A Hucknall History
Industrial Developments
CWS Sports Clubs
Official May 1933 opening of Huthwaite CWS Hosiery factory sports grounds realised completion of their pavilion facilities sited off Sutton Road. Their featured football and cricket clubs offer just background glimpses of that long past wooden structure, although it helped support a variety of other teamed activities. The 1950/51 football held by Mr Evans shares rarer view of their female tennis club members. Bowling would be yet another competitively popular league sport so far lacking photographic coverage.
Training factory employed firemen preceded use of grounds for drilling their uniformed home guard. WW2 efforts introduced skilled use of firearms. Competitive shooting tournaments thus gives basis behind recently discovered formation of a C.W.S. Rifle Club.
CWS Employees
Relating illustrious career of an uncle George Davis begins 1911 starting as 13 year old office boy. This Sherwood Forester veteran of the Great War returned to Huthwaite to eventually gain promotion as Group Manager covering three CWS factories. He might therefore be recognised in charge 1937 shield and prizes for Huthwaite again winning interdepartmental firemans competitions. His later uniformed role is most certainly identified revealing further appointment as the WWII Major of a Sutton Home Guard.
Rob Booth stands aside CWS representative workers at a postwar exhibition demonstrating use of local factory machinery.
Senior Management in the 1950s includes Mr Albert Fox. Large staff grouping can only offer some indication to the total number of employees, although it may expose newer dining area catering for guests and functions before grouping the 1960 Canteen Staff.
Circa 1960s also captured a busy office, around time Linda Firth recognised a workers group included mother Gwen Jones on left.
Retirements
Manchester Head Office acknowledged how Mr Ernest Tuckwood completed 48 years continuous service with the Co-Operative Wholesale Society Ltd on 20th May 1952. Proud grandson John Luigi Tuckwood thus dates that official photo fronting office doors.
"Mami" Johnson infers 1956 loss of a motherly shopfloor supervisor. Year 1969 marked retirement of Dept manager Arthur Barnes
Carole Anne Brown names first CWS party as Mildred Worrel, Kathleen Newbold, Barbra Smith, Margret Ball, Charlotte Thompson, Dorothy Osbourne, Beaty Hickman, Jean Mousley, Betty Brown and Betty Jamson. Celebration in colour must date year 1969, as Linda Halfpenny recalls former CWS workers were marking renamed changeover when introducing the Huthwaite Meritina factory.
Mansfield Hosiery Sports
The Huthwaite CWS complex was actually purchased by a Mansfield Hosiery Company. Turning manufacturing into M&S clothing reopened premises under their renamed Meritina. Business names do hold later significance after determining where past CWS sports grounds were located aside longer mapped New Hucknall Colliery sports grounds. Sutton 1981 street directory best reveals how Betts & Broughtons then replaced CWS sports facilities. Industrial closures would eventually attract housing developments.
Newly addressing entire area called The Fieldings, claimed those grounds for 2007 resurgence of the Snipes Sutton Town Football Club. But the larger adjacent NCB fields very successfully relocated an established Mansfield Hosiery Mills Sports and Social Club.
25 Jul 14 by Gary Elliott Updated 25 Oct 23