Latest Vulcan Foundry Staff Photographs |
We
are always on the lookout for photographs of 'Vulcanists' if you have any scan
them and send them in, if you know whose on them then let me
know.
Scroll down the page to see all the
photos.
Vulcan Foundry Planers outing to Blackpool
Sent in by I.Taylor and showing George Taylor on back row second from right.
The Vulcan Garage
Like most companies at this time self-sufficiency was the order of the day with as much as possible being done in-house and maintenance of the companies vehicles was no exception.
Eric Bond has kindly sent these photographs in relating to the works garage.
Graham Normansell has sent this photograph in taken sometime in 1960s of the Vulcan Vandals 3rd XV.
Most of the names are present but three are missing, any ideas?
Back Row
(L-R); John Dibnah, Brian Douglas, Derek Thomason, Ronnie Cartwright, Paul ?,
Chris Clarke, ??, Ray Sandford
Front Row (L-R); Graham Normansell, Jack Owens, Stan Arnold, Freddie ?, Bob
Shaw, ??
Informal
group photograph taken in 1950 in front of a freshly completed electri
locomotive built for the Estrada de Ferro Santos a Jundiai
formerly known as the British owned Sao Paulo Railway before
Brazilian nationalisation in 1946.
Photo supplied by Kevin Blackburn who doesn't know any of the workers
photographed, as usual if anyone recognises anyone then let me know.
Frank (Ray) Fryer and Loco of Unknown Vintage
Photo of Frank (Ray) Fryer with (Big) Fred Greenwood (foreman fitter) also in the cab.
Photo has been sent in by Ray Fryer, Frank's son who informs us that his father still lives in Newton and at 86 even looks younger than his son!
Can't read the plate so I'm struggling to date tis photo but guess it's somewhere around 1962/3 unless anyone else has more info than me.
Group of Female Workers taken during WW2
Lilly Littler (far right) and fellow Matilda Tank workers pictured one lunchtime somewhere inside/outside the Vulcan Foundry sometime during WW2
Lily's father and brothers also worked at the foundry, the others pictured in the photo are unknown.
Photo supplied by Norman Littler.
Vulcan Ladies Football Team 1917
Kirsty
Waring has sent in this great photograph from 1917, Kirsty says:-
'My
great-grandmother was Nellie Forshaw nee Waring b. 1895. During WW1 I
believe Nellie worked at the Vulcan making munitions of some description
(shell casings seems to ring a bell). When she died the attached photo
was found. My nana doesn’t seem to think any of the ‘Shell Girls’
are her mum but we can’t be sure.' |
Any ideas who is on these photo's plus apologies to whoever sent them in as I have lost your name!
By kind permission of the management, the members
of the Boiler Shop Picnic Club were allowed to leave work at 4pm, on Friday,
14th April to give them a chance to start at 6.30 p.m. by motor coach for
Glasgow, the main object of the trip being to see the International Soccer Match
Scotland v England on Saturday afternoon.
Jean Chambers has named the first person on this one its Joe Dearden and he is
second from the left on the first row.
Photo supplied by Angela Murray and was taken in front of Wigan Little Theatre.
A.
Murray sent in this photograph of the Vulcan Bowling Team with the Naylor Cup
(date unknown)
Back Row: ??, Arthur Wrigley, George Murray, George Percival, Len Hodson, Terry
Ashcroft, ??
Front Row: ??,Frank Lambert,??,??, Jimmy Ashcroft, Freddie Kennerley
Thanks to Kelly Lawrence for help with the names.
Photo of Samuel Norman Hunkin Harris sent in by Charlie Baker, known at various times in his life by his first name (early life) and his second name (middle to later life), Charlie doesn't know which name he used during his years at Vulcan Foundry. Sam/Norman married Isobel Patterson on 10/10/1925, and shortly after they moved to Newton-le-Willows as the depression was making it hard to find work after he left the RNAS in Felixstowe, and he got the job in the Drawing Office at Vulcan. They lived at 33 Ashton Road, Newton-le-Willows.
Photo's from the Anson Museums Collection
Ian Summerfield has sent in the following photographs with the intention of obtaining further details for the Museums collection and is particularly interested in recording the names of the workers in each photograph. I would also appreciate any additional information anyone may have, such as when and where in the works thet were taken, what the employees are doing and what any unusual machinery is for.
Rare Colour Photo from 1949
Two Vulcan
Employees photographed alongside a recently nationalised BR badged Pickfords
Transporter in 1949.
Anyone recognise these two characters?
Spot
the Vulcanist I.D. Parade
These
photo's were taken around 1953 of employees at work at the Vulcan at that time,
it would be great if we could add names to the faces.
Let me
know if you know the names of any of the above faces.
Jean
Price (Smith) has sent this photo of George Smith her father on a works trip to 'Hebden
Races', not sure on year yet ?,
George worked at the foundry from 1939 to
1982.
Back
row: Sack Joynson, ?????, Joe Plumpton, Joe Dearden, Jimmy Ashcroft, ?????,
?????
Middle row: Jimmy Coluns(?), Billy Plumpton (Joe's
brother), Tommy Cartwright, Jack Holding, Bill Ahern, ?????,
Front Row: ?????, George Smith, Tommy Hynes, Frank
Lawson, Billy Holding, ?????, Bill Larner and Dick Smith (holding hat).
George Jennings sent this photograph in and George says:-
A number of photos of my Grandad have
appeared since the death of may Gran in May. The one attached was
taken either in the boiler shop or the fitting shop at the Vulcan and
the people my mum & dad know are
Top left is George Andrews (my grandad),
next to him is Vinny Cunliffe, next is ? Jolley (related to the chemist), far
right is Matt Hewitt, Bottom right Jimmy Ashcroft and next to him is
unfortunately another blank.
Does anyone know anyone in the photograph, if so then let me know.
Scroll down for more photo's |
Peter
Goode sent this photo in presumably from the early 1970's, his father ( Jimmy
Goode ) thinks it is for George Thompsons' retirement though he can't
remember what year it is.
Courtesy of Alan Leach the lady in
the headscarf is Doreen Dodd and the chap shaking Georges hand is Geoffrey
Taylor.
Julie Farrell (Hill) has spotted her father Jimmy Hill right at the back above
George Thompsons shoulder unfortunately Jimmy passed away shortly after being
made redundant in the early 1980s. 6th from right with tie is Jimmy Crinigian.
Woman in floral dress is Ken Johnsons wife Millie with Eric Roe to her left. On
the extreme left is Gordon Storey (planer) with third from left Colin Ralphs.
Ian Porter adds; 'I worked at the Vulcan between 1977 and 1983'ish. I served my
time in shop 60 as a plater working with some of these men in what was part of
GEC traction, industrial locomotives. 4th from left with mousetash Dickie Allen
(welder). Man with glasses between men shaking hands George? Rawlingson (foreman
welder).Two men in overalls,centre right George Smith and Roy Thompson
(platers). Man with big collars on shirt,4th from right might be Harry Corly??
(foreman plater) and I think the tall man at the back of GS and RT with bushy
eyebrows was the foreman fitter but can't remember his name
If anyone else out there fill in some more details, if so then let me
know.
Bill Welding sent this one in to illustrate the rich and varied social fabric that was the cornerstone of the Vulcan Sports and Social Club. Bill is pictured centre back in the skirt'n'cardy.
Colin Ralphs added 'The occasion was Foremen Vs. Apprentices to raise funds for the Mill House School, needless to say the Foremen lost but we got our revenge in other ways when back at work.'
Back (L-R);
Fred Greenwood, Colin Ralphs, Alan Farrimond, Bill Welding, Ray Bent, A
Middlehurst, Jack Case (ex Man. City)
Front (L-R); Vincent Hughes, D Seddon, Francis Cummins
Bill Welding has sent in this group photo taken in front of a Locomotive built for Ghana Railways at the end of 1970 , this was the last locomotive built at the foundry and to mark the end of locomotive production the workforce involved were mustered for a final photograph.
The
photograph will blow up to large size if you click on it, unfortunately there
are too many individuals on the photo to name though if anyone can list them I
could add the list underneath.
Graham Wadsworth; 'The Forman on the far left is Ken Taylor,the man at the back without the cap under the Loco number is Frank Johnson, the fourth from the left crouched down in the second row is Bob Fitzpatrick, The foreman in the back row is Arthur Middlehurst,the Inspector in the white boiler suit and wearing a tie is Harold Potts. They are the only ones that I can recognise.'
Helen White; 'My grandfather, the late Gerald Collingwood, is seated on the front row, he is the 23rd person seated from the left on the front row.'
John Rhodes has sent this photograph of a retirement or long service presentation in the Copper Shop.
John says 'The foreman making the presentation is my uncle Tommy Rhodes who was Foreman Coppersmith at that time. My father, Harold Rhodes who was Charge Hand Coppersmith in the Erection Shop, is two places to the right of Tommy half hidden behind the short man. I don’t know the names of anyone else on the photo.'
John reckons the photograph was taken between 1958 & 1960 so we stand a good chance of naming these Vulcanists.
Brian Orrell has sent this great picture of the Vulcan English Electric Co. Class 20 Locomotive Design Team in 1955.
Left
to Right.
Alan Williams
has sent in this photo of the Vulcan Erecting Shop Football Team of 1955
Back Row:- Griffiths, Powell, ?, Bob Smith, J. Kilroy, Alan Watkins,
Norman Edgar.
Front Row:- Derek Simms, Ken
Toohey, Alan Williams, ??, Alan Blundell the son
of the driver of the yard engine.
Brian Orrell and Eric Rimmer assisted in working out who's who, though we still are a couple short.
Steve Kelly has
sent in this photograph of his grandfather Gerald Henry Kelly taken at Jhajha
the East India Railways depot in
1928 of a Vulcan XB class pacific made in 1927 (no 4105-4118) his grandfather
was the recipient/driver of this loco and 2 of the other gents (probably the
centre two) were part of the delivery team from England.
David
Jarrett says; 'The picture is of my Uncle (Ken Johnson) he was a
Horizontal Borer at The Vulcan, he is seen here operating a Kearns No 5
Borer
to bore out steam cylinders. He is still alive today and in his late 80's.
He said the photo's were taken in his Twenties so it was some time ago
now, probably the late 1940's or early 1950's.'
Photograph
recording the visit of members of the Institution of locomotive engineers on the
6th May 1953 with what appears to be an Australian
Sunlander 1200, a RENFE electric locomotive and an Iranian Government Railways
Oil Fired Locomotive in the background.
Do you know anyone in the photograph, are you one of the children
looking over the fence, if so then let me
know.
Our first positive identification is that of Joe Goodwin middle of the back row directly under the centre of the cross on the side of the loco.
Our second is Harold Hulme, front row standing far left hand side.
Click on
the photo as there is a massive image available to make identification easier.
(Photo from the Dorothy Eaton collection)
My
best guess is that this group of young lads are all apprentices and that the
photo was taken in the late 1940's or early 1950's at Robert Stephensons &
Hawthorns in Darlington.
Stephensons had been bought up by the Vulcan in the 1940's and as such a lot of
the management of publicity material was now done via the Vulcan.
Some of these chaps are still out there although they will be 70+ by now does
anyone recognise anybody or themselves, if so then let me
know.
Click on
the photo as there is a massive image available to make identification easier.
(Photo from the Dorothy Eaton collection)
Another Gem
from Dorcas Kilduff this time showing one of the largest steam loco's built by
the Vulcan Foundry
this time a 2-10-2 destined for the Iranian Railway.
This
photograph was taken in either 1952 or 1954 and shows a group of foundry workers
stood in front of one of the loco's being test steamed.
Thanks to Alan Williams, Eric Rimmer & Brian Orrell we know most of their
names:-
Bottom left; W. Cain, S. Street, Eric Roberts, Stan Pendlebury, Frank Sawyer, Thomas Heathcote, William Holt, Alan Williams & Curly ?
Top
Left; Harry Nelson and F.Smith (chargehand steam testing)
The two chaps in the cab and the three below them were all boiler mounters.
(if you know any more then let me
know).