Cliffford Browne

1963 - 1973

Cost Accountant - Knitwear Division

I started work in the Berkshire in September 1963 straight from School, joining the Company as a Management Trainee on a 4 Year Management Trainee Course.

Two years were to be spent learning all the Office Procedures and two years on Factory Procedures. The first two years, on the Office side of the Business, went as scheduled and I worked in the various departments from Wages through to Production Planning, Bought Ledger to Accounts and it was in the latter department that I was eventually to spend most of my 10 years with the Company. Working with Brian Tompsett & Sherman Shaw and then later, when the Knitwear Section was developed, with Tom Thompson I became the Cost Accountant for that Division .

Having now retired I still rate my ten years in the ‘Nylon’ as the most enjoyable and satisfying time of my working Career, for several reasons.

First of all there were the people; some of the best work colleagues I have ever had and friendships were made that have lasted over the years with people like Brian Tompsett, the late Ted McCoy, Joe Neill, John (Bingo ) Orme, Jack Hughes and a host of others. This, in part, was due to my life long passion with racing pigeons, a hobby which all the afore mentioned also enjoyed. The ‘Nylon’ excelled with enough employees to have formed a very good pigeon club and at one stage we had contemplated this; however, the chief drawback was that we belonged to different racing organisations and so it would have been hard to have had a viable club.

Indeed, such was our enthusiasm for the sport that we used to requisition a table at lunch time in the Staff canteen to “Talk Pigeons” much to the consternation of men like Harry (Taffy) Lewis, Joe Donaldson, Eddie & Ernie Shannon who used to move to another table complaining that the feathers were choking them.

Yes, I have many happy memories of those days and its people . It was the sense of belonging to a family, albeit a very large family, which has remained over the years.

I well remember during my first days with the Company asking someone how they remembered who everyone was but the folk from the Ards, and the “Low Country”, were easy to get to know .

Another very important feature of ‘The Nylon’ were the advanced Accounting, Administrative & Manufacturing Systems which the company operated and it was not until I moved elsewhere, and saw how other companies both large and small operated, that I appreciated just how advanced the Berkshire Systems were. In some cases they were many years ahead of their time .

As well has having enjoyed my time in the Berkshire I learnt a great deal ,both about business systems and perhaps more importantly I learnt people skills and these have stood me in excellent stead over the years.

I owe a lot to those 10 years with the Berkshire and I wish Charlie Davidson and those who are helping him with this web site ever success with the venture .

It is a great idea Charlie, how do you feel about a reunion dinner sometime?

Please share a memory with all of us by sending an email to charles.davidson63@btinternet.com or even by Royal Mail to Charles Davison, 63 Donaghadee Road, Newtownards, Co Down. Northern Ireland BT23 7HB