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Gina Baker

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  1. 2,701 votes
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    Gina Baker commented  · 

    Dad used to take us in a rowing boat on the lake at Albert park. We had to take turns rowing and we were only 4, 5 and 6 years of age. Not sure health and safety would approve now!!! I remember being called in eg "number 2 your time is up". Great memories.

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  2. 3,844 votes
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    Gina Baker commented  · 

    We lived on Chatsworth Road and used to walk to the Bridgewater, or on to the Mersey by the Bridge pub for a swim and to fish! Not that we ever caught anything in the Mersey. We used to also go to the Ship canel by the swing bridge at Eccles or for a dare we would go to the locks near the Red Lion (end of the 23 route) and then face the walk beyond to the Penny Ferry. At the locks, we would walk along towards the point where the Mersey joined the Canal, we would then throw stones at the ships going up stream to the docks, and if we were lucky, the sailors would throw oranges, lemons (or such fruit) at us. We would use the Penny Ferry and go to the Co-op margarine works to see if we could get some for our mums; we sometimes got butter. The Picturdrome (flea pit) or the Longford were our nights out and we would get someone to take one of us in, then just as the film started the one that got in would open one of the emergency exits so we could all get in. Mr MacAllister worked in the restaurant at the Longford and would always give us an ice lolly, knowing we had got in free.
    Anyone remember Raws (chemists) or the Post Office on King Street?

    Gina Baker supported this idea  · 
  3. 9,321 votes
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    Gina Baker commented  · 

    I have very happy memories of Caverswall as I used to go to the Catholic school in the village along with my brothers Dave and Mike. We lived at that time at Stanley Farm in Caverswall Rd Blythe Bridge. We used to walk to church on a Sunday as we were alter boys. I well remember the Pageants we used to have in the castle grounds as this was the Convent for the nuns who also taught us at school. From my school days in Caverswall I can remember a few of my school mates , Neil Washington, Kenny Watts, Nicky John and Margaret Kimber ,they were truly happy times . As kids we would explore the fields and woods around the village and very often go camping on Dilhorne Hill . When at school Sister Eloise would send me down to Ozzy Mac's tp get another rubber milk tube as this was her form of punishment if we did anything wrong , the rubber tube across the hand. My time and that of my brothers was in the late 50's so a lot of water as flowed under the bridge since then and things change but looking at photographs on my lap top the village as changed very little.I now live in Somerset and have done for the last 50 years ,I am now retired after a very successful career as an artist, My memories of the village and the many happy times I had there have never left me, one day I hope to come back and relive some of my memories and seek out old haunts. It would be nice to hear from old school mates and recall old times in the area. One memory I have of one of the priest's who lived in the village a Father Rowan who was Irish and loved a dram or two ,he would come to the farm on a Wednesday night to see the family ,he and my father would retire to the study to sample a whiskey or to, and on a Sunday in the pulpit the first thing he would ask was who had any good tips for the racing at Uttoxeter or where ever horse racing was being held , a true character, happy days

    Gina Baker supported this idea  · 
  4. 1,279 votes
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    Gina Baker commented  · 

    The May and Baker factory, close to the railway station at Dagenham East was once one of the largest factories in the area. The company was best known for developing the drug quinine to combat malaria, often simply referred to as M&B tablets. It manufactured and distributed all sorts of chemicals, agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals such as: anti-histamines for allergies, barbiturates for sedatives, opiates like morphine and cocaine for pain relief, antibiotics to combat infection plus other things such as photographic products and plastics.
    The factory covered a vast area running beside the railway line all the way down to what is known as the “Chase” and the fringes of Elm Park. The sprawling complex comprised many different buildings; process plants, packaging buildings, effluent treatment plant, research buildings, and offices. The place was like a small town, having its own power station and boilers to produce steam and generate electricity, an old farmhouse used as a drawing office, two large restaurants, its own fire station and fire engine, an ambulance and sick-bay, insurance/travel office, a stage used for amateur productions, a pristine bowling green and large selection of sports pitches.

    My father Stan Wilson joined May and Baker in about 1953 as a pipefitter welder in the engineering department. He fabricated much of the pipework in the anti-biotics plant which produced one of the most profitable pharmaceutical products of the time. Later he was part of the shift maintenance team ("shift fitters") responsible for keeping the factory running 24/7 which was important because it was essential to keep some processes running for several days without interruption, to achieve the right result. The fitters used a small fleet of trade bicycles to carry their tools and parts to where they were needed, such was the distance between different parts of the factory.
    I joined M&B around 1973 as part of the shift maintenance team, often working with my father, and stayed until around 1986 when much of the engineering work was taken-over by contractors and I was made redundant.

    Sadly, today May and Bakers is gone. Only the perimeter roads, the outlines of the buildings and a few trees around the demolished farmhouse remain.

    I will always remember my time there and would love to hear from anyone that has memories of this smelly, dangerous but great place to work.

    Gina Baker supported this idea  · 

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