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GB 249 SOHC 6 · Collection · Original recordings, 2002, 2004-2005

Oral history project "Coal miners and dust-related disease" aimed to reconstruct the story of the human tragedy of coal miners' respiratory disease. It sought to "write the history of 'black spit' from its early discovery by Scottish physicians in the 19th century, through to the official recognition of coal workers' pneumoconiosis in 1942 and on to the campaigns to recognise bronchitis and emphysima as industrial diseases in the second half of the twentieth century that culminated in the landmark legal judgement in January 1998".

Of a reported number of 52 interviews undertaken, 27 survive as sound recording and transcript (14) or transcript only (13).

University of Strathclyde | Scottish Oral History Centre
Colin Garrett papers
GB 249 T-GAR · Collection · 1919-1976

Typescript and printed reports; lectures and articles by Garrett, illustrated with textile samples; photographs; correspondence; printed books.

Garrett, Colin, b. 1897, textile engineer
GB 249 OC · Collection · 1823-1887

Minute books; annual reports; financial records; subscriptions books; letter books; memorandum and articles of association; class timetable; examination paper; architectural drawings used in art classes.

College of Science and Arts, Glasgow
GB 249 SOHC 1 · Collection · Original recordings, 1981-1985

A series of interviews with former employees at the motor manufacturing complex at Linwood, Renfrewshire, 20km west of Glasgow, Scotland.

Manufacturing activity first started at Linwood during WWII, under the government's shadow factory scheme, specialising in steel processing and gun barrels, managed by the Glasgow engineering company Beardmore's. After the war, the Pressed Steel company began to manufacture railway carriages, tractors, and body parts for cars and trucks. In the early 1960s, after government pressure, the Rootes car group built a new factory at the site, commencing the full-scale production of new motor-car models, including the Hillman Imp and the Avenger, massively expanding the Linwood site. The Linwood site was taken over by the American Chrysler corporation in 1967, and was again taken over by the French company Peugeot-Citroen in 1979. Following a prolonged period of financial difficulties and industrial unrest, the Linwood plant was closed by Peugeot in 1981. During its operation, Linwood was the only full-scale motor-car production facility in Scotland, employing 8,500 workers at its peak, one of the largest single manufacturing sites in Scotland. The former factory has now been demolished.

This project was a research project undertaken by Clifford Lockyer, an economist based at the University of Strathclyde, in the early 1980s. Lockyer had previously worked at the Linwood car factory, and in his own words, "sought to record the life of the Linwood factory from shadow war factory to closure".

The interviews cover the life-span of the entire plant, including a few workers who worked at the site during WWII. The evolving nature of the site, describing the varied work of the 1950s, is featured, including the production of car parts for Vauxhall, Ford, Rolls Royce, as well as the production of railway carriages, mostly for export, with India a main destination. The most significant development at the plant - the sudden move into full-scale car production in the early 1960s, and the resulting dramatic transformation of the site - is also strongly represented in the material (this expansion is often referred to in the material as a difference between the "south site" and the "north site"). Finally, the tumultuous years of the 1970s are also featured, including the events leading up to the plant's closure in 1981. Interviews cover a wide range of jobs roles at the plant, including operators, foremen, management, and trade union officials. A key division of labour at the site was between those operators in the "tool shops", and those who worked on the car assembly line "track", and both sets of workers are represented.

The overall flow of the interviews centres around the topic of industrial relations, which was Lockyer's specialist research area. Management policies, and their effects, as well as the changes in ownership are discussed by many interviewees. Management relationships with the shopfloor are frequently mentioned. Trade union activity at the plant is heavily featured in the interviews, and some interviewees describe their roles as shop stewards. Various industrial disputes and their consequences are also relayed in detail, including the trajectory toward plant closure. A large number of different trade unions operated at Linwood, and some workers describe the interrelationships and tensions between them, as well as the organisational structures and main personalities of each union group. Many workers also discuss their own attitudes and interactions with trade unions.

The Linwood plant was largely non-unionised in the 1950s, which some workers discuss, including its impact on working life. A strike in 1948, which led to the banishment of unions, is touched upon by a few interviewees. The unionisation process of the late 1950s, resulting in the comprehensive unionisation of the entire workforce, is featured in the material, including the impact on working conditions and management relations.

The working conditions of the workplace and the everyday routines of a car factory are highlighted. Interviewees discuss their own daily routines and the organisation of their particular work section. Some interviews go into detail about payment arrangements, including the "piece" system, and bonuses. The introduction of a nightshift in the 1960s is also mentioned. Health and safety risks are very occasionally alluded to. Workers discuss their own attitudes towards their job, their frustrations and motivations, and how this changes over time. The interviews feature discussion on day-to-day problems and difficulties at the site, commenting on production and design problems, as well as quality control.

Since many interviewees worked at the Linwood plant for many years, interviewees often comment on the rise and fall of the Linwood plant over time, making allusions to the wider economic and business climate. Interviewees chart the dynamics of changing workforce morale, changing work practices and changing management attitudes over time, and try to pinpoint "where it all went wrong", reflecting on reasons for the gradual demise of the Linwood plant and the motor industry in Scotland.

Finally, a handful of interviews feature the topic of women in the Linwood workforce. Women were typically employed in a few roles at the site, but changes to this configuration are also mentioned. One interviewee discusses how many women labourers were employed at the site during WWII, undertaking roles vacated by men. Another interview discusses how - in the late 1970s - women were employed in significant numbers in jobs which previously were exclusively performed by men, including on the car assembly line "track". At least one interviewee is a former female worker, who reflects on the lack of union representation among female workers.

Lockyer, Clifford, b. 1946, economist
Costandi Audeh papers
GB 249 OM/480 · Collection · 1955-2009
  • Copy of BSc Applied Chemistry undergraduate dissertation entitled 'The Estimation of Acidity in Oxidised Lubricating Oils: a comparative study', University of Glasgow, 1955
  • Abstract of DPhil thesis entitled 'A Mechanistic Study of the Oxidation of Some Trialkylamines', University of York, 1970
  • Menu and toast list for the Royal Technical College Applied Chemists' final year dinner on 15 June 1955, with attendees' signatures and other annotations
  • Group photograph taken at the Royal Technical College Applied Chemists' final year dinner on 15 June 1955, with partial key of names
  • Royal Technical College lapel badge, c.1955
  • Royal Technical College student tie, c.1955
  • Associate of the Royal Technical College (ARTC) tie, c.1955
  • Two University of Glasgow ties, c.1955
  • Three textbooks used by Costanti Audeh during his studies at the Royal Technical College: Frank Rumford, 'Chemical Engineering Operations: an introduction to the study of chemical plant' (London: Constable & Co. Ltd, 1951; Frank Rumford, 'Chemical Engineering Materials' (London: Constable & Co. Ltd, 1954); William M. Cumming, I. Vance Hopper and T. Sherlock Wheeler, 'Systematic Organic Chemistry: modern methods of preparation and estimation' (4th edition: London: Constable & Co. Ltd, 1950)
  • Menu, invitation card and other memorabilia relating to the 'Strathclyde University Down South' (SUDS) London Alumni dinner at the Houses of Parliament, London, 9 July 2009
  • University of Strathclyde tie presented to Costanti Audeh by Professor Kenneth Miller at the SUDS London Alumni dinner, 9 July 2009
  • List of all the patents issued in the United States of America and assigned to Mobil Oil Corporation in connection with Costandi Audeh's research, 1971-1996
  • Collage composed of abstracts of patents issued in the United States of America during the period 1976-1993, presented to Costanti Audeh on his retirement from the Central Research Laboratory, Mobil Oil Corporation in 1993
  • Explanatory notes by Costandi Audeh on the background and significance of the various patents assigned to Mobil Oil Corporation in connection with his research
  • Biographical details compiled by Costandi Audeh for 'North American Newsletter', the University of Glasgow's newsletter for alumni living in North America, with a copy of issue no.2 (April 2007) containing his published profile.
Audeh, Costandi Amin, b. 1932, chemist
Dallas Carter papers
GB 249 OM/471 · Collection · 1999-2003

Records relating to Dallas Carter's undergraduate studies in Politics and Scottish Studies at the University of Strathclyde, including: lecture notebooks; essay submissions with tutors' mark sheets; examination papers; class handbooks.

Carter, Dallas Evelyn, b. 1951, student of the University of Strathclyde
David Anderson papers
GB 249 OM/8 · Collection · 1945 - 1981

Job application and testimonials for position of director of Royal Technical College, Glasgow; articles and speeches; correspondence; notes on developments at Royal Technical College and Royal College of Science and Technology under Anderson's directorship; order of service of thanksgiving for Anderson's life.

Anderson, Sir David Stirling, 1895-1981, engineer and educationist
David Ellis papers
GB 249 OM/53 · Collection · 1902 - 1938

Article reprints, correspondence, lecture notes, publications, newscuttings book, job application, biographical notes.

Ellis, David, 1874-1937, bacteriologist
David Horner papers
GB 249 OM/291 · Collection · 1971 - 1976
  • Lecture notes, tutorial notes and laboratory books for university classes in the following subjects: geography (including topics relating to the British Isles, North Africa and North America); geology; pedology (biogeography); historical geology; geomorphology; statistics; surveying, and economic history
  • News cuttings
  • Notes on the Wulf Electroscope, for a Certificate of Sixth Year Studies (secondary school) course in Physics
Horner, David John, b. 1953, student at University of Strathclyde
David Lever papers
GB 249 OM/84 · Collection · c. 1931 - 1936

Article by Lever on School of Sugar Manufacture at Royal Technical College, Glasgow; notes on Lever's education and employment.

Lever, David, 1895-? 1958, chemist
David Morrell papers
GB 249 OM/278 · Collection · 1970 - 1989

Correspondence and papers relating to University administration.

Morrell, David W.J., b. 1933, Registrar, University of Strathclyde
David Stow collection
GB 249 STO · Collection · c. 1816 - 2009

Biographical information; copies of correspondence with David Stow 1816-1852; portraits and photographs; copies of published works by David Stow; published books and articles about David Stow.

GB 249 SOHC 64 · Collection · 2017 - 2019

Thirty interviews conducted by Stuart Bradwel as part of the Wellcome Trust-funded PhD studentship at the University of Strathclyde ‘Doctors Orders’ – Type 1 Diabetes and the Consultative Relationship, 1965-2002.

Whereas early physicians approached Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) in the paternalistic fashion common to mid-twentieth century practice and expected strict obedience to prescribed treatment, in 2002 the Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating (DAFNE) programme was initiated. This reconceptualised the professional as a remote source of support while encouraging those with T1DM to take an active role in determining the character of treatment, adjusting their own dosages of insulin and dietary intake as necessary on a day-to-day basis. Consequently, the traditionally passive ‘patient’ was transformed into a legitimately meaningful actor with the power to refine therapy according to their own subjective values and priorities.

The project investigated the nature of this transition from physician- to patient-led care in orthodox T1DM management, making particular reference to a process of ideological evolution within the medical profession in light of growing evidence that an empowered patient-body led to superior clinical outcomes. There is little printed evidence concerning the lay-experience of T1DM, while professional volumes tend to be heavily editorialised. Consequently, oral history – from both those with T1DM and professionals – was identified as a promising methodological framework with considerable potential to produce valuable evidence. A total of thirty interviews (19 with people living with type 1 diabetes, 7 with healthcare professionals, and 4 with professionals with the condition) were conducted between 5th May 2017 and 3rd July 2019.

Bradwel, Stuart, PhD student at University of Strathclyde
Donald Pack papers
GB 249 OM/124 · Collection · 1954 - 1974

Published articles; speeches; notes on history of mathematics department and professorial staff.

Pack, Donald Cecil, 1920-2016, mathematician
Dougal White papers
GB 249 OM/467 · Collection · 1961-1966

Students' Association membership card; photograph of the University of Strathclyde degree congregation of 30 October 1965 at 11.00 am and entrance ticket to the ceremony; Royal College of Science and Technology information booklet on courses of study, qualifications for admission and fees for session 1961-1962; Electrical Engineering laboratory notebook, session 1962-1963; course work reports submitted for classes in Applied Thermodynamics (sessions 1962-1963 and 1963-1964), Applied Mechanics (sessions 1962-1963 and 1963-1964), and Thermodynamics (session 1964-1965); letters from the Royal College of Science and Technology and the University of Strathclyde concerning admission to studies, submission of coursework, the award of the Henry Bell Scholarship, course results and graduation arrangements, 1961-1966.

White, Dougal MacLeod, b 1943, engineer