My memories of working at Guy Motors. I started my employment at Guy’s in 1962, at the age of sixteen. The job interview was for a vehicle electrician on the production line. I was under the supervision of Frank Witton, and my foreman was Doug Walters. My job was wiring up the chassis and instrument panels on the Guy Otter, but they were soon to be phased out. I also worked on the Arab, Warrior and Victory bus chassis and the Big J.
I remember we had a great team of electricians, Frank my mentor, Albert Hope, Malcolm Harris, Chris Whitehouse, John Wakeman, Gordon Harris, Vick Middleton and Sid Hudson. We were all split up into two groups so we could work on both production lines mainly working on Arabs and the Big J.
in 1978, I had the opportunity to move into the Experimental Department as the electrician on a new prototype vehicle the T43, later named the Landtrain. The move also gave me an opportunity to pass my HGV Class 1, so I could also take vehicles out on test at MIRA. The team in the Dept were, John Powell, the foreman, Dougie Portsmouth, technician, Geoff Rolands, Ron Harris, Alan Raybold, Gerry Mitchell, Henry Hall, Ray Beresford, Peter Evans, Alan Meek, Richard Webley, Colin Binnell, John Goode.
A lot of the test work on the T43 / Landtrain was done at the army testing grounds at Bagshot, and Chobham in Surrey, which meant having to work away from home on a two week changeover. Happy Days, but unfortunately Guy’s closed down in 1982, and I clocked out for the final time at 2pm, on the 27th August.
My 20 years at Guy Motors were the most happiest in my working life.
