Redditch is a town in Worcestershire, near Birmingham. It was a centre for the UK fishing tackle manufacturing industry (and according to Wikipedia, needles!), with its most famous manufacturer probably being Partridge. J W Young and Alcock’s were also based in Redditch.

look at you bro - what a sweet reel.
that's a Young pattern 1, yes, made in Redditch.
The Japanned enamel finish and latch plate dates it to sometime after 1932 (when Hardy's St. George latch plate patent expired), but before the war.

Here's a history of the founder, JW Young - after 1921, his sons ran things.
http://www.antiquetackleobserver.com/20 ... 1870-1921/
During WWII (beginning with 1935 Arms Directive), they made aircraft control systems, and especially firing trigger mechanisms for Hurricane and Spitfire fighters.
They closed the fly reel line in 2001, still bench-make centrepins today, and Jim Young still runs the shop.

The reason so much fishing tackle was manufactured in Redditch was the fish hook manufacturers were first and foremost needlemakers
fishing tackle was just a small sideline for them

Young built his business providing reels to the needlemakers, which through his menu-based wholesale operation, grew into catalog merchants, gunsmiths and tackle shops around UK and the world.

Here's Rupe Atwood's book, which is out of print - pick on Rupe and Medlar Press by e-mail and watch for a 2nd printing
https://www.amazon.com/J-W-Young-Sons-C ... 1899600477
(Rupe and I swapped correspondence during his draft, and a couple of my photos are in the book)

here's a fun topic on the forum
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=15275

ask me anything about this topic.

Army-Navy CSL (pattern 1c), Lyon & Coulson Varden (pattern 15a), Allcocks Ousel (pattern 1c)

There are two topics at the top of the page, which address cleaning and lube (cleaning) and adjusting run-out on your reel (mechanical bits)

Haha, Ron can be a bad influence on anyone trying to keep their gear to a
minimum. He posts such great pictures all the time and offers a wealth of knowledge. I have him to thank for several reels and a few rods as well. Joking aside, I’m very grateful for the gear reviews and the many answered PMs.

hey, y'all don't need me - I was rigging boats with Stevo all day (our fall kayak trip is in 2 weeks), and look what a busy day you had on this forum.

do you have the foot matched up with a reel seat? show us a photo if you do

My reel seat is long enough but I'm not sure they sit well together, my rod being brand spanking new shiny glossy green. I have just ordered a 7ft 4wt split cane though.

I really love the traditional Hardy reel seat on this. It's funny, as a north east lad Hardy bro's is my local tackle shop. Ever since being a kid I've dreamt of owning a Hardy set up, everything I read said they were the best on the planet and it was a part of my local heritage. I could never justify the price tag however but I used to lust over their carbon fibre rods, picking them up in the shop and wiggling the end. Ten years later I still can't afford their carbon fibre rods but feel I got this at a good price and took a punt as my first introduction to glass. I finally have that Hardy Bro's rod but now all I want is an English lovingly hand built rod not a Korean factory processed one.
For my brothers birthday i ordered him a Hardy graphite the favourite. Built in 1983, supposedly a slow action rod. This being his first decent rod also. I just got to cast it for myself on Friday for the first time. Casting our rods side by side, his would only load/ start casting with 4 ft of line out whereas mine can with a worms penis and I thought yeah am onto a winner here, perfect for the job in hand. This is the first time we had fished a river together in about eight years so I was ghillieing as he doesn't know the water. I fish this river 3/4 days a week and this was the hardest going day I've ever had, it was so sunny there was so little sign of life, especially after I had been building it up so much as dry fly paradise. He finally caught after over two hours a tiddler the same size as mine in the photos above and he was over the moon. He maybe fishes 4 days a year. I fished the last pool and caught the fish above. He saw the bend in my rod and the wee fight it put up saying, woah how come mine didn't do that!?
I replied glass bro.
Now he is debating a maxcatch chinese glass rod.