October 72 No 81 Hhlouse Magazine of Rank Xerox Mitcheldean Plant
Tribute from the Works
It is just over a year since Fred Wickstead, our
former chief, once described as ‘the architect of
Mitcheldean’, left to take up the appointment of
Vice-President, Manufacturing and Logistics, with
Xerox Corporation, USA. Yet it was not until this
last September, when Mr Wickstead was making
one of his periodic visits to the Plant, that a
suitable opportunity occurred for a presentation to
him on behalf of the shop stewards and shop floor
employees. It was certainly a gift worth waiting
for — a cut-glass decanter and silver tray with
matching goblets — and much appreciated by
Mr Wickstead. The presentation was made in the
boardroom by Joe Burke, AUEW, deputy works
convenor (centre); with him in the picture (from
the left) are General Manager Peter Salmon,
works convenor Gordon Bourne, AUEW,
Mr Wickstead and George Starkie, G a MWU
senior steward (Roger James, senior steward
EETU-PTU, was unfortunately unable to be
present).
(More presentations page 2).
PRESENTATIONS
to Mr Wickstead to Townsend House
1/
M i t c h e l d e a n Management also t o o k the
o p p o r t u n i t y t o make a p r e s e n t a t i o n to
Mr Wickstead d u r i n g his recent visit t o t h e Plant.
Their g i f t , presented by Mr S a l m o n , was a
m i n i a t u r e beer barrel m a c h i n e d out of s o l i d brass,
set o n a bench w i t h s i l v e r – p l a t e d mugs, a
g o l d – p l a t e d mallet and a p l a q u e bearing in roman
f i g u r e s t h e years 1 9 4 8 – 7 1 d u r i n g w h i ch
Mr Wickstead w a s at M i t c h e l d e a n.
Made by Rank Xerox apprentices f r om a d e s i g n by
their supervisor Len Hart, it r e m i n d e d Mr W i c k s t e ad
of his very first o f f i c e , l o c a t e d in t h e former
W i n t l e ‘ s Brewery b u i l d i n g ; it also e x e m p l i f i e d the
h i g h standard of w o r k of w h i c h t h e T r a i n i ng
School is capable. Mr W i c k s t e a d w a s d e l i g h t ed
w i t h it and said he w o u l d take it back t o his o f f i ce
in Stamford, C o n n e c t i c u t , t o j o i n other mementoes
of M i t c h e l d e a n . It w o u l d , he said, help to
c o u n t e r a c t t h e ‘ d r y n e s s ‘ of t h e atmosphere there !
Teatime at T o w n s e n d House o l d p e o p l e ‘ s home in
M i t c h e l d e a n , and our General Manager Peter
S a l m o n presents an aerial p i c t u r e of t h e v i l l a ge
and of t h e Rank Xerox c o m p l e x t o Eric Pye ( l e f t ).
S u p e r i n t e n d e n t of t h e home. When the p i c t u re
was t a k e n t h i s last summer, T o w n s e n d House, a
c l o s e n e i g h b o u r of ours, came out clearly, and it
w a s d e c i d e d t o present a c o l o u r enlargement to
t h e home. The p i c t u r e n o w hangs in t h e a t t r a c t i ve
e n t r a n c e hall w h e r e it c a t c h e s t h e eye of v i s i t o r s.
The home itself a c c o m m o d a t e s 3 8 men and
w o m e n in c h e e r f u l , c o m f o r t a b l e s u r r o u n d i n g s . The
m a j o r i t y are local people, many of w h o m have
r e l a t i v e s w o r k i n g at t h e Plant. Quite a f e w of t he
residents v i s i t e d us o n Open Day last J u n e , and
came t o a c o n c e r t held in t h e Social Centre
earlier t h i s y e a r ; for t h e i n a c t i v e , in p a r t i c u l a r , the
c o m i n g s and g o i n g s at t h e Plant are a c o n s t a nt
s o u r c e of interest.
to ^ ^M 9 The Q u e e n ‘ s A w a r d t o I n d u s t r y , a w a r d e d to our C o m p a n y for
U9 • export a c h i e v e m e n t f o r t h e t h i r d t i m e , is t o be p r e s e n t e d t h is
year at M i t c h e l d e a n . T h e c e r e m o n y w i l l t a k e p l a c e in t he
S u p p l y Centre o n N o v e m b e r 7, w h e n t h e Lord L i e u t e n a nt
of G l o u c e s t e r s h i r e , t h e D u k e of B e a u f o r t , w i l l make the
p r e s e n t a t i o n to Mr Mai T h o m a s , M a n a g i n g Director and Chief
E x e c u t i v e of Rank Xerox Ltd.
The i n v i t e d a u d i e n c e of some 7 0 0 to 8 0 0 w i l l i n c l u d e 500
f r o m M i t c h e l d e a n , w i t h r e p r e s e n t a t i v e g r o u p s f r om W e l w y n,
D e n h a m and Rank Xerox House and a n u m b e r of o u t s i de
v i s i t o r s . A p a r t f r o m t h e M a n a g e m e n t team, t h o s e i n v i t e d f r om
M i t c h e l d e a n w i l l be s e l e c t e d by ballot.
The Duke, w h o is e x p e c t e d t o arrive a r o u n d 1 0 . 3 0 a m , w i ll
f i r s t be t a k e n on a t o u r of t h e P l a n t ; at n o o n t h e p r e s e n t a t i on
c e r e m o n y w i l l t a k e place, f o l l o w e d by a l u n c h e o n in t he
S u p p l y Centre for all t h o s e a t t e n d i n g.
Opportunity
Trips
It isn’t o n l y seasoned employees at M i t c h e l d e an
w h o get t h e c h a n c e t o t r a v e l . The y o u n g and
inexperienced get t h e i r c h a n c e t o o.
There are several t y p e s of courses w h i c h Education
& T r a i n i n g v a l u e f o r t h e c h a r a c t e r – b u i l d i ng
o p p o r t u n i t i e s they offer y o u n g people and over a
dozen youngsters at M i t c h e l d e a n have been
availing themselves of these o p p o r t u n i t i e s in 1 9 7 2 .
First adventurer t h i s year w a s Sue S t e p h e n s of
Personnel; a former trainee secretary, she set sail
last A p r i l o n t h e Sail T r a i n i n g A s s o c i a t i o n ‘ s vessel
Malcolm Miller. While w e at h o m e w e r e s h i v e r i ng
in an English s p r i n g , she f o u n d w a r m w e a t h e r in
her travels f r om P o r t s m o u t h t o A l d e r n e y a n d Brest.
In fact, at o n e t i m e there w a s so l i t t le w i n d , she t o ld
us, that t h e y t r a v e l l e d b a c k w a r d s instead of
f o r w a r d s ! A Force 7 gale s o o n f o l l o w e d , however,
and Sue, e x p e r i e n c i n g life at sea f o r t h e first t i m e,
discovered that she had a g o o d pair of sea legs
and was able t o help others less f o r t u n a t e . A nd
when she came back i n t o port at Preston, Lanes.,
Sue was p o s i t i o n e d h i g h up o n t h e y a r d a rm as
part of t h e ‘ f o r m a t i o n ‘ I
Two other girls, Pauline H o w a r d a n d Lynne
Hooton ( w h o goes in N o v e m b e r ) , plus Rodney
Dix, Paul Denton and Richard Baker, made up our
1972 ‘ t r a i n ed before t h e mast’ c o n t i n g e n t.
Then there were t h e six a p p r e n t i c e s w h o w e n t to
the Lake District t o t a k e part in an A d v e n t u r e El-
Citizenship course o r g a n i s e d by t h e d i o c e s e of
Hereford as t h e c h u r c h ‘ s c o n t r i b u t i o n to
i n d u s t r y — J o h n M u r r e l l , Roger S m i t h and Gary
Sladen in September, and Richard A n d r e w s , J o hn
P h l p p s a n d Glyn Rudge in J u l y.
Our boys, w h o s e p a r t i c i p a t i o n w a s arranged
t h r o u g h Prebendary J o h n T h u r s f i e l d of R o s s – o n –
Wye, w e n t hill c l i m b i n g , c a n o e i n g , etc., w i t h other
apprentices. A l t h o u g h not as r i g o r o u s as t he
O u t w a r d B o u n d or Sail T r a i n i n g ones, t h i s course
is nonetheless a c h a l l e n g i n g one, p a r t i c u l a r l y well
geared t o t h e a b i l i t i e s of t h e y o u n g e r apprentices.
Lastly, there w a s a p p r e n t i c e Clive C o w m e a d o w,
w h o w e n t further afield t h a n anyone. He spent a
f o r t n i g h t f r om A u g u s t 21 t o September 2 t a k i ng
part in an A n g l o – G e r m a n y o u t h conference,
organised by t h e National Council of Y M C A ‘ s and
the European Academy at Europa Haus,
Otzenhausen, near Trier.
This w a s not a p h y s i c a l l y , but rather a m e n t a l l y,
demanding course. There w e r e 2 2 British
participants, led by t h e Y M C A Y o u t h in I n d u s t ry
Tutor f o r West C u m b e r l a n d , and s o m e 2 6 Germans.
Clive Cowmeadow, Sue Stephens ana joi,n
Phipps compare notes about their different trips.
As most s p o k e English t h e r e w a s l i t t le language
d i f f i c u l t y and t h e y o u n g people discussed s u b j e c ts
such as t h e e n t r y of B r i t a i n i n t o t h e C o m m on
Market.
C l i v e n o t e d t h a t B r i t a i n ‘ s e n t r y appeared t o be
w e l c o m e d by t h e Germans, w h o h o p e d t h a t it
w o u l d effect a r e – b a l a n c e of p o w e r blocs w i t h in
t h e EEC.
T h e O l y m p i c Games, w h i c h w e r e in progress at t he
t i m e , p r o v i d e d another t o p i c a l subject for
d i s c u s s i o n . There w a s also a ‘ r o l e play’ o n an
i n d u s t r i a l s i t u a t i o n , t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s b e i n g d i v i d ed
up i n t o g r o u p s a n d w o r k i n g out strategies, a c t i ng
as g r o u p spokesmen, etc.
V i s i t s w e r e paid t o Trier, G e r m a n y ‘ s oldest t o w n ,
and t o L u x e m b o u r g . On a t r i p t o t h e Ford w o r ks
at Saarlouis t h e lads s a w t h e p r o d u c t i o n lines of
t h e Escort and Capri cars, a n d t h e spray, w e l d i ng
and press shops. Reports C l i v e We w e r e s h o wn
t h e c o m p u t e r i s e d parts s y s t em w h i c h b r o u g ht
parts f r om stores a n d p u t t h e m o n t h e l i ne at t he
r i g h t times. There w e r e Capris and Escorts c o m i ng
t h r o u g h on t h e same line, a n d t h e y w e r e all
d i f f e r e n t c o l o u r s : t h e parts s y s t em ensured that
parts of t h e r i g h t c o l o u r arrived as t h e relevant car
came t h r o u g h .’
A visit t o t h e Saarland Radio s t a t i o n gave t h e lads
a c h a n c e t o l o o k a r o u n d t h e v a r i o u s s t u d i o s , t he
c u t t i n g and m i x i n g rooms a n d t h e t r a n s m i t t i ng
areas. This is a n i n d e p e n d e n t s t a t i o n and Clive
f o u n d it p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t e r e s t i n g in v i e w of t he
f o r t h c o m i n g c o m m e r c i a l s t a t i o n s in t h e UK.
One t h i n g that puzzled Clive w a s h o w t h e German
a p p r e n t i c e s w e r e able t o a f f o r d t o r u n cars, s i n ce
t h e i r w a g e s w e r e c o m p a r a t i v e l y l o w e r t h a n their
UK e q u i v a l e n t — until he d i s c o v e r e d t h a t their
parents o b l i g i n g l y f o o t e d t h e b i l ls I
3
PED Appointments
J o h n M. W o o d j o i n e d PED as D e p u t y Chief
P r o d u c t i o n Engineer, r e p o r t i n g t o J a c k Tester,
f r om September 4. Mr W o o d is a chartered
engineer and M I ( P r o d . ) E , and has held a number
of senior a p p o i n t m e n t s , latterly w i t h i n t h e Serck
Group.
P r o d u c t i o n Engineering Manager Hugh Grainger
has been seconded t o M a n u f a c t u r i n g G r o u p Staff
and is responsible for all o n – g o i n g m a n u f a c t u r i ng
e n g i n e e r i n g a c t i v i t i e s on a n e w product. He
reports d i r e c t l y t o Ron M a s o n , Chief Engineer,
M a n u f a c t u r i n g .
Water -«^ater everywhere
Freddie Oliver and Simon Wood, members of
Cinderford fire brigade; (below), the works fire
brigade operate our latest appliance — firemen
Bill Smith, Dave Woodward, Vic Baker and fire
officer Tony Cale.
The o b j e c t of t h e f i re exercise on September 18 at
t h e Plant w a s c h i e f l y t o f a m i l i a r i s e t h e local f i re
services w h o w o u l d a t t e n d us in case of f i re w i th
t h e l o c a t i o n , q u a n t i t y , pressure and d e l i v e r y of
w a t e r on site. It s t a r t e d w i t h t h e w o r k s fire
b r i g a d e f i g h t i n g an i m a g i n a r y fire in B u i l d i n g 41
( n o w k n o w n as t h e S u p p l y C e n t r e ) . A 9 9 9 call
f o r assistance t o G l o u c e s t e r s h i r e Fire Service, w ho
c o n t r o l l e d t h e exercise, b r o u g h t t h e first f i re
a p p l i a n c e s f r om C i n d e r f o r d in less t h a n 10
m i n u t e s ; t h e y w e r e f o l l o w e d by t h o s e f r om
C o l e f o r d and N e w e n t , and s o o n there w e r e 14
p o w e r f u l j e t s in a c t i o n a r o u n d t h e b u i l d i n g.
A f t e r t h e exercise, f i r e m e n and s t a t i o n o f f i c e rs
t o u r e d t h e b u i l d i n g and l o o k e d at t h e sprinkler
system, l a g o o n , storage t a n k s and p u m p house,
and w e w e r e c o n g r a t u l a t e d on t h e w a y t h e water
s i t u a t i o n in t h e Plant had been t a c k l e d.
All t h i s t a l k of water w a s t h i r s t – m a k i n g , so t h o se
i n v o l v e d d o u s e d themselves w i t h s o m e t h i n g a bit
s t r o n g e r in t h e c l u b house.
‘ S E L L A PICTURE’ Competition
You may recall that In 1 9 7 0 a p a i n t i n g c o m p e t i t i o n w a s organised w h i c h p r o d u c e d some
excellent results. In v i e w of t h e current r e o r g a n i s a t i o n of our c a t e r i n g f a c i l i t i e s o n site, it
has been d e c i d e d t o h o l d a f u r t h e r c o m p e t i t i o n for permanent e x h i b i t i o n of p a i n t i n g s in
t h e n e w d i n i n g – r o o m s . Once again t h e emphasis w i l l be on t h e local theme.
The c o m p e t i t i o n w i l l be j u d g e d by a panel of t h r e e : Mr E. J . Rice, V i c e – P r i n c i p a l , West
Gloucestershire College of Further E d u c a t i o n : Mr P. M. Salmon, General Manager,
M i t c h e l d e a n P l a n t : and Mr A. B r y s o n , our P r o d u c t i v i t y Services Manager.
There w i l l be a first prize of £ 2 0 , a s e c o n d of £1 5 and a t h i r d of £10. The C o m p a n y w i ll
purchase those entries w h i c h it c o n s i d e r s s u i t a b l e for permanent d i s p l a y in t h e n ew
d i n i n g – r o o m s (such pictures c o u l d i n c l u d e any of t h e n o n – w i n n i n g e n t r i e s ).
The rules f o r t h e c o m p e t i t i o n are as f o l l o w s :
1 . The c o m p e t i t i o n is o p e n o n l y to
employees, or retired members of
t h e Long Service A s s o c i a t i o n.
2. The pictures may be e x e c u t e d in any
m e d i um — oils, w a t e r c o l o u r s , pen
and ink, etc. — and must be
m o u n t e d but need not be f r a m e d.
3. The size of t h e p i c t u r e ( e x c l u d i ng
m o u n t i n g ) must not be less t h an
18 inches x 2 4 inches.
4 . The subject must have some
c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e l o c a l i t y , w h e t h er
it be a landscape, b u i l d i n g of
h i s t o r i c al or a r c h i t e c t u r a l interest or
s t i l l – l i fe s t u d y ( n o portraits, please).
5. Competitors may send in any number
of entries, but o n l y one of t h e first
t h r e e p l a c e s wi l l be a w a r d e d t o a n y
one person.
6. Entries must be d e l i v e r e d to
Mr A. Bryson’ s o f f i c e in P r o d u c t i v i ty
Services Department, B u i l d i n g 4 0,
on November 17 ( n o t b e f o r e ).
Results w i l l be a n n o u n c e d on t he
n o t i c e b o a r d s as s o o n after that date
as possible.
7. Each entry must be a c c o m p a n i e d by
a statement of t h e price at w h i ch
t h e p i c t u r e may be purchased.
8. Whilst every care w i l l be t a k e n of
t h e entries, t h e c o m p a n y cannot
h o l d itself r e s p o n s i b l e for any
damage t h a t may o c c u r t o p i c t u r es
s u b m i t t e d .
On August 15 members of Mitcheldean Parish
Council were welcomed to the Plant to see our
recent extensions and work in production
departments, after which they were entertained to
dinner For the majority, it was familiar terrain —
six are employees, and two former employees.
Pictured here with Information Officer Jimmy Bake
(far left) are Jack Merry (Council chairman),
Neville Little (vice-chairman), Mrs. M. Bilbrough,
G. S. Elcock (clerk), John Notley, Mrs E. Ferguson,
Roy Whittington, Francis Sterry, Ralph Smith,
Phil Bennett and Les Tuff ley.
5
TOOLS FOR
SALES IN
EAST EUROPE
You may n o t have n o t i c e d b u t w e have three
identical Russians w o r k i n g f o r us — t w o in t he
T r a i n i n g School and o n e in Small Batch, d o i ng
j o b s w h i c h call f o r e x c e p t i o n a l v e r s a t i l i t y a nd
accuracy.
K n o w n as S t a n k o m i l l 6 7 5 universal m i l l i ng
machines, t h e y o w e t h e i r v e r s a t i l i t y t o t h e r a n g e of
a t t a c h m e n t s — vertical s p i n d l e head, h o r i z o n t al
t a b l e , circular d i v i d i n g t a b l e w i t h q u a d r a n t , etc. —
t h a t are s u p p l i e d as s t a n d a r d w i t h each machine
and therefore d o not have t o be purchased
separately as w i t h other s u c h machines.
Their users tell us t h e y a p p r e c i a t e t h e clearly
w r i t t e n and e a s y – t o – f o l l o w t r a i n i n g manual and
t h e centralised and e a s y – t o – r e a c h machine
c o n t r o l s . In s h o r t , t h e y have p r o v e d a g o o d buy.
H o w d i d t h e y c o m e t o M i t c h e l d e a n ? W e l l , y ou
may recall t h a t our Chief Engineer, M a n u f a c t u r i n g,
Ron Mason, w e n t t o t h e USSR a year a g o w i th
other c o m p a n y representatives t o v i s i t some major
Russian machine t o o l f a c t o r i e s and assess t he
q u a l i t y of t h e i r p r o d u c t s w i t h a v i e w t o possible
purchase. These m i l l i n g machines are a direct
result of t h a t visit.
But there is more t o t h e s t o r y t h a n t h a t . As y ou
w i l l have n o t e d f r om n e w s releases. Rank Xerox,
t h r o u g h its East European Operations s e t – u p , has
had remarkable success in s e l l i n g , as o p p o s e d to
G O R D O N S. P L A N N ER
joined us in 1968 to
organise our East
European Operations
division which is
solely responsible for
trading with East
Europe. He has
travelled extensively
in that area and
averages about six
months abroad in a
year. He was
awarded the MBE in
the Queen’s Birthday
Honours List, 1971.
r e n t i n g , its r a n g e of m a c h i n e s t o East European
c o u n t r i e s w h o s e c u r r e n c y is n o n – c o n v e r t i b l e i n to
s t e r l i n g .
W h e n G o r d o n Planner, General Manager of EEO,
v i s i t e d M i t c h e l d e a n in M a r c h 1 9 7 0 , he said : ‘ Y ou
c a n n o t c o n t i n u a l l y d r a i n f r om t h e s e c o u n t r i es
s t e r l i n g a n d d o l l a r s , p a r t i c u l a r l y in t h e w a y of
c o n s u m a b l e s and spares, w i t h o u t t h e i r w a n t i n g to
k n o w w h a t w e are d o i n g in reverse. S o m e t h i ng
w i l l have t o be d o n e s o o n t o o v e r c o m e t h is
p r o b l em if w e are t o e x p l o i t t h e p o t e n t i a l that
exists.’
Our purchase of t h e S t a n k o m i l l m a c h i n e s is a s t ep
in t h a t d i r e c t i o n , a l t h o u g h , it is e m p h a s i s e d , t h ey
w e r e b o u g h t on merit a n d w e r e c o n s i d e r ed
c a r e f u l l y in r e l a t i o n t o other m a c h i n e t o o ls
a v a i l a b l e irrespective of t h e i r c o u n t r y of
m a n u f a c t u r e .
The ‘ p o t e n t i a l ‘ referred t o by M r Planner has
p r o v e d no m a r k e t i n g man’s mirage. Since 1 9 70
several major orders r u n n i n g i n t o m i l l i o n s of
p o u n d s have been secured f r om Russia a n d other
East European c o u n t r i e s a n d , as w e all k n o w , t he
Queen’s A w a r d t o I n d u s t r y f o r e x p o r t achievement
has r e g u l a r l y c o m e our w a y .
E x h i b i t i o n s have p r o v e d an i n v a l u a b l e t o o l in
o p e n i n g t h e d o o r t o East Europe. EEO a t t e n d e d 20
e x h i b i t i o n s and seminars last year, w i t h e q u i p m e nt
p u r c h a s e d off t h e s t a n d more t h a n p a y i n g f o r t he
cost of each e x h i b i t i o n . By t h i s means, a n d w i t h t he
a id of d i r e c t mail shots, l i t e r a t u re p r i n t e d in several
languages, and o t h e r aids, p o t e n t i a l customers
have been e d u c a t e d in t h e reasons f o r c o p y i n g ,
t h e systems t h a t c o u l d be a p p l i e d , t h e s p e e d – u p in
c o m m u n i c a t i o n s t h a t c o u l d result a n d also t he
r i g h t Rank Xerox m a c h i n e f o r t h e j o b .
The a m o u n t of paper w o r k in East European
t e r r i t o r i e s has s n o w b a l l e d in recent years and c o py
v o l u m e t o d a y is t r e m e n d o u s . Operators o f t e n sit at
t h e machines and w o r k on a s h i f t basis. The
machines are kept s w i t c h e d o n all d a y a n d t h e re
6
are a f e w cases w f i e r e t h e y w o r k n o n – s t o p for 1 5
or more hours a d a y !
An instance of t h i s is p r o v i d e d by t h e Russian
f i rm k n o w n as Patent, w h i c h lays c l a im t o being
the largest enterprise in Europe e n g a g e d in
p r o d u c i n g copies of patent d o c u m e n t s for national
and i n t e r n a t i o n a l use.
Whether an inventor is c o n c e r n e d w i t h a
r e v o l u t i o n a r y n e w medical i n s t r u m e n t for
determining t h e ideal p o i n t s f o r a c u p u n c t u r e , or
merely w i t h the design of a beer b o t t l e , the
ramifications of p a t e n t i n g are extensive. Often a
c o m p l i c a t e d search f o r precedents a n d parallels is
involved. Patent o f f i c e s , p r i v a t e f i r m s , and
inventors in many c o u n t r i e s g o t h e r e for c o p i e s of
s p e c i f i c a t i o n s w h i c h are not available in t h e i r o wn
countries, but w h i c h are held in t h e u n r i v a l l ed
patent files of th e USSR.
More t h a n a t h o u s a n d copies of v a r i o u s t y p e s of
material g o out f r om t h e Patent Literature Hall in
M o s c o w every day. To a v o i d c o n s t a n t h a n d l i ng
and subsequent damage t o t h e o r i g i n a l s . Patent
have w h a t they call ‘ w o r k i n g c o p i e s ‘ made via
35mm m i c r o f i l m , and these c o p i e s are used f o r all
r e – c o p y i n g processes.
It is at t h e r e – c o p y i n g stage t h a t Rank Xerox comes
in. Patent s u p p l y enquirers w i t h either m i c r o f i lm
or xerographic copies of t h e material i n v o l v e d.
The c o p y i n g department w o r k s on a t w o – s h i ft
system and prides itself o n n o r m a l l y b e i n g able to
send out copies w i t h i n 48 hours of r e c e i v i n g the
request. There are f i ve 7 2 0 s and t w o C o p y f lo
machines in t h e M o s c o w office.
Fortunately our machines are b u i l t t o a
s p e c i f i c a t i o n w h i c h easily stands t h e strain a n d in
fact t h e y p e r f o rm better for c o n t i n u a l r u n n i n g.
Nevertheless, it is i m p o r t a n t that our e q u i p m e n t is
regularly serviced and m a i n t a i n e d w i t h a v e r y short
response t i m e for service, and t o t h i s end a very
effective service o r g a n i s a t i o n has been built up in
East Europe, p r o t e c t i n g our name and r e p u t a t i o n.
7
The firm l but it was our first customer in the Soviet Union
and it remains our largest single customer. There
are five 720s and two Copyflo machines in the
Moscow office. Below: Apprentice John Murrell
operates one of the Russian milling machines
in Mitcheldean’s Training School.
LETTER
Mumble-fifth birthday
T w o members retired at t h e end of September —
Eva S m i t h of A u t o Plating, w h o has been w i t h us
15 years, a n d Paul Gregory, Manager, A d v a n c ed
M a n u f a c t u r i n g , w h o has served 19 years.
Prior t o his retirement, P a u l s colleagues in Design
Engineering gave h im a party at t h e Wye Hotel on
September 8. A c c o r d i n g t o t h e speech w r i t t e n by
Jeff Kew and d e l i v e r e d by Ken Boyd, t h i s w a s to
celebrate his ‘ m u m b l e – f i f t h b i r t h d a y ‘ . The o r a t i on
cannot be r e p r o d u c e d here in f u l l in case it gives
people the r i g h t impression of Paul Gregory.
Suffice it t o say that reference w a s made t o his
type of humour, t h e size of his shoes, ‘his
w h o l e h e a r t e d , u n s t i n t i n g support of t h e d i s t i l l e ry
industry, t h e w a y he loves birds and d o g s and
hates people, his f o r t i t u d e in w i t h s t a n d i n g the
rigours of l o n g t r i p s abroad . . . ! ‘ J o k i n g apart,
his colleagues paid t r i b u t e t o his t e n a c i t y and
resilience and w i s h e d h im success in his n ew
business venture.
Kate M a t t h e w s , w h o left at t h e end of A u g u s t , had
been in I n s p e c t i o n since she started 3 0 i years ago
in t h e days of J a c k Hambrey. A tireless w o r k er
f o r t h e older f o l k , she w i l l be greatly missed. She
served f i v e years on t h e LSA c o m m i t t e e , and was
v i c e – c h a i r m a n w h e n she retired. Kate w a s a l w a ys
a c h a m p i o n c o l l e c t o r on behalf of t h e retired —
n o w it w a s t h e Plant’s t u r n t o c o l l e c t for her and
as a result, a Teasmade w i t h c o m p a n i o n set was
presented t o her by Fred Court, Assistant
Manager, M a n u f a c t u r i n g I n s p e c t i o n , t o g e t h er
w i t h a s um of money, w h i l e f o r e m a n Bev J o hn
gave her a scroll and b o u q u e t f r om Remodelling
I n s p e c t i o n , as our p i c t u r e s h o w s . Bob Baker
presented her w i t h a c h e q u e f r om t h e LSA.
A ‘ P E D pioneer’, Ted Price j o i n e d us 15 years ago
w h e n PED w a s d e v e l o p i n g as a d e p a r t m e n t : he
had t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of s e t t i n g up an
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n s e c t i o n w h i c h came t o be k n o w n as
Central Records. Jack Tester, T e d ‘ s chief, was
u n a b l e t o be present at t h e l e a v e – t a k i n g c e r e m o n y:
in his absence Ron M a s o n (left) Chief
Engineer, M a n u f a c t u r i n g , presented Ted w i th
an e l e c t r i c shaver and some money, g i f t s f r om his
c o l l e a g u e s t h r o u g h o u t the Plant, w h i l e Bernard
S m i t h presented a c h e q u e f r om t h e LSA. The
g i r l s in Central Records gave h im t h e i r o wn
present, a gas lighter — he w a s a l w a y s short of
matches a p p a r e n t l y I
I n c i d e n t a l l y , our reference t o Sam N e w m a n ‘s
retirement in our last issue s h o u l d more c o r r e c t ly
have read : ‘ A n episode in t h e N e w m a n f a m i ly
a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h M i t c h e l d e a n Plant has c o m e to
an e n d ‘ , f o r t h e f a m i l y a s s o c i a t i o n is n o w being
carried on by Sam’s son, J o h n . A former
a p p r e n t i c e , he w o r k s in C i n d e r f o r d M a c h i n e Shop
and has been w i t h us t e n years. •
We are sorry t o have t o r e c o r d t h e d e a t h on
A u g u s t 25 of retired member A l b e r t Palmer at the
age of 7 2 years.
A N Y N E W S F O R V I S I O N?
If y o u have, t h e n please —
• let y o u r d e p a r t m e n t a l correspondent
k n o w ,
• or leave it at any Gate House for c o l l e c t i on
by me,
• or post it t o me at Tree Tops, P l u m p Hill,
M i t c h e l d e a n ,
• or r i n g me — it’s D r y b r o o k 4 1 5.
Myrtle Fowler, Editor
8
HOME MARKET
F o r S a le
Baby hamsters, 25p. each. ‘ P h o n e D r y b r o o k 565,
S w a l l o w pram, converts t o pushchair, red
w e t – l o o k w i t h navy stripe and navy l i n i n g . Very
g o o d c o n d i t i o n , £13. Also e l m w o o d k i t c h e n and
d i n i n g set, never used, cost £34, o f f e r s t o :
Rex Foley, 4 0 0 0 Assembly.
Superior detached house, f o u r bedrooms,
bathroom, etc. Enquiries t o G. Yemm, R o c k v i l l a,
Coalway, Coleford.
T h r e e – y e a r – o l d gas cooker, Parkinson C o w an
Prince I I . Scalectrix set c o n s i s t i n g of t h r e e cars,
one c o m b i n a t i o n , approx. 50 ft of t r a c k TT model
railway. Offers t o K. Hirst, Reliability, t e l . 7 1 2 int.
1971 Honda 50, excellent c o n d i t i o n . Continental
model, t h e r e f o r e can be ridden by 1 6 – y e a r – o l d s,
£50. Contact Simon Tearle, 5 2 Belle Vue Road,
Cinderford.
George L e w i s of R a w Material Stores, C i n d e r f o r d,
said g o o d b y e on A u g u s t 25. He had w o r k e d in
t h e Stores for t h e last t e n years but had been w i th
t h e C o m p a n y for over 25 years. His c o l l e a g u es
gave h im a l i g h t e r in t h e shape of a p i s t o l , here
b e i n g handed over by supervisor Bill M a r s h a l l ; he
also received a g i f t of money d o n a t e d by f r i e n ds
at b o t h C i n d e r f o r d and M i t c h e l d e a n . Henry
P h i l l i p s presented t h e LSA’s c h e q u e . It d o e s n ‘t
s o u n d as if George is g o i n g t o be p u t t i n g his feet
up — he’s h e l p i n g his s o n b u i l d a b u n g a l o w !
A n o t h e r w h o received his 2 5 – y e a r a w a r d at t he
last LSA dinner a n d retired at t h e end of A u g u st
was Bert Bailey. Bert w o r k e d for t h e greater part
of his t i m e w i t h us in T o o l Stores a n d had a
p r o d i g i o u s memory for t o o l numbers — he c o u ld
remember t h e m f r om w a y back, Eddie L e w i s t o ld
us. A transistor radio, b o t t l e of w h i s k y and some
cash g i f t s f r om his c o l l e a g u e s , w e r e presented at
B e r t ‘ s l e a v e t a k i n g by A l a n S w o r d y ( r i g h t ) , w h i le
Bernard S m i t h made t h e p r e s e n t a t i o n of a c h e q ue
on behalf of t h e LSA.
1 9 6 3 T r i u m p h S p i t f i r e w i t h h a r d t o p , £ 1 8 0.
K. Scrivens, t e l . 4 0 8 int.
Piano, u p r i g h t , K i r k m a n , r e g u l a r l y t u n e d . Valued
at £25, w o u l d accept £ 2 0 o.n.o. ‘ P h o ne
M. Fowler, D r y b r o o k 4 1 5.
D i m p l e x i n f r a – r e d w a l l heater, as n e w , £4. A p p ly
T. Daunter, S u p p l y Centre t r a n s p o r t , t e l . 2 3 6 int.
T o Let
Furnished b u n g a l o w in M i t c h e l d e a n , 6 t o 12
m o n t h s . A p p l y R. C a l d i c u t t , Sorters, BIdg 1 1 .
W a n t e d
To f i l l a v o l u n t a r y , u n p a i d , h i g h l y d e m a n d i n g post,
but w i t h , as a r e w a r d , t h e a p p r e c i a t i o n of
h u n d r e d s of people, y o u n g and o l d — a stage
e l e c t r i c i a n f o r C.A.D.S. ( C o l e f o r d Dramatic
S o c i e t y ) . Please c o n t a c t G. H. B e d f o r d , B u i l d i ng
4 0 . tel 4 8 2 int.
9
SP®RTS & SOCIAL
CLUB
C h i l d r e n ‘ s P a r t i es
The t w i n Christmas parties f o r c h i l d r e n of
employees w i l l be held in t h e Social Centre as
usual — January 6 for t h e f i ve t o seven-yearolds,
J a n u a r y 1 3 for t h o s e aged eight t o t en
inclusive. The younger ones w i l l have f i l m s and
l i ve e n t e r t a i n m e n t , t h e older set a f i lm s h o w and
d i s c o t h e q u e . The f i r s t party starts at 2 . 3 0 pm, t he
later one at 3 pm.
Eligible c h i l d r e n s h o u l d make sure t h e i r parents
f i l l in t h e f o rm e n c l o s e d and return it t o their
c o m m i t t e e representative or t h e Personnel
Department on or before M o n d a y , O c t o b e r 30.
V o l u n t e e r s f o r bus s t e w a r d d u t i e s are u r g e n t ly
needed.
C h a n g e o f C h a i r m an
Robin Berks leaves w i t h his f a m i l y for Rochester on
October 18. He w i l l be a w a y f o r about a year,
w h i c h means t h a t he w i l l be unable t o be present
as chairman of t h e Cine Club w h e n it acts as host
c l u b for t h e Gloucester C o u n t y Cine C o m p e t i t i on
next March. Jack Seal, v i c e – c h a i r m a n , is t a k i ng
over as c h a i r m a n w i t h A n g e l a Powell as secretary.
Fortunately t h e f i lm w h i c h is t h e c l u b ‘ s entry in
t h e c o m p e t i t i o n , and in w h i c h Robin has a leading
role, is n o w almost c o m p l e t e , so R o b i n w i l l be
making an ‘appearance’ at t h e f u n c t i o n after all I
G o l f e r s W i n a g a in
A n o t h e r golf match w a s held against W e l w y n on
September 6 at B u r f o r d Golf Club. Mitcheldean
f i e l d e d 12 players and u p h e l d our previous
success by w i n n i n g t h e m o r n i n g ‘ s matches by
5 t o nil and t h e a f t e r n o o n series by 7 matches t o 3.
At the t i m e of w r i t i n g , a d a y out for any g o l f e r w i th
holidays left w a s being arranged at F i l t o n . This
was expected t o be t h e last s u c h f o r t h i s year and
it was hoped t o r o u n d off t h e season w i t h some
g o o d golf.
The s e m i – f i n a l s of t h e Round Robin c o m p e t i t i on
were also d u e t o be played, t h e players i n v o l v ed
b e i n g : Erik ( ‘ I t ‘s as easy as s k i t t l e s ‘ ) S o l o g u b v.
Bob (The B a n d i t ) H o w e l l s , and Pat (‘Where did
that one g o ? ‘ ) Dulson v. V e r n o n ( ‘ I ‘ l l see ya in t he
W h i t e H a r f ) Williams.
Says Pat Dulson : ‘ T h e summer t e a c h i n g sessions
at Abenhall f i n i s h e d o n September 28. There has
been a f a i r l y g o o d response t o these and t h e c l ub
w i l l try t o start t h em again next s p r i n g.
It is h o p e d that w e w i l l be able t o organise some
golf f i lm s h o w s in t h e w i n t e r and further
i n f o r m a t i o n about these w i l l appear on t he
n o t i c e b o a r d s in due course.’
Highest score of t h e year — can a n y b o d y beat a
16 at t h e e i g h t h hole at M o n m o u t h ?
T h e F o o t b a l l F i g ht
There w e r e 17 entries f o r t h e I n t e r d e p a r t m e n t al
Football KO C o m p e t i t i o n . The first m a t c h , played
o n September 12, e n d e d in t h e a n n i h i l a t i o n of the
S c r u f f s ‘ A ‘ t e am ( a p p r e n t i c e s ) by t h e Lines
t o p p e r s ( P r o g r e s s ) , t h e f i n a l score b e i n g 2 0 – n i l.
It seems t h a t t h e Scruffs w e r e several men short
at t h e start, a d i s a d v a n t a g e f r om w h i c h t h e y never
managed t o recover.
The f i n a l is d u e t o be p l a y e d o n t h e Causeway
G r o u n d , C i n d e r f o r d , s h o r t l y after t h i s issue is
p u b l i s h e d .
The Rank Xerox Ladies Football T e am are n ow
an a f f i l i a t e d s e c t i o n of t h e c l u b and it is p o s s i b le
t h a t next year t h e r e w i l l be an i n t e r d e p a r t m e n t al
f o o t b a l l c o m p e t i t i o n f o r ladies as w e l l.
T h e S k i t t l e s S t r u g g le
There are over 7 5 entries f o r t h e next
I n t e r d e p a r t m e n t a l S k i t t l e s KO a n d p l a y i n g w a s due
t o start as w e w e n t t o press.
D i s c o u n t s f o r M e m b e rs
S e t t i n g up h o u s e ? R e – e q u i p p i n g your e x i s t i ng
h o m e ? Or j u s t g e t t i n g C h r i s t m a s – c o n s c i o u s?
Then make a n o t e of these places w h e r e , as a
member of t h e Sports & Social Club, y o u can get
d i s c o u n t s as f o l l o w s :
Cavendish Carpets, 5 Cavendish Buildings,
Gloucester— 1 0 — 1 2 J per cent off most purchases.
Ken Cole, 61 Northgate Street, Gloucester —
1 0 per cent off cookers, radios and t e l e v i s i o n s e t s;
1 5 per cent off other g o o d s.
Malcolm Davis Motor Cycles, 206-208 Barton
Street, Gloucester— 7i per cent off spares and
a c c e s s o r i e s ; 5 per cent off n e w and s e c o n d – h a nd
motor cycles.
Strand Do-it-yourself, 33 High Street, Cheltenham
— at least 1 2 J per cent off DIY g o o d s , t o o l s , e t c .;
15 per cent off central h e a t i n g appliances.
A n d if y o u w a n t a meal o u t , t h e r e ‘ s a w e l c o me
a n d a d i s c o u n t (of 10 per c e n t ) for y o u at t he
Y o r k House Steak Bar in R o s s – o n – W y e , n ow
o w n e d by f o r m e r t i m e clerk Ron J o n e s . This is
a v a i l a b l e o n all meals and w i n e o n Tuesday,
W e d n e s d a y and T h u r s d a y e v e n i n g s , on p r o d u c t i on
of your Social C l u b card. Tables b o o k a b l e by
p h o n e (Ross 2 4 8 4 .)
G r e a t S c o t t I
W h o in C i n d e r f o r d M a c h i n e S h o p w a s t h e o n ly
one w h o d i d n ‘ t r e c o g n i s e his o w n w i f e in a
p i c t u r e p u b l i s h e d in our last issue?
10
MtingYOUinthe picture
i
f I
Jane Howell (Accounts)
manied to Keith Munell
(Small Batch) at St John’s
Church, Coleford, on
July 8.
Yvonne Littleton
(secretary in Group Accounts)
at her wedding to Stewart
Jones (Product Co-ordinator,
Group staff) at St Peter B
St Paul, Westbury-on-Severn,
on August 12.
Sue Barnard (secretary in
Design Engineering)
with her bridegroom
Michael Greene (Design
engineer) at St Michael’s
B All Angels, Mitcheldean,
on September 23.
E n g a g e m e n t s
Roger Sterry ( M a c h i n e Shop, C i n d e r f o r d ) to
Lynn N e w m a n on September 2.
Pete SI Lynda Harris o n September 13.
Jane van Nievelt (secretary t o J . W. Evans,
Manager, M a n u f a c t u r i n g Programmes) t o P h i l ip
Warren o n September 2.
B i r t h s
Jeremy Peter, a s o n f o r M a r t i n Fenn S m i t h a nd
his w i f e Mary, o n J u l y 2 9 . M a r t i n is c u r r e n t ly
P r o d u c t i o n Control representative at Xerox
C o r p o r a t i o n .
Nicola Claire, d a u g h t e r for A l f r e d Parker (Tool
Design) and h i s w i f e Phyllis o n J u l y 2 8 .
2 1 s t B i r t h d ay
Helen Richard ( I n v o i c e Clearance, A c c o u n t s ) on
September 25.
R e t i r e m e n t
George W i l l i a m s ( C i n d e r f o r d M a c h i n e Shop)
retired at t h e e n d of September. He h a d been on
t h e sick list f o r some t i m e and w e w i s h h im better
health in t h e f u t u r e.
Driving in Skutzkar, some 90 miles from
Stockholm, while staying with a Swedish couple
with whom they exchange holidays, Windsor
Robbins, better known as Robbie in the Machine
Shop, and his wife Susie (4000 Assembly)
noticed some familiar wording on the back of a
car. And that led to a friendly chat and quite
a bit of ‘shop’ talk with RX service engineer
Lars Lundberg (pictured on right of the car that
introduced them).
Jill Marshall (Data
Processing
assembly), who
was elected
Mitcheldean’s Miss
Rank Xerox in
1970, was married
to Robert Leach at
St Michael’s B
All Angels on
August 19.
W e d d i n g
Susan B o w e r (Telex
( P r o g r e s s chaser) at
on A u g u s t 2 6.
D e s i g n ) t o Robert
t h e Forest C h u r c h,
Davies
D r y b r o o k
2 2 y e a r s a n d n e v e r a t i f f !
The recent 2 2 n d w e d d i n g anniversary of A l an
Charles (Sorter Dept) and his w i f e s o u n d s like a
record — his f r i e n d s tell us t h a t t h e c o u p l e have
never had a cross w o r d in t h e w h o l e 2 2 years.
11
Model
Boats
Mike with his model HMS Courland Bay. Eight of these FPB’s were
built for the Malaysian & Tobago coastguard by Vosper, Mike told us;
he built it because it was the biggest assembly kit he could get.
Most men l i ke m a k i n g t h i n g s . W i t h M i k e M e r e d i th
of P r e – P r o d u c t i o n Control i t ‘s b o a t s . Patrol boats,
cruisers — you name it, h e ‘ d l i ke t o b u i l d it.
The m o d e l – m a k i n g bug b i t h im s o m e f o u r or f i ve
years a g o a n d he e n j o y s ‘ r u n n i n g ‘ t h e models
every bit as m u c h as m a k i n g t h e m.
His pride a n d j o y is t h e FPB ( f a s t patrol boat)
HMS Courland Bay, seen in our p i c t u r e.
F i f t y – t w o inches l o n g , it t o o k h im nearly t w o
and half years t o b u i l d f r om an assembly k i t,
A l a n Ellis of R e l i a b i l i t y l e n d i n g h im a h a n d w i th
t h e w i r i n g diagram. It is p o w e r e d by a 1 2V
Super Marine electric motor a n d c o n t r o l l e d by
s i n g l e channel r a d i o c o n t r o l u s i n g a Kinematic
servo, p r o v i d i n g f o r w a r d , s t o p , reverse, port,
neutral and s t a r b o a r d.
M i k e is also r u n n i n g another model. Sea Queen,
based o n a fast m o t o r boat cruiser 4 6 inches l o n g.
His u l t i m a t e a m b i t i o n is t o b u i l d a model Graf
Spee, the f o r m e r German pocket b a t t l e s h i p , a nd
he is already g a t h e r i n g i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t t h is
f r om p h o t o g r a p h s a n d o t h e r records.
He uses C a n n o p Ponds w h e n possible, but these
w a t e r s are n o t i d e a l , p a r t l y because of w e e ds
and p a r t l y because t h e area is t h e h a u n t of
anglers d u r i n g t h e f i s h i n g season. A n g l i n g and
r u n n i n g model boats d o n ‘ t mix t o o h a p p i l y , so
he o n l y sails his b o a t s t h e r e f r om M a r c h t o J u n e.
Some m o n t h s a g o M i k e made an a t t e m p t to
f o rm a model c l u b at t h e Plant. A b o u t 15 people
r e s p o n d e d , t h e i r interests s p a n n i n g boats,
a i r c r a f t , r a i l w a y s and m i l i t a r y m o d e l l i n g . But t he
lack of a p e r m a n e nt home f o r l a y o u t s a n d o f
g o o d s a i l i n g f a c i l i t i e s has p r e v e n t e d any f u r t h er
d e v e l o p m e n t of t h e p r o p o s e d c l u b . A n y o n e g ot
any answers t o t h e p r o b l em ?
Glamour G i rl
R u n n e r – u p in t h e 1 9 7 1 ‘ M i s s Ross’ c o m p e t i t i o n,
1 8 – y e a r – o l d Estelle Davies w e n t one better t h is
year and g a i n e d t h e t i t le a n d t h e c r o w n , plus £ 15
first prize, at t h e Ross H o r t i c u l t u r a l S o c i e t y ‘ s s h ow
last August.
Estelle, a f o r m e r trainee secretary w h o n o w w o r ks
in t h e o f f i c e of J a c k W o o d s , Manager,
A d m i n i s t r a t i o n , has been c o l l e c t i n g q u i t e a f ew
t i t l es recently. She w o n o n e of t h e ‘ M i s s Holiday
Princess’ w e e k l y c o n t e s t s at B u t l i n ‘ s last year, a nd
t h i s year, in a d d i t i o n t o b e i n g ‘ M i s s Ross’, w as
the rally queen f o r Ross Steam Engine Society.
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Printed in England by Taylor, Young (Printers) Ltd.
