Author Topic: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !  (Read 14426 times)

Offline Dave Smith

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Re: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !
« Reply #50 on: April 16, 2020, 07:51:45 PM »
Colin. When I visited Rochester museum, there was a model Sunderland in the display cabinet at the entrance- but that was it! Maybe the other models are in the basement, for they took all my tools, photographs & other memorabilia to put in the basement for a, hopeful, new display of Shorts when they have the space. That will be the day! I only once saw the Mayo & Mercury flying, just before WW2. The Saro SA1 was the first jet(gas turbine) powered flying boat, made by Saro, not Shorts, in Southampton- I think- they probably had a lot of help in the fuselage "planing bottom" from Shorts who had a very long test tank for that purpose. Castle 261.You made a model of the M/M composite in metal? Wow, that needed some doing, congratulations on your fortitude over 2 years. What a great pity they were lost. I made a 1/72nd scale Sunderland in wood-all my models were in wood as plastic die cast were not available during the war. Dad could always get me some offcuts from the Yard! And we had a model club at the County School where we could purchase coloured dope in small amounts for painting the models. Smiffy. They did tell me at R.museum that there were some item at the new council offices in Strood but as I was on a flying visit, I didn't have time to go there, maybe that model is in their basement? What happened to the control column from the Canopus I wonder. I'm sorry that I don't live in the Medway towns now for there is a lot of interest to investigate.( C19 would have scuppered that anyway!) 

Online MartinR

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Re: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !
« Reply #49 on: April 16, 2020, 02:23:18 PM »
Pub's closed and I think it's now flats.

pete.mason

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Re: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !
« Reply #48 on: April 16, 2020, 02:01:19 PM »
The Canopus pub at Borstal had the control column on display, no idea if it,or thr pub, still exist

Offline Smiffy

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Re: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !
« Reply #47 on: April 16, 2020, 01:10:25 PM »
After the council moved to the old Wingets building, I clearly remember the Mayo/Mercury model on display in the foyer. But as has been mentioned previously - what happened to it?
 
Colin - I have a model kit of a Flower Class Corvette which I had the intention to build as the one my father served on during the the war. After I bought it I didn't have the time and then had to move to a smaller place, so it's been on "indefinite hold" for years now!

Offline castle261

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Re: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !
« Reply #46 on: April 16, 2020, 11:31:06 AM »
Strange Dave Smith, about the model of the Mayo & Mercury.
Well while i was in the nuclear section, in the dockyard, I made a model of them, took two years.
I got a book from Chatham library, about the two. I collected as many tins as I , Later people were collecting them for me. I searched the dockyard for a suitable soldering iron. Then ( later ) I stumbled on an electric soldering . There was a `hot plate` in most cranes, I was using a hand soldering iron then. Night shift was best for good work. The driver of the crane on two dock, often looked in on me.
I may be able to post a photo of them, in the avatar. He helped me to get them out of the dockyard.
They got lost, when I moved into my present flat in 1994.   


The models were about the same size as the Shorts models -- 16 -- 18 inch wingspan.

Offline Colin walsh

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Re: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !
« Reply #45 on: April 16, 2020, 05:43:49 AM »
Dave Smith,sad to hear there is no Short Bros section in Rochester mesueam,wonder what happend to all the wonderfull models that were on display just inside the main door in the mid fifties ?the curator then ,a Mr Boulton ,told me Thay were gifted to the corporation by Shorts management,recollect there was a fairly large scale Sunderland flying boat,plus a beautiful Mayo &Mecury composite,and my favorite a Saro ,in fact I clearly remember looking at this display started me on a life long "thing"about model air craft,still build today ,though my pension finds it hard to cope with the ridiculous prices of modern kits,.😱

Online MartinR

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Re: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !
« Reply #44 on: March 08, 2020, 12:46:01 PM »
Quote
They were hopeful that ONE! day, there may be room enough.
So why have they just flogged off the Medway Commissioners' offices?

Offline Dave Smith

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Re: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !
« Reply #43 on: March 08, 2020, 12:39:57 PM »
Colin. I forgot to say that the "top hats" with a nail through them were pop rivets. The nail was inserted in the hand gun & the rivet was inserted in the drilled hole( no.30 drill for an 1/8" rivet). As you pulled the handle, collets clamped the nail then pulled it down into the head of the rivet, the round head of the nail expanding the rivet into the hole. Continuing, the head snapped off.     

Offline Dave Smith

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Re: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !
« Reply #42 on: March 04, 2020, 12:24:39 PM »
Colin. More memories- that could well be them, bib & brace overalls & hair in a head scarf . The square head hammer was a panel beater's hammer- very rare. The tee bar with the hole was to "close" the joint first & then the dome inset was to allow the rivet head to be formed.  I left ( Jan '47) before Shorts finally closed & moved what was left to Belfast, a very sad day. If you have any bits left, rather than throwing them out, do as I did & donate to Rochester Museum. These were all put in the basement as they don't- or didn't- have a Short Bros. area. I told them it was a travesty that Shorts- the first manufacturers of aircraft in Great Britain- had almost no reference despite being by far the second largest employer in the Medway towns. They were hopeful that ONE! day, there may be room enough. 

Offline Dave Smith

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Re: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !
« Reply #41 on: March 04, 2020, 11:59:20 AM »
I was also an apprentice fitter & sheet metal worker at Shorts( which is why I went into the RAF as an Apprentice Engine Fitter- I knew nothing about engines) but didn't make my own tool box ( you'd have needed some pretty large pieces of " scrap" for that!), my Dad gave me mine. The one thing that ALL shop floor workers in aircraft factories made, was a cigarette lighter- usually from a block of Dural.

Offline castle261

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Re: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !
« Reply #40 on: March 04, 2020, 11:24:17 AM »
Tool box ----- Brother made his own tool box --- from scrap ( ha ha ) material.
Well he was a `Shorts trained `sheet metal worker `before joining the R.A.F.

Offline Colin walsh

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Re: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !
« Reply #39 on: March 04, 2020, 05:15:02 AM »
Hi Dave a smith ,thank you for your recollections ,yes my sister worked at Shorts right up till lt closed,sis did in fact did  have a very tall friend,Thay often went out together,Thay both wore bib and brace type overalls and head scarves ,turban fashion ,
It was only a couple of years ago I got rid of her "tool box"a small wooden case  very batterd had all sorts of strange tools in it ,a hammer with a squre head ,a couple of "t" shaped bits of steel  one side of the t had a hole approx 1/4 " thrush it the other side had a 1/4 domed inset?very faintly ,painted on the lid was the word "number eight shop "plus a number of aluminum 'top hats with steel nails through them.thanks for the memory ,


Offline castle261

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Re: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !
« Reply #38 on: March 03, 2020, 07:05:50 PM »
You have jogged my memory Pete `Supplying Shorts`. ` ( I had forgot all about this one, until Pete )             
My elder brother worked for ` Bradshaws ` A  building opposite the `Banks` in Rochester High St.
near the old rail station.  One evening, he bought home these two alluminimum pieces only about
three inches long, both bent to form a Square U, to be riveted together. The whole family were
put on this urgent job, so we were hammering all evening. for several night, to get them all done.
We were paid ---- something like a shilling for two dozen completed, correctly, through Short Bros.


He bought home bags of rivets, hammers & other items to hold the metal together, while riveting.

Offline Dave Smith

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Re: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !
« Reply #37 on: March 03, 2020, 05:54:28 PM »
Colin. When I worked in 17 shop in 1946, there were 2 girls who were a team of riveters. 1 very tall, nearly 6', the other very short, nearer 5'- she was very jolly. The long & the short! Never knew their names. I wonder whether she was your eldest sister? Nacelles are the metal fabrication attached to the front ( leading edge) of the wing from which the engines are attached to the aircraft.(The weight of the engine is actually taken up by a framework of support tubes attached to the wing spar ). The engines also are enclosed in nacelles. Smooths the airflow & makes it all look nice & neat. The "rivet snaps" are actually for use with " pop rivets", which are used by an individual where you can't get behind to hold the " dolly". (This is the heavy lump of metal, held by the mate, that takes the strain when "thumping" a normal rivet in place).

Offline Colin walsh

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Re: Short brothers. Seaplane Works !
« Reply #36 on: March 02, 2020, 02:02:39 PM »