12-05-2011, 02:27 AM
Thanks for a very interesting posting Paulman.
I spent the drive to work reflecting on how my late Grandpa spent his war, working in the 'new' factory built during the war in Spotswood, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Being a Shop Engineer working for the firm started by his Grandpa, [my Great, Great Grandpa] W.G.Goetz and Sons in 1875, he was of more value to the War Effort, making various metal working machine tools, presses and the like. Melbourne was and still is to a large degree the home of manufacturing in Australia including cars and aircraft. I know that over the years he made presses to make auto motive panels, machines to make cake tins and tin cans and machines to slice and dice pineapple for Golden Circle. Some of those machines are still in use today. W.G.Goetz and Sons had such a reputation for excellence in engineering, that if a tradesman apprenticed by Goetz, went anywhere in the Australasian region and was looking for a job, the question was "How soon can you start". Grandpa spent the war working 6 days per week, fitted in some Home Guard time firing a rifle at the Williamstown rifle range and was a crack shot, and then spent his Sunday going to church and looking after his young wife and three children under ten when the war finished. Sadly W.G. Goetz and Sons as it was, no longer exists thanks to a shonky bean counter who diddled the books for his own benefit about 10 years ago, sending a 125 year old company to the wall. He barely got a slap over the wrist for his sleazy efforts. Insert much choice language here.
As you can see, several of the adverts mention of busy machine tools and the like really struck a chord with me.
I also note the interesting way in which the half-track was blocked and tied down to the flat car thanks to the TRAINS WW2 Specials.
Mark
I spent the drive to work reflecting on how my late Grandpa spent his war, working in the 'new' factory built during the war in Spotswood, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Being a Shop Engineer working for the firm started by his Grandpa, [my Great, Great Grandpa] W.G.Goetz and Sons in 1875, he was of more value to the War Effort, making various metal working machine tools, presses and the like. Melbourne was and still is to a large degree the home of manufacturing in Australia including cars and aircraft. I know that over the years he made presses to make auto motive panels, machines to make cake tins and tin cans and machines to slice and dice pineapple for Golden Circle. Some of those machines are still in use today. W.G.Goetz and Sons had such a reputation for excellence in engineering, that if a tradesman apprenticed by Goetz, went anywhere in the Australasian region and was looking for a job, the question was "How soon can you start". Grandpa spent the war working 6 days per week, fitted in some Home Guard time firing a rifle at the Williamstown rifle range and was a crack shot, and then spent his Sunday going to church and looking after his young wife and three children under ten when the war finished. Sadly W.G. Goetz and Sons as it was, no longer exists thanks to a shonky bean counter who diddled the books for his own benefit about 10 years ago, sending a 125 year old company to the wall. He barely got a slap over the wrist for his sleazy efforts. Insert much choice language here.
As you can see, several of the adverts mention of busy machine tools and the like really struck a chord with me.
I also note the interesting way in which the half-track was blocked and tied down to the flat car thanks to the TRAINS WW2 Specials.
Mark
Fake It till you Make It, then Fake It some More