00:00We're here at Tipton Sports Academy Social Club and with Lisa Cox. Hello, Lisa.
00:04Hello.
00:05So you're leaning on a beautiful pump there made by Lee Howell, I believe.
00:09It is, yes. One of our local companies in Tipton.
00:13Well, I've never heard of him before, but they were quite big in the day, apparently, weren't they?
00:17I believe I had a great-grandfather who worked at Lee Howells until he was 68.
00:23Yeah, yeah.
00:23So he was in the early 1900s.
00:27So what's happening today? Is this an annual event, is it?
00:30An annual event for the local history groups to meet together and invite people in to see Tipton's local history.
00:37And there's some great stuff, a lot of displays and exhibitions, that kind of stuff.
00:41Yeah, we've got a power force display, a railway display, all up-to-date old-fashioned maps.
00:49Yeah, yeah.
00:49Tipton, all war things down the other side here. There's all different things happening.
00:54And this area really is, it's just a wealth of stories and tales, isn't it, from Yale's years gone by.
01:00You know, there's so much stuff, isn't there, that's happened around this way.
01:04Exactly. I mean, we've done a boat.
01:06Yeah.
01:06We've done an aeroplane, we've done a car, we've done a name, all in this little area of Tipton's.
01:11So we're here with two former Lee Owl employees. We've got Kevin Cox and Val...
01:18Williams.
01:19Val Williams.
01:20My brother.
01:21Cool.
01:21And this is you on the old pictures, back at the Lee Owls factory, back in the day.
01:26There's you with your posh accountancy machine.
01:28What was it like working there, then?
01:32It was family orientated.
01:34Yeah.
01:35There was that many families that worked there.
01:39It was a pleasure to go every day.
01:44And tell us about these day trips. I hear they hired a train for the staff.
01:49Yeah, they hired a train.
01:50It stopped at Tipton Railway Station and took all the workers and their families.
01:57This year, they're on one about with Skegness.
02:00Yeah.
02:00And I went to Blackpool.
02:03You went on the Mad Mouse, didn't you, Val?
02:05I did, I did.
02:05Once only.
02:07Once, never again.
02:08And then twice a year, they put on dances.
02:13The summer one was at the Wolfer and All, and the winter one was always at the Civic Hall.
02:18Yeah.
02:19And Kendrick's coaches took us there and brought us back.
02:23Oh, right.
02:23So the pumps we used, anything to do with water that needed pumping, in all kinds of capacities, yeah?
02:29All your electricity was used pumps.
02:34They used to supply CEGB at the time, Central Electricity Generation Board, the Coal Board, Fire Brigade.
02:44Saudi Arabia used to buy them.
02:46No way.
02:47And I remember, because the officer I was in, they went all over the world.
02:53Yeah.
02:53So what happened?
02:54Was it, is this another story of pumps being made abroad that came in that were cheaper and that, is that what saw the end of Lee Owls?
03:02More or less, yes.
03:03Yeah, yeah.
03:04What a shame.
03:05Plus, they didn't, yeah, and they didn't progress quickly as others.
03:12Yeah, yeah.
03:13Because every fire brigade had a real pump on board.
03:19Yeah, yeah.
03:20Every lifeboat.
03:21Every lifeboat.
03:22Yeah.
03:23Had an emergency.
03:24Yeah.
03:25Hand pumps.
03:26Made by Lee Owls.
03:27Made by Lee Owls.
03:28Made by Lee Owls.
03:29No way.
03:30So good times, good memories.
03:31Yeah.
03:32It was a bigger 327.
03:34The reason I know so much was, my first job there was working in the space department.
03:40Yeah.
03:41In the office.
03:42In the office.
03:43Yeah, yeah.
03:44And I used to have to transfer everything from the sales manager.
03:47Yeah.
03:48Into a card index system.
03:50So when they phoned up.
03:52Yeah.
03:53And said, we're from the NCB.
03:57Yeah.
03:58And they say which mine it was.
04:01They got to the card index, looked for it, find the card they wanted.
04:05Yeah.
04:06And they knew, before they even said, what pump it was and what spares it had in the past.
04:11Yeah.
04:12And Val, you used to do the wages.
04:14You were saying there was no break time.
04:16It was crack on when it was wages day.
04:17That's right.
04:18And the bosses just used to walk to the bank and get the cash out, didn't they?
04:21In a big bag and walk back with it.
04:23They weren't bosses.
04:24They were workers.
04:25Yeah, yeah.
04:26In the office.
04:27Yeah, they just used to go with a Gladstone bag.
04:29Yeah, yeah.
04:30And get the cash and then walk back.
04:32No way.
04:33When I started that.
04:34Well, thank you for your memories.
04:36Cheers, guys.
04:37OK.
04:38We're here with the lovely John Homer.
04:40A face you may recognise if you've been to the Black Country Museum.
04:43How are you, John?
04:44I'm very well, thank you.
04:45Boston, I should say.
04:46Boston.
04:47So, you're peddling your wares.
04:48What have we got here?
04:49Peddling me wares.
04:50It's a book of me poetry.
04:52Ah.
04:53Since I was little, I've been writing poetry.
04:55And my wife has always said you should publish a book.
04:57And as a surprise for my 70th birthday in March, she'd arranged for a book of my works to be published.
05:03What a cracking 70th present.
05:05There's 16 little poems in there.
05:07Ah.
05:08That are what I wrote, they are.
05:10What I wrote, they are.
05:11Well, go on then.
05:12Give us a little verse or two.
05:13Go on.
05:14Alright then.
05:15Shall I give you me Albion one?
05:16Yeah.
05:17Go on.
05:18Yeah, give us a scene to Sweden and Samwell.
05:19Alright.
05:20They'll be an A as good as wolves, I told.
05:22Is that how it starts?
05:23This, I wrote this when me dad died in 1998.
05:27It came in the flash of inspiration day.
05:29Yeah.
05:30If I had a wish, I'd wish there are a lad, walking up Alfred's Lane, holding hands with me dad.
05:35It's another cold Saturday at 23, but the cold don't matter when it's my dad with me.
05:40Weaving past buoys and hardworking chaps, with mufflers and scarves and rattles and caps,
05:45on to the turnstile with the beam on me face, and onto the smedican, me and me dad in our
05:50usual place.
05:51Then the smell of the pipe smoke pervading the air, the banter that chatter, there's noise
05:55everywhere.
05:56Me dad sees a mate and he shouts out, aye, aye.
05:59Then the teams reach the field and up comes a cry.
06:01Fire up the baggies, I yell and I shout, but dad says, hold up or your voice will get
06:05out.
06:06The match is fantastic, we sing and we cheer, and I tell me dad, I'm glad that we're here.
06:10At the end of the match, I chant and I sing.
06:12Brown scored the winner, but Astor's the king.
06:15Holding on to me programme, we race home for tea, by a November fireside with mum, dad
06:20and me.
06:21Now, wishes are pipe dreams, but I really don't care, cause all of this happened, I know
06:25I was there.
06:26I'm grateful it did, cause there'll always be, memories of match days, Astor the King,
06:31and my dad and me.
06:33Absolutely stunning.
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