A local resident has been identified as the ‘unknown’ man in a photograph displayed at Melksham and District Historical Association’s exhibition in the town hall.
The image, which shows a worker building tyres at the Avon factory, features Richard Neate, a Melksham resident who worked at Avon for 40 years. The photo was in the last isSu of Melksham News, where the History Association put out a call to identify the man in the photo.
Richard said, “I was reading the paper and my wife was in the kitchen and I said ‘come and have a look at this’ she came in and we couldn’t believe it. I was quite shocked to see it.”
Richard, who started at the factory in 1969, spent 20 years making ‘big’ tyres before moving to the racing department, where he often worked 16 to 17-hour shifts.
Born in Westbury, he later married a Melksham woman whose father also worked at Avon and helped him secure a job at the factory.
“I have some really good memories of working there,” says Richard who is 50 years old in the photo and will be turning 78 this year.
“I think of Avon very fondly, and every time I walk through the park, I think, ‘that place gave me a living.’ It paid for my house, and we got a good pension. When I left, we had no mortgage on the house.
“I have very happy memories there and made some good friends.”
The Melksham and District Historical Association is currently running an exhibition on Melksham’s lost industries in the town hall, as part of its efforts to establish a permanent museum space in the town.
Chair Paul Carter explained that the exhibitions will change periodically and will sometimes focus on key local themes such as the carnival or Remembrance.
Pictured: Richard with the photo of himself working at the Avon
