I was employed as an engineer at the Star Paper Mills (SPM). Feniscowles, Blackburn, Lancashire from 1961 until 1970, (later sold to Sappi (Europe). The Mill had a large number of engineering personnel with a wide range of engineering disciplines. Originally, I was employed as an engineering apprentice draughtsman. After two years in the Engineering Drawing Office. I was accepted for a place at Salford University for a BSc degree course in Mechanical Engineering. The degree course was a four year ‘sandwich’ course with six months at university and six months in industry for each of the four years. SPM supported me by retaining my employment for the industrial periods and also granted me a textbook allowance. As part of the University course the work I was given in the industrial periods was monitored by them, and recorded by me, in order to ensure that the work would meet the experience requirements for acceptance as a Professional Engineer. I have retained some, if not all, of these records.
I graduated in 1967 and continued in employment at SPM with the title of Maintenance Engineer until Sept. 1970 at which point I left the Paper Industry completely.
In all, this 9 year period gave me extensive knowledge of the engineering workings of the Mill having spent some time working in each of the engineering departments listed below:
Engineering Managment:
Eng. Director: William (Bill) Crossley
Chief Engineer: Edward (Ted) Hutchinson, followed by Steve Forshaw
Chief Electrical Eng.: Richard (Dick) Smith
Chief Electronics Eng.: Alwyn Davies
1) Design and drawing office
Chief Designer: Harry Bsssett, Desiger: Gordon Pimley.
Chief Draughtsman: Gilbert Nutter, Draughtsmen: John Jackson, Bill Gunning, Bill Rainsford, Albert Shaw(?), Fred Hartley, Harry Reason, Peter Warburton. Tracer: Pat Sager.
2) Mechanics & Machine Shop including precision papermachine-roll grinding (compressed cotton, steel & granite calendar rolls)
Foreman Fitter: David Barrett, Chargehands: ‘Tomo’ Tomlinson, Tommy Holden & Brian Richmond.
Foreman Machineshop: Dennis Maloney
Foreman Oiler & Greaser: Oliver Arnold
3) Instruments Shop
Foreman: Graham Turner
4) Electrical Shop
Foreman: Bill Sutton, Chargehand: Raymond Parkinson
5) Joiners & Pattern-makers Shop
Pattern Maker: Albert Chew
6) Welders Shop
7) Works & builders
Clerk of Works: Alf Renshaw
8) Boiler House – 12 Lancashire boilers c1905, converted from coal fired to oil fired, providing steam for the two steam engines and the two paper making machines’ drying cylinders.
Foreman: Bert Williams
9)Engine and Compressor House – A vertical cylinder steam engine, manufactured by Browett & Lindley, driving an electrical generator to power the electrical drive of No2 paper machine. Air Compressors Ingersol-Rand horizontal reciprocating & Atlas Copco rotary screw.
The paper production departments were as follows:
a) Stock preparation – from wood pulp arriving in bales to processing the pulp into refined stock to be fed onto the papermaking machines.
b) Coating preparation – Mixing the powdered china clay into a heated slurry ready to feed the coating section of the papermaking machines.
Foreman: Harry Woodhead
c) The Papermaking Machines – Two machines (one 120 inch wide, approx, and the other 190 inch, approx.) making white coated papers, one driven by a steam engine and line-shaft and the other via synchronous electric motors. (attached is an arrangement drawing of No1 M/c dated 1961)
Managing Director: Erik Olander
Mill Manager: Harold Garnett
Mill Superintendent: Tom Ainsworth
The on-Machine coating operation was partly replaced by an off-machine coating operation (OMCO) in late 1960’s and embossing was introduced as an additional product.
d) Paper cutting – producing both reels and sheets as the finished product.
Cutting Machines Foreman: Lester (Les) Rostron.
In around 1968/9 an Automatic Finishing Machine (AFM) was installed. It was manufactured by Strecker-Bruderhaus and fitted with an S D Warrens automatic sheet sorting system for detecting and rejecting defects (bumps and holes) in the paper sheets. (Arrangement drawing attached)
e) Salle – the final manual inspection, sorting and guillotining of the paper sheets ready for packing despatch from the ajoining warehouse.
There were also a Medical facility with resident qualified staff, a Purchasing department, an Accounts department, Wages department and Sales department.
