Hello Everyone

[chinatyke]

Hello everyone. I'm a newbie here.

I worked in Barlick between 1962 and 1964, first at Windle and Bowkers accountants and then at John C Carlson at Butts Mill, which was taken over by T B Ford whilst I was there. I got the sack on leap day 29th February 1964 which I always regarded as my bad luck that there was an extra day that year. I think the reason given was insubordination and not that I was a cheeky little brat who swore at his boss!

I was born in Earby but left there when I was 4 years old and moved to Colne. Now I'm retired and living the ex-pat life in the tropics in the People's Republic of China, a great country. I love reading about the Craven area and it brings back many memories when I read the postings. I hope I can contribute in the future.

Graham Lowcock

[Sunray10]

Welcome Graham from China. Hope you enjoy yourself here on OGFB there's lots of topics to look at and plenty of interesting photos and much, much more. And plenty of fond memories of Earby where you grew up as well as the surrounding towns and villages.

[Stanley]

Graham, welcome to the site. Pile into the topics and join in, hope you enjoy the experience.

[chinatyke]

Thanks Guys.

[SAC]

Hello Graham
I am interested to know when you worked at Windle and Bowker was it on Station Road ? We have just been talking about the year it moved from upstairs at the Midland bank on Newtown. Also who were the Owners then. I vaughley remember an old Mr Bowker in the late 70's but he only came in to visit not to work.
Thanks SA

[chinatyke]

Hello SA.

Windle and Bowker was on Station Road when I started there in 1962. My brother started for them in 1960 and I don't recollect him working in the Bank Chambers, I'll ask him. There was a wooden annexe office at the back of the building and that was where I worked. You've jogged my memory about Old Mr Bowker, he did drop in but wasn't an active partner as far as I can remember. Others who were there: Winifred the secretary who'd been there forever as far as I could gather, and Gwyneth, also a secretary. The partners were Norman Petty, Peter Gill, and Dennis Robinson. There was also Zanker (he had a polish name like Zankowic, first name was possibly Alan) and Derek Underwood, Ray and my brother Rodney Lowcock. Sorry the details are sketchy because it was a long time ago.

I was a humble audit clerk and found accountancy to be pedantic and boring. I left before becoming articled or I would have been indentured and trapped for the next 5 years. In those days we worked 5 weekdays and Saturday mornings and my pay was £2 10s 0d per week, £2 2s 4d net after they took out the stamp. 15/- went to my Mum for 'board', about 12/- went on bus fares, and I was left with about 15/- from which I bought my own lunches and everything else. It sounds incredible nowadays.

Graham

[Stanley]

Yes, but prices were low. I bought Hey Farm for £2,200 in 1959 with seven acres of land. Now that is incredible, a wagon driver on 3/6 an hour buying a farm! Norman Petty was my accountant, remember how he was Yorkshire cricket obsessed?

[chinatyke]

Norman Petty was a lovely gentleman. He was made a Justice of the Peace whilst I was at W & B. My brother would help him with his audits and then Norman would take him to Wynn's(?) Gentlemen's Outfitters in Skipton and buy him a jacket and trousers in appreciation. My father died when I was 15 and I'm sure Norman was aware my mother was struggling. I remember him telling me he was disappointed with my decision to leave the accountancy profession and how I was "a natural". It may have been bull but I still remember it 50 years later. Yes, I recollect his great interest in cricket.

The surname of Ray was Wilkinson. My brother thinks the move from the Midland Bank Chambers to Station road happened in 1958 or 1959.

[SAC]

Thanks for that
It was Peter Gill who took me on straight from school in 1977 and with breaks for children and a coulple of other jobs I am still there . I still see Derek Underwood in Barnoldswick occasionaly and Mr Gill is living nearby. We dont have the "shed" in the car park anymore but a extension at the back and another level on the top.
SA

[Tizer]

Graham, you're living in China, you say - that's a bit extreme isn't it? Or did you run off with all the money from Windle & Bowkers?

[chinatyke]

Hi Tizer.

Graham, you're living in China, you say - that's a bit extreme isn't it? Or did you run off with all the money from Windle & Bowkers?

Nope, I wouldn't run off with another person's money, we were brought up to be honest and it is a principle that I've espoused all my life. I know you are only joking.

Extreme? The People's Republic of China is a great place, it isn't like the picture painted in the Western newspapers. Communism is different but it is NOT a bad way of government and the leaders look after their people to the best of their abilities, not squabble amongst themselves like they do in Parliament. I live in a modern city and genuinely have more freedom and safety than I had in the UK. I love life here in the Tropics, 35C and sunny yesterday, 30C and sunshine forecasted for today. And being a Yorkshireman I love the low cost of living!

Hi SA,

Didn't Alan (Foxy) Farnworth work there also? My brother is still in touch with him. The annexe wasn't called the shed when I worked there. It was quite luxurious and put up by Bobby Lambert of Lambert's Joiners if I remember correctly. It was cozy but suffered the disadvantage of being overlooked from Robbo's office.

Accountancy must have changed tremendously in your career. Data punch cards and comptometer operators were the state of the art technology when I started, computers were only a dream.

Graham

[Stanley]

My accountant for many years was Allan Farnworth and we never had a single problem. I have an idea that as the quality of the Inland Revenue declined and they came under more pressure, any accounts submitted by one of the old-fashioned accountants were simply nodded through. I had a lot of contact with Peter Gooby in the early days when I was first chairman of the Bancroft Trust, another lovely bloke.... I never regretted paying money to Croft House, over the years they saved me far more than I spent and of course I always had total peace of mind. From some of the horror stories I hear these days I'm glad I'm out of the loop!

[PanBiker]

The annexe wasn't called the shed when I worked there. It was quite luxurious and put up by Bobby Lambert of Lambert's Joiners if I remember correctly. It was cozy but suffered the disadvantage of being overlooked from Robbo's office.

That would be my Uncle Bob, my dads brother, he worked in the firm as well. Yes, Bob really was my Uncle!

Welcome to the site Graham.

[chinatyke]

That would be my Uncle Bob, my dads brother, he worked in the firm as well. Yes, Bob really was my Uncle!

Welcome to the site Graham.

Thanks.

Your Uncle Bob was quite a character. I remember being in his office one day and noticing he had a book on hypnotism. When I enquired about it he said he was interested and asked me if I wanted a demonstration. I declined his offer, so I'm not sure if he was joking or whether he really could hypnotize people. Perhaps you know if he could?

[Stanley]

An accountant capable of hypnotising a client sounds like a dangerous beast!

[PanBiker]

Never heard anything of his interest in hypnotism. He was quite a character though, a fantastic French polisher, woe betide anyone who disturbed the air in the upstairs room at the Skipton Road workshop where he finished off the coffins he built. You could see your face in them when they were ready for the client. He was in the Masons as well, someone once wrote "Bob's Place" on the outside wall of the lodge.

[ROD LOWCOCK]

Hi

FYI, my brother Graham passed away in hospital in Nanning, China, on 29th December 2021.

[Wendyf]

Hello Rod, so pleased to see you on One Guy! We have all missed Graham's regular contributions to the site, he stuck with us until 11th December when he said his goodbyes and signed out.

[Wendyf]

It was the actually the 21st December that he sent me an email asking me to post his goodbye message on here.

[plaques]

Hi Rod, Graham was one of the good guys. Never afraid to say his bit and contradict the knowalls, including myself, and put us straight. Hope you add a bit of colour to the site like Graham did. Different opinions always welcome.

[Gloria]

It was the actually the 21st December that he sent me an email asking me to post his goodbye message on here.

I never saw that Wendy, and put a query on here a short while ago commenting he’d not been on the site for a while, I was told the sad news.

[Tizer]

He was quite a character and I enjoyed reading his posts, especially when I learnt more about China and its ways.

[PanBiker]

Indeed, Graham is sadly missed.

[Wendyf]

It was the actually the 21st December that he sent me an email asking me to post his goodbye message on here.

I never saw that Wendy, and put a query on here a short while ago commenting he’d not been on the site for a while, I was told the sad news.

Sorry that you missed it Gloria, I posted in 2 topics, Today I Shall be Mainly and Medical Matters. Here is a link:

https://oneguyfrombarlick.co.uk/viewtop ... il#p192221

[Gloria]

Thankyou Wendy.