In previous articles we have written of where we have tried to assist customers with information about their ancient shoe repair machines by looking back through our company records. Tracing makes and models of finisher are one thing, but, after being contacted by a Mr Martyn Collier from Gloucestershire, we were faced with a slightly different search - for details of his Great Grandfather! Martyn's relative, Richard Healy had joined Standard Engineering from the company's outset in 1894. Martyn contacted us in the hope we may have had something in our records relating to his ancestor. A long shot, but, you never know!
Almost no records from the early, or even middle days of both Standard and Whitfield still exist. Periodic clear outs over the course of decades would have consigned many fascinating brochures, manuals, documents and photographs to the dust bins. Materials once considered to be rubbish are now seen as irreplacable links with the past. Fortunately, one document which has survived is the Standard "Big Book", which dates from 1944, and was produced to commemorate the company's Golden Jubilee. This handwritten tome tells the history of the various companies which made up Standard, along with lots of photographs of the owners, management and workers at the numerous depots dotted around the country.
Fortunately for Martyn, his Great Grandfather Richard Healy (spelt Healey in the book), was, seemingly, still with the company 50 years after the company was founded, meaning a photograph of him was included with the book, along was a pride-of-place listing on the company long service record board, which was situated in the company canteen. Copies of these photographs were emailed across to Martyn. He wrote in return -
Hello Gary,
Thank you so much for taking the time to find the information for me and sending it. My mother, who remembers her grandfather well, will be fascinated next time I visit her. One of Richards Sons, my grandfather, Herbert Healy went on to star in the Shoe machinery trade, starting with” Skiving and General Machinery Co” which became “Ellicock and Healy” and then “Healy of Leicester” which moved more into more general precision Engineering and I remember him showing me the fan blades for the prototype of what became the Harrier jump jet being created for Rolls-Royce.
My Collier family have been in the shoe trade for four generations until my brother and I became “black sheep” moving into the Cricket business and Computers respectively.
Most of Richards sons were in Engineering and as I say my father Grandfather and Great grandfather on the Collier side were in the Shoe trade and my brother is quite connected to Richard Healy as a local newspaper article said Richard was a good local cricketer and ice skater (I have got to work out the ice skating in Leicester!) and my brother made a career in cricket.
Martyn
