Engineering in Coventry

Mick, Google is your friend:. Link 1 Link 2 There's reference to them in this article about City's England goalkeeper, Reg Matthews

In the CET, In June 1954 Modern Machine Tools Rifle Club donated a bench to the Memorial Park.

"In the CET, In June 1954 Modern Machine Tools Rifle Club donated a bench to the Memorial Park." I wouldn't mind betting, this plate was from that bench??????????

"There's reference to them in this article about City's England goalkeeper, Reg Matthews" Hi MR, would you please drop this link into the Works Football topic?

Thanks MR, what a great link number one is with great pictures. A lot more I've learned about engineering in Coventry

When I left school my dad forbade me from joining the family firm, The Torrington Machine Tool Co (not the Torrington Co). He reasoned I should be outside in the fresh air. After a couple of false starts, I found myself in the construction industry working in civil engineering. When I restored my Riley 35 years ago, dad was called upon to replicate all sorts of worn out parts, but there was a catch. He would show me just once how to make the new parts on various machines, so I had to learn quickly. Dad has been gone 25 years now and I have my own lathe. Sometimes when I'm scratching my head, pondering a job, I can feel him looking over my shoulder Between us, we usually get it right. Bless you, Dad xx

Hi matchle55, did your dad's company go on to become Torrintool?

Mick, You are quite right Torrintool was a separate company which was run by the son of one of the partners, his name was Pete Land. The factory was in Hotchkiss way, Binley, which was 100 yards from Vibroplant where I worked, this was in the 80s and 90s

Thanks matchle55 As the demand for multi-spindles dwindled in the late 70's early 80's, I was moved off the shop floor and into a newly formed "sub-contract buying" office. In the 2 years or so that I was there, I got to visit a lot of sub-contract only engineering companies, from one man bands, small and medium sized companies. It was always said that you could go down Bayton Road and get anything made!! Torrintool was one of the companies that Wickman used. Sub-contractors in Coventry were in abundance, for turned parts, gears, specialist heat-treatment etc. We never had to go far to find someone whom could make parts to our drawings. But sadly, most of these have now gone.

Classing myself as an engineer, I have read through these posts 3 or 4 times over the last few days and the following is based upon "southern belles" original post back in 2010. Firstly, I must admit that engineering was my second choice for a career. From the age of 14, my heart was set on joining the Royal Navy, but by the time it came to leave school at 16, my dad had talked me out of that with the word NO. So not taking the careers officers advice and becoming a brick layer, I applied to several engineering companies in Coventry for an apprenticeship. I was lucky enough after entrance interviews to be offered four opportunities. These were Massey Ferguson, Coventry Gauge and Tool, Morris Engines and Wickman Ltd. So on September 5th 1966, I reported to the Wickman gatehouse (with my 6" steel rule purchased from Phillips) ready to start the working element of my life. The first question of SB's post, it wasn't encouraged by my dad, he knew nothing about engineering as he was a baker, but if became clear very quickly that it was a respected career to pursue. Now my career is approaching its closure after 57 years, I can honestly say that I have never regretted doing what I have done. I have been involved in machine tool manufacture, Aerospace, Motorsports with F1, World Rally Cars and Motorbikes, super cars (Jaguar XJ220 and McLaren F1 road car), power generation, Aircraft engines and even the Astute submarine project to name but a few. My job has taken me to many places I could only of dreamed of as a 16 year old. I have at sometime visited every F1 facility in the world, Boeing and Airbus. SB's second question of has that changed now. I would say it has changed dramatically. When I joined Wickman in 1966, there were 44 apprentices in the training school. This number gradually decreased year on year and by the time I left in 84 there was no training school at all. By mid 90's the Wickman factory site was a housing estate. So it had to change as it had no choice. SB's last question. No, I have never encouraged any of my children to enter engineering. When my eldest was about to leave school, I did trick him into going to a Royal Navy recruiting evening at the Leofric Hotel, but that did not go down that well and we had to leave. I was accused of wanting to live my dream through him? And they were probably right!! There is a post further down in this topic that says being an engineer is all about design. But even those designs have to be manufactured, and sometimes it has to be pointed out to the designer that it is impossible to make the part they have designed and should they have involved the manufacturing engineer and "handle turner" a lot of time and cost would have been saved.

My Dad was keen that all three of his kids went into engineering and we did, though scattered across the country. He sold the idea that it was a stable and lucrative option, and he wasn't wrong. We all ended up in different industries and fields. One thing with engineering is it's not boring. If I wanted to reduce the cost of insurance I'd always put that I was an engineer, rather than a manager or later a director. I was all 3 but engineers are obviously more careful!

Hi Helen Was your dad an engineer? Regards Mick

A few thoughts. My life history is slightly different. Although being the son of someone who worked in engineering, at Motor Panels, and living over the road from the Jaguar Daimler factory in Middlemarch Road, I was never destined to become an engineer. Why? - because I passed my 11 Plus in 1964 and went to Bablake. I spent several enjoyable years there, but at no time were pupils expected to, or encouraged to, enter the world of engineering. Our lives were mapped out - O and A Levels, then university. Back in my day 120 of the most academic boys, according to the 11 Plus, went to either Bablake or Henry VIII, and another 120 went there as feepayers. Would they have made good engineers - who knows? - but they were removed from the pool of potential engineering apprentices. As were girls.

He was Mick, though like his kids he ended up in management. Being interested in how things work, never ends.

Belushi, it was an old fashioned view that engineers weren't qualified. Dad got his qualifications at night school, but by my time it wasn't odd to study engineering at uni. Even more so now, with engineering becoming one of the best paid group of graduates. Different fields vary but all are in demand. I studied electrical and electronic engineering but veered into IT and dabbled with programming when needed. Sandwich degrees were common and useful. They break up the academic slog with real world experience. It helped me firm up which field I wanted to be in.