Carl Chinn sits down in conversation with Larry Hanks, one of the four founders of Birmingham's Pen Museum and, a quarter of a century after it opened, still one of its most devoted volunteers. Larry grew up in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham.
Larry talks about starting as a trainee draughtsman, and how he learnt that the man who swept the floor had just as much to teach him. He remembers being an ink monitor at school, watching bombs fall in a row into a stream near his home during the war, and turning 21 in Nicosia during the Cyprus Emergency. His career took him from site checks across Europe, America and Singapore to a factory in Russia.
A warning about retirement led Larry to collect fountain pens and pen nibs, and to discover that Birmingham once made 75% of the world's pen nibs. Brian Jones, Colin Giles and Ray Handley and Larry formed the Birmingham Pen Trade Heritage Association, cleared out a derelict room in Frederick Street, rebuilt old library cabinets by hand and funded much of it themselves. Larry reflects on why the museum is the thing he is proudest of, and speaks about Margaret, his wife of almost 64 years. It is a story about what a few determined people can do to make sure a city remembers how it made its living.
The Pen Museum - https://penmuseum.org.uk
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My Life, My Story:
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Available now on Amazon.
https://ourlives-ourstories.com/mylifemystory
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