CFM National Repair Centre was located on Newstead Industrial Estate, Trentham, Stoke on Trent and serviced and supported all Field Engineering Staff UK-wide. Remember the dreaded MBO (Machine Breakdown Order)? If no working spares were available to repair a customer system, part or all of your test-bed would be commandeered, leaving you with no way to repair other faulty units! Managers:

• Les Carter (“Have you fixed it…?”)
• Mike Siddall (“Where’s the diamond file?”) [we were paged at Heathrow airport]
• Brian Cripps

Training School Crewe:

• Jim Dunkley
• John Hodson

Fellow much-loved Engineers (in any order, sorry for omissions, let me know!):

• Paul Arrowsmith (fellow traveller)
• Dave Douglas (fellow walker, sadly RIP)
• Dave Newman
• Dave Mellor
• Robert “Flash” Harmon (“Ain’t no substitute for cubic inches…”)
• Peter Williamson (“Want some blow on…?”)
• Dave Sharp
• Dennis Spruce

Long-suffering Admin staff:

• Dot
• Lorna (“No lines, KDF9…”)