My dad - Charles Donald MITCHELL - was a Chemist at Midland Tar Distillers during WW2. He later took up teaching, first at Night School, and then in Secondary schools. Regards, Chris MITCHELL

Chris I remember well Midland Tar Distillers in Oldbury, opposite the Broadwell Works of several companies in the Tube Investments Group. When I was a teenager I went for an interview at Midland Tar, the position of Shipping Clerk was vacant, but I didn't get the job! Regrettably, this company went the way of many others and no longer exists, their office now a Sikh Temple and the factory a modern trading estate, all of this below the elevated section of the M5 motorway. How times change Rob G Halesowen -----Original Message----- From: Chris [mailto:chrisjmitchell@iprimus.com.au] Sent: 13 April 2006 07:52 To: ENG-BLACK-COUNTRY-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [B.C.] "what did my ancestors do and where did they work". My dad - Charles Donald MITCHELL - was a Chemist at Midland Tar Distillers during WW2. He later took up teaching, first at Night School, and then in Secondary schools. Regards, Chris MITCHELL ==== ENG-BLACK-COUNTRY Mailing List ==== Wherever possible (except for personal messages) please post replies to the list.Other people can learn from them!

You could say that one lot of mine who were industrial blacksmiths put the other lot out of work. The NEAL's worked on and in occupations related to the canal's as boatmen and women, lock keepers and coal dealers/merhants from Oxford up to the west mids. The CUTLER's were involved in railway manufacture and at I think the Smethwick carriage works. I also have a coillery engine driver, possibly at Willingsworth. On my mom's side I have nailers, miners and after marrying a fishmonger's daughter a greengrocer and his descendant's who went on to have WESTWOOD's fish shops in Blackheath. My husband has some churchwarden's at Claverley, later moving to Bilston where most of them were blacksmiths, with his granddad working at Bilston steel works. One branch of the KIDSON's went on to have a wholesale grocery business and shops in W'ton, Willenhall, Wednesbury and Bilston and they were also bakers and flourmakers. Another one was mayor of W'ton. My husband didn't know any of this until recently as his granddad was orphaned at 14. Gaye