Ferranti Apprentices

[Jambo314]

2 hours ago, Kev1998 said:

There were a lot of good players in ferranti in the old days.frannie farmer as you mentioned  was indeed on hearts books.but there were so many more.big Smirnoff , Kevin o'neil(poser).Brian cardigan,Donny woodmore.bungay.big hunter summers etc.the interdepartmental fitba tournament was good.very competitive.we reached the final at Ollie bank once and were manager by no other than billy brown(who worked I the displays dept before leaving to take the Berwick job with him Jefferies.aye good times

I recognise a few of those names mentioned .... if same Kevin O'Neil he stayed in Gunnet Court ... big Hunter is possibly Brian Hunter who has a well established landscaping company now ... Bungay is a member on here. 

[Kev1998]

Big kev was a maintenance spark along with Smirnoff.still see them in the passing.big Brian.bang on stays no far from me now.the  bungay I was talking about was Ray,your maybe thinking of Albert?ps.when I mentioned the good players I totally forgot about mutchie. He would never forgive me ha ha

[Hugh Phamism]

17 hours ago, Greedy Jambo said:

Who's all heard of applied materials though? 

Now we're talking. 

 Aye, me. I used to work for them in Livvy.

[Rodge]

14 hours ago, Les Izemore said:

You didn’t work with Frank in the early 90s did you? I sadly recognise your description as I was the also. 
 

Anyway, get your laughing gear around this. 1984 Mechanical Apprentice intake, Ferranti, Robbie Ave. I’m in there. 
 

 

 

Great photo. Would love to see the 1988 ones if anyone has them. 😄

 

14 hours ago, JyTees said:

 

Started 88 as well, mech craft, left after a year. Hated it. Wasn't cut out for the factory environment. Used to walk passed zombies in the corridor with their presented watches and think, "please God, no"

 

Remember Kennedy. Great guy, probably being Hearts helped the relationship...just a bit!. During that time our derby dominance was at its peak. All through secondary school and into work life with barely a blow landed by that lot. Remember going in to work after a midweek defeat. We'd not long had 17 in a row and I'll never forget Kennedy saying to me he didn't think the dominance would last now. He thought victories and league positions would be shared between us. Remember feeling so deflated and couldn't really comprehend what he was telling me. I don't think after that day we were beaten again for another 22 😂. Always wished I could've bumped into him and told him how wrong he was. He'd have been delighted of course!

 

The miller, Rab Shand I think as someone mentioned earlier was another good guy, Was he the one with the long permed blonde barnet? Bit if a twitcher if memory serves me right 🤔 Great guy anyway!

 

Surprised no one has mentioned the fitter, Willie Dickie, or Bill. He was a nob! Or is he a figment of my imagination? 🤔

 

Nice wee trip down memory lane though. Cheers lads 👍🏻

 

 

 

Our paths must have crossed before then 😀

Great reading all the stories

 

[80bob]

16 hours ago, Konrad von Carstein said:

Aye, Davy was a great guy...respected him a lot...Reg was a bit of an arse but harmless.

Environmental testing rings a bell for some reason think my dad worked in there at some point 

[Konrad von Carstein]

15 hours ago, Les Izemore said:

And Austrian owned. My old man still worked for them then. 

That's right, state of the art facility that they shut down instead of one of the ancient Austrian ones...9/11 killed one of their bigger income streams...I got a trip to Allentown PA when we were closing down contracts with them before the site closed down...

[Morgan]

16 hours ago, smiler said:

 

Morgan doesn't need the fake tan anymore, not now he's strutting about the French Riviera with his budgie smugglers on 😕

You know me too well, Mr Smiler.

 

 

[Morgan]

Does anyone recall the name Tom McInnes?  

 

He worked as an estimating engineer at Crewe Toll.

[EC_Hearts]

In response to some of the points:

- Stash (Karol Stachow) still there, still a great machinist, good guy but unfortunately a hibby

- Frank Farmer still there working in ops

- Gordon Gooch still there in sales & marketing, recognise the description of him on here (his dad was Ian) !!

- "Bob from Sunderland" recognise the description but can't remember the surname, retired now but best remembered for spending so much time on the lab phone at Crewe Toll (to his daughter's mobile in Sunderland) it triggered an investigation due to the bill.

 

Smiler, still looking for the  1987 photo for you.

[JyTees]

5 hours ago, Rodge said:

 

Great photo. Would love to see the 1988 ones if anyone has them. 😄

 

 

Our paths must have crossed before then 😀

Great reading all the stories

 

 

Absolutely. Probably unlikely we'd recognise each other nowadays though. Lot of water passed under the bridge since then 🤣

 

I'd love to see a few photos. Obviously from 88 but I knew a few guys from previous years as well. 85, 86 and 87. In fact I blame those same people for talking me into applying!

[Les Izemore]

5 hours ago, Morgan said:

Does anyone recall the name Tom McInnes?  

 

He worked as an estimating engineer at Crewe Toll.

I remember the name but can’t put a face to him, I never worked in Estimating. 
 

Depending on the timeframe he probably worked with John Ford and John Kelly. 

[Konrad von Carstein]

Funny we've reached 3 pages and no one has mentioned our own Scottie Wilson....

 

 

[Shanks said no]

On 13/01/2021 at 21:37, Kev1998 said:

Ha ha Kennedy was indeed a good guy and big jambo.i remember the night v hibs I got lifted and dubbed up for the night.next day got back to the training centre for dinnertime.made a daft excuse up for being off in the morning.kennedy took me aside and Saudi could have swore I seen you getting marched round the field last night"then broke into a huge smile ha ha .Good guy

 

Late to the thread

 

Mechanical Technician apprentice August 1981 intake.

 

GK was a good jambo, I bumped into his daughter when we were last down playing Preston, she had moved down south. Graham was ill by then and I believe he passed in 2019

[Morgan]

1 hour ago, Les Izemore said:

I remember the name but can’t put a face to him, I never worked in Estimating. 
 

Depending on the timeframe he probably worked with John Ford and John Kelly. 

He mentioned a bloke called Kelly.  👍

 

Another one was called Adam?  Does that name ring a bell?

[Les Izemore]

1 hour ago, Morgan said:

He mentioned a bloke called Kelly.  👍

 

Another one was called Adam?  Does that name ring a bell?

Adam doesn’t ring any bells, but if he worked with/for JK he’s no doubt got many tales of his cracking sense of humour and mischief. One of the funniest and best guys I ever met there in 30+ years. 

[graygo]

3 hours ago, The Frenchman Returns said:

 

Late to the thread

 

Mechanical Technician apprentice August 1981 intake.

 

GK was a good jambo, I bumped into his daughter when we were last down playing Preston, she had moved down south. Graham was ill by then and I believe he passed in 2019

 

Techy wank. 

 

(only relevant if you've read the whole thread) 😁

[Les Izemore]

Crafty Dafty. 😜

[Rodge]

14 hours ago, JyTees said:

 

Absolutely. Probably unlikely we'd recognise each other nowadays though. Lot of water passed under the bridge since then 🤣

 

I'd love to see a few photos. Obviously from 88 but I knew a few guys from previous years as well. 85, 86 and 87. In fact I blame those same people for talking me into applying!

 

Yeah, probably not.

I remember going to a hospital (sure it was Edenhall in Musselburgh) as part of Ferranti's community thing - although it could have been anywhere as I wasn't old enough to drive then 🤣

Going up town after it, getting pished (somewhere) and getting off the bus in Gilmerton to spew in a hedge on the Gilmerton Road in broad daylight 🤣

Then having to wait for the next bus to Dalkeith 🤣

 

The union also organised some joining event when we started which was basically a free jolly at a hotel in Falkirk IIRC. Who were they again? MSF or something? 

 

 

[JyTees]

42 minutes ago, Rodge said:

 

Yeah, probably not.

I remember going to a hospital (sure it was Edenhall in Musselburgh) as part of Ferranti's community thing - although it could have been anywhere as I wasn't old enough to drive then 🤣

Going up town after it, getting pished (somewhere) and getting off the bus in Gilmerton to spew in a hedge on the Gilmerton Road in broad daylight 🤣

Then having to wait for the next bus to Dalkeith 🤣

 

The union also organised some joining event when we started which was basically a free jolly at a hotel in Falkirk IIRC. Who were they again? MSF or something? 

 

 

 

I'd forgot about the old folks hospital I had to go to for a week. In fact I think I'd blocked it out my mind. Can't remember the name of it but I'm sure it was near Telford college. A few sights that scarred me for life!

 

Thanks for reminding me Rodge 😫😭

[Rodge]

5 hours ago, JyTees said:

 

I'd forgot about the old folks hospital I had to go to for a week. In fact I think I'd blocked it out my mind. Can't remember the name of it but I'm sure it was near Telford college. A few sights that scarred me for life!

 

Thanks for reminding me Rodge 😫😭

😂😂

[YYZ]

I started Electronic and Electrical apprenticeship 1988. We were based at the training centre at South Gyle in the portacabins. We also went to Robertson Avenue for mechanical training.

 

Bob Morrison was head of training centre and Jim Cleat was also some kind of boss there as well if memory serves me correctly. Willie the store man who used to sell the scratch cards was at the Gyle when I was there.

 

Mechanical instructors for me were Willy Dickie and a guy with thick beer bottle glasses who I can't remember his name but we called him the man with no eyes. Another mechanical instructor was a bloke with long greasy hair again can't remember his name.

 

My first year Electronics and Electrical instructor was a guy called David Sime (again if my memory is correct) - he was an absolute ***** of a man. I really enjoyed my time at Ferranti but he was a real prick to the apprentices.  

 

We used to go back to the Gyle for other courses like technical drawing. I am sure all the old photos of apprentice intakes ended up in the Gyle training centre offices.

 

I would love to see my years photo but sadly I would think they are long gone.

 

 

[YYZ]

There are actually quite a lot of photos online - 1980 apparently (my instructor was obviously Derek Syme (not David but still a wank) 

 

[YYZ]

7 hours ago, Rodge said:

 

Yeah, probably not.

I remember going to a hospital (sure it was Edenhall in Musselburgh) as part of Ferranti's community thing - although it could have been anywhere as I wasn't old enough to drive then 🤣

Going up town after it, getting pished (somewhere) and getting off the bus in Gilmerton to spew in a hedge on the Gilmerton Road in broad daylight 🤣

Then having to wait for the next bus to Dalkeith 🤣

 

The union also organised some joining event when we started which was basically a free jolly at a hotel in Falkirk IIRC. Who were they again? MSF or something? 

 

 

 

 

Wow talk about rekindling old memories.

 

I got farmed out to a Leonard Cheshire hospital somewhere off Ferry Road and ending up steaming after their Christmas party and barfing up when I got off the bus when I got home  

 

The MSF jolly I went to was in the Moat House hotel in Queensferry. We got the Police called on us by the hotel staff as we had a party back in my room after the event. Union woman went mental at us and told us to report to Robertson Avenue on the Monday - we never went. Turned out anyway that a pile of the 'adults' who went apparently flooded a room and broke some lights so it took the heat off us.

[Shanks said no]

1 hour ago, queensferryjambo said:

There are actually quite a lot of photos online - 1980 apparently (my instructor was obviously Derek Syme (not David but still a wank) 

 

You would make my night if you could point towards your source as I would love to see the 1981 photo and squirm.

[Shanks said no]

I was sent to the old Royal Infirmary for my 2 weeks Xmas placement. Its one of the few times I have ever volunteered for something, having spoken to older apprentices as they said avoid the wards as you will end up cutting toenails etc. Stuck my hand up to work in the food stores. Basically helped unload lorries and had free food the rest of the day.

 

Other memories revolve round drinking and ladies / girls. I was going out with a girl who worked there and we got her to bring her cousin along one lunchtime, she turned up in Greyfriars Bobby wearing her St Thomas Of Aquin's uniform, sort of Trainspotting in reverse. 

 

Placement finished on Xmas Eve and remember sitting in the same pub and Jasper (good Hibee apprentice) realizing he hadn't bought any presents yet, we left the pub after 5 and all shops were closed.

[Konrad von Carstein]

43 minutes ago, The Frenchman Returns said:

You would make my night if you could point towards your source as I would love to see the 1981 photo and squirm.

Ditto...

 

[OBE]

2 hours ago, queensferryjambo said:

There are actually quite a lot of photos online - 1980 apparently (my instructor was obviously Derek Syme (not David but still a wank) 

 

 

Was there a pandemic then also? Their freds are atrocious. Talk about totalitarian...you will sit there, fold your arms and you dare smile...Mutchie must've got his Nat the night before and Marshies no happy...

Edited January 16, 2021 by OBE

[John Findlay]

2 hours ago, queensferryjambo said:

There are actually quite a lot of photos online - 1980 apparently (my instructor was obviously Derek Syme (not David but still a wank) 

 

Chris Meldrum back row far left, I was at school with.

[niblick1874]

Payed on a Thursday. I have been told there was something to do with collage on the Friday.

 

Early 70s is a bit of a blur. 

 

Parsons Peebles ya bass. 😁

[graygo]

5 hours ago, The Frenchman Returns said:

I was sent to the old Royal Infirmary for my 2 weeks Xmas placement. Its one of the few times I have ever volunteered for something, having spoken to older apprentices as they said avoid the wards as you will end up cutting toenails etc. Stuck my hand up to work in the food stores. Basically helped unload lorries and had free food the rest of the day.

 

Other memories revolve round drinking and ladies / girls. I was going out with a girl who worked there and we got her to bring her cousin along one lunchtime, she turned up in Greyfriars Bobby wearing her St Thomas Of Aquin's uniform, sort of Trainspotting in reverse. 

 

Placement finished on Xmas Eve and remember sitting in the same pub and Jasper (good Hibee apprentice) realizing he hadn't bought any presents yet, we left the pub after 5 and all shops were closed.

 

If you started in 81 you would have been at the ERI same time as me, I was in the kitchen loading the dishwashers. Spent most of the time in the Doctors pub and playing cards with the porters down in the basement.

[Shanks said no]

17 minutes ago, graygo said:

 

If you started in 81 you would have been at the ERI same time as me, I was in the kitchen loading the dishwashers. Spent most of the time in the Doctors pub and playing cards with the porters down in the basement.

 

Vaguely remember delivering to the kitchens, so we probably do / did know each other. Fordie, Jasper and I were usually pissed. Remember when they brought our wages and we had to collect them, think it was Mr Paton?

[Shanks said no]

Another memory

 

End of apprenticeship stag do at the Westfield (Last Furlong / Sports Bar)

 

Not proud but I was responsible for what happened to Baxen.... that night. The strippers got some fresh meat though.

[JDK2020]

Ferranti was a great place to work, served my apprenticeship there, but the world was a very much different place back then.

Bob Morrison ran the training school at Robertson Avenue, with Arthur McLean as the day-to-day manager.

Farquharson (Farky) was Turning instructor - a bit weird

Graham Kennedy Fitting - a bit up himself but not a bad guy

John Sinclair was the Milling instructor and he was a good guy

Jimmy Miller Sheet Metal lovely wee man

Jimmy? McCreadie (Instrument Fitting) torn faced little shite

? Hunter took techy drawing

Norrie in the stores was a good lad and put up with a lot of snash from each new intake of apprentice wise-guys.

One of the Training Centre labourers was Willie Honeyburn I think. Good guy.

The FERC was good for a game of snooker, 10 pin bowling round at Murrayfield and the Ferranti Bowling Club at Arboretum Place.

Worked at Robbie Ave, Crewe Toll, Silverknowes, South Gyle

 

James Guerin was the Yank who scammed Ferranti with tales of mega US defence orders in his company International Signal. Ferranti wanted a slice of the action and teamed up with Guerin, who promptly scorched them for millions. Company was vulnerable enough to be snapped up by GEC who started laying off workers in batches sometimes hundreds at a time, and shutting down whole departments and eventually whole plants, stripping and selling assets, keeping only the most lucrative parts. God knows how many take-overs, buy-outs there's been since but it's still going strong in some description at Crewe Toll. 

[graygo]

I think I've just remembered the sheet metal guy when I was there was Stan Herdman.

[Tommy Brown]

On 17/01/2021 at 02:07, The Frenchman Returns said:

Another memory

 

End of apprenticeship stag do at the Westfield (Last Furlong / Sports Bar)

 

Not proud but I was responsible for what happened to Baxen.... that night. The strippers got some fresh meat though.

Tom Bax?

[Shanks said no]

3 minutes ago, Tommy Brown said:

Tom Bax?

Yep, had to lose his y fronts before he got home as they were soaked in...... baby oil and he didn't want his mother to find them.

[Tommy Brown]

1 hour ago, graygo said:

I think I've just remembered the sheet metal guy when I was there was Stan Herdman.

Yip, he had a son who started as a craft apprentice same yar as me, 79.

 

@JDK2020 I had forgotten  about John Sinclair, liked him. 

Inst. Fitting  im sure was Mr Prentice, he was torn faced.

Jimmy Smith was our sheet metal, modelled himself in Clint Eastwood, good guy though.

[Tommy Brown]

3 minutes ago, The Frenchman Returns said:

Yep, had to lose his y fronts before he got home as they were soaked in...... baby oil and he didn't want his mother to find them.

He was in the drawing office with me at the Gyle. Quiet guy, but story wrung a bell.

Liked his trains.

The time we went to the Westfield, my mate Jonesey got his glasses steamed up shall we say. Had a bit bother getting the pubes off them.

[JDK2020]

1 minute ago, Tommy Brown said:

Yip, he had a son who started as a craft apprentice same yar as me, 79.

 

@JDK2020 I had forgotten  about John Sinclair, liked him. 

Inst. Fitting  im sure was Mr Prentice, he was torn faced.

Jimmy Smith was our sheet metal, modelled himself in Clint Eastwood, good guy though.

 

Aye, auld Jimmy Miller took the mechanical apprentices to show them how to make their tool boxes and Stan Herdman took the electronics guys to make their poofy wee toolboxes. 😆

And you are quite correct, Prentice did take the instrument fitting. I got it wrong, wee McCreadie took craft guys for fitting.

And yes, JS was a good guy, patient and encouraging. 

[Shanks said no]

Parents night for first year apprentices.

[graygo]

Was the wee janitor type guy called John Spence? Name rings a bell, wee guy with glasses, sold lottery or tote tickets.

[Guest]

Anyone remember Rambo?

 

[graygo]

33 minutes ago, Candy said:

Anyone remember Rambo?

 

 

Aye, Sylvester Stallone.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, graygo said:

 

Aye, Sylvester Stallone.

Alan Hewitt

[graygo]

1 minute ago, Candy said:

Alan Hewitt

 

Sorry chief, don't know him. What year?

[JDK2020]

Referee Bill Crombie worked in Ferranti as did Tom Brown (ex apprentice) who reffed for seemingly only a short spell then fell off the radar. Hugh McCann and Ian Brown both coached at Hearts, and Chris Black, shot put for Scotland all worked in Ferranti. 

[CostaJambo]

2 hours ago, JDK2020 said:

Referee Bill Crombie worked in Ferranti as did Tom Brown (ex apprentice) who reffed for seemingly only a short spell then fell off the radar. Hugh McCann and Ian Brown both coached at Hearts, and Chris Black, shot put for Scotland all worked in Ferranti. 

I remember as a kid my dad, who worked in the drawing office first at Crewe Toll and then Silverknowes, bringing home a colleague, probably to borrow one of his extensive collection of tools, and telling me he was a well-known ref.  Totally obsessed with football in those days, quick as a flash I was through in my room grabbing a copy of Shoot magazine to challenge him on the 'You are the Ref' cartoon, where they had a bizarre refereeing question which you had to resolve as per the laws of the game in those days, often involving a dog running on the pitch. I don't remember the particular question I asked the guy but I remember he got it right!

[smiler]

On 20/02/2021 at 00:07, graygo said:

Was the wee janitor type guy called John Spence? Name rings a bell, wee guy with glasses, sold lottery or tote tickets.

Not sure of his surname but he was called John.

[graygo]

2 minutes ago, smiler said:

Not sure of his surname but he was called John.

 

Aye, I might be getting a bit mixed up with his surname because I know for sure that I worked with a John Spence a few years later. Not impossible though.

[smiler]

Does anyone remember the gadge who went to work in a leather miniskirt, fishnets, a big ginger wig and worked in the drawing office in the South Gyle pagoda building? Cani remember their female name.

Being young and not giving a toss we would wander past and giggle like bairns. After a while we got a bollocking and told to stay away.