General workplace memories

Were other Coventry factories in the 60's & 70's like Wickies? At Banner Lane, there was a team of 6 or 7 full time gardeners, a team of carpenters who continually repaired or replaced "duck boards". We had our own garage, with mechanics to maintain the company cars. Our own surgery, with a sister and 2 nurses. Electricians and builders. A lot of non-manufacturing for a relatively small plant.

Rolls-Royce, Ansty, had its own surgery as well, with both full-time staff and a doctor who came in weekly. There were also maintenance staff of various trades and disciplines responsible for the general upkeep of the site. Furthermore, on a non-employee basis there was a newsagents and a hairdressers, plus a Lloyds Bank branch! There was similar at the Parkside site as well. It was also possible to buy virtually anything from 'non approved' sources within the workforce!

When my husband worked for Marks and Spencer in the late 60's the staff were offered dental checkups, chiropodist in house visits and even hairdos. He always thought that this was to cut down on time out of the shop.

All we had was a nurse everyone was afraid of and the rumours were that she would take a pint of your blood if you stood still in her office long enough. People were remarkably healthy.

We also had the Mobile Blood Donor unit visit the site twice a year and set up in the works canteen. For some unexplained reason, the apprentices of 18 years old or more all volunteered. Might have been something to do with half an hour off and free tea and biscuits??

The G.E.C., being so large in this city (around 15,000 employees in the early 1980s), had many similar auxiliary departments, as you might imagine. We had a fire department, surgery & nurses, gardeners, garage with mechanics, model-making and carpentry depts, plumbing & electrical, on-site Midland Bank, ballroom & social club.... I've probably missed a few things! Most of this was, sadly, declining by the 1990s.

Hi Rob When you remember the big manufacturing plants in Coventry, there must have been thousands of non-producing employees. But the plants would not have been able to operate without them. Wickmans had a nice sports field at the back of the factory, with 2 football pitches and a cricket square. Nice wooden pavilion, showers etc. All taken care of by a full time groundsman, Charlie Ward (Lord Mayor of Coventry for a year). At the factory there was also hard tennis courts - in 18 years, I never saw them used. Our social club was on the Fletchamstead Highway, at the back of a small unit that also belonged to Wickman. There we had lawn tennis courts and a crown green for bowling. The GEC sounds like a small village?

Funny you should say that Mick - "a small village" is exactly how I used to describe the GEC's Stoke works to anyone (like our kids) who never saw the place. I guess the many streets that have been built on its former grounds would easily constitute a small, perhaps even medium, sized village! I remember being on placement as an apprentice there, and being caught out by its size on the first day.... I'd worked out that I could walk there from home in 15 minutes, but I hadn't reckoned on it taking another 5 to 10 minutes walk to reach the department on the far side of the place!

Exactly the same at R-R, or the pretty nurses!

Did most big factories have a mister 10% who was able to obtain cheap goods that were for sale in the workshop? At Wickman, ours even took orders!

Hi Mick, Moonlight Goods. Such as Christmas boxes & the like. Someone would obtain a wholesale trading permit, by bulk & sell, a bit like some door to door salesman/saleswoman.