Some more Staff member news at Thorn-EMI Radar

hi, again chaps!

just thought i'd post a few more tidbits about ex-EMI Staff who worked at Hayes, Dawley Road site way back in the 80s!

i met another engineer recently who used to work on the Nimrod radar system...his name is Mike Warner. Together with Malcolm Oxley, this dynamic-duo worked on PDSC (pre delivery stress conditioning) testing of the system.

apparently, when EMI closed down, both Malcol Oxley and Mike teamed up together in their own business cleaning carpets! they split up after quite a few years and Mike now works as the manager at the Beck Theatre in Hayes, next to the Court.

i had the privilege to talk briefly to my then manager at EMI, Ron Sparks, after i found his home telephone number on a piece of scrap paper from all those years ago! we atlked about getting together sometime for a drink and chat but unfortunately time hasn't allowed so far.

another bit of sad news that i picked up from Phil Armstrong who also worked with us at Hayes.
our friend John Gillbert, who was an ex-Army man working on radars, passed away in 2000, after living in a hospice for several years.
i knew John very well, and he was one of the men who was responsible for teaching me a hell of a lot about radar transmitters etc.
John was well known for his trademark blue army sweater he always wore, and the shoulders of which were always covered in huge amounts of dandruff!
John was an extremely hard-working chap, and was forever at work, whether it be saturdays, sundays or public holidays. i once asked him why he put in so much time, to which he said it was the only way he could afford to send his children to private school.
inevitably i suppose, his marriage ended in a divorce, long after i had left EMI in 1986.
after EMI closed down, John went to work at Hammersmith Hospital apparently and shortly after had a massive heart attack, from which he never recovered.
anyway, Phil Armstrong told me this news and also which hospice John was staying, but when i contacted them, they told me he had died in 2000 sadly.
if John's children are reading this, guys....you should be proud of your dad...he went through hell working all those hours to get you guys educated!

Phil Armstrong is still to be seen sometimes walking his dogs in Hayes Park, Hayes, Middx. he works at TMD microwave devices at Springfield Road, hayes.

Cyril Heard now lives somewhere down in Devon or Cornwall, probably still playing around with his radio controlled aerplanes! Cyril was another guy who was always ready to help teach us newcomers about radars...a thoroughly down-to-earth guy indeed!

Dave Bhatnagara apparently works at Page Aerospace in Surrey.
B Singh emigrated to Australia in 1984 to work as.....a bus driver!

other engineers i have never seen again are Steve Read (mentioned elsewhere here in this blog) and Phil Seastrom (Phil worked on the receiver section of the radar), John Rampton, Chagan Patel (he worked on the ADEPT ATE setup), Bertie Joseph.....more will be added on if i remember them....!