‘I can’t believe it’s been 38 years...’
Date published: 20 February 2012
March 2 will be a date filled with emotion as the historic BAE Systems site in Chadderton closes for good. The end of aircraft manufacturing at the nostalgic factory will see the remaining 105 jobs transferred to the company’s Samlesbury site.
We would love to hear your memories of the site, opened in 1939 as the world’s largest production site under the ownership of AVRO, later to become Hawker-Siddeley, British Aerospace, then BAE Systems..
(See bottom of story).
DARRELL Vere played hard as well as worked hard at the Chadderton site which included performing the dangerous operation of flying aeroplanes indoors.
The Middleton engineer recollects how he received a slap on the wrist for creating a metal plane and seeing how far it would fly across the vast site.
His creation wasn’t quite as big as the Nimrod and ATP aircraft he was used to working on.
He laughed: “We used to fly paper aeroplanes off the balcony at dinner time for competitions.
“I made one from the sheet metal we used on the aircraft to see if it would go further.
“Mine flew across the first bay and into the next one — I got banned for it!”
Roll on to 2012 and Darrell (54) is still at BAE Systems with 38 years’ service under his belt. The jovial Castleton resident has worked on 19 different aircraft, including the first ATP.
The ATP provided a musical influence on Darrell as he became the lead singer of a group called All Talk and Promise.
He said: “We did a concert on the day of Live Aid in the canteen — it was called Air Aid. We did the Woodford Air Show a couple of times and the Lancaster Club. Good times.”
Darrell spoke about the moment he saw the first ATP in its entirety and the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.
He said: “The fact you know you are making bits on the shop floor, putting it all together, and then at the end of the day you’ve got an aircraft.
“It just gives you a massive sense of achievement. It is fantastic to be part of a long history of aviation.
“I can’t believe it’s been 38 years, it only feels like last year when since my apprentice days.”
Darrell, who will be moving to the Samlesbury site next month, worked in Chadderton for several years with his brother Wayne. His aunt worked as a riveter there during World War II.
“She loved her time here — even during the war,” he said. “When I started here and told her I was working at Hawker-Siddeley — but everyone called it AVRO’s back then — she said ‘Oh, you’ll have a grand time there lad.’ And I’ve loved every minute. So many happy memories. The people of Oldham and Middleton are just so easy to get on with.”
SOMEONE who remembers with pride seeing the ATP leave the factory is Saddleworth man Charlie Edwards, who has worked at the plant for 40 years.
Charlie (56) is one of the longest-serving employees at Chadderton, and has worked on many aircraft, from the passenger 146 ATP to the military Nimrod and Tornado and Hawk.
The quality assembly officer pinpoints the moment the ATP left the grounds as an emotional highlight of his career.
He said: “When we delivered the aircraft to Woodford we all had the opportunity to stand at the gate. It was a proud moment for the company and myself.”
Charlie, who has worked for the company in Europe and elsewhere started as an apprentice fitter — as did hundreds of others, years ago.
He recollects the day he left school to join a workforce that numbered in the thousands at the vast site.
“I found very myself thinking I was very lucky — and I have been lucky all the way through my career, to develop and travel with the company. When I first came here for an interview, it was one of the three big employers in the area where you normally went. You had Mather and Platt, Ferranti and here. My dad said go and get an apprenticeship. Fortunately I came to work here.”
Charlie who will be carrying on his career at the BAe site in Samlesbury, added: “People should remember what the Chadderton site has done for the area.”
::The Chronicle will be running exclusive stories from employees, and photographs from the era of aviation here in Oldham. Call reporter Andrew Rudkin on 622 2127 or email andrewrudkin@oldham-chronicle.co.uk with your tales.
TOMORROW: we look back at the company’s founder, pioneering aviator Alliot Verdon Roe — and at the company’s legendary chief designer, Roy Chadwick.
