Heritage News
November 2007 - Artefacts Update
Further to my "Note for the record - heritage artefacts - August 2007" and email exchanges with the committee headed "An offer we can't refuse", this note updates the position as at November 2007.
Most committee members responded, either by email or verbally, to my question as to whether we should accept Glen Chappelle's offer to transfer custody of certain RSAF artefacts from the ROFs' Heritage Centre to the Association with a view to their being kept and displayed local to the former RSAF. Everyone was in agreement that we should accept.
I (Ray Tuthill) visited the ROFs' Heritage Centre at BAE Systems Glascoed (formerly ROF Glascoed) on 9/11/07 and collected the following items from Glen Chappelle:
  • The Michael Thompson Trophy
    The Michael Thompson Trophy
    A hallmarked silver cup with two handles, 4½" dia by 9½" high on a black base, all in a wooden case, which also includes space for a miniature replica (not present). The box is labelled: "98" "ENF0088".
    The cup is inscribed:
    ROYAL SMALL ARMS FACTORY
    THE MICHAEL THOMPSON TROPHY
    APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME
    The base is inscribed:
    THE APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR
    • M.D.LEMON 1962-3
    • M.D.LEMON 1963-4
    • G.J.PAYNE 1964-5
    • P.E.HAY 1965-6
    • P.L.NASH 1966-7
    • G.FARROW 1967-8
    • J.C.HILL 1968-9
    • M.J.CHAMBERS 1969-70
    • R.A.CULLEN 1970-71
    • G.J.GEORGE 1971-72
    • P.J.WHITE 1972-73
    • M.J.WALSH 1973-74
    • D.J.GANT 1974-75
    • D.P.RICKETTS 1975-76
    • G.BENNET 1976-77
    • M.MUSTAPHA 1977-78
    • N.BOULTON 1978-79
    • P.BALL 1979-80
    • M.LACEY-FREEMAN 1980-81
    • T.MEADWAY 1981-82
    • D.VRANJKOVIC 1982-83
    • D.FLETCHER 1983-84
    • L.BOYLETT 1984-85
    • G.CAMP 1985-86
    • G.FENWICK 1986-87
  • The Alex Williams Trophy
    The Alex Williams Trophy
    A miniature lost-wax cast model of the L1A1 (FN) rifle, 6½" long, mounted on a wooden base and with a brass plate inscribed:
    THE ALEX WILLIAMS MBE TROPHY AWARDED FOR PRACTICAL ACHIEVEMENT THROUGHOUT AN APPRENTICESHIP
    The base is labelled: "139" "ENF0097T".
  • The Apprentices Physical Education Cup
    The Apprentices Physical Education Cup
    A hallmarked silver cup with lid, 5½" dia by 8" high (including the lid) on a black base.
    It is labelled: "100" "ENF0090T"
    Small shields on the base are inscribed:
    APPRENTICES PHYSICAL EDUCATION CUP
    • M.J.WALKER 1964-65
    • A.W.G.BEANSE 1965-66
    • R.L.DAY 1966-70
    • D.R.PEGRUM 1971-72
    • B.M.DU CASSE 1972-73
    • P.SHARP 1973-74
    • C.S.FRANKLIN 1974-5
  • The Gate Key to RSAF
    The Gate Key to RSAF
    A large brass key, in a framed mounting, 6½" long and inscribed:
    FOLGER ADAM CO. LEMONT, ILLINOIS
    59-EE1
    Captioned in manuscript: THE KEY TO R.O.F. ENFIELD "LOCK"
    1814-1989
    The key is not the one in use at the end but is believed to be the original, or at least a very early, key to the main gate. It came to Glascoed by a roundabout route and was donated in recent years. I was told by Pat Lovell some years ago that as the very last people left RSAF (see The Last of the Lockies montage) the Police on duty said "They won't be needing this any more, you might as well have it" and gave it to Ray Wheeler, the last one to leave, as a memento.
  • 'The Last of the Lockies' Montage
    The Last of the Lockies' Montage
    A framed montage, titled "THE LAST OF THE LOCKIES" and including the "RSAF Rifle" logo, photos of the last two people to leave receiving certificates and closing the gate, and certificates recording the event, signed by A.J.Lyddon, the Personnel Manager.
    The certificates, on ROYAL ORDNANCE letterheads record:
    THIS is to certify THAT RAYMOND JOHN WHEELER B.E.M., our loyal and faithful friend, BECAME the last employee discharged from duty at THE ROYAL SMALL ARMS FACTORY ENFIELD LOCK, MIDDLESEX (recently known as royal Ordnance plc. Enfield) by my hand UPON this Forth day of the month of August in the year of our Lord, One thousand Nine hundred and Eighty Nine. IN RECOGNITION of this infamous event, HE is hereby proclaimed "THE LAST OF THE LOCKIES" in perpetuity, THIS BEING an honorary and honourable estate.
    (Signed) A.J.Lyddon Personnel Manager
    AND
    THIS is to certify THAT KEITH ALEXANDER CROSS ESQ., our loyal and faithful friend, BECAME the penultimate employee discharged from duty at THE ROYAL SMALL ARMS FACTORY ENFIELD LOCK, MIDDLESEX (recently known as royal Ordnance plc. Enfield) by my hand UPON this Forth day of the month of August in the year of our Lord, One thousand Nine hundred and Eighty Nine. IN RECOGNITION of this infamous event, HE is hereby proclaimed "THE NEXT TO THE LAST OF THE LOCKIES" in perpetuity, THIS BEING an honorary and honourable estate.
    (Signed) A.J.Lyddon Personnel Manager
    It is notable that someone with an obvious affection for the factory went to the trouble, amidst all the gloom and despondency of closure, to record the final act and to produce the framed montage and in particular that it uses the traditional RSAF name and the 'Rifle' logo which, officially, had been banned from use in the latter years.
Glen had prepared two copies of a "Certificate of Donation" which records that the listed items have been "permanently gifted by BAE SYSTEMS, Land Systems Munitions to the Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield Apprentices Association". Glen Chappelle and I signed both copies and have retained one each.
Glen believes that it will be better for the artefacts to be displayed in the RSA Interpretation Centre and on occasions at our Association reunions. His original proposal was to pass them to us on permanent loan, but in the light of the provisions in The RSAF Apprentices Association's constitution to safeguard the long term custody of heritage items in our possession when the Association is eventually wound up, has gifted them to us outright.
BAE SYSTEMS' management are still vacillating about the ROFs' Heritage Centre and it is by no means certain yet that Glen will get back the large building which had been allocated and which he had refurbished to house the ROFs' heritage collection (including all the officially preserved material from Enfield) but which was then reassigned for use as a Conference Centre. He is concerned to resolve the long-term safe custody and preservation of all the ex-ROFs material before he retires in two years time. Glen is considering potential long-term recipients who might be able to take over custody of the ROFs heritage material if such does not materialise on a firm footing within BAE SYSTEMS. I suggested that if any problem should arise, the LBE Museum Service at Forty Hall would probably be keen to provide a safe home for any ex-RSAF Enfield material. Despite RSAF's local importance, Forty Hall has hardly anything of RSAF origin at present, a gap they are keen to fill. Their only constraint might be storage capacity, depending on the volume involved.
I visited the Interpretation Centre on 12/11/2007 together with Ken Dee and we confirmed that all the items can be fitted into the display cabinets and worked out how to integrate them with the existing exhibits. Perspex stands will be required for the trophies and I left the trophies and sheets of perspex with Ken. He took note of the necessary measurements and details and will make suitable stands.
Exploration of the display cabinets' internals revealed that they are fitted with 'Tee' slotted rails around the top edges, obviously intended for mounting hung displays. Ken will make some suitable Tee nuts from which to hang the two framed items (the key and the montage).
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August 2007 - Note for the record - Heritage Artefacts
Glen Chappelle (Manager ROFs Heritage Centre at Glascoed) rang back 28/8/07 re my email of 24/8/07 about loan of artefacts from the ROFs heritage collection at Glascoed, with dimensions as requested, viz:
  • "Last of the Lockies" framed montage. 21" x 25" in 'landscape'. I will need to check whether that will fit in one of the Interpretation Centre cabinets. At that size it will probably be tight but I think it might just be possible.
  • Key to RSAF in box. The brass key is around 6" long but is in a box 12" x 9" x 2". In its box, that would be too big for the available space but Glen says it would be better displayed out of the box and that should not present any great problem.
  • Michael Thompson trophy. 13½" high. That will fit OK in the corner of the apprentices' cabinet if put on a tall stand.
He also has another RSAF apprentice trophy, a silver (hallmarked) bowl with lid on a black plinth awarded for Physical Education. This is listed in the inventory of ex-RSAF artefacts under serial 0090 and also appears in photos of prize-givings, but we did not know what it was for. It is difficult to envisage how it could be shown in the Interpretation Centre but it would be of interest for display at reunions (as would the Michael Thompson Trophy).
Glen now has a huge amount of stuff from all the closed ROFs and some of it, including the above items, does not really fit into the theme of his Heritage Centre. He cannot envisage ever having them out on display and feels they would be much better back in the locality where they came from, where they would be of interest and could be displayed.
He suggests making them available to us on permanent loan, with a provision to recall them if he or his successors are not content with the arrangements made by the Association, under the terms of our constitution, for their safe custody when the Association is eventually no longer able to look after them. He will write to me and offer them on terms along those lines. [Afterthought: some of the items intended for display in the Interpretation Centre might be better loaned directly to the RSA Trust rather than to the Association.]
BA Systems is does quite lot on the heritage front (eg sponsoring the superb new "Airspace" building and exhibition at Duxford, opened in July) but there is some feeling that they may prefer supporting others' heritage projects with money rather than doing things themselves. By the end of the year there will be only three ROFs left in the ammunition group, Glascoed, Radway and Birtley. Top management of the group is now located at Glascoed which is the largest. Two of the Group's top management have recently been to see Glen's small heritage centre. They were very impressed and supportive both of that and the amount of heritage material that he has in store. As a result he is likely to get back a substantial part of the building that had previously been renovated for the ROFs' Heritage Centre but which was then diverted to another (unsuccessful) use. He is planning to install the former ROFs library in part of it with a full time librarian.
Ray Tuthill 28/8/07
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