- Contributed by听
- The Stratford upon Avon Society
- People in story:听
- Jack Chaplin
- Location of story:听
- Stratford Area
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A3908117
- Contributed on:听
- 17 April 2005
21 鈥 Jack Chaplin (born 1924) talks about the Peak Engineering Co.:
鈥淭he Peak Engineering Company originated in London during the blitz, and it existed in name only. This is what George Hayes told me, in those days you had to get a licence to move out of London because of the blitz, you could get a special licence to set up somewhere else. This bloke 鈥 whatever was his name, he rang the War Ministry and said my factory鈥檚 been bombed out, could you make arrangements to move me out of town, I鈥檝e got some of the equipment about there somewhere when I鈥檝e sorted it all out. Of course, there was so much going on in those days with bombs flying everywhere, that not much check was made of what he was saying, and in the background he had got somebody banging a kettle, and a drum or something , and said 鈥榳e鈥檙e doing our best to keep going, and got no roof and 鈥︹ So, he got the requisite money together and moved to Shipston, next to the White Horse, it was Downsett Garage then, and that is how the Peak Engineering Company started, which is what he said, and I don鈥檛 doubt.
He was so cute, he refused to join the Home Guard, he didn鈥檛 join the services, this chap. He was taken to court for refusing to join the Home Guard 鈥 I don鈥檛 know what happened in the end - I got called up鈥︹
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