Five Quarry Workers

Five quarry workers, as featured in a newspaper article published in 1957

Fred Rudkin,  who lives at 118 Loughborough Road, started in the quarry as a boy in 1900.   At that time, back in the hand breaking days, a man could average a ton of broken stone in a day and there were 250 men employed in hand breaking.

By Easter time Fred will have completed 57 years with the company.”When I started as a boy there were more boys at work than there are men now” said Fred. He worked at the stone but is now on easier duty at the canteen.

                                                                                                                                                 

 

  Joseph Mee,72, of 132 Loughborough Road who                                                    retired five years ago, worked for 53 years at the quarry.                                   He was a loco­motive driver. “It’s all electric    now,” he said,                      “There is only one steam loco left. There used to be six.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joseph Bowler started work at the age of 14 and was a set maker until they stopped making them in 1936.He remembers when there were over 100 set makers. ‘ No hammer men now’ he commented

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

                                                          

Alfred Holmes, 64, of 114 Loughborough Road started in the blacksmith’s shop at theage of 13. In April he will have completed 52 years at the quarry.Now he looks after the compressor.”When I commenced there were seven boys in the shop and 30 odd blacksmiths, now there are only two ” said Mr. Holmes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roland Henry Goodman, 67, 197 Loughborough Road, has 51 years service. He started  in the blacksmith’s shop, and had served three years with the Territorials when World War I broke. He was with the 5th Leicester, the battalion Sir Robert Martin commanded before he took over the 4th.
The 5th embarked for France in February 1915 and entered the trenches near Kemmel on Easter Sunday, April 4. Mr. Goodman lost a leg and an arm at Gomme Court on October 13 1916. Sir Robert Martin was wounded then but in command of the 4th Battalion. The 5th was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel C. H. Jones, a master at Uppingham School.
Mr. Goodman came back to his native Mountsorrel to be storekeeper at the quarry.