steelway article e & s 30.12.10 carl chinn page 2

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Express & Star, Thursday December 30, 2010 23

The story of an important area

lifetime withled the waysuch products. During the SecondWorld War, it went over to war workand was involved in the manufactureof stretchers for injured personneland was a member of the NationalScheme for Disabled Men.

Many of the workers who left tofight in the war effort returned totheir original positions with the com-ing of peace.

After the war, Steelway consoli-dated its reputation and providedopen mesh flooring to the Z Cars TVseries, and stages, sets and grating tothe James Bond films On HerMajesty’s Secret Service and Dia-monds Are Forever.

Today the company has two manu-facturing plants, one each in Wolver-hampton and West Bromwich, andemploys more than 175 workers.

They are involved in high qualitymanufacturing: from making metalflooring, walkways, railings and stairsfor waterworks, nuclear power sta-tions, railways and factories to carry-ing out spectacular restorationprojects like the rebuild of a century-old Great Western Railway turntableas the centrepiece of a visitor attrac-tion in Minehead.

Shirley Walpole was delighted toread about the company because herfather “John Gibbons (known asJack) worked at Steelway from theage of fourteen until he retired at 65.

“He was born in 1915, and died in1993. He was a rivetter.

“My father often spoke of the bar-riers in Princes Square, and of mak-ing flooring and railings for some ofthe James Bond films including Dia-monds Are Forever’.”

Shirley has kindly sent in a numberof evocative photos of her dad’s life atSteelway.

Write to CarlHAVE you a story to shareabout the Black Country?If so, drop Carl a note. Ifyou have a tale to tell, amemory to pass on or aphoto to share then writeto Carl c/o The Editor, Ex-

press & Star, QueenStreet, Wolverhampton,WV1 1ES. All photos willbe scanned immediatelyat the Express & Star of-

fices and returned asquickly as possible. Youcan also e-mail Carl at

carl@brummagem.fsnet.co.uk

You can hear Carl Chinnon Sunday on BBC WM95.6 FM between 10am

and 1pm

Above, Steel-way barriersready for thecoronation ofKing George VIin London in1937

Right, Shirley’sfather, Jack,

with his work-mates, not long

after hestarted work atSteelway. He is

second fromthe right on

the back row.

Left, Jack is onthe right at theback of thisphoto taken inhis youngerdays

Jack, centre back, and his workmates in a car at Blackpool in 1950. The mandriving the car was Arthur Fieldhouse and the chap sitting at the

back on the right was Joe Weaver.

Steelway barriers at the Cenotaph in London in the late 1930s. The system had won high praise.