Hi Brian, glad to hear BUP have been of help. They have a huge archive of local knowledge. There are still loads of old timers around here that have interesting stories to tell - I find this out often when I park up in a pub - they just see the bike and it's "when I were a lad . . . " My Gf worked in the factory in the 30/s40s but got hauled off to Birkenhead to build liberty ships in the war. Apparently visits from the forces people took a regular cull from a lot of industries at that time. My father also worked at the plant in the 50s, but a similar thing (National Service) took him off to the Navy. Niether are around today to tell the tale though, but I find it fascinating to hear from those who still are.
Cheers,
Neil