The War Years and In Between - Part 3 |
The Melksham Carnival of 1928 included
an Avon float which won first prize. It also went on to
win third prize at the nearby Trowbridge carnival. The
tableau was emblazoned with the slogan "Tyres from
bladders were derived. Our tyres go on though pigs have
died".
To take advantage of the opportunities
provided by Great Britain's decision to depart from the
Gold Standard, a major export drive was launched in the
early 1930s with great success.
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Melksham Carnival Float 1928 |
In 1933 Avon became a public
limited company and its shares were issued on the London
Stock Exchange. In the same year Avon tyres were chosen
for the first time as original equipment for Rolls-Royce
cars as the Avon air cooled duo-tread tyres were launched,
practically doubling tyre mileage.
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A controversial but very
successful advertisement for Avon Tyres in the 1960s
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In 1934 there was a strike -
lasting six weeks - which completely closed the Melksham site.
A major role in the eventual settlement was played by a then
union official who went on to hold high Government office,
Mr Ernest Bevin. One of the benefits resulting from the dispute
was the subsequent formation of the company's Joint Works
Council in 1936 and the creation of open lines of communication
between the management and workforce which now numbered 1,331. |
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With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Avon, together
with other rubber manufacturers, engaged its resources in
a concerted war effort. The factory worked around the clock
at full capacity to meet military demands and twenty million
gas masks were produced at Melksham. Amongst many new developments
was the bonding of solid rubber tyres to steel for tank
wheels - details of this process being made known to other
companies to aid the war effort. Supplies of natural rubber
were minimal following the loss of the plantations in Malaya
and Indonesia, and new formulas and techniques had to be
developed to use the early forms of synthetic rubber.
In 1940 an attractive canteen was opened
for the employees which could accommodate 600 people at
one sitting. This canteen is still in operation today at
Cooper-Avon Tyres in Melksham.
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Queen Mary's visit in 1941
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In October 1941
Queen Mary visited the Melksham factory, where it was
noted "close to 2,500 men and women are now employed."
Major Fuller, the Chairman at the time, led her on an
exhaustive tour of the factory. He commented afterwards
"One might have thought she would have tired after
a few minutes tour, but she walked and walked, climbed
stairs and went down in the lift, and undoubtedly thoroughly
enjoyed the tour". She took tea in the canteen,
sitting (at her own request) with the workers and was
presented with a bouquet of blonze chrysanthemums which
had been grown in the firm's garden. |
At a meeting at
Melksham House in December 1941, 150 women from the town and
district responded to the appeal by the company to discuss
plans to employ women in part time war work. It was said that
those volunteering would be capable of earning one shilling
per hour. |
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