The Reyrolle Story: Eleven - Barefoot Football
...The 1920's were harsh years for any worker who was ill or had an accident at work. Long before the National Health Service, the assistance of the Reyrolle's Employees Benevolent Association was always in demand. Administered by an elected committee it disbursed funds in lump sums or weekly payments for blankets, clothing, food and orthopaedic aids etc., for employees and their families...
Robert Owen continue's his history of one of Britain's major engineering firms.
The post-war years also saw a major increase in national Trade Union membership Reyrolle was no exception. For the first time in its history, Shop Stewards were appointed. It is very likely these would have been a anathema to Alphonse Reyrolle as they were often in conflict with the management's view. Minor skirmishes and disputes took place in the factory until a Shop Steward was dismissed and a major stake threatened. This, however, was overtaken by the three-month Miners'National Strike, which caused major disruption to Reyrolle, with workers laid off and short tune working.
After the industrial unrest of 1921 the Company's orderbook once again expanded and the work-force grew to over 1,300. A London Sales Office was opened and
back at Hebburn, a new Contracts Department was established to manage the many technical, commercial and legal aspects of increased sales.
Following his appointment as Technical Director, Henry Clothier played an increasing role within the Company. One of his first innovations was to establish a new Technical and Research Department (T & R). Although this started off with only three staff, basic equipment and responsibility for electro-technical work associated with new designs, its remit quickly grew. By the time Bruce Leeson took charge the following year, the department was responsible for investigating equipment breakdowns, testing, and research laboratories. During the following years, the T and R Department was to be a much-respected training ground for many senior engineers in the Company.
Even with his new status, Henry Clothier was still in charge of Sales. In this position, he made the first of a number of initiatives to spread the metal clad gospel in Europe. In October 1924, he travelled to Holland to visit a small manufacturer, N V Hazemeyer of Hengelo. He was impressed with what he saw and after further visits and negotiations, the first licence to manufacture Reyrolle switchgear abroad was agreed in 1924. It was the beginning of a long association with the Dutch company.
The 1920's were harsh years for any worker who was ill or had an accident at work. Long before the National Health Service, the assistance of the Reyrolle's Employees Benevolent Association was always in demand. Administered by an elected committee it disbursed funds in lump sums or weekly payments for blankets, clothing, food and orthopaedic aids etc., for employees and their families.
Alfred Pawsey remembers the extreme poverty of the 1920's, when children's footwear was a luxury. Playing football with a mixture of children from employed and unemployed fathers, there was an unwritten rule that demanded an equal number of bare feet on each side.
During the works holiday of 1922, Reyrolle nearly lost a young fitter to professional cricket. After showing outstanding promise as a batsman in the Durham Senior league, Wilf Pollard was invited to a trial for Warwickshire County Cricket at Edgbaston. Unfortunately it rained and the trial was postponed until the following week. By then Wilf was back at work having lost his chance of a possible first class cricket career.
