Leodis - a photographic archive of Leeds

Tingley Gasworks, two employees on their motorcyles

Description:
c1953. View of two employees posing for the camera on their motorcycles outside the newly built administration office block at Tingley Gasworks. Dennis Wright is seen on the left with Dennis Riley on the right. Dennis Riley worked for British Gas for many years and, by the time of his retirement, was in the position of Head Clerk.

User Comments:

Name:

Stephen Jones

Comment:

My very first full-time job commenced at Tingley gasworks in August 1974, though the production of coal gas had ceased by this time. Dennis Riley was a well known individual and was still working at Tingley during my time there.

Date:

14-Sep-2010

Email:

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Name:

GeoffB

Comment:

I worked at tingley gasworks from 1968 to 1971 when it closed as a gas production plant. Dennis Wright worked in grid control he played table tennis for the works team. dennis Riley was head clerk. I moved back to Tingley in 1975 with The maintenance department. Dennis Riley was still head clerk there until his retirement in the 1980s. I remember Stephen Jones (post prior to this)worked as a chemist there.

Date:

17-Sep-2010

Email:

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Name:

geoffb

Comment:

I worked at Tingley gasworks from 1968 unil its closure in 1971 as a Junior Technician. Denis Riley was the payments clerk in the general office, Dennis Wright worked in Grid Control, he was a good table tennis player. I then went back to Tingley in 1974, the works had been demolished and new temporary buildings errected for the engineering maintenance department. Dennis Riley was the head clerk there, he retired in the 1980s I think.

Date:

20-Sep-2010

Email:

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Name:

Graham A. Schofield

Comment:

CALLING ALL MOTORBIKE AFICIONADOS:- A colleague has suggested that the motorbike on the left might be a "Velocette" or a "Rudge" (because of the fish-tail exhaust), while the one on the right could be a "B.S.A.". If you look very closely at the forward end of the petrol-tank, you can just see what might be the "B.S.A." logo. Is that an "Austin A35" in the background? Is there anyone out there with any concrete evidence for these suppositions?

Date:

20-Sep-2010

Email:

GrahamScho@AOL.com

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Name:

Terry Watson.

Comment:

Graham, the bike you refer to could be a Sunbeam I believe they also had fishtails, and the car with bulbess wings may be a 95, but obviously it is Austin.(good old British stuff)

Date:

22-Sep-2010

Email:

Not displayed

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Name:

John Riley

Comment:

Hi Graham. I'm Dennis Riley's son (who supplied this photo). My dad confirms that his bike was a B.S.A. and he is pretty sure that Dennis Wright's bike was a "Velocette". My dad retired (voluntary redundancy) in 1985. He is now 85 years old and in good health

Date:

18-Dec-2010

Email:

john@hunslet.plus.com

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Name:

Graham A. Schofield

Comment:

Thanks to John Riley for confirming the names of the bike models. Does anyone out there have any ideas about the Austin car? As far as I can make out it is not an "A30 Seven" or an "A35", as both of those models had parking lights standing proud on top of the wings. And it is not an A95 as Terry Watson speculates. The A90 and A95 were 'Westminster Saloons' with far larger and flatter frontages than the one show here. They also had an air intake vent built into the top of the bonnet at the front. There are a couple of things about this car that need clarifying. (1) - Does the line down the side indicate the door seam? If it does, it is very, very close to the front of the car, thus making the wing extremely short - which leads onto, (2) - Look at the bonnet. It's got a large hump in it. See how the mascot is standing high above the wing. Now the 'A40 Devon' had a humped bonnet, but their wings were more curved, and swept back, down towards the bottom of the door, which incidentally was set quite well back from the front. The top of the wing here is set quite high up, and has a nearly horizontal profile. My personal thoughts are, that it is some sort of van. But what model, I don't know.

Date:

08-Nov-2012

Email:

GrahamScho@AOL.com

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Name:

Graham A. Schofield

Comment:

Regarding the Austin vehicle :- I asked an old friend, who had had two or three Austin Vans way back in the late 1950's about this. Our memories weren't what you would call 100%, but we came to the conclusion that the vehicle shown here is likely to be an "Austin A40 Devon Van" (10cwt.). Can anyone out there confirm this?

Date:

06-Dec-2012

Email:

GrahamScho@AOL.com

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Name:

R Craven

Comment:

I'll throw a spanner in the works and say it'd an A40 Somerset, more bulbous than the Devon.

Date:

11-Feb-2013

Email:

craven391@btinternet.com

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