Advert 1964
photo: 1949 Olympia London with Ellen Ault
Steve Fox… I had a great time making TVs, it would have been a very depressing job full time but I was only employed temporarily for the run up to Christmas it was a great laugh!
Margaret Haywood… I worked there in 1964 and loathed every minute. I stuck it 3 months
Angie Pilbeam… Margaret, that was me at MK..8 weeks.ha
Wendy Nicholson… My mum Ena Parry did to
Patricia Usher… I worked there from 1962 til 1971. Loved every minute of it. Taught me a trade as later on in years I had good jobs with good companies. My Mum , Sister, Aunty and great friends all worked there.
Tim Moose Bruce… I worked at Buss foods, down the road from ITT/ KB. Had a cleaner who was there when it closed. He rescued some AVO 8 multimeters from the skip. Gave me one. I still got it.
Stephanie Blackledge… Yes, my great Aunt. Her nickname was Babsy. She wired circuit boards.
Judith Monk… I did a stint on final test….was hard work but fun.
Dennis Torrance… I left school 1968 July had loads of interviews went to KB was shown around with a few other boys from priory road could have had a job there and many other places so different then. I went for Collins and Hayes doing upholstery other places till I retired. It’s good to see something like this that brings back memories.
Gina Neale… My dad George Neale (you might have known him as whistling George) worked for KB from the late 1950s to the early 1980s. He worked in the Test Gear department, occasionally having to go on the roof to adjust the aerials , although he was the oldest on the section, as the younger blokes were scared of heights. I remember the Christmas parties for workers children, held in the canteen. My 2 older sisters and I used to go. By 1981 my younger brother an I had both left school. I was working next door at C&C Marshall; my brother was working at a garage place in Chichester Rd; my mum was working for MK Electric; dad was still at ITT (as it became) so we owe a lot to Ponswood. Dad was made redundant not long after, but was fortunate to get a job at Chloride Transipak where he worked until he retired.
Lynn Graham… I did, for a short while as I hated it
Stephen Moran… My mum Joan worked at KB probably in the late sixties, I don’t recall her saying anything negative about it. I think she made circuit boards for TVs.
Yolande Kenward… My mother Maria Kenward worked there in the 1970s, she died on 3.9.77, she was also known as Nusia – Joe Hyams was the Factory Manager, I was friends with his daughter, Briony Hyams via Hastings High School. Briony came to our home to arrange her dad’s 50th birthday where his secretary came and a man played the guitar
Ellen Ault (daughter Deborah)… (see photo) My mother Ellen Ault worked for KB in Sidcup, Kent from the age of 14 years old. It was her first job. She is now 94 years of age and sadly has dementia and lives in a care home, but she does recall working there. An amazing photograph of herself and a colleague taken in 1949 dressed in a wonderful outfit, as she had a 2 week exhibition at London, Olympia displaying TVs and radios. My mother Ellen is the lady with the amazing hair on the right and the above wording is on the back of the photo. I’ve been trying to find information on-line of the radio exhibition at Olympia she was at, either 1948 or1949 (she has altered it on the photo)..I also wonder what celebrities she met. Anyone with information would be most helpful and anyone remember my mother or the other lady in the photo. Thank you.
Alan Esdaile… Wonderful photo. I did find on line there was a regular Radiolympia Exhibition and theirs also a video on You Tube but it’s from 1947. Anyone else help?
My dad George Neale (you might have known him as whistling George) worked for KB from the late 1950s to the early 1980s. He worked in the Test Gear department, occasionally having to go on the roof to adjust the aerials , although he was the oldest on the section, as the younger blokes were scared of heights. I remember the Christmas parties for workers children, held in the canteen. My 2 older sisters and I used to go. By 1981 my younger brother an I had both left school. I was working next door at C&C Marshall; my brother was working at a garage place in Chichester Rd; my mum was working for MK Electric; dad was still at ITT (as it became) so we owe a lot to Ponswood. Dad was made redundant not long after, but was fortunate to get a job at Chloride Transipak where he worked until he retired.
My mother Maria Kenward worked there in the 1970s, she died on 3.9.77, she was also known as Nusia – Joe Hyams was the Factory Manager, I was friends with his daughter, Briony Hyams via Hastings High School. Briony came to our home to arrange her dad’s 50th birthday where his secretary came and a man played the guitar
My mother Ellen Ault worked for KB in Sidcup, Kent from the age of 14 years old. It was her first job. She is now 94 years of age and sadly has dementia and lives in a care home, but she does recall working there. She still has an amazing photograph of herself and a colleague taken in 1949 dressed in a wonderful outfit as she had a 2 week exhibition at London, Olympia displaying TVs and radios. I just wanted to share this with you. Happy to share the photograph too.