Wolverhampton in the mid to late 80’s.

[mickd1961]

Did many of you live or work in the area during this era?

I ask because I worked this patch repping from 84 through to early 91 calling on the mainly Asian supermarkets.

Showell Circle, Blackhalve Lane, Deans Rd, Fordhouse Rd, Compton Rd, Whitmore Reans, Coalway Rd and many others, I pretty much knew Wolverhampton without an A to Z in those days.

The hardest part of my job was finding a working public phone box in which to ring my orders back to HQ three times a day.

Every box stunk of p I s s and had loads of prostitute calling cards stuck to the backboard.

It was a pretty rough area in those days.

[animallittle3]

Don't know about now but it was definitely the roughest away game in the West Midlands back in the day .

Awful place .

[boingy]

My mum worked there at Good years on the switchboard. Remarkable really. She ended up as one of the last two from 50 after cut backs. Remarkable for someone with Schizophrenia. She memorised hundreds of telephone numbers.

[soulman101]

My mum worked there at Good years on the switchboard. Remarkable really. She ended up as one of the last two from 50 after cut backs. Remarkable for someone with Schizophrenia. She memorised hundreds of telephone numbers.

Hi.I would have met your many many times, What was her Ist name ?

[boingy]

Rita

[soulman101]

Rita

I remember her, she was always good to us and very efficient.

[boingy]

I remember her, she was always good to us and very efficient.

If you have any photographs I would love to see some. I have been searching for anything. I have very little of her at all. Work functions, telephonist photos. I couldn’t even access hospital records because they destroy them after 10 years. I understand if you don’t have any, but if you do that would be great.

[soulman101]

If you have any photographs I would love to see some. I have been searching for anything. I have very little of her at all. Work functions, telephonist photos. I couldn’t even access hospital records because they destroy them after 10 years. I understand if you don’t have any, but if you do that would be great.

Hi, I sorry I haven't got any photo's.
When I Ist worked there, there was the old type switchboard with ,like you see in the old movies when to answer when a call comes in a dolls eye drops down and had plug the cord in and the ladies put the call through. There where about 8 operators .
In they late 70s we changed it to a automatic system, it was about 6 months work, every telephone had to be rewired ( there must have been around 2000 telephones, plus a room full of teleprinters, .
these were on the go for 24hrs back a for to the USA.
My last years on telecom I went on maintance, so I went there severval times a week.
Goodyear had the biggest telephone bill , well over a £1m per year.
When the Ibm system was up and running there were only 3 operators .
My memories of your Mom and Betty who was the chief operators, if i came into the switchroom they was always knitting and hid it on their laps in case it was the Boss .
They all had fantastic memories. memorizing hundreds of telephone extension numbers.
If anyone had any photo's it would be Betty ,she lived on the estate behind the Black horse , If she is still alive she must be in her 80s.
Maybe there's a facebook group for old employees or is the Goodyear social still
open.
I'm sorry your Mom suffered with mental health, I know she was happy in her job.
I also remember them telling me when the met the Queen on a visit to the plant , and Lizzie signed the visiter's book.

[soulman101]

Maybe someone on the Wolves mad board ,might be able to point you in the right direction

[mickd1961]

If you have any photographs I would love to see some. I have been searching for anything. I have very little of her at all. Work functions, telephonist photos. I couldn’t even access hospital records because they destroy them after 10 years. I understand if you don’t have any, but if you do that would be great.

Might be worth a call to the Express and Star mate.

They took huge numbers of photos around the midlands and had a massive archive which you used to be able to order from.

I had a minx of a girlfriend in 81-82 and they pictured her in a very short skirt sat lockside at a canal around Kingswinford, I keep meaning to chase them up to see if they still have it as I’m not sure my copy is still in my “archive” back at mum’s house.

Worth you trying I think.