A reader asked if anyone could recall a firm called Ault and Wyborg. Judy Cummings of Meadow Road, Kingswood, Watford, wrote in: MY husband Bob Cummings worked at Ault and Wyborg from 1967 until 1971. Bob was a chemist and worked for a division called Dispersions. Dispersions consisted of pigment mixed with chemicals and plasticisers and these were sent out to various firms to be added to more chemicals and made into paint, printing ink, lacquer, etc, similar to instant coffee I suppose.

Bob's immediate superior was Colin Stapley and the Director of Dispersions was Ted Cooper who was also Conservative MP for Ilford East. Ted would regularly take his lads that is all the lads who worked for Dispersions out on the town in London.

Sometimes the wives would be included and we attended cocktail parties at the Institute of Directors, and tea at the Houses of Parliament.

Ted's secretary was a lovely lady called Pat who looked after everybody. She had two enormous dogs. The salesman for Dispersions was called Dick Whittington a tall dark man and I remember the name Arthur Green, I think he was the colour matcher and had red hair. Alisdair Cooper, Ted's son also worked as a chemist but not for Dispersions and had long curly hair, but then most people had longish hair then.

Odhams and Fishburns were the major customers, that was when Watford was The Printing Town. The tankers full of printing ink kept up a constant shuttle from A&W to Odhams. I remember there were fires pretty regularly some of the chemicals used, such as toluene, were very flammable I seem to remember they had a special arrangement with the fire service.

Ault and Wyborg were taken over by Bell's Asbestos which later became Bestobel, in the early 1970's.