Haberdashery Wholesale Distributors

<body> <body link="#0033CC" vlink="#0033CC" alink="#0033CC" leftmargin="0" topmargin="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0"> <table width="550" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td><img src="images/titles/history.gif" width="500" height="30"></td> </tr> <tr> <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td colspan="2"><div align="center"><strong><font color="#333399" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Haberdashery - haberdashery products - wholesale distributor of haberdashery products <br> An historic account of <br> <font size="4">W.Williams & Son (Bread Street) Ltd.</font><br> <font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">(formerly the partnership business of W.Williams & Son)</font><br> 1819 - 1975<br> by Leslie C.R. Hayman<br>    </font></strong></div> <div align="center"> </div></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="51%"><table width="310" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td width="13" valign="top"><img src="images/bullet.gif" width="10" height="10" vspace="5"></td> <td width="297" height="40" valign="top"><div align="left"><strong><font color="#333399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="history.htm#WWH1">Foreword</a> </font></strong></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"><img src="images/bullet.gif" width="10" height="10" vspace="5"></td> <td height="40" valign="top"><div align="left"><strong><font color="#333399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="history.htm#WWH2">Early history</a> </font></strong></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"><img src="images/bullet.gif" width="10" height="10" vspace="5"></td> <td height="40" valign="top"><div align="left"><strong><font color="#333399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="history.htm#WWH3">Growth of the business</a></font></strong></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"><img src="images/bullet.gif" width="10" height="10" vspace="5"></td> <td height="40" valign="top"><div align="left"><strong><font color="#333399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="history.htm#WWH4">Further development of the business and formation of the Company </a></font></strong></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"><img src="images/bullet.gif" width="10" height="10" vspace="5"></td> <td height="40" valign="top"><div align="left"><strong><font color="#333399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="history.htm#WWH5">The period of the First World War </a></font></strong></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"><img src="images/bullet.gif" width="10" height="10" vspace="5"></td> <td height="40" valign="top"><div align="left"><strong><font color="#333399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="history.htm#WWH6">Post-war development</a> </font></strong></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"><img src="images/bullet.gif" width="10" height="10" vspace="5"></td> <td height="40" valign="top"><div align="left"><strong><font color="#333399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="history.htm#WWH7">The destruction of the firm's premises in the Second World War </a></font></strong></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"><img src="images/bullet.gif" width="10" height="10" vspace="5"></td> <td height="40" valign="top"><div align="left"><strong><font color="#003399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><a href="history.htm#WWH8">Re-establishment in Aldersgate Street</a></strong><a href="history.htm#WWH6"></A></a></font></strong></div> </td> </tr> </table></td> <td width="49%" valign="middle"><img src="images/hpic1.gif" width="300" height="183"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><p>  <br> <a name="WWH1"><font color="#000099" size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><em>Foreword</em></strong></font></a></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In this short account Leslie Hayman has described the history of the Company in a way which could have been done by no one else, for he was in a position to trace the development of the Company over the greater part of this century, and he could draw on the information and tradition handed on to him by his father and members of the Williams family so as to give an account of the early history of the Company.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Leslie Hayman has done a great service, by recording the facts as he knew them, for in a very few years memories grow dim, and it is not merely the history of this particular company which is lost. but there will soon be very little evidence about the houses which composed the Textile Distributing Trade in the City of London.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">From the middle of the nineteenth century to the middle of the Twentieth century the Textile Distributing Houses occupied a substantial part of the City. From Basinghall Street and King Street in the East to St. Paul's Churchyard and Aldersgate Street in the West, from Chiswell Street in the North to Cannon Street in the South, the primary activity was that of textiles and its allied trades.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Though there were some houses which had a general trade, for the most part the houses were specialised. To name a few - Morley, Brettle and Wolsey specialised in hosiery, Dent Allcroft and Fownes specialised in gloves, Vyses and Woolley Sanders in millinery. Then there were the men's houses like Welch Margetson, Mclntyre Hogg Marsh & Co. and R.H. & S. Rogers; and finally there were the big general houses like Cook, Sons & Co. (St. Pauls), Foster Porter & Co., Bradbury Greatorex & Co. and many others, and nearly all of them were public companies.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">But in addition there were the haberdashery houses, which included W. Williams & Son (Bread Street) Ltd., whose history Leslie Hayman has recorded with such care. Though one might think that such an account is purely -of interest to the Company, its employees and its customers, it has in fact a wider interest as recording the problems and the difficulties of one of the textile houses which has survived to serve its customers in 1975, when so many others have either amalgamated or ceased to, trade.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">To put the account into its proper setting, it is important to understand the factors which were affecting the trade in the period from 1925 to 1975.</font></p> <div align="justify"> <ol> <li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">At the beginning of the period textile goods were for the most part distributed through the railways, and because the railway system was centred in London, there was a concentration of distributing houses within reach of the London termini. When the road services took over from the railways the distribution of textile goods, it was no longer necessary for the textile houses to be located near the London termini.</font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In the period before the Second World War, many retailers found that they could more economically purchase direct from the manufacturers.</font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The City warehouses from which the distributing houses operated were sprawling, old-fashioned buildings, and during the 1940/41 attack on London were extremely vulnerable. As a result the most damaged area in central London was the textile area between the Bank and St. Paul's.</font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Many of the distributing houses which were public companies were possessed of substantial assets, which made them very vulnerable to the take-over bidder.</font></li> <li><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Finally, the enormous increase in property values in the early 70's made them even more vulnerable.</font></li> </ol> </div> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Against this background we must look to Leslie Hayman's account to see how W. Williams & Son (Bread Street) Ltd. fared. Like many others its premises were razed to the ground by Hitler's bombs, and the Company had to operate from temporary premises in the West End and Buckinghamshire, but the haberdashery houses were not so vulnerable to the other factors affecting the textile distributing trade. All of them were still private companies and all of them were still providing a service to retail stores which the stores could not do without. No store and no manufacturer would want to stock the variety of buttons, of fastenings, of furs, of trimmings and of other etceteras which a specialist haberdashery house could provide. It was, and is, a field for the specialist, and W. Williams set themselves up once more in the City, and Leslie Hayman's account is the story of how, in the face of all the problems created by the war and the aftermath of war, this Company was organised to provide a service to its customers and to re-establish its old prosperity.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Leslie Hayman tells us of the problems encountered, but it is typical of the man that he has given little indication of the part he played, firstly as Managing Director and then as Chairman and Managing Director, in those vital years, and finally of the steps he took to hand on the control to his son, Anthony, whose loss was a sad blow to a father who would have liked to have seen the family interest continued for another generation.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">But Leslie Hayman was much more than a successful haberdasher. He was a Liveryman and subsequently Master of the Framework Knitters' Company. He took a great interest in City affairs and served on the Court of Common Council for nearly twenty years, and was Master of the Aldersgate Ward Club, and he still found time to enjoy his game of golf and was proud of his M.C.C. membership. In the account which follows, he has shown us the lifelong interest he had in the Company and its employees. It is an interesting history of a City house in a time of change, and I know that you will enjoy it.</font></p> <img src="images/lbidl.jpg" width="329" height="86"> <p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">December 1975</font></p> <hr width="300" size="1" noshade> <br> <p></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td colspan="2"><font color="#0000CC" size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a name="WWH2"><strong><em><font color="#000099">Early history</font></em></strong></a><br>    </font></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="26%"><img src="images/hopic3.gif" width="160" height="220"></td> <td width="74%"><div align="justify"><font size="2"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">If one only knew the incidents that were making history on the grand or minor scale at the time of their occurrence, how simplified would be the work of an historian. In this imperfect world much of interest is forgotten; so the writer of these fragmentary notes about the one hundred and fifty-six years of the firm of W. Williams & Son can give very little background to the early years of the firm's existence.<br> <br>   </font><font size="2"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We know nothing of the William Williams who founded the business of a ladies' dress trimming manufacturer in Bethnal Green in 1819. The factory was transferred to Hackney, apparently in 1825. The business continued to expand for Mr Lisle Williams, the son of the founder of the firm, opened during his father's lifetime a small City warehouse at No. 1 Old Change on the Cheapside corner the factory still continuing at Hackney.</font></font></font></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><p align="justify"><font size="2"><font size="2"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> This warehouse was found to be too small, and in 1865 a move was made to Friday Street and three years later to Bread Street, where the original warehouse remained until the Blitz of 1941 completely destroyed it</font></font></font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2"><font size="2"></font></font><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Mr Lisle Williams served his apprenticeship with Swan and Edgar whose shop was in the same position as it is today. He had to clean the outside of the shop window and a fellow apprentice, a Londoner called Worth, cleaned the inside. When Mr Williams's firm had grown so that they had a Paris Agent he told Monsieur Worth of Mr Williams's intended visit to Paris and Monsieur Worth sent a carriage to take Mr Williams to his house on the outskirts of Paris where his private string orchestra played to them during lunch. Mr Williams told nobody in Paris that Monsieur Worth was really a Londoner and English.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Mr Lisle Williams had as his partner in these early years Mr W. Wollacott, who was an expert in Ladies' Dress Trimmings, which in those days were an important fashion. It is reported that the firm did a trade of £100,000 a year in Fringes; the other main departments were Braids, Fur Trimmings, Tassels, Dress Ornaments of all kinds, and Buttons.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In 1890 Mr Wollacott retired and Mr Lisle Williams took into partnership his son Woodthorpe Williams, who had served his apprenticeship with Hitchcock Williams and Company of St. Paul's Churchyard. Mr Woodthorpe Williams died of pneumonia in 1896, and Mr Charles Gould Hayman, a relative of Mrs Williams' family, became a Partner in the firm. His family had intended him to be a lawyer, for he was particularly good at passing examinations (even those intended for lads older than he was) but on his mother's death all these ideas were abandoned and he entered the business of his relative in 1863.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Perhaps I may be excused for giving an extract from the City Echoes column of the Drapers Record of February 8th, 1896:</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">'It is with very great pleasure that I announce that Mr Charles Gould Hayman has succeeded to the partnership in the firm of W. Williams & Son, rendered vacant by the death of Mr Woodthorpe Williams. It is not too much to say that throughout the trade in London there is no more able man than Mr Hayman, and the intelligence I now convey will be read with gratification by all who have ever been brought into contact with him.'</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">'Mr Hayman's keen discernment in quickly recognising the merits or demerits of whatever is submitted to him, and the clear and business-like way in which every detail of any business he undertakes is carried through, have been, in my hearing, the subject of admiration over and over again. His accession to his present position is perfectly natural and can only be regarded as a due recognition of the untiring energy and conspicuous ability he has displayed during his association of over 33 years with the house.'</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Mr C. G. Hayman had previously been for many years Manager of the Braid Department. which did a trade of over £100,000 per annum, some of the braid being manufactured in Germany and some in London. When the demand for these goods decreased to an alarming extent he introduced into his department Notions (which in later days we called Smallwares) and these later developed into the important Haberdashery business with which the firm has been so closely connected.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It is not possible for anyone, still less his son, justly to appraise the ingenuity and enterprise of Mr Hayman as founder of the department; suffice it to say that he was largely instrumental, with the help of Mr Ernest Bisiker his assistant buyer, in making the new venture of haberdashery one of the leading features of the business. For the sake of those who may remember, we mention as Notions 'Vorwerks Skirt Bands', 'Breeze Hat Grip', 'Gairs Blouse Grip', 'Fibre Chamoise', 'Leopold Skirt Grip', all of which we introduced to the British market and were the sole suppliers for Great Britain and the Colonies as they were called in Victorian days.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">C.G.H. in 1895 produced an illustrated Haberdashery Catalogue with sketches and actual samples of some of our merchandise displayed in such a novel and attractive way that it was the 'talk of the trade', as were the succeeding editions. Each catalogue cost £1 and over a thousand were sent out to leading customers in Great Britain, Australia etc. He also designed our trade mark of Wreath and Lion, which has since then been used on all our branded goods and is so widely known in the Drapery trade both in Great Britain and the Commonwealth. He did this sketch while lying on his back on an invalid couch in his small garden at Crouch Hill, where he was recovering from a hip disease. Owing to the lack of medical knowledge at that time, this disease resulted in a shortening of his left leg by 21/2 inches, so he wore a high boot for the rest of his life and walked with a stick.<br>    </font></p> <hr width="300" size="1" noshade> <p align="justify"> </p></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><h2><font color="#000099" size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a name="WWH3"><strong><em>Growth of the business</em></strong></a></font></h2> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It is difficult to select interesting details that will strike chords of pleasant memories for an older generation without making this short history wearisome to the present generation. but I want to refer to a custom that I believe originated in the 1890's of having a sale of oddments on the first Tuesday in December.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Haberdashery department were the chief participants in this and such were the values they offered that long before 9 o'clock, when the doors opened, a crowd of customers collected round the main entrance. When the doors opened there was a wild stampede through the ground floor and up the stairs to the second floor. There the work counters were piled high, the customers grabbed what they could and put their purchases in empty cases kept ready for their reception under the counters. Principals and Buyers from well-known shops (this was prior to the use of the word store) would scramble for the goods in a most undignified manner. The writer can remember C.G.H. having to present a new top hat to an aggrieved customer whose hat was damaged in the scrimmage, and of hearing of a Buyer losing one tail of his frock coat.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The whole of the goods, amounting to a considerable sum, probably £3,000 at cost price, were disposed of in under ten minutes, and after this scramble customers could place orders for certain goods at a discount of say 10%. The day's trade was over £10,000. This humorous but undignified event was wisely discontinued just before 1914, but for some years it was at least an advertising feature and a focal point of meetings between our customers and travellers, who are now called the more precise name for the work they are doing representatives.</font></p> <hr width="300" size="1" noshade> <h2 align="justify"><font color="#000099" size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><em><a name="WWH4">Further development of the business and formation of the Company</a></em></strong></font></h2> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In 1896 Mr Ernest Bisiker followed C. G. Hayman as Manager of the Smallware and Haberdashery department, and with him was associated Mr W. J. Taylor as Assistant Buyer. Then followed years of constant expansion of the business under the strong team of departmental managers working under Mr C. G. Hayman's inspiring leadership. Besides Mr Bisiker and Mr Taylor were Mr W. B. Chapman, Manager of the important Button department, and Mr R. H. Buscall who had, about this time, taken on the Fur department which had developed from the Fur Trimming business.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">As the business grew, so additions were made to the premises, and in those days one felt that it was the exception to have no builders or carpenters about the premises carrying out improvements, enlargements and alterations. In fact we seemed always to be planning the next addition as soon as the one in hand was under way. Mr C. G. Hayman was a great believer in advertising and it is on record that in the early days of this century W. Williams & Son took the first twenty pages of the Drapers Record Autumn number to advertise various specialities. A tribute both to their enterprise and to the size and importance of our oldest trade journal. I was told about twenty years ago by the man who took the order from C.G.H. that the Drapers Record charged £8 a page plus the artist's or photographer's charges. which were more costly than the page.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">To the original Nos. 53 and 54 Bread Street were added the premises in Star Court, about the size of the courtyard at Aldersgate Street, and Watling Street, 52 Bread Street, 6 Bread Street and then in 1911 the corner four floors of No. 51 over the Midland Bank. In February 1902 the firm was converted into a private limited company, with an authorised capital of £250,000. Mr W. Lisle Williams became, Chairman and Mr C. G. Hayman Managing Director.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Mr Lisle Williams died rather suddenly in November 1902 in his seventy sixth year. He was a man of very high character, a devoted and hard-working member of the Croydon Methodist Church, and spent a lot of his free time in activities connected with this and similar kinds of work - youth movements, etc. He was a man of very frugal habits, with a spare athletic figure. I remember hearing how Mr Williams in his sixtieth year beat his son at tennis, and then vaulted the tennis net and raced him for the bathroom. At Mr W. Lisle Williams' death his son, Mr Howard Williams, became a Director although he was not engaged in the business (he was an artist of some considerable ability). At this time Mr W. Burrow was appointed as Director and in the following year Messrs. W. B. Chapman, E. Bisiker and R. H. Buscall were appointed Directors.</font></p> <hr width="300" size="1" noshade> <font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">  </font></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td colspan="2"><font color="#003399" size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a name="WWH5"><strong><em>The period of the First World War</em></strong></a><br>   </font></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="33%"><img src="images/poster2.jpg" width="200" height="313"></td> <td width="67%"><div align="justify"><font size="2"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It is difficult to recall the outstanding features of the years that followed, but one that must be recorded is the rapid growth of the Haberdashery Department under Mr E. Bisiker and Mr W. J. Taylor, and mention must be made of the many schemes they put on the market for simplifying the sate and display of Haberdashery in the various stores and shops. The sample card frame that was hung over the counters and the dip front counter are the best remembered of these features, but there were many other ideas for advertising and introducing special novelties. <br> <br> Some idea of the size of this department can be gauged from the fact that 75 warehouse staff were employed in it before the 1914 war. This expansion of the haberdashery business was in large measure due to the happy combination of different qualities. Mr Taylor was a man of great foresight and many ideas which Mr Bisiker, with his practical knowledge and ability to work well for long</font><font size="2"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> </font><font size="2"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">hours, was able to put into effect.</font><font size="2"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <br> <br> In 1909 Mr W. J. Taylor was made Director of the firm, and in the next few years also he added to his other work the organisation and management of the new haberdashery factory at Hackney.</font></font></font></font></font></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><div align="justify"><font size="2"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Despite various alterations of fashion, the period up to 1914 was one of almost constant success. When war unexpectedly broke out there was considerable nervousness throughout the textile trade and at first a great reduction in business, but after some months trade adjusted itself to a dislocation the like of which had not been felt since the Napoleonic wars. The business generation of 1914 thought they were experiencing total war, but those who followed twenty five years later realise that this was far from being the case. To illustrate this, one finds that in May 1918 during the height of the war the staff at </font><font size="2"><font size="2"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Bread Street numbered 436.</font></font></font></font> </div> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">There were a few minor air raids in 1917-18, and it is an interesting side-light that, in the absence of knowledge of the destructive power of bombs, the firm had the roofs of each warehouse covered with stout steel netting extended on steel supports to protect the buildings and roll the bombs into the street. Fortunately the efficiency of this system was never tested!</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The firm had for some years encouraged the staff to join the Territorials and other bodies for training for Army or Civil Defence, Police Reserves, etc., giving those who joined an extra week's holiday, so a large and increasing number of the staff served. During the war 161 of the staff served and, alas, the number killed was 30.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In 1913 a Benevolent Fund was commenced from which old servants of the firm could receive a small pension, and this grew into a contributory Superannuation Fund, started in 1936.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Some account should be given of the activities of those associated with the firm out of business hours. For some years a cricket club had been organised and many matches played, the firm's ground being at Walthamstow. In the early 1900's an athletic club was formed for swimming, football and occasional athletic meetings. The only section that survived continuously was the swimming, which had a succession of hard-working and efficient Secretaries and Committees. Their annual swimming gala, dances and the smoking concert for the presentation of the year's prizes were enjoyable features of the years prior to the 1939 war. The Swimming Club also distinguished itself by running quite a good water-polo team which had many successes in the Textile trade competitions; and each year an average of 15 competitors had a 500 yards race in the Thames at Shepperton, followed by tea for competitors and spectators.</font></p> <hr width="300" size="1" noshade> <p align="justify"><font color="#003399" size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a name="WWH6"><strong><em>Post-war development</em></strong></a></font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The cessation of hostilities in November 1918 brought problems to all businesses but these were not so difficult as those faced in 1945. Firstly the warehouse premises and factory were then undamaged and, secondly, in 1914 most men in key positions were exempt from military service, and therefore the business ran on with its main methods unchanged, albeit with many discomforts and minor alterations. During 1919 a large number of the staff were demobilised and returned to their pre-war work. Business expanded far too quickly and prices rose to an alarming extent.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In January 1920 Mr C. G. Hayman decided to retire from the Managing Directorship but remained Chairman, and Mr W. B. Chapman succeeded him. Mr Chapman had been a successful Manager of the Button and Belt department, and for many years Assistant Managing Director. He was a member of the Common Council of the City of London and for many subsequent years was associated with Civic work.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I had commenced work in the business in 1904 after two years of working in Germany and in January 1920 was appointed a Director and became Manager of the Knitwear department, a new venture that had grown from small beginnings in 1912. Mr E. V. Ingle, the Secretary of' the Company, was appointed to the Board shortly afterwards.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">During the early post-war years the trimming and allied trades had a remarkable boom period, and it is interesting to record that ladies' fashions returned in certain respects to those of sixty years before, and we had a fashion in dress fringes comparable to that of our early Hackney days.</font></p> <font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="images/cars2.jpg" alt="Broughmans used by London reps (1920)" width="250" height="167" hspace="5" vspace="5" align="RIGHT"> </font> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In 1920 more land was purchased in Hackney on which was erected a large garage for cars and vans, and a modern fur factory to take the place of the one in Knightrider Street, EC4.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Mr E. Bisiker was appointed Assistant Managing Director in 1920, and he became Managing Director in 1925 when Mr Chapman resigned. Mr W. J. Taylor then took over the management of the Haberdashery department in addition to his other work at the Hackney factory.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">There were no notable new developments in the business during the following years, but in many ways special anxieties and difficulties had to be met and faced, the chief of these being the constant fall in merchandise values owing to boom and scarcity of goods being succeeded by scarcity and a world-wide overproduction. Also the rising generation were not so quality-conscious as their forebears, so effect and speed of purchase was more important to some people than quality and personal service. This led to the growth of cheap chain stores whose values could not be met and beaten by the older shops and stores, but whose impersonal salesmanship was wisely not copied by the type of store we supplied.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In 1928 Mr C. G. Hayman died, having kept his keen interest in the firm untiI the end. He had resigned from the Board only a few months previously, after sixty-five years of service with the firm. Mr F. C. Norman, who was appointed Manager of the Trimming and Neckwear department in 1922 was appointed a Director in 1936.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Like all businesses we felt the world wide slump of 1931, but not to an alarming extent.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In 1934 Mr Ernest Bisiker retired from the Managing Directorship and remained Chairman, retaining until his death in 1942 his great loyalty for and keenness in anything he thought would benefit the firm he loved so dearly. Mr W. J. Taylor, who had for years been connected with many of the progressive enterprises of the business, was appointed Managing Director, and I became Assistant Managing Director. Mr Ernest Hase became Manager of the Haberdashery department and subsequently a Director, for all too short a time, as this charming and able man died in 1937. At the same time Mr W. Jude, Manager of the Fancy department for many years, became a Director. </font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> </font></p> <hr width="300" size="1" noshade> <h2><font color="#003399" size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a name="WWH7"><strong><em>The destruction of the firm's premises in the Second World War</em></strong></a></font></h2> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">So the business carried on through the alarms of Hitler's march into Vienna, the Munich crisis and much else of a similar nature that made the prospect of war an ever present nightmare. When war came in September 1939 it did not at first make very much difference to actual business. It was in the sphere of family and home ties that the first impact was felt. Our staff had gradually been depleted by the calls of the Services, Civil Defence etc., but it was not until September 1940 when our premises were first damaged by enemy action that the business felt the war acutely. We occupied twelve warehouses, half of which were in Bread Street and the remainder in Watling Street, but walls had been demolished so that all were connected together.</font></p> <div align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="images/ww2gcw.jpg" alt="War damage to the Co's Warehouses" width="250" height="186" hspace="5" vspace="5" align="RIGHT"> </font> </div> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Our warehouses were destroyed not by bombing but by fire, despite the fact that we had the most elaborate sprinkler system then known. Unfortunately, the City was bombed at low tide on the Thames and the large tank we had on the roof as an emergency was soon used up. We were told afterwards by our Insurance Brokers that it had always been a source of worry to them that a fire might break out at low tide, the water supply being sufficient for isolated fires but not for whole areas.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We heard of the disaster to our premises on September 1Oth. They were then blazing and no one could get near them. On the next day the writer of this account and one other Director were, with considerable difficulty, able to get into Watling Street and see that practically all our stock and premises were lost; all that remained was our reserve warehouse, Milton Buildings. in which was our splendid air raid shelter (large enough to accommodate 180 people) which was undamaged. The scene of desolation baffles description. The most vivid memories, beyond the wreckage of buildings, are of piles of broken glass all over the streets and the all-pervading acrid smell.</font></p> <font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="images/Ww07agcw.jpg" alt="Cape Lodge Amersham" width="250" height="181" hspace="5" vspace="5" border="2" align="RIGHT"> <p align="justify">On Friday, September 13th, the Directors tried to meet in the National Liberal Club, Whitehall Place, but air-raids prevented all getting there, so our first meeting took place next morning at Mr Taylor's house at Amersham. We worked until the late afternoon and noticed the advantage of the peaceful surroundings and the absence of having to dash to air raid shelters when an alert was sounded, which was the rule in those early days of the Blitz. For a few days the Directors continued to work at Mr Taylor's, but then we heard that Cape Lodge, Amersham could be purchased, and after inspection we decided that it was suitable, under existing conditions, for our administrative offices and Counting House. We were allowed, as a favour, immediate possession of one large room, and at once the Directors and three members of the staff started to try to get order out of disorder - chaos does not describe the first state of affairs. We had no books, typewriters or other office accessories. On a borrowed table tennis table with packing cases as chairs to sit on, we had to address by hand 3,000 envelopes advising our customers of our disaster, write countless invoices for goods previously despatched for forward dates etc. After a few days, arrangements were made for several of our Counting House staff to journey to Amersham daily, and shortly after we were able to buy a house in Chesham to accommodate many of them.</p> </font> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We then fetched our post from the G.P.O., London (8 Sacks full and our books from the Bread Street Directors' Room, which necessitated the writer and our Surveyor climbing up firemen's ladders to the first floor, I was not affected by having to step about two feet from the ladder to a window sill and through the gap where a window had been totally destroyed, but our Surveyor was very shaken and I had to take him to a pub and give him a large brandy and water. The original Directors' Room furniture was rescued. Those few of the Staff still working in London bore their part in the invaluable work of salvage.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">By good fortune and other blandishments we found out that, despite official instructions that the ruins of Bread Street were unsafe, the Strong Room could be approached, and with the aid of the demolition men we dug a way to it. On the following day the writer organised a party of six of our staff, assisted by safe breakers, who worked all day (sometimes with air battles overhead). In the course of the day hundreds of trips were made across 50 yards of still-hot rubble and wreckage carrying the contents of the Strong Room to a waiting car and van. By 3 o'clock the car was full of papers, deed boxes and books, many of them charred heaps, some only scorched, but all soaked with water. However, all essential papers and documents were safe. By 6 o'clock the car and van reached Amersham and the sorry but very valuable collection was dumped in the house. On the following day a return journey had to be made to clear out the last safe.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The ensuing days were fully occupied, some of the staff worked in Amersham drying out thousands of account cards and books and deciphering faded figures. Others did valuable work in salvaging from the ruins papers, typewriters, printing machinery and other useful articles. All this salvaging had to be done either in semi-darkness with the aid of torches and the risk of falling on the slimy basement floors, or by climbing ladders to get into the corner building, which was only partly destroyed.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">About fourteen days after the fire, we heard of a factory in Chesham that would suit us as a warehouse and whose proprietors were willing to sell. The factory had a floor space of over 10,000 square feet on two floors (with room to enlarge), a large garage, cottages and a bungalow in the 5 acres of grounds. The arrangements were completed for the A (Buttons), B (Trimmings and Neckwear), C (Haberdashery), and 0 (Fancy Goods) departments to work from this building. The K (Knitwear) and R (Fur) departments arranged to work from Milton Buildings, Watling Street, which we had purchased in 1938 to enable us to build an air raid shelter. For this purpose we had decided to have the remaining London buildings renovated and re-modelled, arranging for a showroom for all Chesham departments on the ground floor, and a large office for various Buyers to use to meet manufacturers in London.</font></p> <div align="justify"><img src="images/Ww03agcw.jpg" alt="Belsham Street Hackney" width="250" height="188" hspace="5" vspace="5" align="RIGHT"> </div> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Our factory premises at Belsham Street, Hackney and Silesia Buildings, Hackney had been slightly damaged by air raids - many glass windows were broken, doors smashed and a granite block hurled through the roof penetrating three floors. We fortunately found a local building firm who boarded up all the broken windows and repaired the damage to the back, where the canteen and some of the washrooms were damaged. I must pay tribute to our Hackney Factory staff, to Mr W. F. Carvell, the Manager, who had commenced working as a lad under Mr Taylor's management, and to his first assistant Mr Carter, whose combined efforts got the factory working again the next day.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We had commenced taking over the Chesham building when the first blow fell. The Ministry of Aircraft Production commandeered the buildings, and in spite of eloquent pleading, the Board of Trade, after many anxious days, informed us that our appeal had been refused. Search was made for other suitable premises entailing scores of miles of exploration by various members of the Board. Sometimes success seemed near, but for some reason or other ultimately failed. As nothing could be found, it was at last decided, for the time being, to start again in London - Milton Buildings, Watling Street to be the headquarters (for the builders had partly finished the alterations there). So in the first week of November we moved back again as near as possible to our former premises, where we had splendid despatch facilities, owing to the Railway collecting centre being within 50 yards, and the supposed safeguard of a large bombed area around us.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We added to the premises in Watling Street two more floors in the next building to Milton Buildings, 48 Bread Street, 21 Bread Street and lastly 21A Bread Street. We started trading for the B and C departments on December 1st, 1940 as they were ready by that time and it was felt that our organisation would have to start up again slowly before taking the strain of all departments. The scheme worked, and with the help of our ever loyal staff, the organisation every day, in fact almost every hour, was added to and improved, so that by the end of December we felt entitled to think that we could hope early in January to distribute our merchandise with something of our pre-Blitz efficiency.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Our arrangements to start on January 6th, 1941 were interrupted by another severe night attack on the City, although it left us unscathed, except for an odd window or two. The City suffered very badly and amongst the many buildings destroyed were some containing samples and pattern cards being made for our representatives to use. We therefore decided to postpone the date of our commencement for another week. On Saturday, January 11th, on going through every department and section, I formed the opinion that on the Monday the business would function in a way that would be a credit to us, and a real service to our customers. My two sons were home on holiday from school and went round with me.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">That night we were the victims of a smaller raid on the City, which although not nearly so severe as our former damage, was sufficient to put half our premises out of order. Milton Buildings (on which the electricians, decorators etc. had almost completed work, after being there for over two months) were badly damaged. At a Directors' meeting held among the ruins, in the comparatively undamaged Fur department, it was hurriedly decided that the risk of starting again in the City was too great and that we must recommence as soon as possible away from London.<br>   </font></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="41%"><img src="images/Ww08agcw.jpg" width="250" height="185" hspace="5" vspace="5"></td> <td width="59%"><div align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In the latter part of November we had purchased an old factory at Waterside, Chesham, and had arranged with builders to put the premises in condition and carry out alterations. The work of the Board during the new few weeks will, I am sure, always remain to the Directors a nightmare period. We had worked and worried hard before but all this was intensified. Long hours of work became longer, and for some of us it was once more a seven day working week as it had been for many weeks after September 9th. Premises that had been built for shops, but which could be converted to warehouse premises, were found at Pinner, and they were adapted to suit the A and R departments.</font></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><div align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We secured extensive premises for the B and 0 departments on the ground floor of a block of flats at Northwood Hills, which is situated half way between London and Amersham. Suitable premises with considerable room for stock (3000 square feet in large wooden shelves) were arranged for the K department near Chalfont Station, the junction for Chesham and Amersham. Lastly Germains, an old country house was purchased, after overcoming considerable difficulties with the Authorities, outside Chesham, as Headquarters for the Entering Room and living accommodation for those of the staff for whom we could not otherwise make arrangements.</font></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="60%"><div align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We hope enough has been told to indicate that in the blows we successively sustained, all concerned carried on in the manner that the century-old traditions of W. Williams & Son demands from all who serve the firm, and amongst those who carried on that tradition were not only those whom circumstances permitted to work actively and hard, but also many to whom distance and circumstances compelled the not easy role of patient onlookers, including all our representatives.We had to cease trading completely for over three months. Business carried on from the various places in a rough and ready way that conditions and inadequate premises compelled, but it was remarkable to note how whenever possible the old and well tried features of our business organisation were automatically used</font></div></td> <td width="40%"><img src="images/Ww11agcw.jpg" width="250" height="189" hspace="5" vspace="5"></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="5" colspan="2"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">More and more of our staff were called to the Forces, to be replaced as far as possible by local labour. There were ever increasing restrictions in manufacture and distribution of the goods we had been used to handle. Then came coupons, which seriously curtailed the business of some sections; followed by 'Utility' goods at maximum rates of profit below our usual quality and normal working expenses, followed by control on profit of non Utility goods.</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="23%"><img src="images/Ww05agcw.jpg" width="141" height="200" hspace="5" vspace="5"></td> <td width="77%"><div align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The business storm increased, the waves at times seemed about to engulf the business, but in spite of all we came through with here and there part of the rigging carried away, but still keeping on the course we had decided on from the early days of the war. This was to distribute our merchandise fairly to all our pre-war customers, so that they each secured a quota comparable to their needs and their previous business with us - this later had to be extended to include extra support for blitzed stores and evacuation areas.<br>   <br> London continued to have many air raids and experienced particularly heavy ones in 1941 and 1942. The year 1943 saw less air activity against London. In 1944 came the first V I (flying bomb or 'doodle bug') raid to be followed by many raids by day and night. Later in the year V2 (rocket bombs). </font></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><div align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Hackney factory suffered on two or three occasions from blast and in January 1945 had bad damage from a V2 falling within 150 yards, but even then work was partially resumed within three days in the factory with windows boarded over and tarpaulin over skylights and other windows. </font></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="60%"><div align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The efforts of the management and staff in so cheerfully clearing away the debris, the heaps of broken glass etc. and so soon after recommencing work showed such loyalty that praise seemed verging on an impertinence. I can still clearly remember going as soon as possible after the raid and being very moved by seeing some of the factory staff at work sweeping up the heaps of glass splinters from the windows and hearing that a local builder had agreed to come as quickly as possible to board up the blasted windows.</font></div></td> <td width="40%"><img src="images/Ww13agcw.jpg" width="250" height="185" hspace="5" vspace="5"></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="5" height="5"><p align="justify"> </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In 1943 it was felt by all that a London showroom and Directors' Office and buying offices were badly needed. (For a short time the dining room of my flat at Eyre Court, St. john's Wood was used as a showroom). As the number of suitable premises was getting very limited we were fortunate in arranging for the required accommodation at Nos. 1 and 2 Berners Street, W. 1. where we had a showroom and three offices in a floor area of 3,500 square feet. After some months spent in collecting suitable furniture and fittings (no easy task in those days) the rooms were opened in August 1943 and more than justified themselves, not only from a sales standpoint, but as a place to meet our many business friends.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In the previous year we had arranged for small showrooms in the provinces for each of our areas, as with the shortage of petrol our travellers were very restricted in their journeys. We had had for many years showrooms in such cities as Edinburgh., Glasgow, Aberdeen, Leeds, Bristol, Manchester and Liverpool, but now the number was increased to sixteen.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">During the latter part of 1943 we were informed that our Northwood Hills premises were required for urgent purposes connected with anti-submarine warfare, and it was only with very great difficulty and much searching that suitable premises were found at South Harrow into which, after considerable repair and alterations, we moved early in 1944.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In 1943 Mr E. L. Gorick, who for many years had managed the Fur department, and Mr H. E. Young, Manager of the Haberdashery department, joined the Board.<br>     </font></p> <hr width="300" size="1" noshade> <p> </p></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><H2><font color="#003399" size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><A NAME="WWH8"><strong><em>Re-establishment in Aldersgate Street</em></strong></A><br>    </font><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><IMG SRC="images/buildgcw.jpg" ALT="Co' Warehouse 7-12 Aldersgate St. (1975)" width="156" HEIGHT="250" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="5" ALIGN="LEFT"> </font><font size="2"></font></H2> <P align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We looked forward to our warehouses being all under one roof and to this end arranged, in March 1944, to take over the remainder of the lease of 7-12 Aldersgate Street within three minutes walk of the G.P.O. London. The warehouse when we took it over was one of the worst I had ever seen, as the firm who were the previous tenants moved to the country in 1939 under Government orders, and the premises had been neglected. They never could have been good the basement in which the packers worked was all stone, the staircases all wood, and the sanitary arrangements were extremely bad. There was not one window in the back of the premises, which in all covered an area of 50,000 square feet.</font></P><P align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I was appointed Director in Charge of alterations and had the help of a clever architect, a junior partner in the firm we employed and a real enthusiast for his work. We also had a very competent head foreman who managed all the building workers etc. in a firm but friendly way. We completely modernised these premises on condition we had a 50 year lease from 1946. This modernisation cost considerably over £100,000 but all the alterations were essential and are all working to this day.</font></P> <font size="2">  </font><P align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We moved back from the six temporary warehouses, which were in some cases converted shops and another a converted hosiery factory, and at Pinner three large shops each with 800 feet floor space. This removal had to be very carefully planned as we had 50/60 lorry loads of goods and we had to space these out so that we could tackle the amount sent daily and put it in the fixtures which had been put tip ready for the goods. This took us many days.</font></P><P align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">When I became Managing Director in 1950, Mr W. J. Taylor was Chairman and continued living at Amersham. The other directors were Mr F. C. Norman, Mr H. E. Young and Mr E. L. Gorick.</font></P> <P align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It is difficult to describe the enormous amount of work involved in getting the business running smoothly. Each section had been run like a separate business, and some of the, staff had not met one another for nearly ten years. I, with the aid of the other directors, had to work them into a team, and within a few months we, again had the efficient and cheerful staff which had been our pride before the war. In the course of reconstruction we were able to provide for a canteen which saved a great deal of waiting for lunch at overcrowded restaurants.</font></P> <P align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Among the other benefits we were able to arrange for the staff was the advice of a Medical Consultant, Dr Kenneth Black, M.D., F.R.C.P., of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, who saw members of the staff both at the Out-Patient Department and in his consulting rooms in Harley Street, and arranged for their admission to Hospital when necessary.</font></P> <P align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I find it more difficult to remember the early days at Aldersgate Street than I did the years I have already described. Everything was done at such a pace and we were constantly improving the organisation - to take one small illustration: our Despatch department was on two levels and with great difficulty we obtained permission to Put in a conveyor belt to carry the goods from one part of the Entering Room to the Packing Room.</font></P> <P align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In 1963 I resigned as Managing Director but continued as Chairman and Mr Anthony Hayman, who had been the successful manager of the Scarf and Trimming Department, became Managing Director.</font></P> <P align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I must close by saying I was indebted to the late Mr G. Sweet, our former Company Secretary who worked with us at Cape Lodge, Amersham. Owing to so much of the work being done at the branches, he did not have enough work as Secretary to fill his time, and he made out a list of the dates and general happenings of our firm since its beginning. I too, on some days, had not enough work to do at Chalfont (I spent two days there and the rest of the week at Berners Street) so I dictated the first part of these notes in 1943 or 1944.</font></P> <font size="2">  </font> <P align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I cannot vouch for every detail being exactly correct, but of the main points I am sure as my father, C. G. Hayman, used to talk to me about the past history of the firm of which he was justly proud. He told me 'Always remember we are a happy firm with a happy staff and if any have a justifiable grievance make them feel they can come to see the Managing Director or the Chairman, and if the request is a reasonable one he should do what is possible to remedy it'.</font></P> <P align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">One would like in this record to pay tribute to so many people including not only past and present managers of the six departments and their loyal staff, and to our representatives throughout Great Britain and in Paris, but also to al ' I who during 150 years have helped to build up our firm's traditions. We may fairly claim to have had some of the best and most expert men and women in our trade, with loyalty and zeal second to none. I should like to mention particularly those who worked for the firm for forty and fifty years, but if one is named many ought to be, and then where can the line be fairly drawn?</font></P> <font size="2"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><IMG SRC="images/lhaymgcw.jpg" ALT="Leslie Hayman signature." WIDTH="250" height="58" HSPACE="20" VSPACE="10" ALIGN="TOP"> </font><font size="2"><P><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Chairman of the Company 1957-1975</font></P> <H3 ALIGN="LEFT"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1975 - Published in book form.</font></H3> <H3><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1997 - Published on the internet (With additional images).</font></H3> </font></font> <H3> </H3> <H3><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Copyright - W.Williams & Son Ltd. - 1997</font></H3> <H3> </H3> <H3> </H3></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td><table width="621" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td colspan="3"> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#333399"> <td width="32%"><div align="center"> <table width="162" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="24" nowrap><strong><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Tel:</font></strong></td> <td width="138" nowrap><strong><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">:+44 (0) 20 7263 7311</font></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td nowrap><strong><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Fax</font></strong></td> <td nowrap><strong><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">:+44 (0) 20 7281 4760</font></strong></td> </tr> </table> </div></td> <td width="34%"><div align="center"><img src="images/footer.gif" width="71" height="80"></div></td> <td width="34%"><div align="center"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>Sales@wwilliams.co.uk</strong></font></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3"> </td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> </table>