Wessex Industries (Poole) Ltd and Wrigley

[ahsirt]

I am trying to find some literature on the history of Wessex Industries (Poole) Ltd and their product range "Wrigley". Also information on Arthur and Harold Wrigley.

[toyotaanthony]

I left school 1n 1966 & worked there as an apprentice welder /fitter till Wessex closed in 1972/3. Nothing ever said about Arthur Wrigley, presumably he passed away in the '60's. I was put with Stan King who built all newly desiegned trucks with close teamwork from the draughtsman Sid Vernals. These trucks were built of individual cut/gas profiled plates of any thickness required from 5/16'' up. A new truck would be constructed on a huge cast level block with slots for bolt clamps to be slid into & tightened on the plate to prevent the plate pulling up & shrinking' once a weld has been passed through the single vee joint. All the plates were oxy-propaned/sawn or formed in the ''long shop'' from drawings. This was a 300 foot long by 90 foot wide engineering workshop divided down the whole length with canvas screens for sparks /dust. Entry was from a welding shop floor, 200 foot lg X 175 ft wide (APPROX), about 20 welding 'bays squared off by green canvas screens. Up the right hand side/long shop,were the grinders & sanders. Next two cylinder rollers,these formed all radiuses in all/any plates. 'Rhodes' guillotine where youd look thro right angled prisms to see the scribed line then press the treddle. Up further were three Lockheed bandsaws & long runways. Behind were the extensive steel racking that we'd climb to sort out some required steel/strip or girder ect. Fly press croppers (6) on long benches so angle iron could be fed along to have a notch cropped into a flange for a lot of trolleys required folding to form a chassis or carrier, these only needing one weld to join the frame & each notched web. Down the left hand side of long shop the entrance came from the works yard with wide opening for lorries. to one side were the three oxy profilers with 12ft sq bins, along the other wall all the steel sheets in verticalstalls. Wrigley started about 1945 designing caravans. the main money spinner were a very strong /solid 2"X 1/8"angle iron sack trucks in batches of 300 + . Low indusrial trolleys flat bed with a handle tow bar,these were a boarded frame 4ft X 3ft X 2inch & 2 wheels. The hitch was a curved tube 3ft long + T handle welded to a narrow axle + 2 wheels will write more when time allows contact me on [email protected]

[jeanhm]

I'd like to correct the entry below. Arthur Wrigley was certainly still living in Canford Cliffs in the mid 1970s as my Mum and I used to go and use his beach hut there and he made me a gold cross for my confirmation in 1975. My mother Maureen Verney was Harold Wrigley's secretary between 1958 ish and 1963 when Harold died and Arthur started to lose interest in the company. Arthur sold his share of the company about 1965 though my mum had left by then.

[CrafsmanOwner]

I am searching Information about the Caravan "Craftsman" build by Wessex Industries (Poole).

When did Wessex Industries start to sell the caravan and when did the stop production?

Did the company change the design during the produktion era?

Are there a productionnumber, VIN or any other identifikation code on the "Craftsman" Caravan?

Iˋm thankfull for all hints