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Comptometers Part 1

Within minutes of each other we received two submission to the database for Comptometer operators, intrigued by this ‘new’ word we thought we’d investigate further.

Firstly the two submissions. The first from Eileen Butterly nee Mohan. Eileen worked as a comptometer operator in the wages department from 1956 until 1963. Married in 1962 with the name changed to Butterly and left to have a baby October 1963.

Minutes later Peter Lewis emailed through with details of his mother Irene Parsons – a Comptometer operator. Irene was at the company far earlier Peter thinks from around 1937 to 1937. He says she was involved with a trial to update the system but she beat the new fangled technology of the day. She managed to short out the electric supply to a large portion of the factory when a metal chair got earthed out in the office due to a flying lead to her machine got exposed!

Peter also sent a photo:

Comptometer
Comptometer Operators

Irene is seen here sat rear right, in the middle of the photo.

The comptometer was the first commercially successful key-driven mechanical calculator, patented in the USA by Dorr E. Felt in 1887.

A key-driven calculator is extremely fast because each key adds or subtracts its value to the accumulator as soon as it is pressed and a skilled operator can enter all of the digits of a number simultaneously, using as many fingers as required, making them sometimes faster to use than electronic calculators. Consequently, in specialized applications, comptometers remained in use in limited numbers into the early 1990s, but with the exception of museum pieces, they have all now been superseded by electronic calculators and computers.

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Factory Photos (and a TR4) from 1967

Canadian Jack Blair recalls his brand new TR4 and a trip to Standard Triumph to collect it.

In December of 1967, I had travelled from my UK home in Manchester to London in order to join a group of friends on a ski trip to the Tyrol in Kitzbuhel, Austria.  When I arrived I found that my good friend Art had bought a new MGB.  He said he had been looking at the TRs as well, but decided on the MGB.  He added that he heard a rumour that the TR4As were going to have their price reduced to make way for a new model.  That was all the motivation I needed.  With about four hours to go until our train left, I rushed to the dealer, negotiated a deal, phoned Calgary to get the money on a loan from my old, friendly, bank manager and bought my new TR4A for $2700.  I barely made it back in time to catch the train to Kitzbuhel.
Continue reading “Factory Photos (and a TR4) from 1967”

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William James Langford

I was an apprentice from 1952 to 1957, when I emigrated to Canada with another ex-apprentice, Melvyn Lloyd.

My Dad, William Thomas Langford (also ‘Bill’ of course!), worked at Canley for many years, retiring (I think) in 1966.   Mel and I bought a 1956 TR3 between us in May of 1958, which we drove from Toronto to Mexico City and back in two weeks in 1958, and to San Francisco and back in two weeks in 1959.   The car never gave us any trouble.

In 1960 we traded it in on two brand-new TR3As (one each), picking them up in England when I returned that July to get married: Mel was my best man.   I sold that car when I went to university in 1962, but bought a used 1967 TR4A and a (very) used 1960 TR3A in 1980.  By then, though, they needed more upkeep than I was prepared to give them!  Still love sports cars, and (dare I say it) I’m now on my second Mazda MX-5…- beautiful cars! My wife and I now live in Victoria, British Columbia, while Mel still lives in Toronto.   Good luck with this project!

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Dick Woodier

Henry Reuben Woodier (AKA Dick Woodier) was born 25th of August 1900. He started working at Cash’s Lane in 1922 drilling under foreman Harry Timms. After 8 years Henry moved to the Crankshaft shop at Canley working under Fred Kleiter. In 1933 he was moved to the ‘old spares’, still drilling and machining under Fred Kleiter.

During WW2 Henry was in the home guard. In 1940, Henry worked nights on Mosquito production as a charge- hand for the new female workers on the aircraft and munitions section. After the War, Henry was made charge hand on the day shift where he was on drilling for car production. He continued to work under Mr Kleiter until he retired in 1948, Henry suggested that some of his happiest memories at work were working with Mr Kleiter in ‘spares’.

In 1950 Henry moved to Mr E. Preston’s section at Canley, in 1958 this section moved to Radford whereupon he gave up his charge hand position and decided to revert to a machinist. In March 1967, after nearly 45 years of service, Henry retired aged 66. A large crowd gathered at the Radford machine shop to see Mr E. Preston present Henry with a sum of money collected from his friends and workmates. He passed away 1970.

This entry is submitted by his Great- Grandson (Luke Garland).

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Quotes

YOUR QUOTES
“Had some great times, looking back, was probably the most enjoyable job I’ve ever had. Just didn’t realise it then. We used to go over The Herald Pub at lunchtimes quite often. It was always packed out.” 

“The Specification Office was on Tile Hill Lane, there were 3 girls and around 12 guys in the office. We used to go for a lunchtime drink at The Newlands.”

“The Engine casting checking fixture known by us as a Doghouse Fixture as the block fitted inside it. Happy days at a good company.”

“An uncle of mine worked at Canley for many years until he retired; my dad told me he worked on back axle assembly.”

“My father worked at the Standard, Banner Lane and was made redundant after 20 years. As far as I know he was a ‘fitter’ but I was too young to know much more than that. I remember he hung his bike up in the shed and there it stayed.”

“I remember during the late 70s, probably 1978, they had a Japanese delegation visiting the Canley plant, this preceded the Triumph Acclaim and was initiated by Michael Edwards, whom Maggie Thatcher entrusted control of British Leyland cars. The problem was that there were a lot of veterans who served in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, many of which saw service in the Far East and suffered shocking treatment as POWs under the Japanese. The company decided, due to the strength of feeling against the Japanese, to give those employees who served in the Far East etc a day off with pay. Any ex-Standard Triumph employee would know that the internal road that ran from the Fletch gate to the Canley gate was always known as the “Burma Road”

“A friend of mine worked as an internal auditor for Standard Triumph. Under the Leyland regime, he had to make regular vists to Gaydon, where they stored cars, to locate up to a thousand cars at a time that had been “lost” by the accounting system!”