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Westwood Works 1903-2003 |
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NOTE: For more details of the development of training facilities at Westwood Works and at other Baker Perkins Group Companies - see the BPHS publication - "Growing Our Own Wood - The Development of the Baker Perkins Apprenticeship Scheme" - by Dick Preston and Jim Deboo. Details are available by clicking here.
In his "The History of Baker Perkins", Augustus Muir page records that
apprentice training at Westwood Works was suspended during the war years. Roland
Maycock, who was an apprentice between 1940 and 1945 suggests that this is not
correct. He recalls that - "The A.I. Baker apprentice bay established
before the war was continued, located at the west end of the ground floor of the
1933 office block, adjacent to the machine shop. The Foreman/Instructors were
Mr F. Angel, Mr E. Cole and Mr Churchman. The scheme was monitored by the works
office under Mr Paul Baker, Works Director, The training was excellent –
as near as you could get to one-to-one instruction and produced many engineers
who progressed to management level in the company".
Jim Deboo also remembers the apprentice activity during the war:
"The original apprentice bay developed by "AIB" himself in
the late 1930s had been producing small mechanisms – breech blocks and gun
sights – during the war years".
Bob Hay, later to become a member of the Heating & Ventilating Department, also remembers becoming an apprentice during the War - "I do remember that I was one of four apprentices selected to become student apprentices in a scheme starting in 1943. I cannot be sure, but my impression at the time was that this was the beginning of a brand new apprenticeship category. A really significant disturbance to my own Student Apprenticeship occurred in late 1945, when H.M. King George VI demanded that I report on 3 January 1946 to Britannia Barracks in Norwich. I believe that a serious appeal by Personnel/Jim Deboo/Keith Gerrard to obtain deferment was only partially successful. The other three were deferred, but the War Office refused to withdraw my already issued call-up papers".
In order to ensure an adequate supply of trained drawing office and works technicians
after the Second World War, Baker Perkins invested heavily in facilities for
Training. The pre-War apprentice bay was fully engaged with urgent apprentice
training and efforts were being made to cope with returning Forces personnel
under the Interrupted Apprenticeship Scheme.
As there was insufficient room in the Apprentice Bay, this was reserved for
fitting and machining training and a new "small jobs division" was
set up at the west end of P4 bay in the Plate Shop under Charles Durance which
later became the Plate Shop apprentice section. An apprentice section for twelve
trainees, with its own core drying oven and sand mixer, was created under Ben
Killips in the Foundry.
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Apprentices who joined in 1952 outside the original Apprentice Bay under the 1933 office building. |
With the retirement in 1947 of Albert Newby as Apprenticeship Supervisor and
J.A.W.D's appointment as his successor, the opportunity had been taken to re-appraise
the whole apprentice training system and learn from current best practice across
the engineering industry. The result was the building of a purpose-built, state
of the art Apprentice School which was opened in 1954.
See also:
Training at Westwood Works - a development
history.
Trainees in Action and Reminiscences
- for more memories of ex-apprentices.
"Growing Our Own Wood - The Development of the Baker Perkins Apprenticeship Scheme" - Click on the "BPHS Shop".
The opening of the Apprentice School in 1954 is remembered on each significant Anniversary.
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1977: 25th Anniversary of laying the Apprentice School Foundation Stone |
1984: Apprentice School 30th Anniversary |
2004: 50th Anniversary of the Apprentice School opening |
In a short ceremony organised jointly by the Baker Perkins Historical Society
and the Peterborough Civic Society, a Plaque describing the history of the Apprentice
School was unveiled by Jim Deboo - ex-Baker Perkins Training manager - on 23rd
July 2007. The event was attended by the Mayor of Peterborough, representatives
of Peterborough City Council, Peterborough Civic Society and BPHS, and ex-employees.
A plaque, which was originally mounted on an internal wall and which commemorated
the opening of the School in 1954, has been moved to the outside of the building.
These plaques, together with the three History Boards (see HMP
Peterborough) already in place on the landscaped area between Westfield Road
and HMP Peterborough, will help to remind Peterborough residents of what existed
on this site for 100 years.
Some of those who attended the Unveiling. How many of the ex-employees can you recognise 50 years on?
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An area of land adjacent to the Apprentice School, after being cleared of stones with the help of some of the Apprentices, was officially opened by Mr. H. Crowther in May 1957 as the Apprentice Sports Ground. The continued growth of the Company required that this land was needed for Staff car parking and a much larger Sports Ground was built behind the Experimental Department, and opened in 1961. This Ground was also used for the very popular Annual Fireworks Display, at which the Baker Perkins Fire Brigade provided safety cover.
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1957: Harold Crowther opens the Apprentice Sports ground |
Cutting the Tape |
Howard Pettit making presentation to Mr Crowther |
Mr Crowther receives a blotter from John Bushnell |
Wally Blades makes a presentation to Mrs Crowther |
A bouquet from Tom Appleyard |
These facilities took care of the needs of the locally recruited trainees at the start of their life with the Company but, as Apprentices and Commercial Trainees were recruited form outside the Peterborough area, there was a need to accommodate some recruits locally. "High Trees" in Eastfield Road housed a number of Apprentices whilst Commercial Trainees lived in the City Commercial Hotel in Bridge Street. This latter establishment had been leased by Baker Perkins to accommodate female staff during the War.
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1954: High Trees from Eastfield Road |
1954: High Trees Apprentice hostel |
1954: High Trees from the garden |
1954: The Lounge at High Trees |
1954: The Dining Room |
1954: A bedroom at High Trees |
1954: High Trees - the Student study |
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1960: Extension to building |
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A superb shot of Peterborough Technical College with High Trees in the lower foreground. It is understood that High Trees is soon to be demolished as part of the development of the "University Centre" collaboration with Anglia Ruskin University on the site of the Technical College. | |||||
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The Baker Perkins Staff Hostel (City Temperance Hotel) in Bridge Street, Peterborough |
Some Residents of the Staff Hostel in 1950 |
1952: Marshall Grey and colleagues
outside the Hostel. |
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John Smythe remembers staying at the City Commercial Hotel for about 18 months between 1952 and 1954 as a young apprentice, along with about 20 of his fellow employees. John spent the first nine months of his stay in a dormitory on the top floor, and the last nine months in the comparative luxury of a double room he shared with another resident. He paid 45 shillings each week for bed, breakfast and evening meal, plus an extra five shillings to have his laundry done.
"There was quite a nice community spirit and I really enjoyed my time there. I had been at boarding school, so I was quite used to the set-up and knew what to expect. Although the name "City Commercial Temperance Hotel" was written on the coloured glass door we used on the side of the building, I seem to remember it was only Temperance in theory, though the no ladies rule was strictly enforced.They were good days. We used to go to the City Cinema on Saturday nights for 9d."
Ralph Batson also stayed at the Hotel and recalls the rather severe lady who at one time ran the establishment - Nelly Washington (incidentally Margaret Preston's great-aunt). Ralph tells the story of inviting another work colleague for a meal at the hotel. Mrs Washington asked if they would like some of her apple pie and the visitor suggested that he would "risk a piece". "How dare you say you will risk some of my apple pie" was the redoubtable lady's reply and then refused to let them have any!
Baker Perkins gave up the Commercial Hotel in July 1953, the furniture was sold by Fox & Vergette and the premises bought by Hardy & Co. - a furnishing retailer - for £15,600.
