George Loble – 80 years

This year marks 80 years since we became Gateshead Technical College. That’s a big number — and we’re proud of it. But the numbers that really matter to us aren’t the milestones. They’re the people. The apprentices, the students, the staff. The lives we’ve changed and the careers we’ve started.

As part of our 80th celebrations, we want to share the stories of those who have helped shape Gateshead College.

One of those people was George Loble, one of our very first apprentices back in the 1940s. Though George sadly passed away in 2021, he had previously shared his story with us — so it’s only fitting that he is the first person we celebrate in our 80th anniversary series.

To escape Nazi persecution, George’s family sent him to the UK in March 1939. Arriving with little more than 10 shillings in his pocket and speaking virtually no English, he faced extraordinary challenges.

George and his immediate family were reunited in England some years later and his father Fritz and Uncle Robert, began to look at ways of re-establishing the family electrical engineering business.

With financial assistance from the Board of Trade to set up a business in an area of high unemployment, the Loble family moved to Gateshead and opened Loblite Limited on Team Valley Trading Estate. The factory helped produce nuts and bolts for ammunition during World War II and employed local people.

Before coming to the UK, George’s father had run the business in Germany, but under Nazi rule, the family had lost everything.

“We were a very close family, not only because we always have been, but also because of the outside pressure of being an alien when we arrived in Gateshead,” George said back in 2015. “We arrived in this country virtually penniless and had to borrow money from friends and banks. I remember my father taking money back to the factory on a Friday morning to pay the wages.”

At the age of 14, George began an apprenticeship at Sigmund Pumps in Team Valley. Having been expelled from grammar school in Germany for being Jewish, combined with the challenge of a language barrier, doing an apprenticeship was the best option for him.

“I was very fortunate to work for Sigmund Pumps. Their apprenticeship schemes at the time were very advanced. There were few if any other companies offering pay alongside training and other facilities and I’m grateful to Mr. Sigmund for giving me the job as it helped me make a living for the rest of my life.”

During his seven-year apprenticeship, George studied at Gateshead Technical College, which was then based on Edendale Terrace. At first, he attended evening classes three nights a week after work, but eventually, apprentices were allowed day release to study.

He began with a two-year junior course, which would be considered a foundation course today. He then completed a national certificate in mechanical engineering over the next three years.

With the support of Gateshead College, George was later able to pursue a higher national certificate. Although the college didn’t offer that course at the time, and only after debate from the local authorities, Gateshead Council stepped in to fund his studies at another institution so he could complete the qualification.

“I’m incredibly grateful to Gateshead College and Sigmund Pumps for my apprenticeship, it really did set me up for life. Mr. Sigmund was very keen that we not only learn practical skills but also theoretical knowledge about heat engines, hydraulics, and the strength of materials. Because I studied these subjects early on, I later became a chartered mechanical engineer and a member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.”

When asked about the value of Gateshead College today and what advice he’d give to someone considering further education, George said:

“Having trained as an apprentice, I’m a strong advocate for continuing that route. Many university graduates today struggle to find work in their chosen fields. I know several who are working in unrelated jobs just to get by. Meanwhile, there’s a real shortage of people with hands-on skills, those with practical training often walk straight into jobs. Apprenticeships, like those at Gateshead College, not only offer that training but also let you earn while you learn, without the burden of tuition fees.”

He added, “The college campuses now are not only much better than what we had, but they’re also state-of-the-art. I think the college has done a fantastic job in making Gateshead a brilliant place for education.”

In 1953, George married Eve Heinemann, and together they built a strong, loving marriage that spanned over 66 years, raising their two children, Monica and Peter.

Eve and George were among the founding members of the Newcastle Reform Synagogue and George eventually became Honorary Life President. In 1967, George became a Magistrate in Gateshead and Chairman of the Youth Court, until he retired at 70 years of age.

George was invited to become a Trustee of the Women’s Cancer Detection Society at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead and in due course he became Chairman. This charity introduced cervical screening and later breast screening for women at a time when the NHS did not offer routine testing.

One of the highlights of George’s life was when he was awarded an MBE in recognition of his charitable work. He was thrilled to have this honour bestowed by Her Majesty the Queen in person.