Brian Longworth

Recollecting Oxford Medicine: Oral Histories

Derek Hockaday interviews Brian Longworth, former mechanical technician and engineer at the Radcliffe Infirmary, 31 July 2015. Topics discussed include: (00:00:09) initial time at Radcliffe Infirmary engineering department in 1954; (00:04:28) leaving school, steel press apprenticeship; (00:05:49) early work as a turner; (00:08:51) arc eye; (00:09:46) reasons for going to the Radcliffe Infirmary and work there (00:12:48) statutory engineers working week change of hours; (00:16:23) interviewing for technician assistant to Alfie Lord; (00:19:01) Robot Royal camera to take photographs of operating theatre; (00:23:13) transferring to x-ray department – work and colleagues; (00:28:02) job coming up with Professor Allison as a technician in surgery, memories of Dr Fred Wright, 1957-8; (00:32:35) details of mechanical technician job in surgery; (00:37:57) changes when Professor Allison arrived at the Radcliffe, ward sisters; (00:44:20) new theatres, machinery; (00:45:52) using a cine camera for surgery photography; (00:48:13) early heart surgery; (00:54:01) Mr Kerr and Charlie Webster at the Radcliffe; (00:56:44) leaving the Radcliffe to work at Letcombe as laboratory steward; (01:00:11) applying for job with Grant de Jersey Lee; (01:04:13) Terry Denton; (01:07:38) working with other surgeons and colleagues; (01:11:30) the Mayo-Gibbon machine; (01:15:19) the Women's Institute; (01:19:34) working with anaesthetists, experience of anaesthetic; (01:25:28) engineers location at Radcliffe Infirmary; (01:34:09) working with animals; (01:37:57) growing into technician job, interactions at nurses lectures; (01:43:40) George Pickering; (01:48:48) Harold Ellis. Note the following sections of audio are redacted: 00:07:33-07:07:47; 00:35:32-00:36:17; 00:50:34-00:50:50; 00:51:31-00:54:00; 00:57:35-00:57:55; 00:59:12-00:59:40; 01:23:32-01:23:47; 01:27:43-01:28:06; 01:30:40-01:31:16; 01:45:26-01:46:34; 01:49:58-01:50:29 and 01:51:02-01:51:34.