The Service Trade Yesteryear...The view of someone I knew.

[ms660]

Prompted by a post I did in Mikes' (Colbaltblue) thread:

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?t=166714

Where I mentioned a S/H TV shop called KTV which was at Tuckingmill, near Camborne.

Here's the proprietor (Mr Webb) airing some his views in Practical TV, it's exactly how I remember him:

https://www.americanradiohistory.com...arch=%22ktv%22

https://www.americanradiohistory.com...arch=%22ktv%22

https://www.americanradiohistory.com...arch=%22ktv%22

https://www.americanradiohistory.com...arch=%22ktv%22

https://www.americanradiohistory.com...arch=%22ktv%22

Anyone else down this way remember Mr Webb?

His views on refunds towards the end of his article in the last link made me smile.

Lawrence.

[Cobaltblue]

I don't think I ever had the pleasure although I wish I had take the time to meet him now he's a real character from those articles.

I think he was bowing out just as the worst of the changes to the industry were hitting hard.

I wonder about the local competition the Camborne/Redruth are has quite a large population for Cornwall and historically quite wealthy as can be seen by some of the Grand Buildings.

I spent the later years of my youth in Liskeard having left St Ives in 1969. In Liskeard the TV trade was incredibly competitive with four main dealers that immediately come to mind as well as a dozen or more one man outfits.

At that time the one man outfits that I knew were scraping a living and I would say not with Mr Webb's positive outlook!

One Mr Westlake who had his workshop just off Station Rd was pretty grumpy. His workshop was a real eye opener was full of old sets going back to the beginning of the industry. I was not collecting in a serious way at that time having half a dozen or so pre-war sets mostly obtained from the Stony Bridge Dump. He never offered me any of his old junk and it was was all destroyed when he died his workshop bulldozed to make way for houses.

By that time I was working in Hampshire and knew nothing about it.

These Characters you meet along the way

Cheers

Mike T

[ms660]

Yes, the name Westlakes rings a bell, I also knew St Ives quite well moons ago as I lived not far from there, Turners was the independent I remember at St Ives, also ETS for who I once worked, their head office and workshop was at Helston, initially at the Angel Yard when I was there then later at Water Ma Trout estate on the outskirts of Helston, they had branches in most of the principle towns in Cornwall, did most areas now and then on outside service, always a challenge doing rural, no A to Z......."Mrs Bloggs, The Bungalow, somewhere near Wadebridge and there's know one in before 4pm"

It was a bit of a contrast to doing fifteen plus calls a day in Manchester or London, some fast troubleshooting was called for then....or some silent out card delivery......"coooweee she's round the back" Oh bu**er

Could write a book about my days in the TV game, from Doweger's to Strangeways, from van to put-put boat....

Lawrence.

[Simon Gittins]

I remember KTV, ETS and Turners.

Another character still trading in the 1970s was Trevor Hart of Redruth; he had been in the trade since the early days, his sign said "Wireless Mechanic". Transformer and motor rewinds were his main trade.

[poppydog]

I remember ktv in Tuckingmill from a while back, Arthur Daley springs to mind..

[ms660]

Originally Posted by Simon Gittins

I remember KTV, ETS and Turners.

Another character still trading in the 1970s was Trevor Hart of Redruth; he had been in the trade since the early days, his sign said "Wireless Mechanic". Transformer and motor rewinds were his main trade.

Yes, KTV he used to buy a lot of TV's from ETS when I worked there.

Was the motor rewinds on the Mt Ambrose road or was that someone else?

I didn't work the Redruth area until about '79.

Worked the Falmouth area in the early '70's at Radio Engineering in Falmouth, there was a tech there that used to work for Gears on the Moor at Falmouth, his first name was Tony, can't remember his last name for sure but it could have been Ellis.

I'm sure a bloke named Gittens used to deliver sand and cement etc to our place when I lived near St Day, I think he was out Redruth way somewhere, possibly near Sinns or Scorrier, can't remember for sure.

Lawrence.

[ms660]

Originally Posted by poppydog

I remember ktv in Tuckingmill from a while back, Arthur Daley springs to mind..

Rex was a real character, on the odd occasion I would call in there and help out with some repairs, he used to be in a local band/group at one time, I remember him showing me a photo of himself and the legendary Bill Cockle in the early days, Bill was a friend of his, Bill Cockle, who had black ethnic origins was a well known character in Truro he used to frequent the Navy Arms in Truro as did I back then.

Lawrence.

[Simon Gittins]

Originally Posted by ms660

Was the motor rewinds on the Mt Ambrose road or was that someone else?

I think it was.

I'm sure a bloke named Gittens used to deliver sand and cement

Not me!

I remember a large crowd around Turners window in about 1968, there was a colour TV in there!

[ms660]

The last time I worked with Mr Turner was on a refurb job on one of the Eddy's properties on the Higher Stennack, St Ives, where St James Court is now, he was doing the electrical work.

Lawrence.