May & Baker Computer Room

A Memory of Dagenham.

I have fond memories of the enormous factory in the 1980's and driving around it at night with a van stuffed full of heavy backup computer tape boxes which needed fire safeing. Site had a great social club and not a bad canteen.I think thursday night shifts they had steak on the menu if my memory serves me well. Bit of a long walk from the factory to the tube station despite it being over the road.I paid into a pension when there ,does anybody know if it can be claimed as the company seems to have been taken over several times after i left in the late 80's.Does anybody have their M&B pension being paid out ? or have we all lost our contributions ?.Any update appreciated. Martin


Added 01 July 2021

#692975

Comments & Feedback

Take your problem to the Citizens Advice Bureau initially they maybe able to help.
Thank you Alan, quick update and for everybody's info re the M&B pension, Sanofi the last company in the long line of companies in the M&B final demise did have my details etc, so contact them if you need pension advice etc .Did not help me in the long run, apparently i took the money out ? I cant remember I was young and foolish then, but its nice to know ones details are kept safe .
(Part.1) - I have numerous strong powerful memories of "May & Baker" - Earliest memories of it are from the 1970's because my Dad's older Brother (Ken) used to work there, so, each year we'd get an invite to attend the "May & Baker" SPORTS DAY weekend - IIRC, it was always held on a Saturday.
Wonderful event, rather like a miniature Dagenham Town Show, as they had various stalls & Ice Cream vans (essential if you're just a kid), plus of course we'd also watch the sporting events.
They did a similar thing at "Plessy" in Ilford, but that of course had more staff & larger plant.
The "May & Baker" Sports Days we attended were either 1973-1975 or 1972-1974**
**( I favour the latter )
Purely by chance & totally unintended, as we couldn't afford to live near my folks part of Chadwell Heath (the more posh part up near Little Heath), as "first time buyers", my Wife & I ended up living right down the far end of "Western Avenue" at No.303 which was the very, very last & final address down that ultra long road - It backed onto open land that, to the East, was facing Hornchurch & Elm Park, whilst to the North it faced "May & Baker" & The District Line (London Underground Line that was Overground at that section of track), which of course led to Dagenham East Railway Station - it also had a stretch of overgrown land which separated our house from "May & Baker"

303 Western Ave was a helluva long walk, for just one road to reach the Railway Station at the top of the hill, so I can understand O.P's comment within his original post...
"Bit of a long walk from the factory to the tube station despite it being over the road"

I had the misfortune of trudging in knee deep snow one winter on one of the coldest days I've ever lived through & what with the sub-zero temperatures combined with it's inherent wind-chill, it turned out that I was walking parallel with "May & Baker" in a MINUS 13-degrees centigrade.

Add your comment

You must be signed-in to your Frith account to post a comment.

Sign-in or Register to post a Comment.

Sparked a Memory for you?

If this has sparked a memory, why not share it here?