UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > General Vintage Technology > General Vintage Technology Discussions

Notices

General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc.

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 3rd Dec 2021, 3:26 pm   #1
saddlestone-man
Hexode
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Cirencester, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 391
Default Elmfield School Technology award 1960

Hello All

I picked up this book for a fiver today, from a bric-a-brac shop in Lechlade-on-Thames. This is the 1960 (11th) edition, first published in 1938. Not a rare book, but the dedication inside the cover, and the handout for the November 1960 Speech Day and Prize Distribution for Elmfield County Secondary School for Boys, make it unique.

Does anyone know where the school was, if it still exists, and is Keith Jones known to the community? Dowty (and other, smaller companies) were sponsoring the awards, so I suspect there was a large Dowty site nearby. I wonder if S Smith & Sons is the precursor of Smiths Industries?

Hopefully this was an inspiration for Keith to make a career in electronics/radio.

best regards ... Stef
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Front cover.jpg
Views:	130
Size:	68.4 KB
ID:	247200   Click image for larger version

Name:	Keith Jones award.jpg
Views:	127
Size:	60.0 KB
ID:	247201   Click image for larger version

Name:	Speech Day brochure.jpg
Views:	114
Size:	58.3 KB
ID:	247202   Click image for larger version

Name:	Dowty Awards section.jpg
Views:	104
Size:	49.4 KB
ID:	247203  
saddlestone-man is offline  
Old 3rd Dec 2021, 3:52 pm   #2
G6Tanuki
Dekatron
 
G6Tanuki's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,953
Default Re: Elmfield School Technology award 1960

There's an "Elmfield secondary school" in Gloucester/cheltenham area, listed in the National Archives:

https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...5-2e64004ebfe6

Dowty had quite a presence in the area: https://www.dowtyheritage.org.uk/con...up/dowty-rotol
__________________
I'm the Operator of my Pocket Calculator. -Kraftwerk.

Last edited by G6Tanuki; 3rd Dec 2021 at 4:00 pm.
G6Tanuki is offline  
Old 3rd Dec 2021, 4:02 pm   #3
Radio Wrangler
Moderator
 
Radio Wrangler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Fife, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 22,801
Default Re: Elmfield School Technology award 1960

I think there's a big Dowty place in Cheltenham

David
__________________
Can't afford the volcanic island yet, but the plans for my monorail and the goons' uniforms are done
Radio Wrangler is offline  
Old 3rd Dec 2021, 4:13 pm   #4
saddlestone-man
Hexode
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Cirencester, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 391
Default Re: Elmfield School Technology award 1960

And I recall visiting a large Smiths Industries site, making industrial and aerospace instrumentation in the area. I don't recall exactly where it was.
saddlestone-man is offline  
Old 3rd Dec 2021, 4:35 pm   #5
dazzlevision
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Near Swindon, North Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 3,595
Default Re: Elmfield School Technology award 1960

Quote:
Originally Posted by saddlestone-man View Post
And I recall visiting a large Smiths Industries site, making industrial and aerospace instrumentation in the area. I don't recall exactly where it was.
S Smith & Sons (England) Ltd, Aviation Division, Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham, Glos. (in 1965).
dazzlevision is offline  
Old 3rd Dec 2021, 4:40 pm   #6
dazzlevision
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Near Swindon, North Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 3,595
Default Re: Elmfield School Technology award 1960

Quote:
Originally Posted by Radio Wrangler View Post
I think there's a big Dowty place in Cheltenham

David

Dowty made hydraulic products, such as pit props and aircraft landing gear. It was established in the 1930s by George Dowty (1901–1975) in Gloucestershire, to manufacture hydraulically operated aircraft undercarriages. George Dowty worked previously for the Gloucester Aircraft Company.

Dowty was itself taken over by TI Group (formerly called Tube Investments) in the 1990’s. Following this, a large part of what originally was the old Ultra electrical and electronics operation was spun off as a new, independent company called Ultra Electronics plc! TI was taken over by Smiths Industries.

The Dowty landing gear business in Gloucester was subsequently bought by GE (USA).
https://dowty.com/news/battle-britai...port-military/

GE Aviation Systems Ltd, Cheltenham Road, Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 8SF
dazzlevision is offline  
Old 3rd Dec 2021, 4:43 pm   #7
ms660
Dekatron
 
ms660's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
Default Re: Elmfield School Technology award 1960

Between Elmfield Road and Gardners Lane so far as I can make out for the school using sat./street view.

Lawrence.
ms660 is offline  
Old 3rd Dec 2021, 4:45 pm   #8
Hartley118
Nonode
 
Hartley118's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Cambridge, Cambs. UK.
Posts: 2,196
Default Re: Elmfield School Technology award 1960

I agree that it will refer to Elmfield School Cheltenham https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...5-2e64004ebfe6 .

Both Dowty and Smiths were big aerospace establishments in Cheltenham at that time. Smiths is now a division of GE Aviation and the Dowty name disappeared when major parts of the company merged with Smiths Aerospace Group in 2000. They were 'interesting times' for us at Smiths. GE Aviation still occupies the original Smiths Aerospace site at Bishops Cleeve where it moved in 1940 because of the risk of enemy bombs at its London sites.

Good to see that both companies had strong ties with the local secondary school. Some of our best electronic design recruits came with an enthusiasm for radio design and servicing as a hobby. I wonder whether Keith Jones was one of them.

Might he possibly now be a member of this forum.......?
__________________
BVWS Member
Hartley118 is offline  
Old 3rd Dec 2021, 5:34 pm   #9
ms660
Dekatron
 
ms660's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
Default Re: Elmfield School Technology award 1960

A circa 1947 O.S. map, Junction of Swindon Road and Gardners Lane at the recreation ground between the two railways shows an outline of school buildings and some houses on Elmfield Road either proposed or under construction, Elmfield Road has yet to be named:

https://maps.nls.uk/view/101453190

Lawrence.
ms660 is offline  
Old 3rd Dec 2021, 6:32 pm   #10
mark_in_manc
Octode
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Manchester, UK.
Posts: 1,872
Default Re: Elmfield School Technology award 1960

So Mr Jones was born in late '44 or early '45, if he was a 4th year (age 15) in summer 1960. It seems a little morbid to go looking for obits; maybe he was just having a clear-out. This is the sort of thing I'd hang onto if it was my Dad, but my Dad wasn't an 'awards' kind of fella!
__________________
"The best dBs, come in 3s" - Woody Brown
mark_in_manc is offline  
Old 3rd Dec 2021, 7:29 pm   #11
Nuvistor
Dekatron
 
Nuvistor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 9,427
Default Re: Elmfield School Technology award 1960

Looking at the Facebook page for Elmfield secondary modern it appears that the building is now Gardeners lane primary school. The photo on the Facebook page looks like the same building and that school building is on the 1892 map. The information on the Facebook page ties in with it being the same school as the award was given to Keith.

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoo...layers=168&b=1
__________________
Frank
Nuvistor is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 2:24 am.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.