Category: Memories

Joan Walsh

 

Pebble Mill canteen, photo by Philip Morgan, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joan Walsh, who worked in the BBC canteen in Birmingham from 1952, sadly died last week (Oct 2017), aged 93. Louise Willcox has pieced together some of information about Joan’s career, with the help of former colleagues.

Joan worked at Carpenter Road, before Pebble Mill opened in 1971, rising through the ranks to become the second in command of the canteen. Eileen Bywater was brought in as Canteen Manager and she and Joan looked after the Pebble Mill canteen office. Jenny Brewer says that she was incredibly capable, delightfully calm and a joy to deal with.

Please add a comment, if you can add any more information about Joan.

The following comment were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Judy Markall: ‘Lovely lady. Her birthday was 28th May. I have many fond memories from when she was friends with my mom and then myself.’

Anne Smith: ‘Lovely lady, have lots of good memories of working with Joan and Eileen.’

Tracy Crump: ‘Sad, worked under Eileen and knew Joan.’

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Pebble Mill before the BBC

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission. This photograph shows the Pebble Mill site before the broadcast was built.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found this short history of the BBC Pebble Mill site on a Facebook Page, ‘Birmingham Back in The Day’. Here is the link to it: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1177026819016145/permalink/1645644118821077/?pnref=story.

“Pebble Mill was a fulling mill in the 16th century. Standing on the Bournbrook, it was also known as Kings Mill or Kynges Mill after John Kynge. On his death in 1557 this mill together with Over Mill at Edgbaston passed to his son, Roger Kynge. The mill was used for blade grinding in the mid-17th century and was a corn mill by the mid-19th century.

The millpool, which was drained in 1883 allegedly after a high incidence of suicides, became the site of the BBC Pebble Mill studios from c1960. The building was demolished in 2005 when services transferred to the Mailbox in the City Centre.”

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Comms reunion Sept 2017

copyright Jane Wolf Elledge, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the Pebble Mill Comms team met up for a reunion 28th Sept 2017.

Included in the photo are: Stewart Kelly, Chris Elliot, Graham Hewitt, Arif Mohammed, and Cliff Harvey.

Thanks to Jane Wolf Elledge for sharing the photo.

The following comment was added on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Andy Marriott: …and none of them look a day older than when I first set foot in the Comms Centre back in August 2000. Happy days and fond memories.

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Personnel reunion

Photo from Jane Upston, no reproduction without permission

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Staff from Personnel at Pebble Mill had a reunion in July 2017 – and here they are under the gazebo at the Tally Ho in Birmingham. Gilly Groom (was Sellars) first left. Going round the back row, next to Gilly Groom is Diane Verney, Stephen Davies. Lynda Perrin and Heather Jones. Front row is Jane Upston, Kate Hawkins, Rani Randhawa, ?, then Marie Phillips.

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Jonathan Dick: ‘Ah – the golden age when you had your own personnel officer, based in the same building as you! Nowadays ‘HR’ is a call-centre somewhere or other.’

Keith Brook (Scouse): ‘I’m afraid personnel caused more problems than they solved. They had grown so large without any increase in staff numbers that they needed problems to justify their existence. Luckily for us, we were able to bypass most of their inane decisions.’

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Memories of Alan Ward from Louise Willcox

Alan Ward in spring 2017. Photo by Louise Willcox, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alan Ward, retired Senior Studio Manager specialising in serious music, passed away last Wednesday, 12th July 2017.   He died aged 85, peacefully, at his home.
Louise Willcox remained in touch with Alan after he retired and remembers his kindness well.

“I am a generation or so behind Alan in terms of my Audio Unit career and frankly, after Alan retired and moved to the New Forest, I thought that our paths might potentially never cross again.

Spool forward 20 years:  Alan’s lovely wife Rita had died, leaving him bereft.  Coincidentally, my daughter Heather was being employed by DSTL for a ‘year in industry’ before university.  Towards the end of that year, a mutual friend pointed out that DSTL was not far from where Alan lived, and Roger and I got in touch.  We and Heather took Alan out (or rather, he took us!) for the odd meal in one of the plethora of lovely eateries around the New Forest.  We kept in touch by phone and email, and a year later, when Heather was invited to spend her summer vacation continuing her work-placement, Alan stunned us by offering her accommodation at his beautifully appointed home – point blank refusing to let us pay him for it, and he’d got in touch with someone who could give her a lift into work!

Heather was a shy 20-year-old but, to my astonishment, said yes.  For four years she stayed with Alan during her summer placements – by year two she could drive and she would then share the driving (probably safer), going out for meals together – Alan making great play of having a 21-year-old on his arm!   He openly admitted that he had been lonely after his wife had died and that just having someone in the house (even if she was in her room on her computer all the time!) just helped.  They developed a firm friendship and Roger and I visited whenever we could.

Heather ultimately got a job at DSTL after university, and we have continued to visit Alan.  The last occasion was about four months ago, when it was clear Alan was becoming more frail.  He had lost none of his wicked sense of humour, though!

Towards the end, Alan had full-time care at home, and was becoming more confused due to his depleted oxygen levels.  I mention this only because, at one point Alan asked the family if they’d got enough XLR cables!  This will bring a smile to audio unit colleagues – the A. Ward Award – for emptying OB Stores of equipment – was apocryphal!   Alan’s family thought it was apt that towards the end, he was planning an OB.”

Louise Willcox

Freelance Sound Supervisor

 

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