Richard Thomas and Baldwins
Richard Thomas and Baldwins of Wern Works, Briton Ferry, Neath, Glamorgan
of Spencer Works, Llanwern and Ebbw Vale Steelworks
1884 Private company created: Richard Thomas and Co.
1902 Baldwins was established, to acquire the businesses of E. P. and W. Baldwin, Wright, Butler and Co, Alfred Baldwin and Co, the Bryn Navigation Colliery Co and the Blackwall Galvanised Iron Co. [1]
1935 William Firth, chairman of Richard Thomas and Co announced that his company had purchased the assets of the Ebbw Vale Iron and Steelworks and that the first continuous hot strip mill outside the USA would be located there[2].
1945 Richard Thomas and Co merged with Baldwins Ltd creating Richard Thomas and Baldwins[3] an organisation of some 27,000 employees.
Later they decided to close the Wilden Ironworks (by then a tinplate works), declaring the workforce, many of whom lived in the village of Wilden redundant.
1951 Nationalised under the Iron and Steel Act; became part of the Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain[4]. This was the only company not de-nationalized by the Holding and Realization Agency.
1956 Acquired Partridge, Jones and John Paton Ltd from the Holding and Realization Agency[5]. Joint sales arrangements, and research and development with the Steel Company of Wales discontinued.
1961 Parent of 20 companies with 25,000 group employees.
By 1963 the company was the sole remaining nationalised steel company. It entered a bidding war with Stewarts and Lloyds over Whitehead Iron and Steel Co of Newport, saying it wanted to protect its market as Whiteheads, an independent reroller, was one of the major customers for slab produced by its new plant at Redbourn[6]. Baldwins was eventually successful.
1967 Became part of British Steel.
1968 Installed a 19-ton stripping crane made by Wellman Machines at their Ebbw Vale Works.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Wikipedia
- The Engineer of 17th May 1968 p768
- 1961 Guide to Key British Enterprises
- 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE