The site now Includes recent Cotonians e-mails -click here
Over 27,000
hits not bad for a niche interest site !!!!!!!
Recent Letter / email from Mick
McCoy -
click below
Dedication of the war memorial
10/05/10
St. Modwen can now
confirm that the rededication ceremony for the Rugby War Memorial
will be taking place on
Thursday 22nd
July at 2pm. This will be a short ceremony conducted by a
member of the clergy.
We are not aware of
Converteam hosting any follow on reunion for old Cotonians and would
recommend you liaise directly with Converteam should you wish to
organise anything separately.
If you could
please communicate the above date to Old Cotonians interested in
attending the rededication.
Many thanks,
Karoline
Karoline
Adamson
In a message dated 02/06/2010
09:13:52 GMT Daylight Time, gd.ward{@}pipemedia.demon.co.uk
writes:
Hi, St Modwen will provide
refreshments for the re dedication of the war memorial only.
I am advised by Converteam that a factory visit would be
possible but you must approach them direct, your contact
would be Harry Jones, factory manager. Any evening
activities would have to be arranged by yourselves.
My involvement is that I 'am
treasurer of the AEI Ex-service Ass.who are organising the
service and time capsule, and also an ex BT-H apprentice,
not Coton House! I know several local ex apprentices who
could be interested and would be happy to contact them if
you wish.
Best regards, David Ward
The following
announcement was issued by Converteam at Mill Road Rugby works :
"The British
Thomson Houston office block, Building 86, will be demolished
from Tuesday 15 April.2009
These prestigious offices were first opened in 1938, survived
bomb damage and numerous changes of company name, and are now
destined for the crusher.
Converteam's Central Facilities have, for many months, been
recycling items of interest from Building 86 and the latest
successful mission was to remove the British Thomson Houston
stonework from over the entrance for eventual re-use with the
relocated war memorial, preserving the heritage." The end of an era
!! Kind regards, Jim
McKay
Thanks to John Hyde for taking and sending in the Photograph.
The cost of running the website has
been bourn by me and to some extent funded from the sale of CD/DVD
The 2010 DVD has been updated and includes many new items sent to me by
old Cotonians.
Please help me keep the site going - cost of DVD £3.00
If you change your e-mail
address please let me know!
Alick Cross,
Ted Marsey,
Gordon Jennings,
Brian Hudson,
Grenville Hatton,
John Tippett, Mike Benge,
Dave Ratcliff, Pete Scullion,
Irfon Williams, Andy Anderson, Bob (taf) Hiatt.
ALL ABOVE LOST! if you don't let me know
your mail you miss out on contacts and news.
I have two tales - both about Coton
food.
The first is one I heard of, but
have not had authenticated. The fried eggs at breakfast 1958/9 where so
hard one could use then as shoe leather. Well it seems that things got
to head and in unison - and spontaneously 100 + eggs where pinned (using
drawing pins) to the wall of the OLD canteen. After which the eggs
improved.
Horse Meat Pie
During 1962/3 the
menu included a meat pie whose main constituent was Corned Beef, not to
bad - but somewhere in the cooking process things seemed to go
wrong because this could be smelt from the top of the drive (about 1/2 a
mile). leading to it being named "Horsemeat Pie" Again a spontaneous refusal to eat the said thing resulted in it
going off the menu.
The website hit
rate is about 100+ / week
How many are established and how many are new I do not know.
Judging by the recent "Finds" it is apparent that "coton house" is well
registered in the search engines.
put "Coton House" in Google - and see what I mean
Why not have a
mini reunion of your own - remember next stop the big apprenticeship in
the sky!
Famous words "This is not a
rehearsal"
The Data DVD is now
available - issue 4
cost of DVD £3.00
DVD content = 2000 + photo files and documents!
Again recent
input has been great !
KEEP them coming, what a history and record of those times.
Available
at £3.00 to cover costs
The archive has come in various forms, by e-mail, by hand and by post, if you
have photographs, documents or other memorabilia, but do not have the means to digitize them feel free to
send them to me, I will then scan and return - mail me - to make it complete I still need
more, especially from the years - pre 1959 and post 65 especially1967/8. Old Cotonians in the Rugby area who do not
have the facility to scan photos etc. We now have the use of a
state of the art photo scanner and a person who will do it for
you. Provided it adds to the archive, contact me
for the contact details
A REAL OLD FRIEND FOUND
The full history of Coton House as an apprentice hostel has not been
written, a task that I may undertake (everyone has a book in them) to
that end I would appreciate any input with specific dates of events and
happenings, sports day's, fire's, wardens, stewards, new build, etc. and
any relevant historical facts.
