| Description | An interview with J.P.Bob PEMBERTON, a married man with one daughter, who is a retired Model maker (car factory), born in Blackheath and now living in Halesowen. J.P.Bob PEMBERTON’s father was a cabinet maker & car worker, born in England and his mother a sweet shop born in England. In the interview, he discusses:
01
Rented sweetshop. Father refused to join Conservative Club.
02
I was born on the 31st May, 1938. Father rented a sweetshop for the mother because he didn’t want her to go into service. Father met mother at a dance. Shop was called ‘the Bon Bon’, 33 High Street, Blackheath. Father was cabinet-maker by trade. Cinema opposite the shop.
It was a high-class sweetshop at the time and a tobacconist. Adrian Cadbury… used to come to my mother’s shop. Good quality confectionary.
Remembers father having a car. Went to Wales. Slept the night at the post office. Returned to same post office for the next 10 years.
Describes his father’s trade as a cabinet-maker. Also upholsterer. Father and uncle had a workshop.
Father started at the Austin in the mid- 1930s. First worked on the track, then on the gun-turrets.
I went to Beeches Road Primary school. Failed 11 plus. Went to Brittannia Road Secondary school. Describes school swimming pool.
Story about teachers at school. Corporal punishment.
What he used to do, he used to stand them on the desk … the desk had a seat attached to it…and this don was very tall, and he used to stand the children on the seat so that they were nearly above him. But he forgot the height of this one chap, and he was a big 14 year old who decided that he’d had enough bangs behind the ears, so he just chased him and he was going to hit him…. He was assaulting children from all directions. This particular teacher was notorious for this kind of behaviour.
Decided against going to Technical school. Enjoyed school. Hated cricket.
Entered for swimming competitions.
I left school in 1953, I was 15. Father worked in the experimental at Longbridge. Wanted Bob to join the Austin. Took technical drawings to show employers. Became an indentured apprentice in body experimental shop.
03
It was quite strange going into that environment as a youngster because I hadn’t heard any swearing or anything like that…
Detailed account of fellow workers at Longbridge.
Anecdote about mug of tea and the false teeth.
Distinguishes between role of shop boy and apprentice.
Didn’t want to be away from home doing National Service so enrolled on an engineering course.
At the end of the 1950s I went to Halesowen College to do a national course.
After leaving college organised apprentices moving around the factory. Problem with foreman who denied Bob his pay rate.
Worked on models.
04
Story about Alec Izigonis, known as ‘the Greek’ who worked on the Mini.
Continues story.
Description of how the mini steering wheel came to be of such a design. Prised a 6ft new broom from a fellow worker.
Continues description.
Now Izigonis was never Mr Average. Izigonis had got long legs and a short body, or a long body and short legs, I can never remember which… that’s probably why a lot of people nowadays find the Mini hard to drive…
I joined the National Union of Vehicle builders in 1965 because at the time the shop that I worked in went back on the McHugh Strike…
I took it as quite an honour in those days to be an official of the Union… I’ve been on the District Committee for 15-20 years….
The worst part probably of being a shop steward was when Derek Robinson was sacked….
He was used as a scapegoat by Edwards and the Thatcher Government to pull into line the working-class movement….He never reneged on any agreement…
Story about joining the union.
Continues story.
We’ve had quite a few strikes that I’ve been involved in. I always say we worked harder when we were on strike than I did when we were in the factory working…. Working for the Trade Union Movement… it was nearly a full-time job. I‘ve always thought the track worker pays my money…
And lo and behold, I went out on the gates of Q gate… Anecdote about police verbal confrontation.
Story about the day Derek Robinson was sacked in 1979.
So by not supporting Derek Robinson, in my opinion, was a working-class blunder. The people who voted against him now have come to me over the last years and said what a mistake they made, but it was too late then...
Voted to return to work.
05
At the time they thought they’d had too many strikes… discusses Michael Edwards.
06
Wanted to break strong unions. Didn’t have a mortgage, father left a house to him.
Should not ask what union has done for me, but what have I done for union.
07
Story about being a shop steward.
I’ve found over the years mostly, being a boss you had to tell lies, and as a shop steward, the worst thing you could tell your members is a lie because you’d be found out….
Story about fellow worker who volunteered as a fire officer.
Continues story.
Sacked for gross misconduct: for not leaving the building during a fire drill. Workers rallied round in support of his reinstatement. Strike for 3 days.
The strike occurred in 1980-1.
Technical description of gearless car.
Health and Safety Act in the 1980s. Comments on ‘where practical’ clause. Sent on safety inspection course. Particularly concerned with noise at work.
Advised to move to Canley. Over the years my ancestors, who I’ve looked up, the Pembertons, have only moved from Wigan in Lancashire to here, in Birmingham, and that’s 800 years, they’ve moved about 80 miles. And I said, I wasn’t going to travel to Canley which was 35 miles and ruin my ancestors attitude to travel….
However, one individual asked if he could go to Canley, so from that moment no unified solidarity.
Called the ‘Parrot’ at work because of the flat on his nose.
Ended up in the ‘pool’ for 3 years.
Some elderly workers retired whilst in the ‘pool’.
Bob ended up in the transmission dept.. Liked the work. The flight shed ,we weren’t allowed to mention to the Germans because it was where we made bombers to bomb Germany. And we were told when the Germans took us over 6 years ago, BMW, don’t mention the flight shed…but needless to say we did, whenever possible…. And they seemed very happy to talk about it…
Drove the length of the country carrying water filled dummies.
So the last few years of my work experience, 46 years work experience, ended on December 1999. I was 61 years old. Explains how he came to leave early.
Story about refusing an award for ‘Quality Excellence’. But told it was for his wife also, so had to accept.
Thinks the happiest times at Longbridge were the first and also the last years.
Discusses recent events at Rover.
08
09
Continues to express views on Rover ‘fiasco’.
Full-time foster parents.
Magistrate in Birmingham. Pemberton history of being magistrates.
I’m half a Brummie and half Black Country.
ENDS
Logged by Lorraine Blakemore |