This is a space to place messages when people email me with information.
Message from Ron Elston 04/06/2019
Hello Nobby,
I have been making good progress. I now have 15 definite acceptances on my list and hopefully some more to come.
If you can get some more then that would be great.
I have also committed us to the date. Ken Fostekew at the museum responded as follows:
“20th June it is. The charges will be £15.00 per person to include tea/coffee on arrival, a buffet lunch and admission to the Museum also wine for non drivers.
I have said 11:00 to 15:00 (11am to 3pm), but I will arrive a bit earlier.
I am going to ask people to make their payments to me, and I will have paid the museum before the event so that their catering bill is covered.
Message from Peter Aslett 26/04/2019
My name is Peter Aslett and my father Richard Aslett worked at White Waltham from 1942 until his retirement in about 1980. I have his gold (plated) wrist watch presented to him after 25 years service in 1967. My father worked in the plating shop and I believed he ended up running it.(total staff perhaps only 2 or 3). I always understood that ML were the initials of Mobbs and Lobelle? Is that not the case?
Hi Nobby
You may remember me my name is Andy Hedley I spent most of my years at the RAF School of Aviation Medicine Farnborough, looking after the Man Carrying Centrifuge from 1974 to 1994.I do have two photos of the machine one showing Des Gurney, Me, Peter Blomfield, Hugh Evans, John Alum, and toe of the controllers of the centrifuge Alex Pammer & Jon Cole. The Centrifuge wasAffectionately known as the Old Lady. She retired after 64 years of work on Wednesday 13th March 2019. MLA built the two Gondolas and then refurbished them again around 1974 and have been inConstant use all this time.
Will scan the photos and send them to you.
Best Regards
Andy
Message from CEO Dr. Roman Sperl
Good evening,
I am a collector of high altitude gear from Germany. There are several ML Aviation helmets in my collection. I was wondering if you could provide me with some high resolution pictures of the beautiful helmets which your company has manufactured over all the years.
I would also be looking for any kind of documentation (manuals etc.) in PDF format.
I am also desperately looking for a Mk5 helmet. Haven´t found one so far….
Your support is very much appreciated.
Best regards,
Roman
Dr. Roman Sperl
Hi Nobby Not sure if you will remember me, Barry Crane, Tech Office, Tech Library etc at White Waltham. I moved to Andover with ML in 1990, and stayed with them until Flight Refuelling bought ML and moved them to Wimborne. I then moved to work for Fairey Hydraulics, who loaned me to Rolls-Royce who in turn loaned me out to Boeing the project manage the JSF F32 vertical landing control nozzles, strangely enough one of the subcontractors working me on the JSF was InFlight Refuelling. So once having worked for them briefly they now reported to me!!! When Lockheed got the project I moved to DLO (Defence Logistics Org) where I came across a lot of MLA and MLE equipment Now officially retired I started work as an architect, I have had several projects completed over the years, from home extensions to new builds, great fun. I do miss the ML days and the people, I really had lots of fun working in WW. Your website is brilliant, brought back loads of memories, I even recognised you in the photo! I do still have one connection with ML, the ML Golf Society is still running, myself apart all new employees from the time in Andover and a few guests. Check out www.mlgolfsociety.com
Message from Barry Crane 01/11/2018
Hi Nobby I will add your link with my next website update. Photo's of me are rare, I'm usually the one taking the photos, not often do I get the other end of the lens. I have sent you one photo, which was cut from a photo of me receiving a bottle of wine at a ML Golf Society match. I will try and find a better one. When I was working for the DLO, I went to the Falklands, Germany, Gibraltar and at each place I saw some MLA equipment. I took great pleasure in telling anyone who would listen all about the items. Made my day when they listened! Cheers for now, keep up the good work Best regards Barry
Message from Jonathan Cox - 13/09/2013,
Hi Nobby,
I wrote to you a couple of years ago when I was on my 11 year sentence at Ultra Electronics but redundancy has changed that and I’m here at Subsea (was Mandeville Engineering in ML days). Can you add me to your list of ML employees as I worked there at the Leigh road site from 88 to early 90, my boss was Ken Small and on the odd occasion Ken sent me to the WW site to cover Glenda (clock cards) when she went on holiday. From 1999 to 2001 I also worked in the old ML Components building in Leigh road when it was ML Lifeguard with Richard Taylor and Bruce Phillips, so far I’ve managed to have two shots working at ML. I’m in occasional contact with Bruce as he works at Beaufort Air Sea Equipment in the Wirral (they bought the ML Lifeguard business), Richard Taylor has retired. Best regards Jonathan Cox Buyer Aker Solutions – Subsea Components
Message from Alan Smith - 16/08/2013
Hell
Hello Nobby My name is Alan Smith I was an apprentice at MLA and worked at MLA & MLE from 1958-1978. I have contacted you in the past. It’s nice to see your ML website again I lost track of it a couple of years ago when I killed my computer. I think the new presentation looks great. And the list of employees brings back many memories of the good times spent working at ML. but It’s also made me realise that I am now seventy and wondering where the years have gone. Anyway thank you for the great website. The list below is your fault as you got the little grey cells working. Best Regards Alan
Message from Dave Ribbands - 11/11/2013,
De
Hello Mr Chapman, My brother recently sent me on details of your website. Our father, Joe Lloyd, worked at M.L's from some time in the early 60's I think, until his sudden death in March 1980. Dad was a design engineer. He designed a transistor analyser, which he came to call a transistor 'agoniser'. This was patented by the company. His good friend and neighbour was Stan Cane, with a C, not K. There are 2 photos of him, one purporting to be with his wife. I do not know who the lady is, but definitely not his wife! I enclose a picture of my father, Joe Lloyd, taken at work. Yours sincerely, Janet Ribbans (nee Lloyd)
Message from Mike Croudson - 10/08/2017
Hi
HiNobby Just come across your web site, what a great collection you've put together. I worked at ML's from 1974 to 1985, serving my apprenticeship, and further in the Drawing Office. What a fantastic start to my engineering career. I have some great memories, and I'm sure to have some documents and photos. I'll sort out some and send them to you. I'm still in touch with Neil Patten from the Planning Office, you may remember his name, and I have a few other names to include on your list. Will be in touch soon. Cheers Mike Croudson
Message from John Cook - Feb:2012
I served my apprenticeship at ML White Waltham from 1948 until 1954. My brother-in-law Les Alder also served his time there and his best man Dennis Hartley was also a draughtsmam there and was the last man to leave White Waltham. Graham Carter was a year ahead of me and was on the grinding section when I was turning on one of the new Churchil Lathes. Syd Loynes was I/C of all apprentices at that time and Bob Parsons was Chief Draughtsman. Roley Foulkes was Assistant Chief Designer to Marcell Lobell. There are so many names on the tip of my tongue but the passage of time, some 60 years ago, they now are distant memories
John Cook - March 2012
Hi Nobby,
Thanks for your very quick response. It is good to recall old memories. When I was in the machine shop Bill ? was I/C, a very short chap and Tom Jones was the chargehand whose brother was also a fitter. Tom Gorrard was my mentor on the fitting section. Harry Egby was another fitter who used to fire rivets around the around the hanger roof with a tube and compressed airline when ever visitors arrived on the scene apart from blowing a hole in the the water tank on the embankment and flooding the drawing office with his home made "Mine". He was always good for a laugh.
Among the projects under development at the time was a Pilot Ejection seat which had an 80 feet per second gun as oppossed to Martin Baker which was rated at 60fps. Work stopped on that after Wimpy Wade was killed test flying the Hawker P1087. as questions where raised in the Commons as to why the Government was involved in ejector seats. When Wade tried to eject the canopy failed to fire and he went out through it. Another related project was a Nose and cockpit ejection system for the Handley Page Victor Bomber and there was a large catapult outside the test House for launching a scale model of it. The target towing winch had been successfully completed and was in production at MLE, Slough. The retractable type 6 gun sight for fighter aircraft was also in production and was probably the first of head up displays any where in th e world. The Vincent Picador powered target drone was also under development. The first Pilot "Bone Dome" helmet was also under development. as was the glider pick up by an airborne tug usually a DC3.
Well you are certainly jogging my memory. I will have to jot things down as I recall them.
Unfortunately, I do not have any photos of that era or of myself that I am aware of but I will have a search.
Regards,
John
Jonathan Cox - Feb: 2012
Tony Smith
Hello Nobby, I was surfing the net during a wet Saturday afternoon when I thought of calling up my previous employers. Lo and behold, ML Aviation appeared (thanks to you). I worked there as a machinist from 1962 until 1966 and answered to Gordon Crisp who was the shop foreman and he was answerable to Tom Gibbs who served as Plant Foreman over the departments situated in the hangar building. I have many memories of the time spent there and was delighted to see a lot of names that I knew when looking through the photos such as -- Willy Smith, Bill Franklyn, George Mills, John Ford, Dick Gordon, Cyril Ware, Ron Jolly, Harold Bailey, John Allum, Bert Sandle, Bert Belson, Eric Bird and Fred Bowden who served behind the stores counter and could be `wound up` by a wrong remark at which point he would vanish off to the toilet for an extended visit and would have to be calmed down before returning to his post. I left in 1966 as I was travelling from Wallingford each day and managed to get a job there and stayed in the same company until 1981 when I emigrated to Canada and finished my working life running a Toolroom for the Magna Corporation at a place called Newmarket, about an hour north of Toronto. We were totally automotive, mostly producing for FORD America. All in all, I had a great working life and met some great people particularly at ML. Thanks for setting up the website and rekindling a lot of good memories, Tony Smith
Hi Nobby, I have worked for ML twice, first time working for Ken Small (Ajax Avenue site)from 1989-90 and then for Richard Taylor (ML Lifeguard) from 1999 to 2001. Because of my childrens schooling I will be moving to Maidenhead and would be interested in any ML reunions that take place. I still see people around from my time working there and have worked at other places with former colleagues.
Adrian Goff 11/06/2013
Hello Nobby
Hopefully this message gets to you.
I am Adrian Goff, apprentice/machinist at WW from 1983.
Brother to Teresa Goff (Frost) who worked in personnel.
She is now married to John Frost (JP).
Any reunions coming up?
Thanks
Adrian
Dear Nobby
Thanks very much for creating this website, all very nostalgic and great to see some of those wonderful characters I worked with a lifetime ago. I served my apprenticeship at ML from 1972, leaving in 1978 and although I didn't appreciate it at the time learned a lot, had a bloody good time and made some great friends.
I've attached a couple of pictures of the machine shop taken in about 1974/5. You will recognise some of the faces but to jog your memory going left to right: -
ML2
Bob Braimbridge, Graham Stevenson, Gordon Crisp, Cyril Ware, Me, Not sure, John Frew, Neil Pattern (bending down), Warwick Shaw, Dave 'Bugsy' Sherwood (hidden by conduit)
ML1
As above with different poses
I still see Bob most Fridays for a drink and we often bore anyone that will listen with tales from the machine shop and the old timers we worked with, most of them probably younger than we are now!
best wishes
Pete Jost