John Smith Cranes

[tonto]

I served my apprenticeship at the Crane Works 1956-62 and traveled the 20miles from Hellifield every day. At that time spare parts for stone saw's where supplied to machines that had been made by Smith's( I believe one was in use at the time in a stone masons yard just off Lawcolm lane below the railway bridge). Has anybody any information on these saw's or other Smiths product's.
I can if anybodies interested name about half of the workforce at that time.

[barcroftlad]

Hi tonto. Believe it or not but early last year I took a couple of pics in Wellington,New Zealand, of an overhead gantry with pulleys etc, and on the machine was written in large print SMITHS- KEIGHLEY LOAD 10 TONS 1952
I did send copies to Jan soooooooo if you ask Jan I'm sure that she will tell you how/ where to download them. I first noticed them about 25 years or so ago. The present owners were happy for me take photos and assured me that they still work ok. Cheers.

[keighleyboy]

Hi Tonto,
Do you remember Alex SMITH, progress engineer at John Smith's Cranes? He was my father, and some of his pictures of old Keighley are featured on this website.
There was also a Harry SMITH, but I don't know what he did there. I know his daughter very well. My father said that the Chief Draughtsman was a chap called LANGHORN. And there was a man called FROBISHER who apparently claimed to be a direct descendant of the so-named famous explorer, or at least from the same family.

Allan Smith.

[tonto]

Thanks for the feedback, I'm sure that the cranes will run for a long time to come. I will try and downlaod the pictures. It's quite sad but there remains little trace or records now.
The downland museum has an old Smith's hand operated derrick crane in working order.
Allan when did your dad work at smiths? the chief draughtsman was John? he had sandy hair quite tall as I remember, the time man was Albert Parks and his brother Harry straightened the LT shafts.
John Frobisher was a fitting apprentice with me I think he was a bit older maybe 71 now

[Andy Wade]

Could you name the workforce for us please? It might be helpful to some people reading to know who they were. I'd be interested anyway.
Is the stoneyard you refer to the one that was next to Nelsons Building Supplies on Bradford Street?

Regards,
Andy.

[keighleyboy]

My father went to Cranes from Keighley Lifts about 1952, and retired somewhat early in the late 1970s. I never knew anyone there apart from the aforesiad Harry SMITH, who I knew personally, not through Cranes. But I did go down there once with my father, and he had an office in the works with a chart on the wall, with colured pins stuck in it etc. Progress chart, I reckon.
Another time, just after I'd left school in 1960, I went to collect his wages, and on the way back, called in at Prince-Smiths to see if they'd take me on as a draughtsman. And they did.

[tonto]

Yes that was the yard on bradford st.
Well here goes for the Smiths Roll of Honour
Cyril Bland, Wks Manager. Charlie Beadle, Works Foreman.
Ken Weatherall, Elec. Sid Driver, Elec. Earnest dawes, Fitter.
Jack Simpson, Fitter( He and I won on the pools).
Arther Roe, Fitter. Sam Tillotson, Fitter.
Eric Corker, Fitter. Eric Houldsworth, Fitter.
Earnest Feather, Turner. Dennis Bebb, Miller.
Alf Bradley, Machine shop foreman.
Luther Roe(Arthers Brother) Pattern Shop Foreman.
Jack Spinks, Labourer. Eddie Parker, Labourer.
Freddie Moorhouse, Steel Yard. Arther Dobson Welder.
Arther Campbell, Profile Cutting.
Jack Falkingham, Charge Hand on Spans.
Vernon Marsden, Charge Hand on Spans.
Harry Raistrick. Driller. Albert Barnes, Driller.
Derrick Dawson Fitter. Ray Dawson(brother) Outfitter.
George White, Outfitter. John Frobisher, Apprentice.
Jimmy Speight, Apprentice. Colin Smith, Apprentice.
Tony Thomason Apprentice
Harry Parks, LT Shafts. Albert Parks(brother) Time Office.
Arther Allen, Marking Out. Jimmy Antil, Crane Driver.
George Eccles S/Skill. Charlie Southern. S/Skill.

Thats about all I can remember with second names maybe someone can add the rest???

[barcroftlad]

Wow Tonto, you have done well. Congratulations. There are some well known local names there. Cheers.

[lawkholmelaner]

Working with Vernon Marston for a time at Smiths Cranes was a Derek Hallas, formidable centre with Keighley RLFC and later Leeds ( - and Great Britain?)

[barcroftlad]

Derek Hallas-There's a name I had forgotten about. Didn't he trial or even play with Keighley RLFC? Cheers.

[tonto]

I don't remember Derek Hallas but I only served my time and then went to sea. I forgot Steve Jackson he was the AEWU shop steward.

[tonto]

A man who served his time at Dan Mitchells(Peter Blacks now) said the stone yard was Hargeaves?

[Admin]

At the request of one of our fabulous forum contributors -

Attached are 2 pics relevant to the John Smiths Cranes postings.
The first shows the section where Vernon Marston worked - he is in the foreground of the photo.The second is of less interest but one of him taken in a wintry period probably taken around 1955 - as was the other pic

[keighleyboy]

Hello Andy,
I bought stone from the stoneyard on the corner of Lawkholme Lane/Bradford Street in 1971, and at that time is was called FARRERS or FARRARS - cant just remembver the spelling.

[Andy Wade]

Farrars does ring a bell. I never went in there but visited Nelsons quite a lot before they moved to where they are now near to Aldi.

[danewiss]

It was George Farrars

My fireplace was designed and cut there, prior to installation

I have the original paperwork (somewhere !!)

[Admin]

John Smith Derrick cranes from their South Africa agent dated 1905 John Smith's was in Keighley from 1866 to its closure in 1995. the second ones are on the day I left in March 1995.Info and pictures kindly supplied by Ian Houldsworth

[Andy Wade]

I know a very nice man called Derek Newiss, but until now I've never heard of Derrick Cranes...

[Admin]

Me too Andy - Derek is lovely........

[tonto]

Just to add a couple more names. John Ogden apprentice, Sid Driver electriction, and the drawing office boss was John Rodes and if I my memory is right the the MD was Fred Johnson.
I have a pair of pictures salvaged from Bradford Road as it was being demolished and will find them and post them on.
Brilliant response nice that we've not been forgotten.

[tonto]

Good picture of Vernon Marsden's Bay. It was taken 1959-60 from the shop crane cab. The man in the backgound is Sam Tillotson I think.
The crane on the right hand side without the decking I think is C263. It was one of my first unsupervised jobs fitting the LT shaft's with gearbox and drive motor.
I think that the other picture is much earlier, maybe about 1947 by the snow.

[vienna]

I can't remember exactly when, but sometime during the late 60's ( I think) my elder brother worked in the accounts dept at John Smiths. Anthony (Tony) Dalton, I remember one of his colleagues was called John Gregg

[clapham]

Hi
My Grandfather was Albert Smith who run Smiths Cranes for a number of years after his Father Frank smith died of food possioning in 1926 his Father was John Smith. I am interested to meet people who worked there and have memoirs to share. Could we Write a Book?

[suntrecker38]

Hi

The Dan Mitchells at Lawkholme Bridge where Peter Blacks is or was, was actually Darling and Sellers, They did how ever build Mitchell lathes for Dan Mitchells all the bigger end 10.5" upto 16.5" certre lathes. Do not know what happened after I left to go into the RAF.

[glenns]

hello, i joined this site only because i was bored the other night and typed in my first workplace, john smith cranes... brought it all back i must say. some of the memories on here are before my time (late 80's) but certainly a few names spring out, especially Ken Weatherall (kilowatt ken) who was my foreman and a very knowledgable, imposing bloke. Here's a few of the other apprentices there at my time..
Angus Rushton, sparky
Paul Crabtree, sparky
Richard Vale, sparky
Dean Norton, sparky
Jason Brown, fitter.

i could reel loads of names off (mainly electricians) just a few of the good guys, Russ Gill,Steve Trowers, John Bedford,Dennis and Trevor (they lived in the panel room) and many more. Ray the painter, his mate Rambo.
The place was chokka with characters, i cannot remember all the names, a couple of anglo italian guys, one constantly sang opera to a high standard as he welded!!
I worked there on Bradford road site for a couple of years then the s*** hit the fan and we had to uproot to worth way and it was downhill from there i'm afraid..no place in this day and age for a high quality individual bespoke piece of engineering. very sad.

[maryb]

I think Angus used to come into my sandwich shop in 1987/8 on Heber Street.
Did he become a police man??He was a lovely guy.
I think he came in with Paul.
I also think one of the Italians was Vinny,he has worked for my husband at Powerrun for many years,he is still a singing welder.
According to hubby Vinny did work at John Smiths.

Small World.
Maryb.

[spiderman]

Hi !!!!!!!!!

Having only just discovered this site I was surprised to see the posting dated 05/05/2011 from "vienna".
I also was employed in the Accounts dept of the company and knew your brother Tony very well ,indeed we both attended K.B.G.S at the same time .How is he now ? Is he well? It would be very nice to be able to catch up on the last 40 years.

Other members of staff at the time were Eric ( Skippy ) Bottomley, Frank Wigglesworth, Mavis Walbank, David Smith, Carole Pakes, F.Gordon Stringer and Joan Watkinson.

Happy Days.

[Andy Wade]

A picture of a retirement presentation at John Smith Cranes.
I've just had a copy of this picture sent to me so I'm posting it on here.
Maybe people would like to try to put some names to faces?

Attachments:

[clogger]

Hi Andy and Bill, thanks for puttin pic on for me, i thought it might be of some intrest to them that was talkin about smiths cranes where me dad worked for donkeys yeers, he,s the one at bottom right wi hands folded, Teddy Moorehouse, known at smiths as freddie cropper owin to him workin in steel yard, he also used to sell cigs an spice that he took to work in a little case an he leant money as well, not a lot, but the odd pound here an there, maybe a fiver if he thought ya was a good bet, bye eh,---clogger---

[gardner]

Hi nice to find and read the interest in John Smith's Cranes
my husband who is a retired Stone Mason, asked me to look up John Smith;s of Keighley
He does not use a computer (from choice)

We have a John Smith 's crane at our premises Crane No 461.. a manual Derrek.still in working condition, however we have not used it for a few years, but its part of the place.it was purchases second hand by my father in law and his brother for the family business...many many years ago
I will post a Photo of it ,if I ever find out how too

Regards to all Gardener