Technical Societies in the Potteries in the Post-War Period

Stoke-on-Trent was rich with technical societies.

The British Ceramic Society has been fully dealt with in many publications and I will not elaborate. Sufficient to say that the technical staff of most companies attended the meetings.

The North Staffordshire Fuel Society had been formed during the war to help promote fuel efficiency in the local industries. To list the founder and council members of that time is a local “Who’s Who” of the period.
They were the fuel providers and main fuel users of the time: H.A. Morfey (founder President), H.T. Morfey and H.F. Cooper of Shelton Iron and Steel, Jack Stanier and A.T. Challinor of Etruria Gas Works, W.C. Colclough of what was to become the National Coal Board, S. Scholefield of what was to become the Midlands Electricity Board, Eric Gibbons of Gibbons Kilns, A. Watts of Shell-Mex, Stanley Hind, ceramic consultant, A.T. Green of British Ceramic Research, L. Bullin of Richards Tiles and E.R. Patrick of the North Staffordshire Technical College (to become the North Staffs University). There were many other equally notable members and the ability of the society to attract most eminent speakers was a testimony to its’ reputation.

The Stoke-on-Trent Association of Engineers was active. All major companies, both ceramic and others, were represented in the membership.

Many companies were practicing Work Study (Motion and Time Study) and the North Staffs Society of Work Study Engineers was formed in 1953.

Ceramic Education in The Potteries

The qualification offered in the late 40’s and the 50’s was “The Pottery Managers Certificate”. This was studied for at the North Staffs Technical College (to become the North Staffs University) on a full or part time basis. The part time study was entirely by evening work and took six years. The full time course took three years. The subject matter covered the basics of engineering, fuels, accountancy, management and ceramics. There were not many graduates in our industry and some of them felt the course was too elementary and so did not take it. I think it was their loss, as I shall explain. I took the course, albeit only the ceramic section, I was excused the rest. The majority of the full time students were foreign and we locals met many people from around the world. The Greyhound pub, at the junction of Hill Street and Campbell Place, Stoke was a favourite watering hole. It was there that foreign ceramists first tasted English beer. Many of us kept in touch over the years and I gained much from it. The word “networking” had not yet been coined. North Staffordshire was then the foremost world centre for ceramic education. Many of the foreign students got themselves assigned to local companies for the long summer break rather than return home. We had several such at Richards Tiles. I was to visit many of their factories in later years.

The Institute of Ceramics was formed in 1954 and granted members various grades of membership according to academic attainments and practical experience. That Institute has now amalgamated with the corresponding Institutes for metals and for rubber to form The Institute of Materials.

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