The People of Ditchburn of Lytham St Anne’s
The Ditchburn Work Force
Photos of the People of Ditchburn at Lytham
Below are photos that have been kindly sent to us showing the people that worked at Ditchburn and made the Magic happen, if you can help with any missing names, or years that the photos were taken it would be very helpful, please send any further info or other photos to us using the contact button at the bottom of this page.
The first set of photos were sent to us by Tom Dolman via his partner Elizabeth Viool.
1, Fred Hanson Building Maintenance 2, Charlie Nichols Machine Builder 3, Jack Wilkie Labourer 4, ???? 5, Tom Dolman Machine shop apprentice 6, Frank Lever Machine shop 7, Norman Lever Manager
Photo Ref: DB431 courtesy of Tom Dolman and Elizabeth Viool
Photo Ref: DB432 courtesy of Tom Dolman and Elizabeth Viool
1. David ?????? 2. Geoff Goods 3. Harold Burnett Welder, Office Partition Dept. 4. ?????? 5. ?????? 6. Tom Dolman Machine shop apprentice 7. ?????? 8. Wilf ?????? 9. ?????? 10. ?????? 11. Reg Halloran Paint shop boss 12. Ben ???? General labourer 13. ?????? 14. Frank Lever Machine shop 15. ??????
Photo Ref: DB433 courtesy of Tom Dolman and Elizabeth Viool
1. Reg Simpson Telematic Relays 2. Alan Steer Driver 3. Ernie Bennett Stores 4. Charlie Bream Machine Shop 5. Frank Lever Machine shop 6. Leslie Dyson Mechanism shop manager 7. Peter Wilkinson Paint shop 8. Bob Hawkey Assistant manager 9. Bill Andrews P roduction Manager Juke box division
If you can help us fill in any of the missing names below please use the contact us button at the bottom of the page and send us the name and reference number and we will add it to the list
This next set of photos were sent to us by John Crompton ( jukeboxshop.co.uk ) taken at the 1959 conference at the Savoy Hotel in Blackpool
These Photos below were sent to us by Stewart Sutton originally from his Sister Yvonne Sutton, showing some of the many social and fun times at Ditchburn Photo Ref: DB442 Courtesy of Yvonne Sutton Photo Ref: DB443 Courtesy of Yvonne Sutton Photo Ref: DB444 Courtesy of Yvonne Sutton Photo Ref: DB446 Courtesy of Yvonne Sutton Photo Ref: DB445 Courtesy of Yvonne Sutton Yvonne and Fred Birchel, Audrie Birchels husband Wilf Barton with Yvonne. He was to do with vending and Audrie Birchel was his secretary. Italo Maruchi, my first charge hand in the new electrical dept upstairs across the yard. My sister and someone I think was called Trevor? Could be Schofield. Jim Humberstone, the guy that took Sutty to the Manchester recording studio Mrs & Mr Ditchburn on the Right. with Mary Mead and my sister on the left.
Arthur Phillips has sent us his recollections of the people in the above photograph …… 1 Reg Simpson, Electrical Test, my mate Reg was a footballer he started with Ditchburn in 1952 or there about while playing for Preston North End football club. 2 Alan Steer, Driver for juke boxes the only driver we had at head office. 3 Ernie Bennett, worked in the Stores he started in 1955 and continued till the end. 4 Charlie Bream, Machine Shop, he was a wizard on all the machines in the shop. 5 Frank Lever, Machine shop, he was a very quiet director starting with Ditchburn in 1948. 6 Leslie Dyson, Mechanism shop manager he started in 1955 just before Ditchburn bought the mk2 from Hawtin with 30 juke boxes. 7 Peter Wilkinson, from the paint shop He started in 1950 and was in charge by 1960 and left when the company closed 8 Bob Hawkey, he was assistant manager to Bill Andrews, we played football together and could only just get a team. When he left Ditchburn he went to work at Bispham Police Station as a civilian. We used to call him Hawk-eye, he retired to Spain which he had always wanted to do and died there. 9 Bill Andrews, the production manager to the juke box division, Bill died in 1981 he had been ill for years but no one knew as he kept it quiet. I could write something on most of them, they were all good friends and colleagues, some of them were sort of family members . Bill Andrews was at school with my mother in 1905 he left when he was 14 taking on an apprentice ship with Cunliffes who were gas engineers and later electricians, Bill served his time as plumber electrician but he always had something wrong with his eyes his vision was not normal he had pinhole spectacles, one of the blokes thought he would catch him out but was very surprised when bill took him on one side and told him he might have pinhole specs but he could see more than anyone else, but bill could not drive because of his limited vision. Bill Died in 1981 on the day I was going to visit him, RIP Bill. Arthur Phillips
Photo Ref: DB571 Courtesy of Paul Walker
Photo Ref: DB572 Courtesy of Paul Walker
Photo Ref: DB573 Courtesy of Paul Walker
Photo Ref: DB574 Courtesy of Paul Walker
Below are photos sent to us by Paul Walker of the Ditchburn Annual Sales Conferences