People

I wanted to mention some names on this website. Wolverhampton Archives have done a great job in creating the website ‘Black Country History’ but due to the size of the archive, it can only be a guide to what is within, of which the BSC era is simply a part. For example, one thing I was hoping to find during my search at the archives was an internal phone directory for the works which I once had and would like to have reproduced. Unfortunately, the file which indicated a directory turned out to be a Nick Hedges picture of a blackboard with a few phone extension numbers chalked up!

I simply could not find something with the names of the people who were there when I was. I have reproduced some memoranda which gives a number of management and other names but otherwise I could find little else. Perhaps I simply did not identify the right box. One cannot simply go into the archive and ‘rummage’ through it – a long list of file references has to be scrutinised and a written request for a particular file reference given to be retrieved by the archivist.

If what you seek is not there then the list needs to be scrutinised again! Perhaps I was simply unlucky since although I found many interesting items I was unable to find a list of departments and personnel and so a further visit is perhaps required. In the meantime, however, I have done my best to recall some of the names of those I knew during my time.

Of course, should anyone reading this have any documents detailing the names of those working here during this time period – please get in touch. I would especially like that internal phone directory!

Memorandum dated January 1977

Memorandum dated January 1977

This and the other memoranda are reproduced to list as many names as possible from the circulation, not so much about the content – fascinating though it may be! The sender here, Letitia Nutting, was the secretary to Office Manager Geoff Davies and clearly secretary of the Works Committee.

Index of Cost Centres

Index of Cost Centres

Here is part of an Accounts Dept index of cost centres with a further listing of names. I worked for K. (Ken) Whitehouse, D. (David) Hunter, B. (Barry) Clarke, and A (Tony) Harrison during my time at Bilston.

Memorandum dated June 1975

Memorandum dated June 1975

More names concerning circulation of periodicals around the works. This reminds me that every Monday a bulletin was issued from BSC Head Office which I often had to deliver to my department head. I do not know how this arrived or was reproduced but it had a very distinctive and not unpleasant aroma that I can only describe as ‘hot print’.

BSC Logo II