Harvey's - were a large metal working firm who used to be in the Woolwich Road in Charlton - roughly where the fire station is.
We were given a whole pile of their works magazines and they are very worth looking at for what it was like in the 1950s!
So June 1952 and there is a report of the Annual Prize Distribution - this is prizes to the works apprentices and the whole thing was handled like a proper educational awards ceremony.
First Mr. Eatwell - Managing Director - thanked everyone and said the firm had 18 apprentice draughtsmen, and 58 craft apprentices and 19 young men 'who would be considered for indentures in due course. He referred to the Works Welding School, and the Sheet Metal Class - with thanks to Mr. Johnson, foreman of the Zinc Shop.
Second - Sir Frederick Handley Page, no less, aircraft magnate. He said how Harvey's products were used in his aircraft --- and 'half and more of the people graduating from universities had only a knowledge of cultural subjects.... they were at a disadvantage with the apprentice who started in a workshop at a much earlier age'.
Sir Frederick also revealed that he had as a young man worked in Charlton for Johnson and Phillips (did he?? do we know any more about this??)
He then presented the Apprentice of the Year Award to Mr. Russell of the Heavy Tank Drawing Office. He had been apprenticed since 1945 and got his indentures in 1951 - interrupted by a year on National Service He got a wristwatch as well as the shield.
They then had some light refreshments - and students got their prizes, mostly things like useful slide rules, and text books.
What followed was a long list of the top three students in each category - all City and Guilds, Royal Society of Arts and National Certificate craft classes. They had studied on day release at Woolwich Poly, or SE London Tech. The only exception being a cost accountancy student who got a brief case as a prize for passing his three part exam in Factory Organisation
Note that these are all men
The Women's Page is at the back - including a recipe for Daffodil Biscuits, which I am happy to share.
2 comments:
Worked in Charlton and Woolwich, says FH-P's Wikipedia entry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Handley_Page
Hi,My father worked at Harveys from the age of 16 in 1925 till he retired.He was a Shipping clerk,and as a child I remember every Christmas going to a party held at Harveys in Woolwich.Every January we were then taken by coach to see Holiday on ice in London.I wonder if anyone else remembers this?All paid for by as my dad called him 'old man harvey'
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