WEB PAGE NO. 2822 2nd October 2021 Firstly I was sad to hear of the death of Alan Hartley one time Head Boy of Manor Court School. He often came with us to the George.May he rest in peace.

1ST PICTURE: Meccano Catalogue

2nd PICTURE; CENTENARY 2001

3RD PICTURE; Meccano Magazine

4TH PICTURE: Frank Hornby Meccano Meccano was and is a model construction system created in 1898 by Frank Hornby in Liverpool. The system consists of reusable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears, and plastic parts that are connected using nuts and bolts. It enables the building of working models and mechanical devices. In 1913, a very similar construction set was introduced in the United States under the brand name Erector. In 2000, Meccano bought the Erector brand and unified its presence on all continents. In 2013, the Meccano brand was acquired by the Canadian toy company Spin Master. Meccano maintains a manufacturing facility in Calais, France. In 1901 Frank Hornby, a clerk from Liverpool invented and patented a new toy called "Mechanics Made Easy" that was based on the principles of mechanical engineering. It was a model construction kit consisting of perforated metal strips, plates and girders, with wheels, pulleys, gears, shaft collars and axles for mechanisms and motion, and nuts and bolts and set screws to connect the pieces. The perforations were at a standard ½ inch spacing, the axles were 8-gauge, and the nuts and bolts used 5/32 inch BSW threads. The only tools required to assemble models were a screwdriver and spanners . It was more than just a toy: it was educational, teaching basic mechanical principles like levers and gearing. The parts for Hornby's new construction kit were initially supplied by outside manufacturers, but as demand began to exceed supply, Hornby set up his own factory in Duke Street, Liverpool. As the construction kits gained in popularity, they soon became known as Meccano and went on sale across the world. In September 1907, Hornby registered the Meccano trade mark, and in May 1908, he formed Meccano Ltd. To keep pace with demand, a new Meccano factory was built in Liverpool in 1914, which became Meccano Ltd's headquarters for the next 60 years. Hornby also established Meccano factories in France, Spain and Argentina. The word "Meccano" was thought to have been derived from the phrase "Make and Know". The first construction sets had parts that were rather crudely made: the metal strips and plates had a tinplate finish, were not rounded at the ends and were not very sturdy. But manufacturing methods were improving all the time and by 1907 the quality and appearance had improved considerably: the metal strips were now made of thicker steel with rounded ends and were nickel-plated, while the wheels and gears were machined from brass. The first sets under the new Meccano name were numbered 1 to 6. In 1922 the No. 7 Meccano Outfit was introduced, which was the largest set of its day, and the most sought after because of its model building capabilities and prestige. In 1926, to mark the 25th anniversary of his patent, Hornby introduced "Meccano in Colours" with the familiar red and green coloured Meccano pieces. Initially plates were a light red and items like the braced girders were a pea-green. However, the following year strips and girders were painted dark green, the plates Burgundy red, while the wheels and gears remained brass. In 1934 the Meccano pieces changed colour again: the strips and girders became gold while the plates were changed to blue with gold criss-cross lines on them, but only on one side, the reverse remaining plain blue. This new colour scheme was only available in the United Kingdom until the end of the Second World War in 1945. The old red and green sets were still produced for the export market and were re-introduced in the UK after the war. In 1958 the colours were changed slightly to light red and green but this a short lifespan as the colours changed dramatically in 1964 to the black and yellow colour scheme. However, this light red and green period did see the introduction of about 90 new parts, more modern packaging, a new cabinet was introduced for the number 10 set, the first plastic parts were introduced, and the "exploded diagram" instructions made their début. World War II interrupted the production of Meccano in England when the Binns Road factory converted to manufacturing for the war effort. The Korean War in 1950 also disrupted production due to a metal shortage and it was not until the mid-1950s that Meccano production returned to normal with new parts being added to all the sets. In the early 1960s Meccano Ltd experienced financial problems and was purchased by Lines Bros Ltd (who operated under the brand name "Tri-ang"). In an attempt to redefine Meccano's image, the colour scheme was changed again, this time to yellow and black plates, with silver strips and girders. In 1970 electronic parts were introduced, and the current black-coloured plates were changed to blue. Lines Brothers went into voluntary liquidation in 1971 and Airfix Industries purchased the Meccano business in the UK and General Mills of the US purchased the French business. The French company was known as Miro Meccano. In 1978 the range of Meccano sets was reduced d. While some Airfix divisions were profitable, particularly their model kits, they needed to save money. With unions threatening industrial action if there were any job losses, Airfix shut down the Binns Road factory, bringing to an end the manufacture of Meccano in England. Meccano still continued to be manufactured in France, as the British and French businesses had different owners. At the time in the seventies Meccano France SA launched and produced their brand new dark blue MECCANO Construction Kits In 1981, General Mills bought Airfix Products and with it what was left of Meccano Ltd UK, giving it complete control of the Meccano franchise. All the existing Meccano sets were scrapped and a totally new range of sets were designed for production in Calais, France called "Meccano Junior", a new product range consisting of plastic construction kits with tools included, although these new sets would only allow the young builder to make small models. In 1985 General Mills left the toy business completely, selling off their toy divisions. Meccano was sold out to a French accountant and, once again, all existing Meccano sets were scrapped. In 1989 the accountant sold what remained of Meccano to Dominique Duvauchelle. Allen head zinc plated steel bolts replaced the original slot-headed brass-plated bolts and the "Plastic Meccano Junior" sets were brought back. In 1994 additional theme sets were introduced and a pull-back friction motor was added to the Plastic Meccano System. In 2000 Nikko, a Japanese toy manufacturer, purchased 49 per cent of Meccano and took on its marketing internationally. Development and design remained with Meccano based in Calais. Meccano today is very different from its. The target market of youngsters has not changed significantly In 2013, Meccano launched "Meccano Evolution", a new "back to basics" Meccano, which allowed smaller and more detailed models to be built using simpler and more "functional" parts. In late 2013, the company also opened a public "Meccano Lab" play space and centre, in Calais. In 2015 Spin Master launched Meccanoids, Meccano modular robots. The current range of Meccano electric motors are small DC types designed to run on domestic batteries. These are low-torque high-speed motors. These are inexpensive and suitable for small models that a child might construct from the standard range of sets. For many years, live steam engines were made and sold under the Meccano brand, although they were not made by Meccano. Earlier examples were vertical steam engines the first to be specially designed for Meccano was introduced in 1929. From 1965 to 1976, Mamod made a steam engine for Meccano, the design of which was based on the 1929 version. With a Meccano set there was a wide range of models that could be built. The instructions sometimes contained errors, which caused difficulty for small children. In 1990 Meccano built a giant Ferris wheel in France. It was modelled after the original 1893 Ferris Wheel built by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. at the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago. The model, the largest at the time, was 6.5 metres (21.3 ft) high, weighs 544 kilograms (1,200 pounds), was made from 19,507 pieces, 50,560 nuts and bolts, and took 1,239 hours to construct. A large model, weighing approximately 500 kg and 23 m long, was built in September 2009 by TV presenter James May and a team of volunteers who created a Meccano bridge spanning the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. A contender for the largest model on record was built in 2014 by Graham Shepherd of Grahamstown, South Africa. The fully motorised Krupp 288 Bucket Wheel Excavator (as used on large opencast mining) is complete with auxiliary conveyors. Frank Hornby had launched the Meccano Guild in 1919, to encourage boys of all ages—as well as early clubs—to become part of a central organisation, which oversaw club formation, and set guidelines for club proceedings. The Meccano Magazine was used as a means to keep Guild clubs informed of each other's activities (as well as encourage the sales of Meccano). The International Society of Meccanomen was founded in 1989 in England, nine years after the Liverpool factory closed. Today, over one hundred years since its inception, there are thousands of Meccano enthusiasts worldwide there are annual Meccano exhibitions around the world, notably in France and at Skegness.

Pam Writes:- Such coincidence that Griff has mentioned if anyone remembers Ken Ashbee. Unfortunately he was killed in Singapore in 1967 aged just 23. He was in the RAF so I don't know if it was a plane accident. I remember he was part of 'our gang' that used to meet in the evenings at the field opposite Sainsburys. I'm sure he lived in Second Avenue, Farlington. He married Marilyn Garland in 1966. I only found this out quite recently when I was at the church at Warblington and when walking round the graveyard saw a memorial stone for him. Really tragic, I wonder what happened to Marilyn. Also, I think that Alan Hartley died recently. He was Head Boy when Pauline Bugg was Head Girl, how strange that they should die so close to each other. Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail.com