In 2021 a number of copies of ‘The Rayoneer’ were donated to our collections at North East Wales Archives. These were the staff magazines for the Courtaulds factories across the UK. This collection is made up of 226 issues from 1931 to 1958.

Courtaulds was a UK based manufacturer of fabric, clothing, artificial fibres, and chemicals. It was established in 1794 and went on to be the world's leading man-made fibre production company. At its height, Courtaulds employed over 10,000 people at four sites in North East Wales. There were three factories in Flint: Aber Works, Deeside Mills and Castle Works; alongside Greenfield in Holywell. It was the main employer in Flint and the second largest in Flintshire.

Join us for this next instalment of Acid Free where we find out more about the collection and the content of The Rayoneer. We’ll also hear from former employees of Courtaulds to learn more about their experience of working at the factories in Flintshire.

Thank you to archivist Liz Newman and Suzanne, our student researcher, for their contributions to this episode. A big thank you also to Sandra, Cheryl and Colin for sharing their experiences of working for Courtaulds.

If you’d like to see copies of The Rayoneer in person, visit our website to find details of how to make an appointment: www.newa.wales

Music: 'Life in Silico' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au