Memories of an apprentice electrician working in St Silas Church

E. Warriss has sent us some interesting memories of what the electrical equipment used to be like in St Silas Church:

“In 1959 I was an apprentice electrician employed by the Yorkshire Electricity Board (YEB) and working with an electrician, Wilf Johnson.

We were sent to St Silas Church in Broomhall to update the electrical system.

What we found was a museum of electrical equipment.

The fuse boards were open copper bars with bar fuse wire mounted on a slate board. All open to the touch.

The brass lighting switches were also mounted on this slate board and bearing in mind that you had to enter the church in darkness to access these switches, it is a wonder that no one was electrocuted.

We had to take out the old equipment and install, what were then, modern fuse boards and replaced all the lighting switches.

The wiring was in reasonable condition and it was decided not to re-wire the lights.

Wilf Johnson was an accomplished pianist and one day he powered up the organ. He was playing” Blaydon Racers” when the vicar came in. After listening, he asked Wilf to come regularly to play on a Sunday. Wilf declined the invitation.”