Schoolpals, planes and fashion

2:28pm Thursday 30th August 2001

OUR history features are popular with readers and this week's page is dedicated to letters. Some might jog memories and perhaps you can help ...

THE five distinguished gentleman in the photograph, Norman (Ginger) Monk, Brian Maude, Fred Webb, Stan Watts and Don Steel, all began their secondary education in 1943, at what was then Woolwich Secondary Central School, Bloomfield Road, Plumstead. It was known as Bloomfield Road School.

They have all remained friends and would be interested to know if there are any other ex-pupils out there who remember them.

If any News Shopper readers were at this school at the same time, perhaps they could contact me.

MRS DOREEN MAUDE

22 Sherwood Crescent

Hadleigh

Essex SS7 2LE

WITH regard to Mr Abraham's questions about the wartime activities at Empire Paper Mill (News Shopper, August 15), I was employed as secretary to the chairman of the mill until it went into liquidation in 1993.

Prior to this, I had compiled a short history of papermaking and the history of Empire in particular. I enclose extracts which may be of interest:

“A wartime activity at the mill was the manufacture of rounded nose sections and conical rear sections of jettison fuel tanks for fighter aircraft. Special glue and kraft paper was brought to the mill, ready cut to size. The sheets were also cut in comb-like fashion to allow them to be shaped, providing work for about 50 women working in pairs.

The required number of sheets of paper were glued together on the formers to give a final thickness of around a quarter inch. As each section was finished it was put on a rack to dry and harden.

“After passing inspection, the sections were taken to Sittingbourne to be fitted to the parallel middle sections which were made there.

“When the tanks were finished they resembled the shape of a torpedo, they were fitted under the wings of fighter aircraft and filled with fuel to increase the range. When the tanks were empty, they were jettisoned.”

“After the war, when No 1 machine closed, the empty space along the side of the machine was used for storing spare aircraft engines. American Pratt & Whitney and Bristol Hercules for bombers. The paper store was also used as a store for such diverse items as aircraft wings, boats, platform scales and bags of wheat.”

MRS D KENT

Cerne Road

Gravesend

READING your piece about wanting help on wartime aircraft supply (News Shopper, August 15), I wondered if I could be any help.

I worked in some workshops in Dover Road, Northfleet, for Walter Gouge a brother of Arthur Gouge who designed the Sunderland and Stirling aircraft. We made the tailplanes and fins for the Sunderland and undercarriage doors for the Stirling.

The metal covering for the doors was done in a little workshop at the back of a shop in Windmill street, Gravesend, called Honess.

A STAPLETON

Lanes Avenue

Northfleet

I AM student at the London College of Fashion. I have to complete a fashion industry case study and have chosen to concentrate on the closure of the David Evans Silk factory and the museum World of Silk.

Would any former employee of David Evans (factory or museum) like to participate in research by giving an oral history account or an interview of what it was like to work at the David Evans factory, what they did, whether they liked their job and what they think led to the closure of the factory and museum.

If you know of anything regarding this situation, I would love to hear from you. My e-mail address is diane@gloss.supanet.com

DIANE GLOSSOP

27 Argali House

4 Kale Road

Parkview

Thamesmead South

Erith

D18 4BE

WITH reference to the article The Church on Broadway (News Shopper, July 25), I have some information.

The article indicated Christ Church was completed around 1915.

When my mother moved from the Midlands to Bexleyheath around 1918, she bought a book about the area, called Bexleyheath, Welling.

In it, I distinctly remember seeing the original plans for the church and an artist's impression of what it would look like.

The book said, because of lack of funds, the church was not completed.

When I read the passage of scripture Luke 14:28: “For example, who of you that wants to build a tower does not first sit down and calculate the expense to see if he has enough to complete it?” I often think of Christ Church, Bexleyheath, with amusement.

MRS B CLUBLEY

Cloudesley Road

Erith

The Town Hall at High Street, St Mary Cray, is showing its hidden treasures to the public on September 8 and 9 as part of Heritage Open Days 2001. Admission is free. For details of Heritage Open Days visit the Civic Trust website, www.civictrust.org.uk

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