Major town employer celebrated with special plaque
BBCA special plaque commemorating a prominent Newbury company's role in the town has been unveiled.
Elliotts of Newbury, which was based at what is now Bond House on Strawberry Hill, operated in the town between 1875 and 1974, first as a moulding and joinery business.
During World War One, it produced ammunition boxes and in World War Two made components for Spitfires, other aircraft and gliders used in the D-Day landings in 1944.
Following its closure in the 1970s, the site was redeveloped for Bayer. It is now owned by Fortem Property Management and being used for homes.
Sheila Welch, who met her husband at the factory, started working in its drawing office doing clerical work in 1953 and left in 1968 after she had her first son.
"When I started there there were 500 employees and it was one of the main employers in the town. There was hardly anyone who didn't know about Elliotts or someone who worked at Elliotts," she said.
Christina Brownell's father Paul, who is now 91, worked with his twin brother Carl at Elliotts.
Despite living and growing up in Alabama in the United States, she set up a Facebook page dedicated to the factory and its past.
"I've never heard a cross word about that company," she said. "In fact, people loved working there. People talk about how good they were to their families.
"My Dad can attest to how they would have street parties. It was just a family-friendly environment but when the war effort was going on, it was [made of] predominantly women [employees].
"People in Newbury have truly made me feel part of that community and that is a great feeling, being from across the other side of the pond."
