Royal Ordnance factory - Nottingham

[Morton40 22]

I remember Ernie Wragg when he was on the shop floor. Wasn't e a shop steward? Tom Streets was our foreman on H&V boring North shop. He behaved a bit pompous but he was OK really. Don't know where his money came from but he had a brand new Ford Consul.

It was strange when I returned 10 or 12 years later to demonstrate milling cutters. Old apprentice mate Mo Edis was foreman on milling North shop and let me lose on a machine hogging out breach blocks. He tried to call my bluff in an attempt to break the cutter. I kept upping the cutting rate and eventually broke the machine but the cutter was OK. Saw old mates Pete Thorpe and 'Gypsy' Bob.

There was a Mr Holmes there in August 1969 when I started

[Morton40 22]

@PeverilPeril: Go for it! I made inside calipers, outside calipers, jack bodies, some brass valves for the steam engine they were building but could never get the hang of welding although my soldering, lead and silver, was and still is, the dogs.

I have a scribbling block and outside calipers that I made in there that are still in the garage somewhere

[Morton40 22]

My friend's ex hubby worked there in the 60's and 70;s before leaving to join the Police Force, he was called Paul Scrivens, you may know him.............

I was there from 69 to 76 when I emigrated to Australia

[Oztalgian 2,096]

Reading through PeverilPeril's posts brought back many memories of my time as an apprentice toolmaker, along with names of long forgotten machine tools.

It must be forty years since I heard the term Jarvo or being sent to the stores for a "long wait"

I have recollections of one time on night shift when the owner of the factory called in on his way home from some do and one bloke had the motor out of his Zephyr on the Newall jig borers being rebored, the cylinder head and crankshaft on the Jones and Shipman surface and cylindrical grinders respectively. Just a quiet look was all that was needed.

I never worked at the ROF but did spend some time at COD Chilwell and the ingenuity of some of the blokes when nicking stuff was amazing. I often wonder why the military plods only asked people to open the boot of their cars as the number of cars with multiple batteries, starter motors and dynamo's in the engine bays was common knowledge?

[Michael Booth 7,357]

Welcome to Nottstalgia, Morton40. I look forward to reading your posts and sharing your memories.

[LizzieM 8,338]

# 51, Morton

That was most likely Baz Holmes, a very good friend of my Dad, who also worked at the ROF from 1938 til 1986, apart from the War years.

Welcome to Nottstalgia!

[FLY2 10,095]

A warm welcome to you Morton. I'm sure that you'll find much of interest on here.

[Morton40 22]

Couple of mates of mine worked there in the 70s Bessie Moore & Gren Turner. I got to know more about the place in the late 80s when they moved the pattern room and proof house there. We were making custom pistols at the time and used the proof house regularly.

Bess Moore was he a stocky guy from over carlton hill , I cant remember the name of the suburb ? ( netherfield maybe ) if so we had a few drink together

[Cliff Ton 8,630]

Britain from Above 1936 - Ordnance Factory being built.

[LizzieM 8,338]

The day in 1986 when my dad retired from ROF after being there for 48 years, apart from 4 years in RAF during WW2.  He was still using that ‘long service’ watch when he passed away 5 years ago. 

[Jill Sparrow 7,968]

My grandad, Ted Sparrow worked at ROF during WW2. He'd done his bit in the Royal Artillery during WW1 and was  48 in 1939.

 

Exactly what he did at ROF I'm not sure but he was in charge of shipments of military equipment and on occasions when he was needed urgently, probably because some supply ship had been sunk, a car would arrive outside 12 Chapel Street in Beeston in the middle of the night to transport him to the ROF. This made him feel very important! He also fancied his chance with the ATS girls. Grandma Kate soon put him right about that!

 

Ted was supplied with all his meals at ROF, plus a cigarette allowance. No wonder be virtually lived there.

[Moody 0]

My dad did his apprenticeship at the factory . Not sure when he was born 1922. Can I obtain any information to find out.

[LizzieM 8,338]

He was probably doing his apprenticeship the same time as my Dad who was born December 1921.  My Dad finished his apprenticeship in December 1942 and joined the RAF and then went back to ROF after the war, spending the rest of his working life in the factory, and hating every minute of it 

[Cliff Ton 8,630]

2 hours ago, Moody said:

My dad did his apprenticeship at the factory . Not sure when he was born 1922. Can I obtain any information to find out.

 

What exactly do you want to find out ?  When he was born ?  or what he did at the factory ?  or something else ?

[Jill Sparrow 7,968]

My paternal grandfather, Ted Sparrow, worked at the ROF during WW2. He'd done his fighting in WW1 and rather enjoyed fraternising with the ATS girls at Chilwell, much to his wife's disgust.

 

Precisely what he did there I'm not sure but it was not infrequently that a car would draw up at his house in the middle of the night to take him back to the ROF. He thought that rather grand. It made him feel important. It also woke up my grandmother, the irascible Kate, which was only a good idea if you were tired of living!  Kate had worked at Chilwell during WW1 and was playing hookey on the night of the explosion!  She had sloped off to meet Ted, who was home on leave so, in a sense he saved her life. He just didn't realise that she would spend the rest of it making his a misery!

 

They went to The Palace cinema in Beeston where part way through the film, most of the ceiling fell in! 

[Moody 0]

On 4/16/2019 at 4:39 PM, Moody said:

My dad did his apprenticeship at the factory . Not sure when he was born 1922. Can I obtain any information to find out.

Want to find out what he did there and from when.  If there is any record of this.

My dad went on to work at spray & Burgess. Courtaulds. He was an engineer's fitter.

[Christopher hankin 0]

Hi I did my apprenticeship at the ROF from 1974 to 1978 great times really I think the foreman in the training shop was Freddy Logan 

[Bigred 0]

Fred Logan , now theres a name from my era , i was apprentice there from 1970 to 74. My old man knew fred logan and got me an interveiw which ended with me being offered the job . Logan was a nasty vindictive little runt who took great delight in throwing things you made against the wall if they were not quite right even a small scratch on the finish , he used to shout scrap it! alot wonder if it was the same bloke mentioned earlier .Remember fred Street , Joe morrel and ernie wragg . Even remember Paul Scrivens cannot say i liked him though a bit of a bully as i remember

[Bigred 0]

Does anyone nkow what happed to the barrel mounted outside the north shop , cannot find out any info , what was the bore where it came from or any photos of it . its a mystery !!!

 

Also want to know the name of the apprentice manager in overall charge of all apprentices on site , all i can remember of him is that he was a nice bloke but looked a bit like a 1950's spive !