Fred Whittaker I was a low person in the scheme of things at Minerva Road 1966-68. I
had a sort of admin role to perform which meant strolling around the various engineering
offices weekly and asking questions about timeliness of process. This was logged and
forwarded to a higher office in Kidsgrove. I guess it helped the chief engineers to plan
the end products. I had other duties to do. One was to receive engineering changes to
the display mainframe together with the parts to be installed…usually minor. My
dilemma was that I was not qualified to do any installation and the engineers had their
work to do. I had to ask any engineer available on the floor to do it for me. It always
worked. A bit off the cuff you might say.
That probably summarizes my work life there…lots of odd duties without a particular job
description.
When the end came and we all lost our jobs I got hurt, injured my spine, and was
hospitalized and off sick for months. The company continued to pay my salary until I
was well and found another job. My hat off to them.
One time I was phoned by MGM films who were enquiring about renting a main frame
for the film Hot Millions, starring Peter Ustinov and Maggie Smith. It was about a main
frame being compromised by some freak occurrence and millions being siphoned away.
Ustinov being the happy operator. The MGM producers came to Minerva Road to look
around and saw the Spectra 70…I think it was…..which was all glossy and new but only
there for testing and showing to potential buyers. I had to tell them that it wasn’t
available for hire and they had to settle for a second generation main frame which looked
dowdy and was full of external cables etc. The post office had bought a few I
believe? (Editor, actually a LEO 326, 3d generation computer) They agreed to rent that
plus an engineer to maintain it and so it went forward. I saw the film later and it wasn’t
very good.
I had a very good time there at Minerva rd, and by meeting so many gifted engineers had
an education nearly every day.
A few of our colleagues were installing a main frame in Ostrava Czechoslovakia when
the Soviet army invaded and took over the country. I believe it was a coal mine or coal
industry that had bought the machine. Our colleagues were eventually brought home
after some delay. No harm done…although I never heard anything more about the main
frame or if it was paid for.
I have no photos of my time there except for some photos of a cricket match between the
ladies and gentlemen. Plus a couple of photos of the Joe Lyons rugby team playing at the
Greenford ground. Nice memories.
After I left Minerva Road I worked at Ultra electronics until they also laid off about 300
people. I then thought I would go to another country and get laid off there. I applied to
Canada and arrived there in July 1970. I have been in Canada ever since. I now live in
Sooke on Vancouver island BC.
My main employment was for the Ontario government in the Ministry of
Community and Social something in Toronto. After eight years they made it clear that I had
no further use to them. I got the message and quit. I had saved up enough money to
buy a franchise in the printing industry and so I travelled to Long Island NY for a two
week intensive course. Back in Toronto I opened up for business hired a pressman and
hit the businesses around for work. This was successful for twenty years until at 61 I sold
the business and the unit I had bought earlier and retired.
I got married in 1990 and lived in suburban Toronto until retirement when we sold up
and drove west to BC in 1999.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cxntixmcw30spej/Fred%20Whittaker%20memoir.doc?dl=0
More from Fred Whittaker
Here are some images of yesteryear. Bottom right is myself in my office in Minerva rd
pulling the strings on Mon General. The others are three images of Robin Stanley Jones
and Linda on their wedding day on the Thames somewhere. Also pictured is Nigel
something by Robin’s Borzoi. His wife is the central figure standing. Nigel was on the
commissioning of Leo Three in Czechoslovakia when the Russkies invaded.
Nigel and his wife coincidentally met me again in Toronto where he was playing Rugby
by Lake Ontario. They later moved west to Kitchener..I think..and then lost touch.
The others pictured maybe other employees or friends…can’t say. The lettering on the
wall is letraset by me.
I hope you find these interesting and if you want better images I can do that.
