Mike French

Mike is a former engineer for Early's blanket company. He also served as a company fireman and became Chairman of the Union. He joined the firm's maintenance workshop at the age of 21 in the mid-1960s; Albert Crisp the works engineer told him as a new employee that 'there is no such thing as a job we can't do - we do everything here' and this attitude stayed with him throughout his working life. When Early's brought Fiberweaving technology over from America in an atmosphere of great secrecy, Mike was one of only two people who were given initial access to the machines.

He recalls that there was an unwritten code among the different blanket mills in Witney: if you were in current employment with one firm, the other mills would not take you on (even if you applied for a job) as this would have been considered to be poaching staff.

A recorded interview with Mike is available from Oxfordshire Studies - details are available on the Search the Collections page (search for his name).