Whupsy and Co

Here's one for Whupsy and Handsomeminer, yoo can wallow in nostalgia (not neuralgia) from bygone days, and marvellous times, when we were all young and carefree, and we did what we wanted too, life was worth living back then ......

LINK

Hi TOMMY TS
Sad to say i was looking for my photo on strike at the METAL BOX WESTHOUGHTON late 1978ish Was on Bolton Eveng Paper .
G.B.

Golden Bear

I am sorry about that, but that neck of the woods, Metal Box Westhoughton, was always looked on has being Bowton, even though it was under Westhoughton Council, did I tell that we used to go to the annual Bonfire at Metal Box on on bommy neet, that was in the late 1960s and it was always a good doo

TTS

Knew quite a few on the photos ,remember Mick farley what happened to him

Mick Farley ?

Was he related to Charlie Farley

I do have to say that when M&B Did things they normally went ot town was a good firm to work for , until i recieved my P45 HAHA !!
G.B.

TTS
Mick was a militant union leader in wigan 1960s, he's on the photo at wigan hospital far right ,

Golden Bearhug, at Metal Box, did you know Kevin Lord and Paul Sumner?

why do you do it 1stroke . you shoot yourself in the foot regularly .

Whupsy

Wot is up with yoo now ?

I have not mentioned any particular strike, I am on about the times, the era, when everyone was on strike, if you were a trade unionist, it was the golden era of industrial action, when shop stewards ruled the world, along with Harry Secombe LINK

Personally I think those times will emerge again if Starmer gets in. He's not got the balls to stand up to the unions and will be ruled by them.....

It always surprises me how many Torys there are in Wigan!

It always surprises me, how many fascists/nazis there are!

It always surprises me how many people don't realise that Wigan is a traditionally Conservative town!

It always surprises me why a bloke from Haydock has such an all consuming interest in Wigan.

…. and Hitler

From tha age of 16 I've had connections with Wigan,
I've owned property in Wigan. My wife is from Wigan and I met her in Wigan.
I've also worked, owned properties and businesses in Wigan 'borough', that's the towns under Wigan council.
I've lived in Ashton for 40 years, that's under Wigan council.
I have a lot of friends in Wigan borough, but none in Wigan.
I know quite a lot about Wigan. I don't know much about Hitler!

PS: it follows, I feel, that I'm more 'Wiganer' than many on here, who've never lived or owned property in Wigan or, indeed know next to nothing about the place!

I speyck better Wiggin than thee n live in a WN3 'des res' Wiggin area, So I caaarnt mesel as a Wigginer friend of thee, Liaaaake,

By your own definition, your wife is not from Wigan.

My wife was born in a house in Earl Street and moved to Beech Hill when she was 11.

Tom, tha's ne'er lived i' Wiggin and tha dusn't speyk wi'a Wiggin accent.

Metal Box was a cracking firm to work for until 1978 when the the American companies of American Can, National Can, Continental Can and the Canadian company of Reeds decided that they did not want to renew the fifty year option agreements which resulted in the demise of Metal Box. Fifty year old agreements where Metal Box had over 90% of the UK canning trade with an agreement that they would not move into North America if the North American companies would not move into the UK.

What was left of Metal Box as a result of National Can (Nacanco as it was known in our country) moving into the UK and their building of canning factories at Milton Keynes and Skelmersdale, resulted in the demise of a great company and later what was what was left of the company was taken over by Crown Cork who at the time was one of the smaller American canning companies

The three factories at Westhoughton are now a large housing estate and what was previously a great pension scheme, has after a couple of transfers has now ended up in the hands of another Insurance company called Pension Insurance Corporation and no yearly increases since the demise of Metal Box,

Owd Codger

Thanks for that info, I always wondered what they did

Metal Box!

I remember in 1978 when the binmen were on strike, they went and occupied the Civic Centre, they didn't stop the Civic Centre staff from working, they were just sat on the floor in between the desks

and now you have binmen companies holding the councils to ranson with their contracts .