2022 AGM

PUBLIC NOTICE

2022 Annual General Meeting

BAE Systems’ Employee Association

10th May – 19.30hrs

The BAE Systems (formerly British Aerospace) Employee Association will be holding its Annual General Meeting on 10th May at BAC/EE Preston Sports and Social Association, South Meadow Lane, Broadgate, Preston, PR1 8JP.  The meeting will commence at 19:30 hrs prompt.

This is an important meeting at which key motions will be tabled to ensure the continued success of the Club. 

All members are encouraged to attend.

Please bear with us

To all our members

All of us on the Committee hope that you and your families are keeping well during these unprecedented times.  Clearly this is a situation that none of us could have predicted, nor could we have planned what we would do in such an event.  As a Committee we have not met since the lockdown began, something that we would normally have done monthly.  As much as we would never want to, safety of our members is paramount, and therefore we cancelled the AGM which should have taken place in May, and we are going to have to cancel or at the very least postpone the summer trip planned for August.  We will keep you all informed of what is happening once we have had chance to meet up and decide what is best for the Association and it’s members.

So, please bear with us whilst we work through this extraordinary time, and we hope that you and your families stay safe.

Regards

Paul
For and on behalf of the Committee

Annual General Meeting

The end of an era: share your memories of Tornado

The Tornado will be officially retired from service at the end of March after 40 years in operation.

Over the next few weeks BAE Systems Air are doing some internal features on Tornado in the run up to the Out of Service date. They are asking employees past and present to share their memories of Tornado so they can be included in the internal feature.

Share your memories

We want to hear your special memories of this iconic aircraft, whether you’ve worked on Tornado or not. We’ll post your stories on the intranet and also on the Warton Heritage Department's intranet site. So if you’ve got a Tornado story please get in touch.

Please email us at aircommunications@baesystems.com and include:

1.     Your name

2.     Where you work

3.     When you think of Tornado, what's the first word that comes to mind?

4.     What is your fondest/favourite memory or story about Tornado?

It would be great if you could also include a photo of yourself to use alongside your comments.

Photo of the Tornado final flypast at Samlesbury this week. Photo courtesy of BAE Systems.

Celebrating 100 years of aviation excellence

On this day 100 years ago, the English Electric Company Ltd was officially incorporated and would go on to form the business as we know it today in the North West of England.

On December 14 1918, the amalgamation took place of three companies, Dick, Kerr and Company Ltd, The Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing Company and The Coventry Ordnance Works only a month after a meeting took place at the Coventry Ordnance Works to discuss the move.

All the founding companies had histories stretching back in to the 19th Century and in the North West work undertaken by the Dick, Kerr and Company had been expanded to cover the construction of flying boats at both its Preston and Lytham locations.

Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, the company joined with other iconic aircraft manufacturers including Blackburn Aircraft, Avro, Hawker Siddeley and Supermarine, to create today’s BAE Systems.

Here are some photos of the old Lytham site where the flying boats were built by Dick, Kerr and Co and English Electric.

Lytham Green with the site visible in the background

An aerial view of the site

4 weeks to go...

December is fast approaching, and so is our annual Christmas party!

The Christmas party is exclusively for retired members of the Association and is a chance to catch up with friends, former colleagues, and eat lots of festive food!

Wear your best Christmas jumper and join us for what will be another fantastic social event! Invites have been sent to all retired Association members in the last few weeks.

We hope to see you there!

Photo from last year

A tribute to George

After the unexpected death of our Chairman last month we shared details of his funeral arrangements with you. The funeral went ahead on 21 September and we have received a message from George’s family, along with some pictures:

“We would like to thank everyone for the amazing send off you gave our dad / husband yesterday. We were overwhelmed by how many cyclists braved the wind and rain to lead him to the chapel and to the staggering 400+ friends who came to pay their respects. We're sorry that the chapel could not accommodate everyone but please know that you being there means the world to his family. “ - Val, Sue & Janet.

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George Nowland

It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of our Association Chairman, George Nowland. George died yesterday morning (10 September 2018) after a short period in hospital. He spent his last week as he spent most of his life – with his wife and daughters. We will update our members with funeral plans as soon as they become available – please share these with anyone who knew George.

Update 13/09/18 - Please find below details of the funeral arrangements.

• All welcome. Dress as you wish. Friday 21st September 2018, 1:00pm at Preston Crematorium.

• As a tribute to George, we would like to invite his fellow cyclists to lead the cortege from the entry gates to the chapel at the crematorium.

• Cyclists to meet at Preston Crematorium gates at 12:50pm. You will then be asked to ride ahead of the hearse, leading George to the front of the crematorium.

• Following the service you are welcome to join us at the Norman Jepson Beefeater.

• Please share these details with anyone who knew George.

Liverpool, here we come!

Next month we are going on our annual summer trip for retired association members and this year our destination is Liverpool. Having visited there in 2008 and 2012 it is a firm favourite for our members.

Liverpool has a rich history – it was nominated as the annual European Capital of Culture back in 2008 – and there’s so much to do in and around the city. Home to Premier League football clubs Liverpool and Everton, as well as the Grand National at Aintree, Liverpool is always buzzing with excitement.

Whether you want to shop the day away at Liverpool One, experience a Beatles magical mystery tour, spend hours walking around the docks in the sun, or sample some of Liverpool’s finest pubs; there is something for everyone.

Why not visit the Baltic Triangle? A collection of bars, restaurants and pubs located a short distance away from the Docks.

Are you (or your parents if they aren’t on social media!) a retired member of the association, and attending this year’s trip? If so, let us know where you will be going on the day.

Our annual summer trips are always a fantastic day out. It offers our retired association members the chance to catch up with old friends and colleagues, meet new ones, and reminisce on their days at BAE Systems (or its predecessors).

Email us at employee.association@baesystems.com if you know of any discounts or offers available in the Liverpool area that we can offer to our members on the day of the trip.

This association has been running since the 1950's and is traditionally Warton and Samlesbury focused. As the business has changed over the years we have expanded to include Shared Services and others in the North West. The BAE Employee Association (formerly retired employees association) is run by people from Warton Unit and is sponsored by a director from the Air sector. We would welcome anyone from any site to join - and would be happy to work with other BAE associations. Email us at employee.association@baesystems.com for more information!

Calling all Association members...we need your help!

How long have you been a member of the BAE Systems Employee Association? We're trying to fill some of the gaps in our history and we need your help to do this.

Here is a list of all the places we have visited on our summer trips - some of the earlier trips are missing. Can you help us identify these, through photographs or memory? Perhaps a parent attended one of these trips and has a photograph from the day? Please get in touch and let us know by emailing us employee.association@baesystems.com or messaging us on Facebook or Twitter.

Trips of 2017

2017 was another great year for the Association, with a trip to Llandudno in August and the annual Christmas party in Preston.

All 360+ members were invited to Llandudno in North Wales on 16 August with a friend for the day, subsidised by the group. The Home Front Museum kindly offered entry to members for just £2.50. We embarked on a self-guided tour and experienced the sights and sounds of civilian life during the Second World War.

George Nowland, Chairman, said:  I joined the committee over 20 years ago and our trips are always great for everybody involved.

"I make sure that I get the chance to speak to every single person that comes along.

"It's wonderful to see everyone enjoying themselves and we always go home happy."

A fantastic time was had by all at our 2017 Christmas social - an afternoon full of reminiscing, and reuniting with work friends you hadn't seen for years.

More information on our 2018 events will become available in the coming months, starting with our summer trip to...Liverpool!

If you used to work at BAE Systems in the Lancashire area and would like to join the association, email employee.association@baesystems.com or message us on Facebook.

Employee Association 2017 AGM

 PUBLIC NOTICE

2017 Annual General Meeting

BAE Systems’ Employee Association

10th May – 19.30hrs

The BAE Systems (formerly British Aerospace) Employee Association will be holding its Annual General Meeting on 10th May at BAC/EE Preston Sports and Social Association, South Meadow Lane, Broadgate, Preston, PR1 8JP.  The meeting will commence at 19:30 hrs prompt.

This is an important meeting at which key motions will be tabled to ensure the continued success of the Club. 

All members are encouraged to attend.

Social media guru wanted

We are looking for a volunteer to step forward and help us with our social media.

We are looking for a member of the BAE Employee Association who likes to dabble with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – or any combination of the three. We can help to train you on any areas you’re not familiar with.

The chosen one will help to source and regularly post historic images from the BAE Archive, and reply to comments. There will also be the odd story to upload to our very user-friendly website and potentially help out with other bits and pieces of marketing.

If you think you can help us, please email employee.association@baesystems.com

We're all going on a summer holiday

Llandudno in North Wales

Members of the BAE Employee Association are preparing for another fun-filled summer social.

This year, all 368 members will be invited along to Llandudno in North Wales on 16 August with a friend for the day, subsidised by the group.

Offers of discounts are already coming in, with the Home Front Museum kindly offering entry to members for just £2.50.

Last year the BAE Employee Association visited the historic City of Chester. The trip includes coach pick up and drop off and a day out in the location. Attendees will also receive maps of the area and places of interest to visit.

George Nowland, Chairman, said: “The summer social is one of the highlights of the club’s social calendar. It’s a chance for retired employees of BAE Systems in the North West to get together, catch up and reminisce, at the same time as enjoying a day trp.

“We always have really positive feedback about the trips, and we hope this year we’ll have as many members as possible attending on the day.”

Invitations to the Llandudno trip will be sent out after the club’s AGM meeting in May to those on the database.

If you used to work at BAE Systems in the Lancashire area and would like to join the association, email employee.association@baesystems.com or message us on Facebook.

Shop now open!

I'm pleased to announce that we now have the ability for you to purchase merchandise through our website.  Currently we have the pin badges that were displayed at the Christmas Party, and soon we are hoping to expand the items on offer, so keep checking back.

Payments can be taken through Paypal, or most major debit and credit cards.  To pay by card, just click the buy-it-now button, and when it asks for your Paypal login details, just select check-out-as-a-guest.  For more information about Paypal, please click on their logo

Pin badges available!

Members of the BAE Employee Association can now purchase a pin badge to show they’re a member and help raise cash for the club.

They're £2 each plus postage and all proceeds go straight back into the Association.

To find our more email us - employee.association@baesystems.com

Today's focus is on Mick Moseley

Mick Moseley, 67, worked in fabrication at Strand Road and later Samlesbury after the factory closed.
One of Mick’s main roles was countersinking the metalwork.
During his 34 years at the company he worked on the Jaguar and the Tornado when it came online. He also worked on the Jet Provost and then work on the development of the Eurofighter.
He said: “Strand Road hold the best memories.
“Me and my team were one of the very last to go to Samlesbury. We were shipping all the stuff out of Strand Road right at the end before it closed.”
If you are an existing or former BAE employee and wish to join the association email employee.association@baesystems.com

Pictured is Mick with wife Diane

Mike Mearns talks about the 'Mad House'

Today we're focusing on Mike Mearns.

Mike Mearns was a production manager at Strand Road, and later Samlesbury.

He oversaw the production of aircraft details including the Tornado, Jaguar and Eurofighter.

The team he worked with at Strand Road was affectionately known as ‘the Mad House’ and when he left he had around 133 staff under him.

He said: “My favourite memories of working in aerospace were working at Strand Road in the Mad House.

“I had a lot of women who mothered me to, taking the mickey out of me when I was giving orders.

“I worked at BAE for 28 years, leaving in 2000.

"This is the third Christmas party I have been to and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who has worked for BAE."

Did you work with Mike? Say hi!

If you are an existing or former BAE employee and wish to join the association email employee.association@baesystems.com

Did anyone work with Ken Parry?

Ken Parry, 64, worked as a semi-skilled operator at BAE’s Strand Road in the Mad House with Mike Mearns and Mick Moseley.

He said he worked on ‘bits of everything’ from the Tornado, Jaguar, Airbus and Jet Provost and Eurofighter. Before his retirement he was working on the Joint Strike Fighter at Samlesbury.

For 35 years he worked with skilled workers on the cockpits.

He said: “The best job was working on the electric boxes. We had to build them up from scratch.

My favourite aircraft was the Tornado because it’s the one that inspired me to join aerospace. I worked hard at BAE and I have never looked back. It was a very interesting job and I met a lot of interesting people.

Alf Kent was my first foreman. Everyone who worked in the Mad House will remember Alf.

Pictured is Ken with his wife Margaret. If you know Ken, send us a message.

If you are an existing or former BAE employee and wish to join the association, email employee.association@baesystems.com

Ken and wife Margaret

"I didn't hear about the Association until I retired" said William Southworth

William Southworth, 64, didn't hear about the BAE Employee Association until after he had retired.

He said he heard about the well-kept secret when a former colleague mentioned an event they were attending.

He said: "When I first joined BAE I thought I'd joined everything.I didn't hear about the BAE Employee Association until after I'd left."

William spent 18 years working at Strand Road in the Mad House hand routing aircraft details before leaving in 2010.

William, from Fulwood, said he enjoyed the Christmas Party last week.

He said: "It brings people together. It's nice to see all the old faces."

If you are a current or former employee and would like to become a member, email employee.association@baesystems.com