Aberdeen to Kent?

I replied to this question by email – here is the exchange in reverse order:-

14/09/2020 16:02

Thank you for this information. I’ll pass it on to my friend. I’m happy for you to share this on the ukpapermills forum with his name.

14 Sep 2020, at 15:45

I see from the 1939 register that Alfred was a beaterman, not as the transcript on Findmypast says Dealer man. It was his job to prepare the fibre for the paper machine, probably as a batch process at that time, so a skilled job. The career progress is indicated by his 17 old son being a Press-boy an entry level job but above the labourer.

Shows the home as belonging to Kent Kraft Mill.
Kent Kraft Mills Ltd

Northfleet. ” T. N. Greenhithe 3122. Pure U. G. Kraft. Raw material, Sulphate Pulp. One Machine: 180 inches finished paper.

This was part of Robinsons of Bristol – see second link at:

https://ukpapermills.org.uk/topic/kent-kraft-paper-sack-mills-northfleet/

When the mill started in 1930 they were using new pulping technology so the beaterman would have been extremely important to the success of their enterprise.

Not sure if the Wiggins Teape link is there because Kent Kraft was not linked to them and The kind of paper made at Davidsons Aberdeen was closer to that at Kent Kraft. However, it is quite possible that he moved with WT and was then recruited for the new machine start-up.

14 September 2020 13:18
His name was Alfred McInnes born in Aberdeen in 1895 died 25 December 1939 in Gravesend Hospital after his car was involved in an accident with a bus. His home address was Papermill Cottages, Northfleet, Kent.

Most of the men in this family worked at the papermills over the generations. I did think Wiggins Teape may be the connection & the family lived in Woodside, Aberdeen which is very close to Stoneywood & Bucksburn.

14 Sep 2020, at 11:25

That sounds interesting. By that period nearly all paper was made by machine but in many ways the labour structures were similar. It took many years for progression through the skill hierarchy to achieve the few well-paid positions of the most skilled. As promotion was often blocked people would change mill.

I have a 1923 directory that shows four mills in Aberdeen area:
Aberdeen Culter Co., Ltd. Culter Mills Paper Co., Ltd., Culter Works (9),

Peterculter, Aberdeenshire (S).

N.R.S., Culter. T.A., ” Ninemill, Peterculter.” T.N., 1 Culter. Three machines, 96 ins. 72 ins. and 63 ins. E.S; and T.S. Writing and Envelope Papers, Printings and Plate Papers, Cartridges, Imitation Parchment, Opalines, Ivory Boards, White Pulp Boards. Tinted Papers, and Tinted Pulp Boards, Chromo and Art Papers of every description, Cloth lined Papers, Manilla Boards, etc.
Donside Paper Co., Ltd., Donside Paper Mills

Aberdeen (S).

N.R.S., Don Street. T.A., “Don, Aberdeen.” T.N., Woodside 765 (3 lines). Three machines, one 96 ins. and two 126 ins. News and Printings, 25,000 tons yearly.
Pirie (Alex.) & Sons, Ltd., Stoneywood Works (7),

Bucksburn, Aberdeenshire (S).

N.R.S., Bankhead or Bucksburn, G.N.S.R. T.A., “Pirie, Aberdeen.” T.N., 21 Woodside. Six machines, 60 ins. to 96 ins. Fine and Superfine Writings, Bank and Typewriting, Book, Loan and Cheque Papers, Cartridges, Blottings, E.S. Writing and Envelope Papers, Pulp Boards, Papeteries, etc.
Davidson (C.) & Sons, Ltd., Mugiemoss and Bucksburn Mills, (Nos. 66 and 80)

Bucks burn, Aberdeenshire (S).

N.R.S., Bucksburn, G.N.S. Railway. T.A., ” Paper, Aberdeen.” T.N., 34 Aberdeen. Three machines, two 63 ins. and one 108 ins. M.G. Caps, Krafts and Manillas, Browns, Greys, Sugar Papers, Imitation Parchment, Middles, Felt Papers, Roofing Felts. Also all qualities of Paper Bags, printed and unprinted. 7,000 tons annually.

Kent had about 20 mills in the directory. A quick look suggest that, if the person moved within a paper company to a mill in Kent the most likely would be Stoneywood as that was allied to the Wiggins Teape Group which had in Kent:
Wiggins, Teape & Co. (1919), Ltd. Buckland Mills (27),

Dover (E)

N.R.S., Dover. T.A., ” Teape, Dover.” Machine-made T.S. Writings, Banks, Account Book and Envelope Papers, and Cartridges.

Later Wiggins Teape acquired Dartford Mill (despite having often visited this mill I have not been able to identify which of the 4 mills Dartford listed in 1923 is was)

and Chartham Mill:

Howard (W.) & Son, Ltd., Chartham Mills (33),

nr. Canterbury (E).

N.R.S., Chartham, S.E. & C.R. T.A., ” Howard, Chartham.” T.N., No. 3 Chartham. One machine, 69 ins. Animal Tubsized Air-dried Writings, and Account Book Papers, Drawings and Cartridges, Loans, Banks, and Typewriting Papers, Envelope Papers, Extra Superfine Pastings, Stamp and Special Exact Water-marked Paper, and Photographic Paper.

If you give me a name and a place of death, I could perhaps find something else.

Hope this helps.

13 September 2020 09:17

Thank you for this information. I’m researching a friend’s family tree & she couldn’t understand why her father was born in Kent. Her grandfather was a paper maker in Aberdeen & moved to Kent sometime between 1920-30. The grandfather died in a car crash in 1939 & the family moved back to Aberdeen. I was trying to see if the same company in Aberdeen had mills in Kent.

13 Sep 2020, at 09:05

I don’t know the period you are interested in or how much you know about paper making so it’s hard to know where to start. The industry was very economically unstable. Mills were influenced by raw material supply, water supply, markets, management efficency and especially fires so would expand and contract. The skilled workers would move with the work, both on the their own initiative and by being recruited away.

Both Aberdeen and Kent were prime paper-making areas and there was significant movement of labour between them.

There is a free novel by Eden Phillpotts (has been called Devon’s Thomas Hardy) at http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55468, published 1919, set in early 20th century hand-made papermill in Devon. The story is rather dated but there is interesting paper-making insight within the story especially in the first part.