The Invergordon Archive

This was almost certainly taken after the Smelter closed in Jan 1981. The car park is empty and there is a chimney missing.

I could not for the life of me, even from this distance, understand why they would build a smelter at Inver-g, as there was already one at Fort William...what is happening with this white elephant now?

I remember well walking from the car park to the changing rooms to start my shift in the Smelter and wondering what mess or disaster would be in front of me this time.
Before I left the company the ingots were being stock piled and the writing was on the wall even then.
I was employed as a Production Supervisor in the Extraction process from 1972-1975.

I worked on the construction in 70/71, a lot of money for c10 year life (the smelter, not me!). Gather a political shenanigans - note the Kinlochleven one also gone.

I worked there in the 70s. Miss the people of Invergordon. If by any miracle anyone remembers me(Ian Brough) or knows the whereabouts of a long lost friend Dave Brown, please contact me. Thanks.

My dad worked on the smelter from the mid 70s to 1980, Bill Swinley.

I worked there as a student Civil Engineer, April to August 1970, particularly on the conveyor system from Barbaraville which crossed the railway line. Fond memories of tea and homemade cake with Harry (a retired Englishman) who operated the railway crossing (there were about two to three trains a day). Enjoyed the quiet peacefullness of Invergordon on a Sunday, strolling back into town after mass in the old hut that was St Joseph's Catholic Church, picking up the paper and sitting on the coastline gazing out to Nigg and the Black Isle.

Hello Rick Swinley! I knew your father well, he was our engineer on "C" shift, he was a grafter, a nice guy. If I remember rightly, he moved out to a smelter in South Africa before Invergordon closed - seem to remember making up a large wooden crate for him to ship his gear out. Pass on my regards!

My husband was shift superintendant at the smelter during the 70s. We agree this must have been taken after the smelter closed in December 1981.

My dad (Jack Hinde) worked at the smelter for a very short time - he'd not long started when it was announced that it was closing! He was also the local bus driver and managed to get back behind the wheel after it closed.

This picture was taken late ‘80s (1986/8). This is as close as I remember as I was involved in putting the crane in with the "Demolition Ball" for Pendrich Steeplejacks from Edinburgh, The tops of the chimneys were removed hydraulically down to around 120 feet when the crane took over and demolished them to ground level.

My dad worked at the smelter (Bill/Willie Lynas). We lived in Alness - what a fab place to be brought up as a youngster - have many happy memories of my time there.
I remember one afternoon he picked me up on the way home from school and said we were off to pick my mum up from the smelter (as she worked in accounts - Kay Lynas). By the time we got there it was heavy snow and we didn't leave till late that night as all the roads were blocked. We got a lift home in a BACO land rover - very exciting at the time.
After the smelter he worked for various engineering companies including Cromarty Firth Engineering; James Jack for a while and Isleburn/Global Resources.
He was very much committed to his work, that was his life - hence being married 3 times!
Sadly my dad past away September ‘07. I know he will be missed as he was a respected man and a real character.

Hi Eddie, sorry I can't put a face to your name but it's nice to know that you remember me anyhow. I'm now back from S.A. living in Kirkcaldy again in the process of starting my own business. Please feel free to e-mail me. I'm looking for any information regarding my pension when I was there (who to contact, etc).
Regards Bill Swinley.

Hi Bill, if you would like the details of how to contact the pension service for B.A.Co., please contact me Viv Tibbott at v.tibbott1@ntlworld.com and I would be pleased to give you the info required.

I worked for Vibroplant and travelled up from Dundee to service the rental compressors back in the late '70s. I moved to the US in '79 and didn't realize that the Smelter had closed. I enjoyed the pictures and memories.

I'm trying to contact Ian Mcbay and Roddy McLeod. Anyone with ANY details, please contact me.

Hi Bill, this is Janet, Roddy's daughter.

I remember Mabel Dingwall's voice booming from the Smelter tannoy system. She could be heard all over Invergordon as she announced phone calls for whoever.

We remember Mabel Dingwall very well. She went out of her way to make us feel welcome when we arrived at Invergordon, a long way from home and more than a little homesick. God Bless Mabel

Is it true that they want to put an industrial waste incinerator here?

Yes Harry they do indeed. There have been many meetings/petitions etc going around very much against it. Although not totally in agreement with it, I just think all the publicity about it is killing Invergordon without a brick even being laid!! We are now known as Toxic town thanks to the protestors......

Viv, remember you well, not many welsh accents up here at that time, not many Yorkshire ones either.
You may remember my late father-in-law Jock Sutherland, Cellroom 2. He sadly passed away 11years ago. Mabel is still around, we see her quite often - I’ll pass on your message to her.
All the Best.

Hi Peter, we remember you and Jock very well from our time at Invergordon - nice to hear from you. It is now 27 years since we left there. I am now semi-retired and at 70 like to keep busy.

Peter and Viv - remember the both of you. I have retired some 6 years now (early from GSK). It is now 34 years since I left the smelter -a lot of water under the bridge!!!

I remember Mabel Dingwall very well as she was my dad's second wife. She was a very nice woman and must have had the patience of a saint.
They met at the smelter and eventualy got married but it never lasted that long before they were divorced as he was still married to his work. Such a shame.

I am often up that way on holidays and am moving back for good towards the year end. Would like to look up Mabel to say hello; be nice to see her again.

I visited several times in the mid `70s as part of the BA audit team from London. The works tours were great fun even though I understood very little due to the noise in the cell rooms and the broad Glaswegian accents. We stayed at the Caledonian Hotel Portmahomack and I remember dinner one evening with Morag(?) in the accounts department.

I wonder if anyone remembers me from the Smelter as I have left a few comments and worked there from 1973?

My dad Peter Hollas worked at the Smelter from 1973 -1978 in Producrion Control and as a buyer. I did my 6-month training in Accounts there. Yes I remember Morag very well, also the Auditors from London.

Hi Viv and Claus. Remember you both - I was supv Room one "D" shift. I retired last May. Would like to hear from you both.

Alister, good to hear from you. I took early retirement some 8 years ago from Glaxo Smith Kline where I ended up as Business manager. I now live in Glasgow with my partner of 7 years.
Do you still live in Ross-shire, do you see any of the old crowd from the Smelter? Do you have an e-mail address?
Best regards
Claus

Hi Alister and Claus, good to hear from you. I retired 10 years ago from a car component company - still here in Wales after our return 28 years ago. I have a small part-time job and my allotment so, as you can see, I keep very busy. My family are all close by. Regards to you both.

I recognise a few names here.. Blast from the past.. I have started a facebook group for Invergordon Smelter Apprentices.. If anyone knows any that are on FB please inform them.. Would be good to get a reunion happening.. Cheers Dave Mackay (AKA Davie Durness).

My mother use to work as a nurse in the Smelter but she sadly past away over 4 years ago. (Sandra Cockell)

My Dad worked at the smelter 1975-1979, he worked in fabrication and his name was Colin Finlayson. I rememeber going into school after Xmas when it closed and our teacher asked how many of us were affected by it and everybody put their hands up. Good memories of smelter panto trips to Eden Court Theatre in Inverness for workers kids.

Just found this web page, good to hear you are all alive and kicking, remember my time at Invergordon with much fondness and was the same as everyone else when it closed pretty well devastated, but still have fond memories of even the scallywags, including myself of course, will have to give the village a visit and try and look up some of the old gang now that I’ve retired, good to see your still there Viv a special hello to you and your missus, you to yorkie bar (Peter) hope you still remember me, Sandy Park, cell room 4, c shift

I will have to come out of retirement, and visit Invergordon where we have many friends left, I hope, as I have said it was a devastating experience for us all but I have never forgotten all the people we knew at the smelter, I hope they are still hale and hearty, best wishes, Sandy Park, c shift

We used to drive the trains in and out morning and early afternoon. We had a lot of fun in the smelter trying to get our job done and back to Inverness asap

Hi Sandy we are still going strong and have been back in Wales since just after the smelter closed. It's always nice to hear from old friends.

Hi all
I remember most of the folk who have added comments. I was shift engineer at the smelter from 1976 till it closed in '81.
I remember Mabel Lynas very well and she lived beside me in Ferry Row across from the old Invergordon Harbour.
I ran into Bill Lynas again at Nigg, where I was engineer until retiring in 2000. Bill was working for Cromarty Firth Engineering, and I think Angus Christie, or Plant Engineer at the smelter was the boss of CFE, or one of the other subbie companies in Alness Business Park.
You may remember me bawling over the tannoy in my still quite strong Belfast accent. I am now retired living in sunny Nairn.
All the best
Willie Scott
Ex A Shift Engineer

Local news is that the smelter site has just been sold by RTZ, the company that bought out ALCAN. The new owners are a local company: Bannermans of Tain.

Great news Alister, let's hope it brings lots of work to InverG.

There is a film on the construction of the smelter, google for "the scottish film archive" then 'invergordon smelter'. Shame, this site doesn't allow the url direct link!

Oh Great news!!! Hope it brings plenty of jobs for the people of Invergordon.

I worked briefly in the Cast House as clerkess in 1979. Had great laughs with Gary Morris, Dave McRae, Jim Gillies, and Sam Taylor. Had some 'challenges' deciphering Willie Aitken`s distinctive handwriting style. Left to have my first daughter - who is now 32 - and I am now a granny, retired teacher.

Hi Viv Tibbott, I used to work as a maintenance bricklayer in the Engineering Dept. under Bert Lunn and I will be retiring shortly and would like if you could the details of the pension services for BACo, I would be most grateful.

Hi Willie Scott, I worked as an electrician on D shift from 1975 till closure. I remember your "soft" Belfast accent well. Do you still have a caravan? We do and use it as often as possible. Hello to all the other people on here that I know. Brings back some good memories.

Hi everyone, for those collegues who need to trace their pensions the address is T.I Group pension scheme. MNPA 13th floor 54 Hagley Rd. Edgbaston Birmingham B16 8PE Tel No. 01216326483 www. smithspensions.co.uk
Hope this info will be of some help. Best wishes Viv Tibbott

Hi folks
Great site and nice to hear all the names from the past.
I am Sandy MacNab and worked in the cast shop with some of you. I stayed beside Mabel and Bill when they lived in Obsdale Park. Mabel used to baby sit my kids and I am very glad to hear she is well. Please pass my regards to her.
I was also glad to hear you're well Willie and enjoying sunny Nairn.
I am semi retired now working a three day week as basic but travel round the world setting up and training folks on computer systems and at weekends I am still building houses. I tried and gave up at golf so just stuck to build as a hobby.
The guy who got me into building houses was my friend Sandy Mackay. He was a bricky in the cast shop and I would like to hear of any news of Sandy.
I will be watching this site from now on to hear how the smelter folks are doing.
If anyone would like to get in touch I would enjoy hearing from you. My email is smacnab65@gmail.com

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to you all
Best regards
Sandy

Hi folks, anyone help me get in touch with my friend Robert Rae Ruddie who was for a while senior steward (cell rooms)? If you get this message Peter (yorkie bar) please get in touch at cl4rkpk@hotmail.com

Hi I was a refactory brickie in the maintenance dept. We used to line the baking furnaces in the Bake, also relined the cells in the cell room and the furnaces in the cast shop, dirty smelly and very hot job. If there is any other brickie or joiner who remembers me would you please reply to this comment, thanks.

Bob Ruddie became a Ross & Cromarty councillor for a while. Not seen him for a very long time - I'm pretty sure he left InverG many years ago.

My dad was employed in the building of this site many years ago. We lived in Alness while my dad worked there - he had to travel where the work was - we came from Huntly. Just looked at some photos of Invergordon and can't believe how beautiful the place is. All I can remember was going strawberry picking in the summer hols here to earn a bit of pocket money. I will have to return on a holiday one day.

Hi Terry Gregory, I remember that your love for Liverpool FC and the carry on that you had with another fitter who was an Evertonian which the barter was priceless, I was at the building of the smelter in '69 and started in the baking furnace in September '70 and left with 900 others, 2 days after Xmas 1981.

I was the first Millwright apprentice along with Derick MacDonald Electrician (1970 to 74). After my apprenticeship I worked in Material Handling for two years and then the Cast House as Shift Millwright up until the closure.

I worked at Invergordon as a contractor for GEC on the transformers for almost 12mnths 1979/80. Remember some great lads who we worked with, an Irish chap named Geoff who was the AEU shop steward, Davy Ross, a little stout fellow in the control room named Ian (I think) and a lovely bloke called Maurice Sutherland. Was offered a job on the maintenance and the chance of a house in Dingwall on the scheme if I fancied it, I was single and not bothered about putting down roots so didn't bother. Shame really as I love Scotland, but bit of luck also I suppose if you consider I would have been out of work pretty much as soon as I would have started. Not been back there for many years, will have to visit soon. Thanks all.

Just spotted someone mentioning my Dad above, Bob Ruddie.
We moved back to Kilmarnock almost thirty years ago, he lives in Stewarton now. Strangely we spoke about the smelter yesterday and he was telling me about travelling to Westminster to meet Thatcher and then secretary of state George Younger when they were battling to save the place.

Sandy McNab, I think you lived behind us in Obsdale Park as well. Is your wife Muriel? My Maiden name is Black, my Dad was Bob Black, we lived at 8A.

My Dad worked in the smelter too, he was a cell supervisor I think. Unfortunately he passed away last year.

Hi Lorraine
Yes you did live beside us Obsdale and I remember your family well.
Sorry to hear about Bob passing away. He was a very nice person and I enjoyed our chats over the fence. How is your mum?
My daughter was also called Lorraine and her brother was Scott. They just started school when we moved into Obsdale.
We got the swings etc from the Smelter Camp and put them into Obsdale beside your house and all you kids used to play on them.
These were good days then and even the summers were better.
Good hearing from you Lorraine.

I worked on the Smelter with John Gills on the pile driving. I worked also for Taylor Woodrow on scaffolding before going to drive a wagon for Jakey Williamson. Anyone know where his son-in-law lives? They were very nice to work alongside especially Jakey. He lived in Alness. I lived in Shore Road with Brian and Kitty Harnetty while I worked up there. I was known as Paddy as being Irish. I live in Cheshire with my family and grand-children now.

Hi, Has anyone tried to follow up on their pension lately? I'm investigating this on behalf of my dad, but not having much success. The details further up don't seem to be coming up with much. Thanks.

I've posted the means of finding this archive footage of the building of the Invergordon Smelter some time ago, it's 20 minutes long. It can be found on a search for "The Invergordon Smelter" Nostalgia indeed! The site doesn't allow direct links for some obscure reason, but search for movingimage
Title: INVERGORDON SMELTER, the
Reference number: 2216
Date: 1972
Director: d. Oscar Marzaroli
Sponsor: Films of Scotland and the British Aluminium Co. Ltd.
Production company: Ogam Films
Sound: sound
Reference number: 2216
Date: 1972
Director: d. Oscar Marzaroli
Sponsor: Films of Scotland and the British Aluminium Co. Ltd.
Production company: Ogam Films
Sound: sound
Colour: col
Fiction: non-fiction
Running time: 20 mins
Description:
The conception and construction of the aluminium smelter at Invergordon.
Credits:
comm.w. Pat Bowman comm.s. Derek Cooper ph. Martin Singleton ed. Pat Higson, Brian Crumlish
Shotlist:
Title (.06) pan shot of Cromarty Firth (.16) views of Invergordon streets (.28) shots of Inverbreckie farm; buildings and fields (.48) shots of the various early stages of construction work on the jetty at Saltburn (6.27) pan shot of a lorry on the road carrying a load of aluminium conductor bars (6.49) long aluminium bars are cold-formed into shape (7.30) the shaped buzz bars are welded into position (7.40) further shots of the jetty under construction (8.14) cells of the smelter are put in position (9.16) shots at the quayside; the SS Richard delivers raw materials to Invergordon (9.53) exterior shot Sir William Strath, chairman of BA greets Gordon Campbell, Secretary of State for Scotland (10.19) a party of dignitaries and executives tour the plant before its opening (10.55) the Secretary of State for Scotland leaves by helicopter (11.34) general shots of smelter plants ext. (11.48) int. smelter control room (12.01) the buzz bar assemblies beneath the cell rooms (12.06) ext. pan of smelter plant (12.35) various stages in the production of aluminium (19.08) aerial views of the smelter plant (19.57) ecs (20.30)

Baldy Bane

I am very curious to know if anybody knows who my grandad was, Andrew Anderson, I know he worked at the smelter for a long period of time but couldn't say when.

The Smelter construction gave me the opportunity to go to Invergordon Academy and know many wonderful Scots. I am retired from the medical field now. I would love to hear from anyone from the Academy 1968-71.

The Andrew Anderson I knew in the smelter passed away in his home town of Wick Caithness. I knew him when I worked there from 1972 till it closed. I am originally from Wick.

Another interesting film on the construction and operation of the smelter is on this site. There are 2 named persons that I recognise - Gordon Drummond the plant manager and Harry McCall, a shift control room operator at the control room desk. A helicopter scene shows only one cell room chimney in operation, so was probably taken in 1971. Nostaligia ain't what it used to be.

The smelter football team of 1979. Fill in the missing names if you can.
www.theinvergordonarchive.org/picture/number1623.asp

It's nice seeing a few names I recognise from Dads days in the smelter. I know he missed the camaraderie after it shut and he made a lot of friends there.

The area hasn't been the same since it closed.

Sorry, my previous post refers to another interesting film on the construction and operation of the smelter, this is actally the same film as I previously posted on 4th February 2016. Copy and paste in a search engine -
movingimage.nls.uk/film/2216

Whatever happened to these likely lads in the engineering team - Allan MacLean, Bill Taylor, Ian Cartwright, Matt Douglas, Mike Don, Bert Lunn, Ken MacDonald and Mike Webb?, then there was George Anderson and Harry Anderson - cell rooom shift superintendents and the 2 Poles - Bernard Djaldowski and Bruno Palmowski, I can't remember any others. There was a snowstorm one afternoon in the area, in 1971 as I remember, there was a high wind which made the roads impassable, we had all to stay overnight in the smelter. Then there was the miners' strike when the smelter was the only industry in the area with power. All houses were affected and people were questioning why we still had power with all the area floodlights on!

There was a third pole Jan mog was and the getman label man ,,heinous can't remember second name
Cell room superintendents Jim bowie ,John mumro to name but a few, yes Jim bruce John duff etc

There was also Ken MacDonald's father-in law who worked in the cast shop, John who was a pole.

my predictive text has wrecked havoic on my message

the pole was Jan Magwa (not sure of spelling )
b shift cell room 2 supervisor
his daughter was a shift nurse on the site
the german was heinz (not sure of surname)
his son in law was davy nicol, d shift cell room 4 supervisor
then there was me b shift cell room 3 supervisor
i have often wondered what happened to bill arthur who joined the smelter at the same time as me and as well as from paisley was in the year above me in the camphill school
ian ross from tain sent me a message which i replied to but never heard of again ??
Clive Bevin , cast house superintendant ?
Gorden Moorhouse cell superintendant
john Urquhart cell room supervisor from Tain
big Kilmarnock d shift operator cell room 4

there was a giant on my shift ,bshift a highland man , cant remember is name again b shift
he was a gentle giant and i remember he could lift the shackle on the aluminum bucket with one hand where i struggled with two
i could go on but enough said

Claus, I'm not sure about Bill but his daughter Linda is still in Alness. She's got children herself now and working in the dentist's in Alness.

There was Donald John Mackay, the personnel manager, a Jock Sutherland, a carbon plant operator, John Fyffe who was a baking furnace superintendent, a tubby chap who had a heart attack around 1973 and had to retire I think, John Cook - a Londoner who was an engineering clerk, Ian Milliken a rodding room supervisor, whose wife was a radiographer in the smelter; Angus Sutherland an engineering millwright, there was lad who worked in the baking furnace, I don't remember his name but he lost a leg when standing on the slatted block conveyor, it was drawn into the end of the conveyor - the only serious accident I remember, Donald MacPherson, I think he was an engineering millwright and Jimmy Gibb an electrician both were shop stewards at one time, Willie MacDonald an electrician, Martin Day a shift foreman electrician who came from Dounreay power station. If only there was a source of names from a personnel record, I can visualise faces but don't recall the names.

Baldy Bane, Ian Milliken's wife is Kay, I still bump into them in Invergordon now and then.

I vaguely remember Dad telling me of someone falling off one of the chimneys but it's a vague memory so could be wrong?

Lorraine
If it was not too much bother could you contact Linda and give her my e mail address and ask for either Bill or Margaret to get in toucharge

Clausdee1@AOL.com

Thanks

My father Max Malicki and Peter Odya who were Polish, both worked in the cast house, as did I.
The name of the chap who lost his leg in the bake conveyor was Davie Budge, his mother Belle worked in the smelter canteen.
Ken MacDonald's father in laws name was Johnny Opaska.

Lorraine, it's claus , did you contact your parents and pass on my message
Claus

Worked the pot Rooms packing hammers., Yorkie was our foreman Sandy Robertson chargehand jim Robertson Sandy brother senior. As was a Sandy Mackenzie cracker of a video in invergordon archives. ,best job I've worked on for craic laugh a minute , wonder how many remember fast gun in Smelter a scream that was ,
It was my first time working where Union was strong ,really ruled it did , my first job was spreading fire cement form drums ,then Erector ( nit rigger) set down Steele plates then a fitter did bolt nuts tightening ,anyway did my first pot erector set plates. I jumped into next pot ,just opened a drum ,and got a tap on shoulder ,finger in my face ( by Dick Campbell ) shop,steward ) he informed me one pot that's it , geeee whiz
It was only 10 30 Twiddling thumbs rest of day was not even allowed to,leave the area , Norley Swanson invergordon was erector there , eventually moved on to packing hammers ,the craic was good George Henry from Nairn was convenour

My father Charles Mckellar worked at the smelter. Does anyone have any memories of him. He sadly passed away on Sep 5th 2004.

Worked on construction and in pot moulding - great time; there is a few people recognisable on the film (//movingimage.nls.uk/film/2216), our squad is packing the krylite round the mould, I was wow how young I looked on a packer.

My husband was a sub contractor at the Smelter and I worked for a Texan called Gene Crowe who was the Resident engineer for British Aluminium. Great times. Moved up there for two years when I got married and lived at Roskeen Caravan site

Gene Crowe would have worked with Reynolds Metals of America, sent over as were a few others to assist in construction and training for production, they lived in the new houses being built in Alness. Reynolds owned 49% of BACO, the most that they could have, as BACO had to have the controlling interest. Senior staff from BACO were also sent to the US for familiarisation.

I'm Mr. Crow's son, Colin. Went to the Academy forms 4,5, & 6. Lived at Tullochard. The absolute BEST times of my life. Would like to contact Anne (nee McDonald) Cramb, Callum Bartlett, the Macgillivray sisters, Sheila Mckay, Cathmar MacIntosh, David Sutherland... anybody else that would like to swap memories!

Anyone remember my Dad, John (Johnny Mooney) Think he was a Construction Foreman we were living in Kirkside in Alness.1968/72

Knew John very well nice man

Hi does anyone know my grandfather called david nicol? He worked in the smelter for about 8 9 years? He was originally from glasgow him and my grandmother moved up here when the smelter was in its heyday around mid 70s. He had an accident when he worked there he lost 2 fingers if anyone remembers would be great. My other grandmother worked there as a cleaner at nights dolina (dolly) macculloch?

I knew a dave nicol who started as an operator in the extraction plant then as a production supervisor
If it is the same person then his father in law was a german who worked in the cast house
The dave nicol i knew was there from the early 70s and i joined in 1973

Clause , you have the wrong person, you are referring to Dave Macnicol . different person altogether .

Hi claus yes i think you have a different person.

I was in employment with Highland Fabricators just coming out of training school, got them call I was successful,for hire by Smelter ,arrived there got all,the safety talks ect then we we were taken on route to different stores for personal,equipment Work gear ,as tge your was going on ,I lost interest in Smelter just did not have feel for it ,plus I had a job so as the rest of group,continued retraced my steps and handed in equipment
Was in time for backshift Highland Fabricators , my brother worked there until,closure . Never regretted hat I did , was supervisor 20 years

Has anyone got video of construction work in pot rooms

Hello! I would love to see old pictures of my late father, Bill Lynas, at his work, any get in contact with people who have fond memories of him?

Hello. I am currently trying to trace the life of my grandfather John Carmichael. One possibility is that he was involved in an industrial accident at the Aluminium Works in 1971 where he fell off a roof and died on route to hospital. Does anyone have any recollection of that event? Many thanks.

Hello,
I worked for BACo from 1971 until 1975. During that period I was working out of the Technology Centre in Gerards Cross. My boss was John Waddington. I worked with John MacIntyre who was from Kinlochleven. We spend several weeks at the time on plant trials at the Smelter. Our main contact at the Smelter was John Aitken, a great guy.

But my connection with Invergordon predates the start of the Smelter by many, many years. As a child we would spend several summer holidays in Invergordon, staying with Nurse Macmillan. Back in the 50’s, and probably before, she was a well known character in the town and beyond. She ran an old folks home in nearby Milton. Wonderful childhood memories, rekindled by my time spent at the Smelter. In 1975 I accepted a position with Alcan Aluminium in Canada, where I am now retired. But Invergordon will always have a special place in my youthful memories. Donald Macmillan

I worked in the bake for the last few tears. I worked with bunts he was very obliging if you needed help.i started in1972 in the fume treatment plant then as a mechanic in the workshop

Hello James,
I work quite a bid in the anode rodding room. In the early days there were a lot of early anode failures due mainly to the size of the single weld bonded stud, over 8” in diameter. Donald

To Donald Macmillan - BACO invented the means of welding the steel stud to the aluminium hanger bar, this used friction welding, both were rotated at high speed in the construction of the bar and the faces driven into one another.

Hello John,
Yes, I certainly remember that. Actually, I was involved in the investigation of some early failures of those welds. We performed trials with chrome plating the steel stub prior to the friction welding. It’s so long ago I’m having trouble remembering where we performed the friction welding. Perhaps you will recall.

Change of subject - when I was at the Smelter during plant work, I stayed at the Jackdaw Inn. I guess that no longer exists. I must have gone through their dinner menu so, so many times. BTW your name seems to ring a bell? Where did you work at the Smelter? Cheers, Donald

Not 100% sure but think the friction welding was done in Elgin by a firm Elgin Central Engineering

Roddy, That also was my faint recollection. I went there several times on the chrome plating initiative, but was not certain. But I do remember being able to visit with my Mom and Dad who were living in retirement in Forres. BTW would seem to be a good idea to organize a Smelter reunion. Not sure how many are still around from the early days of the Smelter. I am trying hard to remember the names of the folks I met up with back then. And like I said in an earlier comment, my association with Invergordon goes way, way back to summer holidays spent in the area. I remember swimming in the saltwater pool at the coastline. We always stayed with Nurse Macmillan, who was a district nurse and who also operated an old folks home in Milton Village.

oh yes, Nurse Macmillan broght into this world screaming and bawling i believe so my mother said ,, Rita Macdonald off Clyde street nearly 84 years ago

I think the initial friction welding for the hangers for the plant construction was not done locally. The steel work for the construction had to be transported by road and rail; this caused at least one fatality that I remember when a motor cyclist was decapitated when overtaking a long flatbed lorry on the A9 near the site, this was carrying carrying overprojecting steel plates for the pot room cells. I was an Engineering Superintendent in the Carbon plant and finally for the Cellrooms Control Room and Switchyard before emigrating to South Africa (Am now in England). Reynolds Metals of America were 49% owners of BACO as they couldn't have the controlling interests, there were many of their staff sent over to assist in the construction including a name I remember - Gene Crow, some of us were sent over there for an initial period before startup. The reason why the Smelter was built at Invergordon was that it used virtually the output from the new Dounrey nuclear power station near Thurso and saved major transmission line losses. There was only one union allowed on the site - the AEU, to avoid too many labour disputes. The Cells could only last unattended for about 24 hours before the metal froze requiring mayor expense.

BTW Donald MacMillan I think its a slap in the face to any of the guys that worked there to even suggest a reunion, as most of them were shit on when they closed the smelter and even before that. When Davie Budge lost his leg in the baking furnace it was because the supervisor Jock Fyfe showed him how to remove a sticking anode block on the conveyor, which was an unsafe act and NOTHING was ever done about him.

The North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board had routine inspections. One on their transmission lines used infrared sensing using a helicopter. One such, found many cracks on the concrete chimneys, this had to be kept hush from the unions. Also a large 275kV transformer developed a fault, this was because a copper tail of one connection eventually fell off; sensors had been fitted on the transporter to detect any movement; it was discovered from the chart recorders that this had been involved in a shunting incident, this was on route to the smelter site during construction. An insurance claim was made! involving many £££££'s. Nostalgia indeed.

Yearly Ritual
Ever year all workers got their chest xrayed to make sure that no one contacted any type of infection and it could be caught, but it was all in vain because the doctors from the Invergordon surgery never checked them, even although they were paid to. George Gray whom I worked in the baking furnace with got a lung infection and to cut a long story short he had had it quite a while working at the smelter and they checked the xrays back several years and there was this growth get bigger and bigger each year. So for all the rubbish that they fed our brains with that was just too much to take, as it just proved we were all getting fed pure bullshit.

Cracks in the chimneys? could be too much steel in the chimneys, high winds, who knows but they were constructed by using a creeping shutter which moved an inch every 5 minutes or on bad days evey 8 minutes, chimneys 210' high. It was great to behold as the scaffolding had to always be constructed ahead of the chimney because there was no scaffolding allowed at night.

British Aluminium bought all the farmlands on the prevailing, wind side of the smelter; alumina powder and fumes from the chimneys would cause the teeth of ruminants to grind away more than usual. I remember also that an elderly doctor from the local surgery, gave a lecture on foot hygeine When in the showers to dry the feet properly, since there were many cases of footrot due to workers being unaccustomed in the use of showers at the end of shift .... he was a chain smoker as I remember !!!!.

I don't remember getting an x Ray and have been diagnosed with damage to the small capillaries of my lungs
A farewell present from the smelter

Ian Milligans wife was the radiologists at the smelter and took x rays 5 days a week

Must have missed me as a shift worker

Would that local doctor have been Doc Macaulay?

Alistair, I think the name was Milliken. He was a supervisor in the rodding room, where they filled the carbon blocks with molten steel to join the hangers.

Milligan - Milliken whatevever he was also supervisor in the baking furnace prior to the rodding room, was also signed for Queens Park football club

Yes it was Milliken he died last month, he was also supervisor in the baking furnace and an excellent friend.
Yes Colin it was Macaulay had a bit of a reputation.
Being a shift worker you would have been on days at some time, so depends on the supervisors or not.

Hello. Just thought I would repost my message from back in December 2021 as I can see that there has been quite a bit of activity on this site recently. I trying to trace the life of my grandfather John Carmichael. He appears to have been involved in an industrial accident at the Aluminium Works in 1971 where he fell off a roof and died on route to hospital. Does anyone have any recollection of that event? Many thanks.

Just discovered this site I worked in the Greenmill from 1973 till I emigrated to Canada in January 1981
I recognise many of the names attached to the posts
Bill Swinley was offered a job with the same Canadian company I went out to but decided to move to S.A.
Terry Gregory worked on shift with J.J. Macfadden and Alister Wilson was an operator in the Greenmill
Invergordon was a wonderful place to live and raise your family back in the seventies so unfortunate that the Smelter closed

Hi Davie, good to know that you are still in the land of the living, if I remember you were over here a good few years ago touring Invergordon and I bumped into you. Great life if you don't weaken but things really change, been retired now for 13 years just getting slower, fatter and older. Great to hear from you Davie.

David Murray,
I guess I followed in your footsteps. I quit BACO in 1975, moving to Canada to take up a position with Alcan Aluminium at their smelter in Arvida. Quebec. Now in retirement east of Montreal.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have a connection with Invergordon that dates back to my childhood. We would take family vacations in Invergordon, staying great aunt Nurse Macmillan’s old folks home in nearby Milton.

Alistair & Davie, good to know you are both still with us. Just as Bill Swinley did I ended up in South Africa working for the same company as Bill (different location) and we met up a couple of times. I came back after 7yrs and lived in Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire until 3yrs ago when I moved back to where it all started in the North West. Keep well both of you

Hi Terry good to hear from you and about your adventures. Went to MK Shand after the smelter closed then in 1984 went down to Nottingham on a years computer course and came back to Shands running materials control got into the Inspection of pipelines and went all over the world, Europe, Africa,Sakalin,USA, Brazil, a lot of the smelter sparkies had cancer in fact Andy Davidson died couple of weeks ago with it. Most of the smelter football team are pasted on, only a matter of time. Keep in touch Terry great to hear from you.
Cmon the pool

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