Pye Village Industries Scheme

During WW2, the Government tried to persuade vital companies to relocate to “safer” areas of the country, such as Wales or the West Country. “Pye of Cambridge”, who made radios and TVs and supported the war effort with radar instruments, wanted to stay in the area so the Village Industries Scheme was set up in 1940. Components and sub-assemblies were made in various village locations around Cambridge for final delivery to Pye. This employed up to 14,000 trained workers at its peak and would provide a ready-made workforce following the war years.

Tony Gatward and David Starr both recalled that in New Rd a tin shed behind the Garage was used for the Pye Unit/electrical workshop to make radio parts, later for car repairs. When young, one of David’s jobs was to take the accumulator (battery) for their radio to get it recharged at the local garage, run by Sabbertons. Pye were also in Green Man Lane in the Oddfellows Hall and in the Baptist Chapel where his sister Joan worked. The Baptist history book states the church schoolroom was taken over by Pye Ltd. (electronics) from September 1943 but some think it was earlier.

Margaret Gambie recalled her mother worked at Pye Radios in the Oddfellows Hall where nearly 30 local woman assembled parts for radar and communications equipment. Most of the women, if their children were of school age, had to work making parts for aeroplanes. We have a photo of Mrs Thompson, Margaret’s mother, Joan Bash, Mrs Neaves and other workers we think was taken in Oddfellows Hall. John and Gerald Ives’ remembered their mother worked in the Pye factory too, making radios and other things. Jane Peveley remembers the workers accessing the Oddfellows building behind 49 High St (now Hairs & Graces) via an entrance to the right of it.

In 1948 Kath Rayner worked at Pyes in Harston when they were in the Oddfellows Hall. Then, when that closed in Harston, she went to Pye’s in Cambridge in the TV Dept where they worked on an assembly line making the boxes. Bruno Konsievicz? worked for Pye during the war and Andy Bowden remembered he ran an electrical (TV) shop at the end of Hurrell’s Row afterwards.

Can anyone clarify how long Pye were in Harston?