A member of a mill-owning family has immortalised the faces of staff from the long history of a Bradford textile mill in a new book.

Former Bradford magistrate Roger Davy recalls memories of local legends who worked at The Bradford Waste Pulling Company, Dudley Hill, in his book, Waste Matters.

Affectionately known locally as T’ Waste Pullin’, the business was founded by his grandfather, Francis Henry Davy, in 1895. Its trade was making use of unused textile wastes which would otherwise be thrown away by factories – long before recycling became a familiar concept.

The family business is still going strong today, as Davy Textiles Ltd.

Ilkley born and bred, Mr Davy, 72, worked at the firm himself, retiring in the 1990s. He said he missed the staff the most, and wanted to document the lives of the men and women who worked at the mill over the years.

He said: “Although I do not miss the daily hurly-burly and, in more recent years, very difficult economic times, I certainly do miss the people with whom I was in daily contact.”

Among the textiles produced at the mill over the years have been felt for piano keys and cloth to cover tennis balls.

Members of the Davy family feature in the book, including Mr Davy’s father, Walter Davy, who served in the Royal Navy during the First World War.

Also featured are other mill stalwarts, such as joiner Stanley Jessop, works engineer Frank Whitaker, and company cooks Margaret Squires and Alice Milner. The book is available from the Grove Bookshop, Ilkley, or by e-mailing rogbardavy@blueyonder.co.uk.