Updated: Rare Vintage Pictures Of Merrow Engineering Firm P.A.M. Ltd

Published on: 26 Oct, 2024
Updated on: 27 Oct, 2024

By David Rose

The story and photos below about engineering firm P.A.M. Ltd of Merrow was first published in 2018. We have now received two further photos (see below) from Rob Richards, who writes: “My dad, George William (Bill) Richards, is only in one of the two photos I have of the firm.

“I have been researching my father with little success. He died in 1959 only a year after arriving in Australia and I was only five at the time.

“These two photographs of his workplace are the only information I have as to his career, and I have no idea what position he held at P.A.M.

“One immigration document I uncovered did list his occupation as ‘engineer’. He passed away while working at the Weapons Research Establishment in South Australia.

“The only other info my mother was able to tell me was that during the Second World War he was unable to enlist because his job was considered too valuable for the war effort.”

A view inside P.A.M. Ltd’s premises in Merrow with George William Richards on the far right.

This photo of staff appears to be some kind of performance, review or sketch show.

If anyone can add any details about George William Richards, please leave a reply in the box below.

Read on for the original story…

Here are some rare photos taken at P.A.M. Ltd, an engineering firm that was based at Merrow Sidings, now the Merrow Business Park, off Park Lane.

They belonged to Mamie Grover, who died recently aged 103 years.

Local historian and genealogist from Pirbright Historians, Jonathan Foster, emailed me these pictures.

Fred Taylor, Bruce Holt, ? Poulter. Click to enlarge pictures in a new window.

He says: “Mamie was a former resident at the Abbeyfield here at Pirbright, but was raised and spent much of her life at Merrow.

“Amongst her effects were some photos, which we’ve been given, of P.A.M. Ltd of Merrow Sidings, where she worked for many years.

“Not much is available online about the firm. They were originally Pooley Austin & Martin and during the Second World War were naval instrument makers and afterwards were incorporated into a conglomerate called the Southern Areas Electric Corporation, manufacturing electrical widgets.

“We’ve done some research on the names written on the backs of some of the photos and reckon they were taken about 1946-47.”

Back row, from left: Miss Smith, Joyce ?, Eileen Foord, Mrs Clun, Miss Clarke, Betty Faron, Joan Wiltshire, Rosy Bassom, Mary Barker. Front row: Mrs Porteous, Miss Cassell, Betty Clark, Jean Cripps, Mrs Hope, Miss Botley.

I last met Mamie a couple of years ago when I gave a local history talk to the Rawlings Club, that meets regularly at Pirbright Village Hall.

She was a lovely person, bright as a button with a lot of fascinating stories to tell, then aged 101. Her and her husband also lived in Frog Grove Lane in Wood Street Village for a number of years.

During my time at the Surrey Advertiser I copied some of her and her husband’s photos they took in and around Guildford town centre in about the late 1950s and early 60s. I have used some of them in past articles and in my books.

Bruce Holt (foreman), Beryl Kidder.

Some names of people featured have been written on the backs of the P.A.M. Ltd photos, and which are noted here in the captions. My thanks go to Jonathan Foster who has additionally supplied them to me for this article.

The machine shop at P.A.M. Ltd.

Gerry Suthers, Reg Lodge, Bob Howard, Gerald Widmer, Stan Harris.

Can anyone add any further details about P.A.M. Ltd? If so, please leave a reply in the box below.

Share This Post