People's stories

Peter Lee arrives in Oldbury from Australia in 1960 to work at Accles & Pollock.

Memories of working at Rood End Foundry on Tat Bank Road in 1968.

Peter Simpson recalls growing up in the area, before he left for a life on the high seas.

Roy Taylor became the Managing Director of Malthouse Engineering in 1983.

Roy and Jacqueline Forge met working at Myers in Langley Green.

Percy Eamus, who became a Pyrometry Technician at Accles and Pollock, recalls growing up in the industrial heart of the Black Country.

Martin Prestidge has lived in Oldbury since he was three years old. He recalls growing up and going to work in the area.

Bill Parkes worked at Chambers and Marsh, a timber yard in the centre of Oldbury.

Angela Weston recalls growing up in Langley, near to Albright and Wilson.

Dr Terry Daniels has spent all his working life in Oldbury. He is Chair of Langley Local History Society and Oldbury Local History Group.

Mark Stanford works at the Household Recycling Centre at Shidas Lane.

George Piggott worked at Accles & Pollock for the whole of his working life. This written material records his first day at work there in 1928.

Bryan Harris worked for Accles & Pollock in the Maintenance Department.

Arthur Guest retired in 1981 after a long career at Accles and Pollock.

Roy Jones worked as pattern maker for 25 years in Oldbury.

John Hutchcocks started work at Accles & Pollocks as an apprentice engineer and draughtsman. He eventually became a Development Engineer overseeing tube production in the sports department.

Kelvin Atkins worked at Holden and Hayes in Bridge Street, Oldbury.

Ruth Collins was brought up in the Toll Keeper’s House at Brades Locks, Oldbury.

Joan Beach worked at Edwin Danks and recalls her father’s time at Tube Products.

John Beach was born near Whimsey Bridge in Oldbury. He worked for Edwin Danks.

Jackie used to live in Brades Village. Her mother worked at Parkes sweet factory, as did two or three aunts.

Dorothea Jelley recalls her time at Armstrong Cycles Ltd.

Dennis Lawley first worked as an apprentice roll turner at Johnsons’ Rolls in West Bromwich. He worked at GKN, then Lucas’s, before coming to work at Metal Sections.

Pat Sealey went to work at Albright & Wilson in 1955.

Derek Palgrave worked as a chemist at Albright & Wilson.