Frish and Wins was set up on the top floor of a hardware shop in Princess Drive manufacturing diamond tools for armaments. The diamond industry was of strategic importance during the war effort and not only for manufacturing weapons but as a currency. Equipment such as sawing machinery was consigned from Slamco in New York, but the first delivery was destroyed in a raid on Liverpool. Some tools were produced locally by Dua and Stoeltjes, Belgian refugees. The production would be exported to America as part payment for armaments and other imports under the Lend-lease agreement.
Mr Biallostersky, a Dutchman was responsible for the eighteen machine operators. There were also diamond-cutting factories in Bangor with sixty employees where several languages were spoken including Dutch, English, Flemish, French and Welsh. Because of the vital contribution to industry and armaments the diamond industry was a reserved occupation. Later the Frish and Wins factory was taken over by J. K. Smit, who also set up another diamond tool factory in Rhos-on-Sea manufacturing diamond stylus and this continued operating into the 1950s.
Staff of the wartime diamond industry relaxing on the pier. Photo given by Mrs G Roberts.
Contributions at the Frish and Wins factory were diverse. One of the Belgian diamond workers, Eddy De Klerk, had invented some fire fighting equipment and also a machine to convert salt water to fresh, not a completely new idea, but uniquely it was a portable machine that could be used in a lifeboat, and was said to have been given to the Admiralty. Another working here as a local teenager during the war when asked if there were any other contributions Colwyn Bay made to the war states pragmatically. ‘We were only interested then in going to work and receiving our pay packet.’ Reinforcing the view that the industries had contributed significantly to the lives of the young locals.
Information from Hans Wins son of the founder of the factory. He visited the town in 2010 and still has great affection for Colwyn Bay.
Information reproduced courtesy of Cindy Lowe, author of Colwyn Bay Accredited: The Wartime Experience