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Do you have any family members who worked at Automotive Products in Leamington?

A Leamington charity, dedicated to helping former employees of Automotive Products (AP), Lockheed, and associated companies, is looking for trustees.

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The Doris Boughton Trust Fund was set up in 1949 by Edward Bishop Boughton in honour of his wife, to provide grants and financial help to past and present employees.

Due to rapid growth a new AP plant was set up in Tachbrook Road in 1932. Other buildings followed and the site eventually occupied 70 acres. Photo supplied by Leamington History Group

The charity is now seeking to recruit three more trustees who have a connection with the company, either having worked there themselves or who had a parent or sibling who did.

Edward Bishop Boughton Willie Emmott and Denis Brock were the three founders of AP in 1920.

They were nicknamed ‘the three musketeers’ by their workers.

They moved the company to Leamington in 1929, when they bought Zephyr Carburettors which was based at 32 Clemens Street.

Edward Bishop Boughton (pictured left) Willie Emmott and Denis Brock were the three founders of AP in 1920. They were nicknamed ‘the three musketeers’ by their workers. Photo supplied by Leamington History Group

Due to rapid growth they set up a new plant in Tachbrook Road in 1932. Other buildings followed and the site eventually occupied 70 acres.

During the Second World War, the factory worked continuous shifts making components for armaments and aircraft, and employed up to 10,000 people, including women.

After the war, the company continued to expand and by 1956 was making 50 per cent of the brakes made in the UK and 85 per cent of the clutches.

The company declined between 1960s and 1980s although it still remained the largest local employer in the manufacturing sector – with 4,326 staff by 1983.

The factory along Tachbrook Road was demolished in 2005 and the site is now a business park.

The administrator of the Doris Boughton Trust, Christine Shaw, recalls that both her parents worked at ‘The Lockheed’.

She said: “My mother, May, came down from Liverpool, having seen a recruitment poster, advertising jobs in the resort of Royal Leamington Spa.

"When she got off the train, she was surprised to find she wasn’t at the seaside.

“Many people living in the mid-Warwickshire area had family members who worked at Tachbrook Road – and many of them retain an interest in the company today.

"If they have a few hours to spare to attend quarterly meetings, and would like to help us find people who could benefit from our grants, we would like to hear from them.”

Christine can be contacted at: [email protected]

Leamington charity that helps former workers from Automotive Products (AP) and Lockheed is looking for trustees