Alice Hartley
1999/127 Alice Hartley interviewed in her own home by Dr Heather Holmes on 10 August 1999
000 Leaving Nelsons; nelson management
025 Takeover by Thomson; reactions of workers; meetings with management
047 Starting at Nelsons’ work paths; invoicing department
059 Starting from school; interview
066 Application to Nelsons
080 First job at Nelsons; invoicing work, scope and nature
088 Working in a drawing office in Nelsons
110 Work in wages department; making up piecework wages; working atmosphere
131 Summer trip; locations
141 Christmas dances; clubs; badminton competitions
165 Welfare facilities; work of Miss Park with women; enjoyment of work
182 Making of friendships; arrangement of invoicing department
192 Distribution of books
196 Mr Nelson walked around factory
200 Addressing Mr Nelson; contact
206 Travellers; French books
212 Books and prices; classification of books including French Classics; English Classics
234 Classics and covering of jackets
249 Invoicing systems; page layout in invoice books; costing department; period of work spent in invoicing
269 Work of office juniors; sales
280 Character of workers in the office departments
282 Work of wages department
292 Going to bindery to show piecework dockets; arrangement of piecework payment; work rates; location of bindery; location of artists
317 Piecework in the bindery; presence of departments; contact with departments; location of wareroom
329 Interviewing work with SAPPHIRE
341 Custom of work with married women
348 Customs on getting married; subscription; dressing up; changing practice of employment for married women
359 Wedding presents; other relations working in Nelsons
368 Husband as Assistant Secretary
374 Pitch and put course; putting green; playing of bowls and competition; tennis court; badminton competitions
389 Works canteen
393 Location of home residence; going to and from Nelsons
400 Work hours; change in working day; period for lunch; tea break
407 Heads of departments
410 Addressing heads of departments
414 Changes to invoicing system; arrangement of office departments
424 Number of people involved in the office departments; travellers and their location; export department and its work
438 Sales during 1930s; falling sales
450 No seasonal flux in the work; some special Christmas work
454 Work in Second World War; books sold in France; men absent
463 Firewatching; work with sigs; annual stocktaking
474 Changes in work in Second World War; firewatching; special work undertaken by Nelsons
508 Work in the drawing office; helping with the wages
519 Work in costing department; index system
524 Good place to work; change in atmosphere
532 Work of husband and changes with Thomson takeover
540 Thomson takeover and reorganisation
547 Relations with Ronnie Nelson; comparison with Ian Nelson; contribute to Ronnie Nelson’s 21st birthday
553 Ronnie coming round the factory; character of Ronnie Nelson
564 Size of firm
571 Poor wage rates; difficulty of obtaining employment in 1930s; number of typists
594 Promotion to head of invoicing; work invoicing including throughput
622 Working with a contometer; description; checking invoices
634 Problems with invoices
639 Mrs Wilson worked in typing; husband in wareroom
643 Training; lot of work to be undertaken
651 Quiet periods; arrangement of work for typists
668 Women stayed for a long period
674 Relations between the office staff and the factory floor; movement around the factory
688 World War 1 memorial; description of plaque; printing machine in South Hall
711 Royal visit in 1948; no recollection
724 Visits of people around the firm; some departments frequently visited
739 Reemployment in Nelsons; reasons for going back to work
753 Good relations between employees
755 Printing machine in South Hall; description; final destination; litho machines were large
776 Reaction to closure; happy form but poor wages; wage rates
791 Good employment conditions; happy place to work
806 Differences in wage rates between departments; insurance scheme brought in late; time off when husband died; other relations working in Nelsons
827 Office staff not unionised
830 Relations between heads of department, Nelson and Senior management; names of Directors
839 Football sweep; reasons for discontinuance
852 Contacting Mr Wilson; work in wareroom
873 Experience of badminton club
END