[KeithJG]

My Mother's eldest sister, my Aunt Maisie, worked at Leeches for years but, having drifted away from that side of my family as my Mother died when I was 11yrs old I never got to know my Aunt very much, just knew she worked there.

[conan]

 Photos of the Leech building



http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3687158


there's also a few Leech built model locos as being sold on E bay and the like

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-us/auction-catalogues/lacy-scott-and-knight/catalogue-id-srlac10063/lot-d1c4f235-de63-4dc3-adc3-a43b001c6b9f

[Signals99]

 This information may or may not be of interest re Leeches of Rochester .An anti submarine bomb   named Squid , was the main underwater warfare weapon of the RN.at that time. Bomb shaped it was fired from a 'mortar ' ahead of the ship. It was fitted with a depth detonation setting device,covered by a lens to facilitate setting (very small numbers ,hard to see) the lenses were all manufactured at Leeches ,of Rochester . We had boxes of them on hold in Lodge Hill RNAD.

[Bryn Clinch]

As a child in the fifties, I was one of the scavengers in the spoil heaps at the back of Leech's looking for discarded lenses to play with. i.e. trying to focus the sun's rays to ignite a piece of paper etc.

[KeithJG]

Leech Ltd. Rochester was set up in June 1947 and dissolved in March 1999.

[Rochester-bred]

I am not sure when Leech's closed as my brother left in the 70s to move to another firm maybe someone else knows.

[Signals99]

I had a childhood pal, Richard Hallet, who lived in Union Street Rochester. He served an apprenticeship at Leeches as a polisher, five years as I recall.

[Troyboy]

As a child in the fifties, I was one of the scavengers in the spoil heaps at the back of Leech's looking for discarded lenses to play with. i.e. trying to focus the sun's rays to ignite a piece of paper etc.

[numanfan]

I am a bit confused here what has a 'white line' got to do with Leech's .

I dont know, Numanfan asked so he will know.

I asked the question on my very first post on this thread, because the photo showed there wasn't a white line outside Leech's, and I thought that most main roads nowadays do. When I took my photo for the 'then & now' post, I realized there still isn't a white line down the middle. (Although there is one as you approach the Star Hill end of the High Street & at the Chatham Intra end )

(Probably best not to mention it anymore on this thread, completely off-topic).

[grandarog]

I am a bit confused here what has a 'white line' got to do with Leech's .

I dont know, Numanfan asked so he will know.

[merc]

I think one of my brothers might have worked at Leech's for a while too.

Does anyone know when it closed please?

[Rochester-bred]

I am a bit confused here what has a 'white line' got to do with Leech's .

[grandarog]

"Serious question here:  who / when was it decided to put a centre white line in the roads?"

In England, the idea of painting a centre white line was first experimented with in 1921 in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. Following complaints by residents over reckless driving and several collisions, the Sutton Coldfield Corporation decided to paint the line on Maney Corner in the area of Maney.[17]

Source Wikipedia.

[AlanH]

I had a mate (Alan James) worked there when we were teens (early 60s?)and I vaguely remember him saying about a rail track of some kind. Haven't seen him for many years as I lost track when we came to Oz but believe he's also (or was) out here somewhere.
AlanH.

[Rochester-bred]

My brother used to work at Leech's for a good few years and told me recently that when they went into the basement there was a train track that was there. He was told it had been used in the war (not sure which) to ferry in wooden cart's torpedos. I am not sure if this was what it was used for but he said he did see the track's. I do know that on the other side under the railway bridge past Bath Hard Lane there was a train station but do not think it was anything to do with this. Maybe someone here may know more as I would love to be able to tell my brother if this was the use of the carts.