Wigan Album
Walker Bros. Drawing Office
15 Comments
Photo: Ernest Pyke
Item #: 22808
I`m the 4th one up on right hand side wearing a brown overall, my elbows are on the drawing board and my hands are clasped.
The Wigan to Southport railway line is just outside to the left of this building.
Ernie,is that John Duxson in front of you??
Yes, Ted, he is. We both started here at the same time.
Great nostalgic photo.
Ernest, you look as if you're waiting for inspiration!
Drawing boards, tee-squares, set-squares, pencils (even ink and tracing linen), slide-rules (which I still have): Happy Days.
Ernest it,s monochrome,so how do we know which is a brown overall. How dare you post a monochrome pic after all that you have said about them????,lol.
The chief draughtsman, Edgar Schutt, is standing outside his office at the top of the stairs at the back. Several times, whilst I was walking to work from Queensway, he`d pick me up in Walkden Avenue in his Standard. When we got to the top of Gidlow Lane, he switched off the engine and coasted down to the bottom! This was and still is illegal. I`m not sure, but I think he was a Yorkshireman.
The last chap on the right, in front of the 5 lady tracer`s, is Gordon Ratcliffe who played on the right wing for Wigan Rugby League from 1945 to 1953.
The first chap on the right, Roy Tennant, bought a biro pen which was the first I saw. They were on sale in 1945 in America for $12.50 about $150 today. They first went on sale in England at Christmas 1945.
Neil, CAD was in it`s infancy when I finished. You forgot compasses!
Roy, I realised it when I typed `brown` and wondered if somebody would mention it and you have!
The outside of this buiding, on my side, can be seen in Old gallery, Royal Visits. 1st photo on 3rd row and the last one. On the last one, some of the windows in the drawing office are open and people are looking out. The entrance is at bottom right. The General Office is on the ground floor.
Ernie - I think my dad was still at Walkers then... in the Drawing Office - Joe Shepherd. Do you remember him ?
Ernie, I started at Walker Brothers in Jan 1955 and was in the Traction Dept (Motor) Drawing Office for 6 months before we all moved to the new DO in the old pattern shop. The Traction Dept DO was next to the General Office DO. Was the location of the DO the same as in your photo? After we moved out of the DO it was made into the canteen.It`s going back a bit since we used to spend our lunch break bowling at the pub bowling green.
Cathy; Have just had a look at this and yes, I remember your Dad very well. I`m unsure if he was working at Walker`s then. He wasn`t in this D.O then.
Keith; The Main D.O. was still there until we moved into the Joiner`s shop. Yes, its quite sometime ago since we bowled on the Springfield Hotel greens at lunchtime.
Browsing through the Album and came across this site, my dad (Arthur Old) started in the Drawing Office March 1955 and retired in 1966 as one of the estimators.As a young boy, I remember going to a Christmas Party in the late '50,s for the children.Can't remember where it was held though. Dad died in 1984.
Would anyone know of a a James Corbridge who worked as a mechanical Draughtsman for walker bros in the 30's or where I could find any information about him, please?