Courtaulds

Hi ex Courtaulds Lab techs, I feel I may know some of you as I worked in DF &VL and SF Lab between 1973-1990 working in Textile Tech, Analytical, Carbon Fibre, Pulp and paper lab, etc. Kesp tasted foul I recall, but not as bad as the artificial cigarettes I recall boxing up at one time. Good to be reminded of those days when work was more like a holiday camp compared to today! Hope life has been kind to you all.

We have no control over the time we are born and the future events, but people of around my age, time and destiny took a drastic change, the odds on a long life were shortened. One could look up at the sky, hear a doodle-bug, and time became vital, ten seconds for its motors to keep going and you were safe, but cut-out and you could watch the last few seconds of your life disappear. It happened many times on a daily basis. Now people that lived in Foleshill, Courtaulds was part and parcel of your life, and so it was for me, but as I got to teenage, by the early 40s life was hectic, and I was reading and hearing of the atrocities of the Japanese. By mid-summer of 45 I was told that in a couple of months I would be sent to the Far East to meet these Japanese, and daily I was trained for such. But destiny and time took a hand again, America dropped the atom bomb - as I read or heard the message I knew in an instant my destiny had been changed. I would not be sent to the Far East. But what has that to do with Courtaulds? Well with the atom bomb, we heard of platinum - I have no idea what that is or what it does, except for going blonde, and somewhere in the past I had read of a Courtaulds employee in France escaped at Dunkirk with a load of platinum - meant nothing to me at that time, but it certainly was a valuable element, so were Courtaulds into cosmetics or atomic in the 1940s?

The spinnerettes used in Viscose Rayon were a platinum gold alloy. Viscose Rayon (artificial silk) was used to make parachutes. Peter

Hi all I had an office then, on the east side of Foleshill Rd, where I could see this view, almost as though the camera was in CEL. Coventry's "Happy" would often wander along, complete with uniform & flat cap & practice his drill marching in the paved area, saluting everyone as they went by.

Hi all, I was an apprentice at CEL from 1965 until 1970 and remember Ted Mackey, the Convener and also Ray Morton who was the Heavy Machine Shop Foreman. He married a woman who worked in the Time Office. I cannot remember her name now. I also remember Ev Watchorn who was the Chargehand of the Boring Section. Does anyone remember these people?

Ted Mackey's brother is a forum member . . .

Hi, Does anyone know what happened to Courtaulds Coventry Rugby Club - I cannot see them listed anywhere. I played for them about 1962 so they must have been formed about 1959 and were in existence when I left Coventry in 1964. Their colours were black, gold and silver and they played at their own ground somewhere in Little Heath. Their main organiser was a man who worked in the labs in Lockhurst Lane so I suspect when he retired the club folded.

Here's a postcard view of the factory.

Worked for Courtaulds between 1962-1970 in the Technical Information Bureau for 4 guineas a week. These particular buildings represented office space and 3 tier canteen, bottom floor was for factory workers, second floor for office workers, third floor for directors. Food was fantastic. Three course meal for 2 shillings. The middle block is no longer there. At the far right you could just see a small building just showing which was a fully equipped surgery, it was like a mini hospital with its own cream ambulance. They still look like this today even the fencing.

Morning all Thank you for the picture. I notice the tower of the St Pauls parish church, subsequently destroyed by enemy action. The church was rebuilt, but without the tall tower. Google Maps

Hi all. The Silk Building.

Philip There was a Silk Mill in Lockhurst Lane before Courtaulds, the Livingstone Silk Mill, close to Livingstone Road, it was still working when I was a kid. I think it was still working after they built the swimming pool.