Recorded Memories

Frank Dudley Interview. September 1998.

Mr Frank Dudley 49 years at Atkins Bros eventually became Managing Director ‘It was a general thing to do then, young fella’s that were starting work were on the train to Leicester Tech’

‘The week before we were married she gave her notice in and left to stay at home to look after me’

The rise through the firm was gradual – in charge of department, then assistant to manager of the underwear department and then manager. Mr Dudley enjoyed his working life, a good firm to work for and with ‘a wonderful spirit’. He loaned me a photograph commemorating employees 40 years with the firm. Mr Jock Atkins started work for the family firm in 1924. Frank was married at the age of 24 and his wife-to-be handed in her notice a week before her marriage, she had been secretary to Mr Pickering of Ferry Pickering. As remarked by Frank ‘There was no such thing as carrying on like everybody does these days, the week before we were married she gave her notice to stay at home and look after me. That was the procedure in those days.’ At one time only one week off in the summer and Mr Dudly remembers people streaming down to Hinckley station to get on the trains, special trains, running on Friday night or Saturday morning to coastal resorts – Blackpool, Great Yarmouth, Skegness.’ Atkins Bros encouraged families to continue to work for them – generation after generation. When someone went for a job the first thing they were asked was ‘who’s your father?’ Atkins Bros was a family business - ‘go back in the Atkins fraternity several generations back - Mrs Atkins started the factory with her sons and kept in the family tradition right up until the colonel, then Bob Atkins.’ It’s all finished now, ‘sad really, doesn’t mean anything’.

There were a lot more girls employed than men – 20 knitters but 200-300 girls and a big proportion came from Nuneaton and Attleborough. They would use the Midland Red buses and sometimes work until 7 o’clock doing overtime.

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