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J Fairbanks Letters

To describe my involvement with John Bedson, is to turn back the clocks to c1952 when I returned to England after doing National Service with the Worcester Regiment in the jungles of Malaya.

My brother Fred Milward was working in the Fulford area as a builder and contactor at the time, and he asked me if I would be interested in working with him as an employee as I had served my time as a bricklayer.

It was while working on Fulford Manor Farm, for Mr Norman Bedson, that I first met young John Bedson who was still at school! In 1960 I decided to start up on my own as a builder doing general building work in the local area, eventually John’s father moved to Flatts farm and asked me to some work for him, which I did.

In the mean time John had taken over Manor Farm and required some work doing, work I was happy to do. John became a good friend and helped me in a roundabout way to achieve my ambition of being able to melt iron in my small blast furnace. My interest started in the jungles of Malaya as the patrol I was with had an occasion to pass a large open-cast tin mine which was in full production, it gave me thoughts of the numerous open water filled pits that abound in the Fulford/ Leadendale area.

Fate handed me an opportunity, when I started to work with John, as he was in the middle of refurbishing his old milking parlour system and replacing old worn out equipment with a new system. I purchased the 1.5 electric motor and sliding vane vacuum pump for the princely sum of £5.00.

With some adaptation I was able to convert a vacuum pump into a powerful compressor which combined with a controlled gas supply, enabled me to cast any metals in my crucibles up to 1,100 degrees C, which is cast iron.

With this equipment I was able to cast parts for the school bell attached to St Matthew’s Church Rough Close, new bronze bearing for the Christ Church Team, etc etc etc.

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