New Board appointment

Mr. M.C.C. Knowles, General Manager of Oral, has been elected to the Board of Directors. His appointment took effect from 1^st April last.

Mr. K. Smith has been appointed Assistant to Mr. M.C.C. Knowles and commenced in this capacity on March 20th last. Mr. Smith, who is 31 years of age, is Secretary of the Northamptonshire Shoe Makers Society, and we wish him every success in his new post at Oral.

Factory Profile

Mr. C. Griggs Mr. ‘Clarrie’ Griggs, who joined the firm 36 years ago, is employed in the Lasting Room and does all the seat lasting. He has always been interested in music and at the tender age of nine was quite well known as a comic entertainer. Joining the local 'Temps' at 15 he had his own dance band when he was 17 ‘The Astorians’. He played with the 'Temps' for 22 years and during his 5 ½ years’ service with the Leicestershire Regiment was the principal cornet in the Regimental Band.

Social Club News

Valentine get-together

The Valentine Get-Together went with a swing with Charles providing music for dancing and noises for the kids to rock to. Prizes were competed for and great fun was had all round. The bread, cheese, pickles and sausages were a great success, and to sum up the evening, everybody said “Let’s have more!”

In reply to this another social evening was arranged to pick the Oral contestant for the Rushden Industrial Queen. The fact that Miss Dorothy Hand, the successful entry, lives at Thrapston, some 12 miles away, is incidental, for in our Closing Room we have many girls from her area.

As we are becoming known as a Social Club, invitations are often received from other clubs. One very recently from a local factory resulted in a number of the members playing skittles and darts at Irchester (the village noted for its pork pies). We lost this match, but the return match was in our favour. Both evenings were rounded off by the traditional pub supper of bread, cheese , beer and pickles. 

Pictures from the Valentine get-together

Another look at the DATELINER Unit

In the Christmas edition of the Oracle last year, we showed the first pictures of the Dateliner plant which was then swinging into its stride. Here is another selection of photographs taken as the weekly production reached 2,000 pairs. By the time you read this the plant will have been in operation for a year and the production figures will be higher still.

Dateliners have proved to be a highly popular and successful venture for ORAL. Our representatives have had something which they could get their teeth into, and Britain’s teensters have had something to get their feet into!!

One of the signs of success was the number of (then unknown to us) retailers who brandished the Dateliner advertisements at us at Harrogate and said “we want to stock these”.

The record for the ‘oldest’ youngster who wanted to join the Dateliner club must surely go to the dear old lady of 80 who wanted a pair. Reluctantly she had to admit that ‘County Flair’ were more suitable for her feet!

New and exciting styles are continuously being added to the Dateliner range so be sure to ask your ORAL representative – if he doesn’t tell you first!

Working on the Dateliner Unit

departmental  news

Office

Births

After the successful novel by local born author H. E. Bates ‘The darling buds of May’ comes another success, ‘A darling bud in April’. Yes, our General Manager, Mr. ‘Bud’ Knowles became the father of a daughter Susan Jane on April 12^th.           Latest reports indicate that Susan and mother are progressing well and the usual sleepy quietude of Easton Maudit now has a lusty young ‘Budette’ making herself heard.

Our Welcome

To Miss Pat Oliver as typist to Mr. Knowles. We trust she will enjoy her stay with us.

Shoe Room  

Marriages

Miss Katherine Green (Shoe Room) and Mr. Alan Dunn were married at the Rushden Park Road, Baptist Church on April 15^th. Members of the Shoe Room bought the couple an Addis kitchenware set. We wish them every happiness for the future.

Mrs. Mabel Elliott also gained a son-in-law when her only daughter Pat was married recently in London.

Closing Room

Weddings

Mrs Rose Neal, now Mrs. Ekins, pictured here with her husband, Mr. Alf Ekins, after their wedding at Wellingborough on April 1st. Presents from the Closing Room included a set of fish knives and forks, and table mats.

Finishing Room

Our Leopard Man

Despite changing his spots regularly these past few weeks, Derek Pattison has been ‘spotted’ many times by his workmates and we hope to welcome him back in the near future. In case you haven’t already guessed Derek has been a victim of chicken pox.

Green Fingers

Mr. Aubrey Thomas, we think, could make his mark as a Market Gardener, as recently many hundreds of his lettuce plants have found ready buyers in the room. Supposed to be bigger and better than most varieties we have decided to christen them ‘Magic Orb’.

Lasting Room

Retirements

After 50 years’ service with C. W. Horrell Limited, Mr. Reg Stokes retired at Easter. We all wish him a long and very happy retirement. He was presented with ‘Sunshine’ clock from the Directors.

Births

Mr. Don Burton (Lasting Room) became a proud father on May 4^th when his wife presented him with a son., Peter Edward, at the Barratt Maternity Home, Northampton. Both mother and Burton minor are doing very well.

Mr. Peter Slack became a proud father on May 10^th when his wife presented him with a son, Ian, who weighed in at 10lbs 2 ozs.

Weddings

Mr. Peter Swords, recently back from doing his National Service, gets married on May 26^th at Finedon Parish Church to Miss Isobel Tunn. We wish them every happiness.

the CHAPMANS of ORAL

Pictured here with their daughter Jenny are the Chapman’s of ‘ORAL’. Dennis who joined the firm in 1939 is responsible for putting the shoes into work. During the war he served in the Royal Artillery throughout the European campaign, and as a pastime he enjoys reading and an occasional day watching County cricket. In his younger days he was quite an able performer with bat and ball himself, for his native Finedon club. Kath who joined us almost a year ago is out Closing Room forelady. As a pastime she enjoys doing a bit of dress-making and gardening, the latter of course meeting with the approval of Dennis.