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Motor Industry Sources

Company records:

Atkinson Lorries Holdings Ltd., 1950-1971

This collection includes: subject files relating to takeover bids and shareholders' opposition, 1970; post merger documents, 1970-1971; Annual Reports of Atkinson Lorries (Holdings) Ltd, 1950-1970 (incomplete); Atkinson house journals, 1963-1971; market research report, 1971.

Gatehouse Motors Ltd., 1935-1953

This collection contains: petty cash books, 1949-1953; cash book, 1942-1951; sales ledger, 1935-1951; purchase day book, 1935-1944; purchase ledgers, 1935-1951; car storage accounts book, 1939-1944; other accounts books, 1935-1945; expenditure analysis books, 1944-1950; vehicle stock books, 1935-1950; correspondence relating to car storage, 1941-1944; other files and miscellaneous documents.

Gillott Motor Trade records, 1932-1957

This collection contains: vehicle stock-books, giving details of cars, a few motorcycles and also a few vans post-war, bought and sold by Mr Gillott, 1932-1936, 1951-1957; miscellaneous documents.

Jensen Motors Ltd., 1936-1994

This collection includes: agreements, 1936-1949; various financial records, includes monthly analysis of sales and production costs, 1947-1958, general ledgers, 1951-1967, papers relating to annual accounts, including stock details, c. 1957-1971, purchase balances, 1972-1973; correspondence relating to projects, suppliers and other firms in the industry, c. 1969-1974.

Rubery Owen Holdings Ltd., 1892-1986

Papers of Rubery Owen Holdings Ltd and predecessors; papers of subsidiary companies including: Darlaston Group; Conveyancer Group; Domestic Equipment Group; Fasteners Group; Distributors Group; C & L Hill Group; other subsidiary companies.

Trade union records:

Amalgamated Engineering Union and predecessors

National Union of Vehicle Builders and predecessors 

The archive contains the records of the United Kingdom Society of Coachmakers as well as its successor, the National Union of Vehicle Builders. Although the UKSC was only one of the unions which amalgamated to form the NUVB, it was the largest and the sequence of NUVB records generally followed on from those of the UKSC.

Executive Committee/National Executive Committee minutes, 1907-72; journal and financial reports, 1851-72; proceedings of national conferences, 1941-61; rules, 1859-67; Birmingham District minutes, 1923-8, 1943-7; Birmingham District files, 1942-53; Leeds District file re Grimsby & Cleethorpes municipal transport, 1947-58; London District minutes, 1919-23; shop stewards' conference minutes, 1921-6; 'Headlight', 1957-67; branch records, 1845-68; various publications, 1860s-1970s; circulars, 1956-72; newsletters, 1957-72.

Transport and General Workers' Union

Prior written permission to consult almost all unpublished records in this archive is required. Researchers should apply to Mr Jim Mowatt, Director of Education at the successor union UNITE, Transport House, 128 Theobald's Road, Holborn, London WC1X 8TD, or by e-mail care of Joyce Ajimotokan (jajimotokan@tgwu.org.uk). Publications may be consulted without permission. Unpublished material less than 20 years old is closed without special permission.

Central Office and Research Department files covering wide range of subjects.

Trades Union Congress

Includes subject files re the motor industry, road transport, industrial action and inter-union disputes.

Works managers' records:

C. R. F. Engelbach papers (Austin Company),1925-1949

This collection includes: correspondence, 1927-[1949?]; publications, 1933-1955; biographical material, (1935?)-1984; diaries, 1932, 1939; press cuttings, 1920s-1930s.

W.J. Cooper papers (Rover Company), 1942-1978

Copy of a handwritten manuscript by Cooper giving biographical details, 1978; papers relating to Rover Company Ltd, 1949-1967; papers relating to Morris Motors Ltd., 1942-1947; publications; handwritten notebook containing notes about industrial aspects of history, law, psychology, relations, welfare; social services; trade unionism and labour management; notes about the Beveridge Report.

Ron Savage papers (British Leyland), 1972-1981

Diaries and papers of Ron Savage, Industrial Relations Manager at British Leyland, Longbridge.

Shop stewards' records:

British Leyland Trade Union Committee papers, 1949-1978

Amalgamated Union of Engineering and Foundry Workers/ Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers. Oxford District: minutes, 1968-75.
British Leyland Trade Union Committee : minutes, 1968-77; correspondence; minutes of various shop stewards' committees, from 1949.
British Motor Corporation Joint Shop Stewards' Committee: minutes, 1952-4, 1958-78; correspondence, 1958-78.
Morris Motors AEF Shop Stewards' Committee: minutes, etc., 1968-70.
Morris Motors Joint Shop Stewards' Committee: minutes, 1960 and 1968-71.
National Motor and Ancillary Trades Shop Stewards' Committee: minutes, 1956-60; correspondence and circulars.
Nuffield Combine Shop Stewards' Committee: minutes, 1949-52.

Coventry Chain Shop Stewards' Committee, 1936-1980

Includes: minutes, 1936-80; some subject files, 1970s.

Richard Croucher papers

Includes: signed minutes of AEU shop stewards, Humber works, Coventry, including of AGMs, 1950-1963.

David and Tamar Edwards papers, 1949-1987 

Papers of Mr David Edwards from his work as a Rootes AEU shop steward: shop stewards' minutes, 1964-86; joint shop stewards' minutes, 1960-84; papers re pay and productivity, etc., 1968-84; Humber Joint Production Consultative and Advisory Committee minutes, 1949; Chrysler Combine minutes, 1976-8 (incomplete); various joint Chrysler / shop steward committee minutes, 1976-9; minutes of meetings re Stoke Plant Pay and Productivity Agreement, 1971; minutes of meetings with European trades unionists, 1979-80; subject files incl. pay and productivity, participation; agreements, 1967-87.

Papers of Mrs Tamar Edwards as a TGWU shop steward at Massey Ferguson: minutes and case files for Massey Ferguson, joint meetings of trade union representatives.

Dick Etheridge (shop steward at Longbridge) papers, 1946-1975

Shop stewards committee minutes, 1946-75; daily working notes, 1946-75; some subject files; extensive AUEW and Communist Party of Great Britain material.

Dr M. J. (Rien) Huiskamp papers, 1974-1976

Interviews with shop stewards and convenors at engineering plants in the Coventry area, including the British Leyland Motor Corporation; works conferences, branch and district meetings of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers, 1975; publications.

Peter Nicholas (shop steward at Tyseley) papers, 1947-1979 

Rover shop stewards minutes, 1950-75; British Leyland joint management committees minutes, 1976-9; Amalgamated Engineering Union, Birmingham East district, divisional, and local minutes, 1947, 1964-76; British Leyland Motor Corporation Combined Trade Union Committee various minutes, 1968-79; subject files.

Rolls Royce Joint Shop Stewards' Combine papers, 1963-1991

The deposit includes minutes of Negotiating Committee meetings, 1963-87 (1979-82 not deposited); minutes of other company meetings, 1981-4; minutes of Chairman and Convenors' meetings 1983-91; and a 'Bulletin', 1953-91.

Rover shop stewards' committees papers, 1949-1983

The Paul Worm Automotive Industrial Relations Collection includes: Rover Combine Shop Stewards' Committee minutes, 1952-55, 1959-60; Rover Group senior shop stewards' minutes, 1971-80 (incomplete); various Rover Solihull / Garrison Street shop stewards' minutes, 1960-83; Rover Tyseley Shop Stewards' Committee minutes, 1949-70; subject files; claims & grievance reports of Leyland Solihull, 1978-81; shop steward diaries, 1970-80 (incomplete); tapes & transcripts of interviews with Rover employees, 1979, 1982-3; Leyland agreements, 1970-83.
Transport and General Workers' Union. Rover Solihull 5/357 branch: minutes, 1960-79; Rover Solihull TGWU Production Shop Stewards minutes, 1972-80; Rover Solihull TGWU Works Committee, 1975-80 and other Rover Company branches' papers.

Richard Stynes (shop steward at Standard and Massey-Ferguson), 1944-1977

Papers and a tape recording of Stynes' reminiscences, re: local TGWU activities, and especially the Standard strike, 1956.

Alan Thornett (shop steward at Cowley) papers, 1951-1997

The Alan Thornett papers include Transport and General Workers' Union Oxford District Committee minutes, 1970-85; Transport and General Workers' Union branch 5/55 minutes, 1967-74; shop stewards' collecting books, 1963-76; correspondence files, 1957-88; motor industry publications, 1962-85; political publications, 1969-82; motor industry agreements, 1967-82; press-cuttings, 1951-81.

Links:

  • British Motor Museum at Gaydon, Warwickshire: Archive includes business records, publicity material and technical documents relating to the companies formerly included in the Rover Group (including Austin, British Leyland, Morris and Standard). Rover Group archives previously held at the MRC have been transferred to the British Motor Museum, reuniting the previously divided archive collection.
  • Coventry Archives
  • Coventry Transport Museum