Overview
They Taught Us Skills for Life: We are the Engineers! Scotland's labour history has been the subject of many important studies, surveys, articles and books. Some of those published represent the invaluable collection of local groups and amateur historians, while others have been, and are, produced by academics and labour officials. The general expectation, even in Scotland, is that these works should be written in Standard English, regardless of the everyday speech of the workforce. For this publication, however, it seemed more important to transcribe, as recorded, the voices of folk whose vitality of language and expression gives a brighter reflection of their experiences during work and leisure.This book has grown out of an oral history project, 'The End of the Shift', which aims to record the working practices and conditions of skilled workers in Scotland's past industries. Publicity about the project caught the interest of a group of retired engineers, who had all served apprenticeships with a prestigious Kirkcaldy firm, Melville-Brodie Engineering Company.Having lived through times when Scotland seemed blighted by industrial closures, the engineers could identify with 'the end of the shift' as they had experienced the effect of closing down Melville-Brodie Engineering Company. The entire workforce was dispersed, and with it, the skills, expertise and wisdom of generations. Kirkcaldy also lost a company that had been the pride of Scottish engineering.Over the years, as the retired engineers reflected on the radical changes that have taken place since their 'second to none' training, they began to realise the importance of recording knowledge and skills for posterity. They also wanted to remember the firm that trained them, and so they planned a memorial to be erected on the site of Melville-Brodie Engineering works. It was to be designed and made by the men themselves, and in May 2014,the group had the satisfaction of seeing the plaque unveiled by Mrs June Shanks, daughter of the celebrated engineer, Robert Burt Brodie. Standing beside her were the two oldest Melville- Brodie 'boys' (aged 94 and 89), Bob Thomson and Willie Black, and the Secretary of the Melville-Brodie Retired Engineers' Club, Dougie Reid.Councillor for Kirkcaldy East, Kay Carrington, who supported the project, represented Fife Council as she addressed the audience and the media:This is a really exciting project because it shows our past history, how we made a difference, not just in Kirkcaldy, but in the wider world. Melville-Brodie engineers did everything that we're proud of in Scotland. We need to keep the story alive to enable us to take that forward to children and grandchildren in the future.
Full Product Details
Author: Margaret Bennett
Publisher: Grace Note Publications
Imprint: Grace Note Publications
Dimensions:
Width: 15.60cm
, Height: 0.70cm
, Length: 23.40cm
Weight: 0.304kg
ISBN: 9781907676666
ISBN 10: 190767666
Pages: 184
Publication Date: 15 March 2016
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Author Information
MARGARET BENNETTprize-winning author, well known singer and broadcaster. She has written extensively about Scottish folklore and culture at home and abroad and her eleven books include Scottish Customs from the Cradle to the Grave. She is the recipient of several honours including The Celtic Women International Award (2003), Honorary Life Fellow of the Association of Scottish Literary Studies (2010), Honorary Doctor of Music (2010, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow), le 'Prix du Quebec' (2011) and the Royal Scottish Academy has recently appointed her Honorary Professor Antiquities (2012).
