3.  Some Members of the Gibbons Family

Mr. Paul Gibbons.  Having started to describe the "Gaffer" as one who was perhaps in the position to observe him and his family, it should be on record just what a gentleman he was. Factory people would see him at Christmas time driving round the back streets of Blakenhall and All Saints road, with an envelope and a bottle of whisky for some of his very old workmen or women, not just knocking the door and making a swift exit but going in and chatting about old times.  Many examples of concern for his sick employees, by both his wife and himself, can be bought to mind from one who was sometimes involved in these unsung activities.  Another gesture by him was when he could have replaced much of his machinery that had been worn out with war work he put country before profit by letting others have the Government grants for replacements, until he could afford them himself.  

On stage at the party are Ernie Bayliss at the microphone and Wolves stars Bert Williams and Jimmy Mullen.

Mr. Tony Gibbons, his brother, has a claim to fame that should be in the history of the firm for people to see and read about. This is a small episode that occurred at the beginning of the second world war, but one which saved thousands of man hours in the aircraft industry that was, at the time, overstretched  in production. 

Aluminium had replaced fabric on the aircraft bodies and wings and  rivets of different sizes were required by the millions for inside and outside of fighters and bombers coming off the production lines.  The greatest problem that the engineers had was recognising the different sizes of rivets that all looked the same in their boxes, all aluminium colour. Also aluminium could canker, untreated. 

Mr Tony, a qualified pilot himself, as well as an engineering chemist, worked day and night on a process that would identify the sizes at a glance.   He developed an anodising process of colouring the rivets, red, blue, green, etc.,  so now not only was the danger of the wrong sized rivets eliminated, but unskilled labour could be used in the manufacturing and building of aeroplanes. This process was not patented by him and a workman, seeing an opportunity, left after the war and set up an "anodising" factory on the Birmingham New Road and made a fortune.

Mr Tony became a ferry pilot during the war as well as working at the Church Lane works.

Another member of the family, the brother of Mrs. Paul Gibbons, was Major Grant, M.C., the personnel director. He, like his sister, came from an old Scottish family domiciled at Nairn in Scotland.  Popular and understanding, he fitted into the workforce not long after the ending of hostilities in which, serving in the Cameron Highlanders, he was awarded the Military Cross for bravery.

Mr Paul had a daughter, Fayne.   She married Mr Hugh Meynell who later became Sheriff of Staffordshire.  They  lived at Brocton near Shifnal.  The Meynell valves factory at Bushbury exported world wide, contributing to Wolverhampton’s production of hard brass products, though not connected with the Gibbons firm.  

Hugh Meynell (the tall man in the centre) gives a party, prior to his wedding, in a large marquee in the gardens of Brook House.

The bride and groom with the best man and all the bridesmaids.

The Queen Square Syndicate

Also unwritten on the pages of our industrial past until now, is the fact that our industrial masters also had close family-type relationships in their own areas of recreation.  The Queen Square Syndicate, made up of some of the most important business families such as Manders, Grahams, Gibbons and the like, had, in the Claverley area, a very important "shoot".  Fifty years ago this area was covered with wildlife: pheasant, partridge and duck abounded from Wombourne to Bridgnorth and the "Shooting Syndicate" had a vast area to shoot over.  There was a shoot sometimes twice or three times a week, though in the main the Saturday shoot predominated.  

Each "gun" usually had a member of his workforce to accompany or join the shoot as beater or "picker up" of the downed game.  Here the firm’s transport, in the shape of shooting  brake or Land Rover, was brought into use, with the garage hand or foreman driving it.  The shoot was centred on Brook House, the home of Mr Paul Gibbons, who was the accepted master of the shoot. Other places also took turns as the meeting place, such as the "Gate" or "Woodman" and "Oak" public houses. Mr Douglas Graham, and his then young sons Robin and Douglas, took a leading part; the Mander brothers; Colonel Gibbons who had the Dibdale Works at Dudley; Colonel  Elwell and Major Grant were just a few of the important people who took part.  Down the scale were the beaters, drivers and dog handlers, some from as far as Bridgnorth, who had to be collected before the morning start and then returned afterwards in the dark, tired, wet and worn out but happy to have that little extra money for the days sport, along with a "bird" if the shoot had been a good day. 

The Claverley constable would also be included with the beaters as part of his duties, to keep an eye on known poachers in the area and to familiarise himself with his very large beat.  Police Constable William "Bill” Hannah lived in the Police House, Claverley.  He was very keen on a little target shooting himself, spending a few Sundays on the old Volunteer Range at Patshull, blasting off dozens and dozens of 303 cartridges left over from the T.A and Home Guard.  This young policeman would now be in long retirement but it is important to record his achievement in life.  Bill became a Sergeant, then an Inspector.  He studied all of his life, became a barrister, took silk and then became William Hannah, Circuit Judge, with a record for commonsense in his court.   He is well remembered by the Gibbons people who were a small part of the enjoyment had by those who took part in sport enjoyed by both masters and men.

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