Grahame N's Web Pages
After school and 'A'levels, I joined the C.E.G.B. (Central Electricity Generating Board) - this was around 1964 or so - there was a graduate training scheme - I was taken on as a T.S.T. (Technical Staff Trainee) - was enrolled at Portsmouth Polytechnic (later Portsmouth University) and started workshop training at Portsmouth Power Station. To be fair - the training scheme was very good - a split sandwich degree course (6 months work and 6 months uni. each year). I was at various locations including Portsmouth, Southampton and Marchwood Power Stations and Nursling Sub-Station, but ended up with a 'proper' job at the new giant-size Fawley Power Station. Most of these places are now closed - we don't use things like coal or oil to generate electricity these days - just hope the wind will blow, the sun will shine and waste imported natural gas and mashed up trees!
I guess most people enjoyed work - for much of the time I was also Hon.Sec. of the Sports & Social Club - so helped organise various events, plus leaving parties as people took early retirement deals (including myself!). Some of the evidence is below - more may come to light later .... we did keep the place running as well - honest!
One of the badges we gave away to visitors like school
parties - I still have mine!
One of the picture postcards handed out to visitors
Fawley Power Station - used the heavy waste oil from the nearby
Esso Refinery - closed now, but not yet dead and buried (bit like
me!)
- 2000MW output (huge) and one of the most efficient in the UK -
somewhat like the staff there I guess!
I still salute that chimney (650ft) whenever I spot it - can't
fault the retirement deal and pension! (Does still keep me in
holidays & red wine!)
The place from the air - photo probably commissioned by the
CEGB - used in the local paper "The Echo" I think
No details on this one - possibly an Old Time Music Hall
organised by the Sports & Social Club - perhaps mid 1970s?
- it certainly looks as though it went with a swing - lots of
drink!
Obviously an Old Time Music Hall (performed by Solent
Peoples' Theatre - I recall) - Dave & Ethel Parsons
certaiinly looked the part!
Same night as above - ladies from rhs - Carmen Brown; Sue
Smith; and sorry - but one of the laboratory 'boffins' wife - it
was a long time ago!
Obviously another Sports & Social Club event - sometime
in the 1970s I guess! Everyone happy though!
Another Sports & Social Club event - wives, ladies etc.
helped as 'Serving Wenchs' -
from lhs - Jane (my ex- wife); Jackie Trowbridge; Melanie Malcolm
; sorry - forgotten!; Joan (Ken Smith's wife)
Yet another Sports & Social Club event - in the
Conference Room - myself Grahame N. & my ex. wife Jane
Social Club 'Riverboat Shuffle' 7Jul1977 it says on the back
- from the rhs - Grahame (me) & ex. wife Jane N. ; Ray &
Diane Domney
(and all still alive - Ray spoke to me on the phone today - we
discussed aches and pains - 'keep taking the tablets'!
I was young then, and no grey hair! But moustaches were in .....
(Well for us fellas anyway!)
My old shift - 'D' Shift ('Dad's Army')
when the fella in the centre retired - says Oct1981 on the back -
testing my memory - from left to right -
Laurie Goodall (the boss!) ex navy; Terry (the 'buff') Murdoch -
shift chemist; Brian Pilcher ('guns') assistant ops; Alf
('Alfie') Fielon assistant ops; Brian Dash assistant charge; John
Swaine assistant charge (I was also with John during initial
commissioning of the place (Electrical Services Working Party I
think a few of us were called - one definitely needed an 'Avo'
meter and screwdriver); Barry Kerslake assistant ops (think he
got my job)
Another Fawley retirement 'do' - a skittles evening I think -
again dated Oct1981 - so from the left -
Ray Springett (draughtsman); Doug Peplow (Scientific Services
'boffin'); Jim Stringer (Operations and later oil burner expert I
think); Dennis Hurley (Mechanical Maintenance Engineer); Alf
Wootton (Personel Officer); ??? (Mechanical Maintenance
Department - I may remmenber!); Phil King (ex. Electrical
Maintenance Engineer - Southampton Power Station); John James
(also on Electrical Commissioning with me years before); Alf
Fielon (as photo above - how did he sneak in on this one?); ????
(oh dear - maybe after a red wine or two I'll remember!) - all
great guys, but many now longer with us. (A lot of posts were
'Engineer' - an ex. Navy term of course. Power Stations and ships
both used steam - so much the same!
Another retirement presentation - also dated Oct1981 - at
the front, seated - Ray Springett (our draughtsman) and Dennis
Hurley (Mechanical Maintenance Engineer);
lhs - Dave Carroll ; Dave Page; Peter Heath; ?????; ?????; Phil
Scott; Dennis Andrewartha; Robin Brazier; Jim Beaumont; Dave
????; Tony Roberts; Geoff Lamb - all MMD (Mechanical Maintence
Department) - sorry fellas - I know the faces, but I am a bit
long in the tooth these days! Thimk Ray Springett and Dennis
Hurley were retiring - what a great deal 'early retirement' was
in those days .....
Yet another retirement event - dated Oct1981 - yes I do
recognise most people- but haven't the space!
I can spot three girls who ended up in my computer domain
(Management Systems or Information Systems was it?) - left of
centre between Dennis Hurley and Alf Fielon - Irene Seabrook;
right of centre Jane Dempsey and Jill Anthony - thanks girls -
where are you all now?; Len White (our commisioning working party
boss - ex. Marchwood Charge Engineer), ended up as my boss much
later. A great crowd - no wonder the lights stayed on - sailing
was good down there too! Just spotted me - near the back, right
of centre, with 'tach' smiling behind our Admin Officer Peter
Lowe; Clive Potter on my rhs; then Barry Kerslake; Dave Parsons;
Eddie Watts; Ray Smith; Robin Brazier (pipe? - smoking - what
smoking ban....)
A social club event dated 6Nov1981 - think the fella on the
stage was supposed to be a magician
6Nov1981 - And that's me up there - think there was a problem
with the chair - plus to do with holding a live detonator!
(who owns the pair of legs hiding behind the display boards?
......... )
6Nov1981 -- The 'boss' - Station Manager Wilf Wright - think
he's holding that detonator (or was it just the microphone?)
6 Nov1981 - Well the audience thought it amusing - certainly
after a few glasses of wine -
Peter Heath - Mechanical Maintenance Engineer, but also Hon.
Chairman of the Sports & Social Club
Wow - colour - must be more recent! Obviously a Christmas
Lunch - I'm guessing the Social Club Wine Society
Mike Cox; me - Grahame Newnham; Terry Girling and Chas Smith -
maybe 1990?
Another vintage photo of the old place - 'control block,
canteen and the dock by night' - another postcard for open day
visitors I think
all now shut and soon to go - marina; container & ferry port;
housing estate; - oops! Watch this space!
BBC NEWS - FEB 2016
More than 1,000 homes could be built on the site of a disused power station site near Southampton following its sale to a developer.
Land Registry documents show London-based Long Harbour bought the 300-acre Fawley Power Station site for £25m.
The financial group said it planned to build homes and a marina on the site on the edge of the New Forest.
The oil-fired power station was decommissioned in 2013 after operating for more than 40 years.
A Long Harbour statement said: "Working with Fawley Waterside Management Company, Long Harbour has begun works towards achieving outline planning consent for a mixed-use development including over 1,000 residential units, commercial space and an active leisure marina."
Once the oompany was privatised, part became National Power -
for a while they sponsored hot-air balloons
Watch out for other Fawley Power Station photo pages - the Camera Club for example.
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Created 19Jul2015 .......... Last updated: 11 March 2018 ...........
photo/poldfawleyps.htm .............. Grahame L. Newnham's Web
Pages
27Nov2016 - FPS Wine Society Christmas lunch photo added