Memories of furniture firm that made aircraft

THE letter from Maureen Hunt (Yorkshire Post, April 17) about the furniture firm making aeroplanes stirred some childhood memories for me.

My father, Frank Holroyd, worked for Wilkinson’s for about 30 years, in the offices at Hall Lane, Bradford, but, during the war years, having what was classified as a reserved occupation he worked at the Farsley factory where they made the fuselage for the AVRO Anson.

These were then transported by road to the AVRO factory at Yeadon for assembly and test flying from the then Yeadon Aerodrome.

Wilkinson’s was very much a “family” firm. I remember well the annual Christmas parties for employees’ families held at the Hall Lane premises. Father was very happy at Wilkie’s for many years, until redundancy followed their takeover by Meredews of Letchworth.

By coincidence, I worked during the 1960s at Yeadon Airport for BKS Air Transport Ltd. An associate company was BKS Air Survey Ltd, who flew AVRO Ansons surveying, among other things, the route for the M1.