of them new-fangled calculator thingys". The first time any of us had seen one close up. That would be very late 70s or early 80s. Now look what we take for granted.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

My uncle and cousin worked as toolmakers at the Raleigh. They were Stephen Price and his dad Garnet Price. My uncle Garnet died many years ago from a heart attack. My cousin Steve is now retired.

[katyjay 5,090]

Riddo, I was there Jan 62 to July 67, in the Gradual Payments dept, in the computer room.

[Riddo 47]

That's before my time there Katyjay, I started in 1970. I remember RIGP - office on Triumph Road rather than the main factory? I imagine they must have been pretty big computers in those days, with lots of whirling tape reels?

Bilbraborn - your uncle & cousin worked in the best paid department in the factory! For a few years, at pay negotiation time, we stood outside the factory with placards reading "parity with the tool room". Some hope!

[MelissaJKelly 2,120]

Thanks for the link Riddo. I'll forward it to my Dad who worked at Raleigh, not sure what years but I'm assuming 80's, his name's Shawn Kelly for anyone who may know him

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

Melissa, where was Shawn Kelly born? (general area, without giving away any private information)

[MelissaJKelly 2,120]

Melissa, where was Shawn Kelly born?  (general area, without giving away any private information)

He was born in Clifton

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

Does he have 3 sisters, and his mother's name was Marion?

[MelissaJKelly 2,120]

Yes he sure does! And Marion is definitely my late Grandma!

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

So it's a small world innit ?!?!

His name rang a bell, although I'm not sure if he will know or remember me. (And obviously my real name isn't Cliff or Ton)

Shawn grew up in Clifton. So did I. The back garden of the house where he lived backed onto the back garden of the house where I lived. My mum knew Shawn's mum (Marion). When I was young - less than 9 or 10 - there were times I was in Shawn's house when he was a baby, because I was with my mum who was visiting Shawn's mum.

So he obviously wouldn't have really known me when he was about 2 and I was about 9. And as we all got older I don't think I had any further connection with the family, although we were all still living in the same houses.

Bet you weren't expecting that when you started doing family history, were you?

[MelissaJKelly 2,120]

Gosh! What an extremely small world! I will ask him if he remembers right now, you can PM me with you and your names if you don't want to post real names on the forum. Both my Dad's parent's have passed now and I miss that house so much! His older siblings are Karen and Teresa who you'll probably remember more and were closer to your age at the time

Thank you so much for your information! Did not expect to find such a close connection and it'd be good to get back connected :D

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

I've PMd you.

And apologies to everyone else for hijacking a thread which started about a website for Raleigh

[Riddo 47]

One for Katyjay.

 

Though you'd be interested to see this photo from the book "Raleigh" by Tony Hadland, an in-depth history of all things Raleigh. Danny Singh gets a page all to himself.

[Fynger 841]

Makes our computer look small.......bet ours is more powerful tho....lol

[katyjay 5,090]

Riddo, that's a wonderful picture. Danny is still around, my friend bumped into him the other week in town. Those ancillary machines you can see, they trained me to use them if they were short handed anytime. They sorted and collated the punched cards. Happy days.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

A thirty year old pocket calculator was more powerful Kev!!! That thing was probably using vacuum tubes, aka valves. Look at the huge cooling system it employs.....

[Radford Boy 26]

My dad worked at Raleigh for years until he came to Australia. Used to drill and tap the front forks for the brake assembly to be mounted on.

His name was Les Newberry. His parents lived at 56 Guthrie Street. (Sid and Mary Anne).

[crankypig 457]

My dad also worked at Raleigh ,in the tool making dept,he took me to see his workplace when I was a kid,I remember the overpowering greasy smell.he also told me about the time when they filmed Saturday night and Sunday morning.

[letsavagoo 961]

I worked at Raleigh from 1970 to 73. I was an office boy/gofer for the concept design department and knew all the factory well as I had to fetch parts or get frames painted etc. I used to go to RIGP office quite often as my boss's (John Gordon) worked there and I had to take messages. I was involved in the project to create the web site subject of this post and did some of the audio interviews. I loved working there but left to work at Players on twice the money.

[1nottingham 2]

One for Katyjay.

Though you'd be interested to see this photo from the book "Raleigh" by Tony Hadland, an in-depth history of all things Raleigh. Danny Singh gets a page all to himself.

Just come across this site Danny Singh is my father,he still talks about Raleigh everyday.He helped on the research with author Tony Hadland hence the full page haha.Ill show him this what is your full name? ill ask him if he remembers you or anyone else.Ill put photos up he's got a box full ....

[katyjay 5,090]

Have p.m.'d you, 1nottingham.