2nd April 2008 Hi Charlie           

John Wright informed me of your web site on Berkshire.  After my first visit I am impressed.
My name is Andy McCullough formerly from Donaghadee and I worked at the Dundonald plant from April 13th 1964 until August 1975.  I was interviewed by Harry Wickens and started in the Ancillary Dept. working initially as a Sewing Machine Mechanic and then sometime in 1966 I moved into the Maintenance Dept. as an Apprentice Electrician.  During my early years Luther Pawling was the Plant Manager.

I recall those days working at the plant with very fond memories, in fact I met my wife there and we have been married for 38 years this Friday.  We have lived in Canada for the past 31 years and have two married children and three grandchildren.

I will try to find amongst my many photos if I have any of the employees in Dundonald around that time.
I would be interested to hear if you have had any responses from any of the old Dundonald crowd.  I remember so many names.

I only visited/worked in the Ballyharry location on few occasions so I didn't know so many people there.  Dave Brown was the Maintenance Manager at the time and Maurice MaCauley and Jackie McDonald the Electricians.  Jackie eventually moved to Dundonald and became my boss.  John's brother Philip worked in Dundonald as an Apprentice Electrician for a period.

I don't know just how much I can add to your history record, but I would like to hopefully supply some additional data and names specifically related to the  Dundonald plant.
Anyway, your site is very much appreciated even if I don't know a lot of the folks who worked at Ballyharry.
Best regards
Andy McCullough
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Andy McCullough - May 2008.....continues     Click here to view Andy's photos
I started work on April 13 th 1964, in the Ancillary Dept. of the Berkshire plant in Dundonald. I was just 15½ and had little idea when I was interviewed by Harry Wickens just exactly what I was getting into.

So I turned up on my first day all decked out in a brand new navy boiler suit, which I soon learned was totally inappropriate for my job as a sewing machine mechanic. I must have looked like a complete country yokel as the department employed about fifty women most of who were from the East Belfast and Dundonald area and only one other male from Newtownards whose name was Cyril Boyd. It was difficult for me at first because those women sure knew how to embarrass me and I had to mature very quickly. Once I had gotten rid of the boiler suit, many episodes of red faces and had a few months experience working with all those women, I really started to enjoy my job. Sometime during the summer of ‘64 three girls who had finished their initial training at Ballyharry resumed their work at Dundonald.

One of those girls was Winnie Lovatt and it wasn’t too long after she came to work at Dundonald that I was eager to ask her out. We dated for a while and eventually she and I were married in April 1970 and we celebrated our 38 th wedding anniversary this past April 4 th 2008. There were quite a lot of changes at the Dundonald site over my term there and many, many happy days. I recall many of the workers from Dundonald around that time and I would love to hear from them if they should read this e-mail. I’m sure that some of them have moved to various parts of the world and sadly I know that some have passed on.

But I recall with fond memories my 11 years at the Dundonald location. It is with great sadness that on my frequent trips back “home” when I pass by the plant to see only a mere shell of what it used to be, although the Boiler House and the water storage tank still seem to remain. I remember the following names over the years. My apology in advance for both my incorrect spelling of names and to those who will have changed their names through marriage. In my mind’s eye I can see lots of faces from those Bershire/Ulster Hosiery days but some names have faded from memory over the years. From management and the front office;
Luther Pawling, Elizabeth (Liz) Savage from N’Ards, Miss Dunn (secretary to Mr. Ward), William (Bill) Johnston, with whom I still communicate every Christmas, Shelagh McCartney (nee Kitchen) from N’Ards. From the Ancillary Dept;
Pat Gordon (nee Mitchell), Mabel Humphries (nee Bailey), Dora McVeigh (nee Hunter), Kate Hodge, Anne McCartney, Peggy Little, Pauline Warke, Francis Bayliss, Lillian Thompson, Shirley Couser, Anna Bailey, Mavis McCrea, Helen Gibson, Kathy Cuthbert, Prudence Hill, Jean Shields, Pat Robinson, Jean Hunsdale, Cathy Ross, Irene Tate, Eleanor Majury, Eleanor Dempster, Susan Wellington, Charlotte Walker, Eileen Campbell, Lillian Tomelty, Jean McCarter, Janet McKitrick From Maintenance & Support Staff;
John Smith (Apprentice Electrician) from Dundonald, Archer Taylor (Electrician) from Donaghadee, Dessie Hayes (Electrician) from Bangor, Ian & Jackie McDonald (Electricians) from Bangor, Tommy Keenan (Labourer) from Dundonald, Isaac Gourley, (Joiner) from Greyabbey, Davy Young, (Labourer) from Belfast, Mike Smith (Fitter) from Dundonald, Jim McNulty (Fitter) from Bangor, Victor Maxwell (Fitter) from Dundonald, Billy Patton (Fitter) from Newtownards, Jim Fisher (Fitter) from Comber, Jack Wright (Fitter) from D’dee, Davy Patton (Fitter) N’ards, John Freeburn (Storeman) from Bangor, Annie Warke (Canteen Mgr) from Belfast, Jim and Henry McCarter (Machine Operators) from Tullycarnet, Alan McCarroll (Electrician) from N’Ards, Philip Wright (App Elect) from D’Dee, Jim McKendry (Fitter) from Bangor, Jimmy McMillan (Labourer) from N’Ards, Wesley Lowry (Labourer) from Bradshaw’s Brae, Robert McCausland from Dundonald, Jim Orr (Fitter) from Dundonald, Jim McIlwaine (Plant Manager) from Bangor, Bert Cromie from N’Ards, Neville Barrett, Sam Sandford from N’Ards, Tony Ross (Fitter) from N’Ards, Jim Brown (Machine Operator) from Belfast, Norman Fullerton (Assistant Storeman) from Dundonald,
From the Knitting Room;
Wallace Wigston, John Faloona, Jimmy Montgomery, John McCoubrey, Jackie Lightbody, George Aiken, Eric Hayes, John Harris.

My wife Winnie and I moved to Canada with our two children Simon and Andrea in August 1977. Winnie and I frequently travel back to Northern Ireland where we usually stay with my sister Susan in D’Dee. Both Simon and Andrea have families of their own now, Simon has a 6 year old daughter named Ella and Andrea a set of twins, Liam and Emily aged eight months.