The Clerk was lucky enough to get a call from a Mrs Margaret Pipe who had been cleaning out her attic when she came across some belongings of her husband John who had died 10 years previously. She sent a copy of his apprentice indenture (left) which is now in the Archive. But her letter provides a real feel for what it was like to work in gloving in the 50’s when those that worked in the factory also played together in their free time.
Margaret wrote saying:
Dear Glovers,
Please find attached two photos. I would say looking at them he must have been in his apprenticeship when the photos were taken, because he looks quite young in them. I think the cup is the football FA Cup. I completely forgot about them, it was on my way home I remembered them. Astoria Glove traded from Virginia Park, Pontygwindy Road in Caerphilly and John had a good two minute walk to work as he also lived on Pontygwindy Road.
John was 10 years older than me and I didn't know him until about 1966 after I had been working at the factory for a while. When the ordering system changed I used to receive all the orders and had to go over to the Cutting Shop to use the order printing tool that was installed there.
By then the factory was known as Western Glove and they made gloves for Marks & Spencer, Woolworth, Dent, Millington and others that I can't recollect. As far as I'm aware we only made ladies gloves.
The owner then was Herbert Altschul and he had a brother that we knew as Willie.
In both pictures John is the third one in. The other people as far as I'm aware are cutters except second one from left bottom row is Mick Smith who was the general handyman. Bottom row on both photos first on right is Ken Lorrey. Top row first on right on bottom photo is Ken Huxtable who was my boss and manager of the ironing room.
I used to help out if it was busy and also had an iron at home. I'm sorry if I'm going on about me, but I don't really know much about John’s glove cutting career, except that he was a leather cutter - but I do know that he was very proud of evading National Service because of his apprenticeship. I have the letters from the Ministry of Defence.
He was a good sportsman and from the age of about 17 he played table tennis. In later years he was in the premier division of the Cardiff and District League. He knew everything about football and rugby and also played tennis.
Unfortunately he passed away in January 2002.
Margaret Pipe
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