A man who has been a shoemaker since he was 13, and in whose family shoemaking passed from generation to generation, is a fitting subject for this series of articles. He is Foreman John Partridge (left) , whose daughters Joan and June work at East Tilbury and will soon be joined by brother Fred, about to start his last term at school. John is senior foreman in Dept 405, where he started as a hand-clicker on Army boots in 1940. He was promoted to foreman the following year.
"I started clicking when I left school," he told the Bata Record, " and worked for London shoemaking firms before I came to British Bata. I and my family are cockneys, but have been so happy here that none of us ever regretted the change. I am particularly pleased to see how happy my children are, and how much they, as well as I, appreciate the facilities both in the factory and on the Estate, where we live. Work with British Bata provides an opening which I would not hesitate to advise any youngster to take."

It was not long before John took an active part in social and other extra shoemaking activities associated with the Company. He is perhaps best know as the genial and capable organiser of the successful weekly whist drives at Bata Hotel - voluntary work he has been doing for 11 years.
Until last year, when he retired after 12 years' service, he was a member of the committee of Bata Sports and Social Club. for seven years, he was a member of the Bata Fire Brigade.
John has cut almost all there is to cut for leather footwear in his extensive experience, and has a high opinion of the Bata system and organisation. He is well-liked by the workers.

Joan Partridge (right) is one of the most popular girls in the clerical section of British Bata, and is in her seventh year of service in the export department, where she is typist-secretary to Export Manager V. Hassala. Cheerful and friendly, she possesses a quiet, steady competence, and a flair for unobtrusive but effective organisation.
The latter quality exemplified by her work as leader of the Keep-Fit Class, of which she has been a member since its inception. She is Eileen Fowler's right-hand woman, and arranges business matters, enrolments and special events, as well as acting as liaison officer with the dramatic section of Bata Sports and

Social Club, in several shows of which the class has given displays.
She has played netball for Batagirls for four years, and is one of the key players, having skippered the "B" team when two teams were run. When not netballling or "keeping fit", she plays tennis, or goes for walks.
"I like the Company, I like the workers, and I like the neighbourhood," said Joan crisply, when asked what she thought of East Tilbury.
Although she has been a Batagirl for less than five years, June (left) had been in three departments before she settled in Dept 421.
"I made friends wherever I worked," she said, "and am specially ahppy to be in my present department - it is a really nice lot of girls. I like living on the Estate, too, and, although I am fond of London, never want to live there."
June is interested in amateur dramatics and will be best remembered for a leading characterisation in the play which formed part of the dramatic section's Coronation show last year; she also

played a small part in the pantomime "Aladdin."
Fred Partridge (far right) is already partly a Bataman - although he will not be a complete one until after the summer - because he is one of the corps of young sellers from who workers purchase their Bata Record every Friday.
He is a keen sportsman, and is equally at home at cricket, football, tennis and swimming. He looks forward to working at East Tilbury, where he hopes to take part in sports activities.