Motor industry workers celebrated in WWII project

Images showing motor industry workers, with some of the vehicles they helped build, have been produced in a project to mark major World War Two anniversaries.

Dresden-based photographers Günter and Christine Stark captured the dozens of former and current workers at Coventry Transport Museum 85 years on from the Coventry Blitz and 80 years since the destruction of Dresden.

The couple travelled to the city for the project which, they say, reflects Coventry's pivotal role as a centre of motor production during the war.

It is hoped the work will be displayed in exhibitions in both Dresden and Coventry, organisers said.

The workers posed with cars associated with their often decades-long careers.

Retired worker Brian Pollard was photographed standing next to a Hillman Imp, which he said held "a place in my history and my heart".

He had worked on the model's engine when working as a production engineer at the Humber car company in the city in the 1960s.

"It was quite an interesting, complicated project," he explained.

"It was new types of engineering that hadn't been done before, because we were using aluminium, which was totally alien compared to all the iron that we'd ever used," he added.

"It was a great time, we all enjoyed the work and we felt we were part of a massive development as far as the engineering side was concerned."

Former Jaguar worker Ivor Lee said he remembered the last E-Type Jaguar rolling off the production line in Coventry.

Former Peugeot and Jaguar Land Rover worker Harbhajan Singh Pangli also took part in the project.

The retiree, who is now trustee at the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Parkash in Coventry, said the city's car history "should be promoted a bit more," but the project would help "put Coventry on the map".

The two cities share a link through their mutual devastation by WWII bombing, leading to a post-war twinning for peace and reconciliation.

Günter made his name as a documentary photographer in the East German city under the German Democratic Republic, while Christine is known for her portraits and photography after German reunification.

The project was facilitated by the Coventry Association for International Friendship (CAIF) which has helped organise arts exchanges with Dresden for more than 10 years.

Dave Hirons, assistant secretary at CAIF, said the hope was for the photos to be exhibited in Coventry and Dresden, which is home to its own transport museum – the Verkehrsmuseum Dresden.

He said: "It's been a privilege to welcome Günther and Christine to Coventry – and to help share some of the tales from people from the city's motor industry.

"What's preserved at Coventry Transport Museum and its collections is vital to the history of the city, and all the volunteers who help to bring it to life and maintain much of what we don't see are incredibly important."

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