WEEK 42

William Charles

William Charles, born in 1880 in Masbrough, Rotherham, married my second great aunt, Winifred Pinder, in 1908.

William co-founded both the Rotherham Steel Strip Company and the Rother Boiler Company.

Below are a couple of articles pertaining to the Rotherham Steel Strip Company.

The 1937 Rotherham and District Annual

The Rotherham Steel Strip Co., Ltd., are manufacturers of cold rolled steel strip, and they works are at Westgate, Rotherham. The firm bought the Baths Foundry, which had been standing idle many years, and installed a cold rolling mill, work commencing in January, 1917.

Rotherham Steel Strip Company Limited (left-hand side)

The business was founded by Mr. John Beever, the late Mr. Arthur Beever, Mr. Alfred Charles, and Mr. William Charles. Mr. John Beever and the late Mr. Arthur Beever had had experience in this trade during the whole of their lives, and saw it grow from very small beginnings. For many years they were managers of a local cold rolling mill.

The members of the firm are all local men hailing from the Kimberworth district. From the commencement to December, 1920, things went very slowly, but in January, 1921, Mr. Beever gathered together several men who had worked with him before and who were fully experienced, and began to extend. There are now 24 pairs of cold rolls, six annealing furnaces, and ten slitting and pairing machine, and 160 men are employed.

Rotherham Steel Strip Company (advert)

The firm are doing a large business with the cycle and motor trades, and can keep the present mills in employment. There is room to extend, and as trade improves, more plant will be installed and the output increased. The present capacity of the works is about 200 tons per week.

The firm’s specialities are bright cold rolled strip steel for cycle rims, mudguards, etc., annealed steel for stamping and presswork, black hooping for packing cases and cable tape, corset steel, cold rolled strip steel for driving chains, etc., cold rolled steel for clock springs, and all classes of hardened and tempered steel; stainless steel, rustless iron, cutlery steel, goffing square, aircraft steel, including stainless, nickel, nickel chrome, in bars, sheets, and strips, flyer and spindle steel, and razor steel strip.

The firm have now installed plant for the manufacture of safety razor blades, and have one of the most up to date factories in the country. All the firm’s blades are manufactured at their works from the billet to the finished blade and from guaranteed Sheffield steel. They make blades to fit all types of holders at popular prices.

Rotherham Steel Strip Classic Blade – 1937

THE ADVERTISER, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1923.

LOCAL WORKS FIRE.

DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT £5000.

It is estimated that £5000 damage was caused on Saturday night by a fire at the works occupied by the Rotherham Steel Strip Company Ltd., and the Rother Boiler Company, Ltd., Baths Foundry, Westgate, Rotherham.

After receiving the call at 8.35 p.m., the Corporation Fire Brigade, under Sergt. Briddon, found on their arrival that a two-storey building at the bottom of the yard was blazing fiercely, the roof being in jeopardy. Four jets from the street mains were directed on to the blazing building, and the fire was got under control in about half an hour.

It is fortunate that the flames were prevented from spreading to the adjoining shops, among which are oil and paint stores belonging to another firm.

Rotherham Steel Strip Company Limited (site of)

The manufacture of steel strips was carried on on the ground floor of the works involved, and the rooms above were devoted to boiler making in copper, etc. Damage was done to the plant and machinery, and about 20 men will be temporarily thrown out of employment.

It is thought that a defective flue was the cause of the outbreak.

In another part of the same works on Saturday morning a slight fire was caused by a quantity of oil becoming alight near a furnace.

The same evening the severing of a 2.5 inch gas main caused considerable trouble, a big blaze having to be dealt with before the supply could be cut off.