| Chocks Away Old Chap 18:50 - Mar 2 with 2452 views | Boston |
I recently discovered that the Sopwith Camel was built on the street I grew up on, East Lane, Wembley. What is now a housing estate, was the GEC when I was a kid and back in WW1 the manufacturing centre for Biggles and his mates.
Anyone else live on a road where history was made?
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| Chocks Away Old Chap on 19:36 - Mar 2 with 2359 views | hantssi |
I went for an interview for an apprenticeship there as a 16 year old, never got it!
GEC used to organise a really good summer 6 a side league on their sports ground behind the factory on East Lane.
Cost a few quid per team to enter but they organised leagues and cups, sorted out the fixtures and refs, all you had to do was turn up.
As Boston says, now a housing estate. [Post edited 2 Mar 2021 19:36]
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| Chocks Away Old Chap on 20:06 - Mar 2 with 2319 views | Boston |
Ta, suppose East Lane was the site of a sub contractor then. Read the snippet on a historical site concerning Preston Rd and surrounding area.
Edit. Hooper & Co, moved to East Lane Wembley to build the Sopwith Camel and parts for other planes. [Post edited 2 Mar 2021 20:16]
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| Chocks Away Old Chap on 20:08 - Mar 2 with 2317 views | Boston |
| Chocks Away Old Chap on 19:36 - Mar 2 by hantssi |
I went for an interview for an apprenticeship there as a 16 year old, never got it!
GEC used to organise a really good summer 6 a side league on their sports ground behind the factory on East Lane.
Cost a few quid per team to enter but they organised leagues and cups, sorted out the fixtures and refs, all you had to do was turn up.
As Boston says, now a housing estate. [Post edited 2 Mar 2021 19:36]
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The GEC kids parties, open and free for all local snot noses, was the balls.
I'd occasionally have a drink in the sports ground bar. | |
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| Chocks Away Old Chap on 20:44 - Mar 2 with 2266 views | CiderwithRsie |
| Chocks Away Old Chap on 20:06 - Mar 2 by Boston |
Ta, suppose East Lane was the site of a sub contractor then. Read the snippet on a historical site concerning Preston Rd and surrounding area.
Edit. Hooper & Co, moved to East Lane Wembley to build the Sopwith Camel and parts for other planes. [Post edited 2 Mar 2021 20:16]
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According to Wikipedia near as dammit five and a half thousand were built, so I'd be surprised if there wasn't quite a bit of sub-contracting or licensed building.
If you're interested in that stuff "Sagittarius Rising" by Cecil Lewis is an amazing book by a WW1 pilot (he was in an elite squadron put together to fight von Richthofen's Flying Circus.) Really puts over what it was like to fly in planes where to turn it you pulled a lever with a wire attached and the wire pulled a flap, it was all done literally by feel with hardly any instruments and never mind no electronics, no mechanisms apart from the engine. (He didn't actually like the Camel, said it was if anything too responsive and you are constantly having to correct your last move, he liked the SE5.)
Went on to win an Oscar for screenplay of Pygmalion and to be one of the founding fathers of the BBC; went back to the RAF as an instructor in WW2 and died aged 99 having piloted a Tiger Moth in his 90s. What a bloke! | | | |
| Chocks Away Old Chap on 21:25 - Mar 2 with 2216 views | hantssi |
| Chocks Away Old Chap on 19:36 - Mar 2 by hantssi |
I went for an interview for an apprenticeship there as a 16 year old, never got it!
GEC used to organise a really good summer 6 a side league on their sports ground behind the factory on East Lane.
Cost a few quid per team to enter but they organised leagues and cups, sorted out the fixtures and refs, all you had to do was turn up.
As Boston says, now a housing estate. [Post edited 2 Mar 2021 19:36]
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Should have said interview with GEC not Sopwith, I’m not THAT old!! [Post edited 2 Mar 2021 21:27]
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| Chocks Away Old Chap on 09:46 - Mar 3 with 2028 views | Metallica_Hoop |
Roots Bloody Roots
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| Beer and Beef has made us what we are - The Prince Regent |
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| Chocks Away Old Chap on 11:03 - Mar 3 with 1927 views | HarrowRoadR |
Sunhill Police Station the early years before they moved to South London,
Dalgarno Gardens. Was Talbot's?/CBS records. |  | | |
| Chocks Away Old Chap on 14:10 - Mar 3 with 1796 views | ericgen34 |
I lived 10 years in Clifford Gardens, which is on the site of the National Athletic Grounds, one of the former homes of our beloved club :-) |  | | |
| Chocks Away Old Chap on 14:43 - Mar 3 with 1764 views | CliveWilsonSaid |
| Chocks Away Old Chap on 14:10 - Mar 3 by ericgen34 |
I lived 10 years in Clifford Gardens, which is on the site of the National Athletic Grounds, one of the former homes of our beloved club :-) |
That's right. Also wasn't Clifford Gardens hit by that tornado a while back? Used to have a mate live on Leigh Gardens one road up at the time.
I was born in Perivale. Nuff said! |  |
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| Chocks Away Old Chap on 15:01 - Mar 3 with 1739 views | ericgen34 |
| Chocks Away Old Chap on 14:43 - Mar 3 by CliveWilsonSaid |
That's right. Also wasn't Clifford Gardens hit by that tornado a while back? Used to have a mate live on Leigh Gardens one road up at the time.
I was born in Perivale. Nuff said! |
I think it was in Leigh Gardens that tornado. I had left then, but had some family in Wrentham avenue then who told me about it [Post edited 3 Mar 2021 15:02]
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| Chocks Away Old Chap on 15:20 - Mar 3 with 1705 views | CroydonCaptJack |
I am pretty sure that the Rounsdhaw estate a couple of miles from me was the site of Englands first Airport. Croydon Airport. I believe it grew from a couple of airfields set up to defend against those very Zepplins. |  | | |
| Chocks Away Old Chap on 15:25 - Mar 3 with 1698 views | Boston |
| Chocks Away Old Chap on 15:20 - Mar 3 by CroydonCaptJack |
I am pretty sure that the Rounsdhaw estate a couple of miles from me was the site of Englands first Airport. Croydon Airport. I believe it grew from a couple of airfields set up to defend against those very Zepplins. |
That post went down like a led balloon. | |
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| Chocks Away Old Chap on 15:29 - Mar 3 with 1686 views | Metallica_Hoop |
| Chocks Away Old Chap on 15:25 - Mar 3 by Boston |
That post went down like a led balloon. |
That's what Keith Moon said to Jimmy Page, so he changed the name to 'Led Zeppelin'. | |
| Beer and Beef has made us what we are - The Prince Regent |
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| Chocks Away Old Chap on 15:40 - Mar 3 with 1670 views | CliveWilsonSaid |
| Chocks Away Old Chap on 15:01 - Mar 3 by ericgen34 |
I think it was in Leigh Gardens that tornado. I had left then, but had some family in Wrentham avenue then who told me about it [Post edited 3 Mar 2021 15:02]
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I seem to remember it was a house on the corner with Chamberlayne Rd that got hit worst. Might have been Leigh Gardens come to think of it. How unlucky was that! | |
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| Chocks Away Old Chap on 15:57 - Mar 3 with 1647 views | MickS |
| Chocks Away Old Chap on 15:40 - Mar 3 by CliveWilsonSaid |
I seem to remember it was a house on the corner with Chamberlayne Rd that got hit worst. Might have been Leigh Gardens come to think of it. How unlucky was that! |
Kempe Road? | | | |
| Chocks Away Old Chap on 16:06 - Mar 3 with 1633 views | CliveWilsonSaid |
| Chocks Away Old Chap on 15:57 - Mar 3 by MickS |
Kempe Road? |
No I just looked it up. Whitmore Gardens next road up from Leigh Gardens. | |
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