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Edgar Moffat Elwell

The birth of an Edgar Moffat Elwell was registered in the final quarter of 1878 at Axbridge, so perhaps our future engineer hailed from that area, despite the fact that the surname ‘Elwell’ is centred more on the West Midlands (near Dudley and Birmingham)[2]. The 1891 census has an Edgar M. Elwell, aged 12 (which looks about right for the Axbridge birth), son of William R. D. Elwell and Ellen H. Elwell, born at Weston Super Mare, Somerset (which is in the Axbridge registration district). In 1891 the family were at Bradford On Avon, and young Edgar had a sister, Violet aged 10, and a brother, Clarence aged 3.

 I could not find an Edgar Elwell on the 1901 census but an internet site has a marriage for Edgar Moffat Elwell to Annie Goodall Courtman in the September quarter of 1904 at Chorlton in Lancashire. Given the close proximity of Chorlton and Hulme Hall Road, it seems reasonable to assume that this is the man who was involved with St. George’s.

We reach certainty, however, when we consult the military records for the First World War, for there is an Edgar Elwell whose address in 1919 was "109 Humphrey Street, Old Trafford" (see illustration, left), the same as that of Edgar Moffat Elwell on documents of St. George’s in 1922. Edgar Elwell was a Captain, with number 8790, in the Lancashire Fusiliers. He took part in the disastrous campaign of Suvla Bay at Gallipoli in Turkey in August 1915 and in due course received the ‘1914-15 Star’, ‘The British War Medal’ and the ‘Victory Medal’; this triumvirate became known as 'Pip, Squeak and Wilfred' after a cartoon strip in the 'Daily Mirror'. A later address shown on the medal card is "East Riddiford, Winkleigh, N. Devon".

The medal card also tells us that Edgar Elwell took part in the Boer War of 1899 to 1902, as a Lance Corporal in the 3rd Battalion (Mounted Infantry) of the Lancashire Fusiliers. His medal card notes: “Awarded Queen’s S.A. Medal and 5 clasps”. The most common clasps awarded to the 3rd Battalion were those for the Relief of Ladysmith, Tugela Heights, Laing’s Nek, Johannesburg and Wittebergen[3].

The picture then, that I form of this founding personage of St. George’s, is this: he was probably involved in an engineering business near to St. George’s church at Hulme in Manchester in 1894, perhaps with his father; he went off to fight in the Boer War from 1899 to 1902 (this would explain why he cannot be found on the 1901 census); he returned to Manchester, married in 1904 and continued developing his business until the outbreak of the First World War; after this war ended he sold his business to a series of partners – possibly including friends from his time in the army – but very much with the intention of continuing as an active presence in its development. Elwell finally stepped down from St. George's in 1928 (when I deduce he would have been fifty years old) and he then retired to Winkleigh in Devon, not too far from where he had been born.

An Engineering Business

The sale of Elwell’s business to St. George’s was due to take place on 14th January 1920, and probably did so. Consideration was £10,000 in Ordinary shares, £4,500 in First Mortgage Debentures bearing interest at 6% per annum, and £238 in cash. The initial capital of the company was to be £12,000 divided into 12,000 shares of £1 each. The initial shareholders in the business, all with one share, were Elwell, Raymond Woodthorpe Strawson[4], Herbert Purslow and John Anderson, all Engineers, plus Edward Newland Humphreys, Secretary, and Frank Dowler, a Chartered Accountant. The first directors were to be Elwell, Strawson and Anderson. Elwell, however, was to be the ‘Governing Director’ for as long as he wished and by the terms of the Articles of Association would have the extraordinary powers of  “full control of the business of the Company and [he] shall be entitled to exercise all the powers, authorities, and discretions by these presents given to the Directors generally, and all the other Directors (if any), for the time being shall be under his control and be bound to conform to his directions in regard to the Company’s business; he shall have power at any time and from time to time to appoint any other persons to be Directors of the Company and to define, limit, and restrict their powers, fix and determine their remuneration and duties and at any time remove any Director however appointed, but so that every such appointment or removal shall be in writing under his hand, and a record thereof shall be …ed [unclear] in the minute book of the Company.” In effect, as Governing Director, Elwell could do pretty much as he wanted and the other members of the company must have trusted him greatly to enter into such an arrangement. While in office Elwell was to receive a salary of £500 per annum a figure that was doubled in 1921.

Besides Elwell, the first directors were Raymond Strawson of Chorlton-cum-Hardy and John Anderson of 149, Hartington Street, Moss Side, both in Manchester. Edward Newland Humphreys was the first Company Secretary.

In May 1922 Strawson stepped down as a director of the company and was replaced by Herbert Purslow.

'St. George's Engineers works was situated immediately north of the label 'A5066' on the map,

at the bend of Ordsall Lane. The old site was on Hulme Hall Road, which crosses the watercourse

in the NE of the map. St. George's church is at St. George's Park, in the east of the map.

About this time St. George’s decided to move to a new site and on 12th November 1924 it raised a loan of £18,700, secured by a mortgage[5]. This was probably used to buy the land and build its own premises, on the bend of Ordsall Lane in Salford, close to Trafford Road swing-bridge over the Manchester ship canal (see map). This became its permanent home. The move seems to have taken place early in 1925 for an advertisement in 'The Manchester Guardian' for February 18th quotes the Hulme Hall address while one of 25th April gives the firm's address as 'Ordsall Lane'.

St. George’s Engineers became a medium sized company that had close to two hundred employees in its heyday towards about 1950. The company struggled during the depression of the 1920s and despite the efforts of Elwell to find business it was only when Herbert Purslow began to promote St. George's expertise in electrical work that orders began to appear and the firm's fortunes improved (pers. comm. Mr. F. Purslow). In May 1928 Elwell sold out to retire to Devon and ownership and control of the enterprise passed for more than forty years to the Anderson and Purslow families. Frederick William Wilson, however, was also a shareholder and director from 1934 until at least 1954 and made substantial technical contributions to the firm[6].

John Anderson was usually referred to as 'JA'. After Elwell’s departure he came to occupy the all-powerful position of Governing Director. JA has been described as having a military bearing and I have been informed that he was, like Elwell, in the Boer War - although he and Elwell did not at that time meet (pers. comm. F. Purslow). He appears to have been quite well-off and is said to have at one time owned the Swan Inn at Grasmere in the Lake District. In 1932 his address was given as Westgate, Alderley Road, Wilmslow but by 1941 he had an address at St. Anne’s on Sea, and in 1948, he was living at Princess Mansions in Northenden, Manchester. The Managing Director was Herbert Purslow and he was usually referred to as 'HP'.

The principal activities of St. George’s were always stated as ‘Welded Steel Fabricators and Shot Blast Plant Manufacturers’ but the firm was able to carry out a range of engineering fabrication. In 1927 it was working with boiler plate and had a tank shop, and in 1935 it was working in plate-work and fabricated steelwork. It also did welded tank manufacture. During the Second World War St. George’s, in common with all engineering firms, contracted to the Ministry of Supply (which had been set up to coordinate the war effort) and to the ROF (Royal Ordnance Factory). Among the wartime jobs carried out by St. George’s was munitions work and the fabrication of trestles and parts for Bailey bridges to be used in the Allied invasion of Europe on D-Day. It is interesting to note that the Bailey bridge was demonstrated over the River Irwell near to the Agecroft Rowing Club, then at Littleton Road, when a number of St. George’s employees were present.

In common with many other factories, St. George’s had a fire-watch post on the roof of the building, constructed in the form of a small weather-proof cabin, which was manned on a rota. However this did not save it from substantial damage during the Manchester Blitz, probably in December 1940, when it was affected by fire bombs. Fortunately no-one was killed. The offices were badly hit and had to relocate to a large detached house on the south side of Ordsall Lane, near to the bend in the road, where they remained for several years while modern new offices[7] were constructed on the main site. For years afterwards there was a dribble of small jobs allocated to the ‘EAD’ – ‘Enemy Action Damage’ – account. When the war ended the company flew a huge Union Jack from a flagpole above the factory.

The company must have carried out quite a lot of engineering research and when it was able to make advances it sought to protect them by patents[8]. The first ones, from 1929 and 1932, relate to cooling systems for electric transformer tanks, and another followed in 1934. In February 1934 the company was granted a patent for sand blasting, and thereafter all but one of the patents relate to sand, shot, or abrasive blasting equipment, methods or ancillary arrangements. F. W. Wilson was a specialist in shot blasting and his name appears on a number of the patents. In some cases other companies were co-applicants indicating that St George’s must have been collaborating with other firms in improving the technology with which it worked.

The business seems to have been doing well in the period up to the Second World War for in December 1940 it was able to satisfy the mortgage loan of £18,700 that had been taken out in 1924. Some hand-written documents for the period 1942 to 1945 suggest that the company’s annual turnover was in the range of £145,000 to £180,000, capital employed ranged from £95,000 to £101,000 and the business was making small profits. In August 1946 the company was still contracting to the Ministry of Supply in London, making trestles for the Machine Tool Control section. Accounting to the Ministry of Supply evidently had to follow special rules that disallowed certain expenses, and must have caused a series of accounting headaches[9].

In post-war times St. George’s Engineers further developed its considerable expertise in shot-blasting and sand-blasting techniques. These used compressed air to fire fine steel shot, grains of sand, or other substances, at dirty or corroded steelwork to clean and polish it. The company also developed innovative new shot-blasting techniques, one of which involved the use of talc and another of crushed walnut shells in place of the steel shot or sand grains, and these could be used to clean and polish more delicate materials, such as stone. This technique allowed St. George’s Engineers to benefit from the post-war work to remove the black grime, caused by generations of coal burning, from many public buildings in the industrial north of the country, resulting in some startling transformations.

At this time there were about 150 people in the works and about 35 staff. The company provided hot meals, and although workers and staff ate the same food they occupied separate areas of the canteen. The workers sat at benches, the staff had chairs. JA used an air-raid shelter that had been constructed in the canteen area as a private dining room.

The time-keeper's lodge was situated just inside the large doors of the principal engineering bay. Overhead cranes travelled the length of the bays – of which there were four, one of which was a test bay – and there was a large safe near to the canteen where the completed company books and other important items were kept.

J. Leslie Dunkerley

On 11^th November 1941, Edward Newland Humphreys resigned as Company Secretary and was replaced by my father, James Leslie Dunkerley.

‘Leslie’, as he was always known to his friends, was then 34 years old and he joined St. George’s to be Company Secretary and in charge of accounting. Some years later, probably by August 1952, he became a director. His work was meticulous and all his accounting was done ‘in his head’; he never used a calculator in his life![10] He was responsible not only for statutory communication with Companies' House, but also for all the financial affairs of the business, including payroll, budgeting, detailed costing and preparation of the annual accounts (statements of Profit and Loss and the Balance Sheet).  In relation to the annual accounts, I heard him say, with pride, that they had almost always balanced to the penny at the first attempt, and on the odd occasion when they did not he found the discrepancy within a day or two. Leslie, with his typical humour, used to jocularly call his employer 'St. George's Ginger-Beers'.

One of his special contributions to the business was the introduction of a profit sharing scheme that was very successful in promoting improved productivity and maintaining good relations with the workforce. He also set up a private bonus scheme for key workers, and these two schemes complemented a pre-existing piecework bonus scheme for manual workers. As the company prospered, so each worker was able to reap the benefits thus engendering loyalty among the employees. In 1944 he also set up pension plans for the directors and senior employees.

The Mary Dugdale Affair

Outside of its specialist niches, the company was hardly well-known, but it hit the headlines in 1949, on publication of JA’s will following his death, aged 67, in a nursing home the previous November[11]. Probate was granted the following 17th January and details of the will appeared by February 22nd[12]. Several years earlier he had appointed a woman called Mary Dugdale as his private secretary[13] and at the time of his death she was probably 33 years old[14]. According to a former colleague she was a rather severe head-mistressly type of person, but she apparently got on well with her boss. The offices in St. George’s were located on the first floor of the building. JA’s office was large, with a desk at one end and less formal furniture at the other. Access was controlled by a system of lights at the door that informed the intending visitor whether he or she might, or might not, enter. When JA was engaged on important business he liked not to be disturbed.

JA’s estate turned out to have a net worth of £132,945, a very large amount of money in those days, probably equivalent to about £3.3 millions in 2008. It came as a shock to just about everyone when the will revealed that almost all the assets had been left to Mary Dugdale “as a reward for her loyalty, faithful service and great assistance rendered to me during my many illnesses"[15]. Besides the 7,083 shares he owned in St. George's and 3,000 six per cent debentures in the firm he also directed that "Mary Dugdale become Governing Director of St George's Engineers Limited and enjoy all the powers previously enjoyed by me and that her name be substituted for mine in the Articles of Association and that by way of salary or remuneration not less than £1,000 (one thousand pounds) per annum ... be paid to her".

The will had been written on 7th November 1948, only seventeen days before John Anderson's death, and was witnessed by W. E. Shill, "Motor Driver" and E. Shill "housewife". John Anderson's wife, Emily, was left a mere £1,000 and a pension of £260 per annum, to be paid to her quarterly by Mary Dugdale[16]. Apart from leaving a three-piece bedroom suite to his nephew's wife, the rest of the estate was for Miss Dugdale. John Anderson did ask in the will for Mary Dugdale "to keep a watchful eye on the other members of my family and make to them such assistance as may seem necessary and in her wisdom she may think fit"! There was also a stipulation that "the whole of the shares in St. George's Engineers Limited shall pass to my nephew William Edward Anderson ... or ... to his successors absolutely so that they may sell them or retain them as they may think fit".[17]

Not unsurprisingly, not everyone was entirely happy with the provisions of the will and it was reported in The Manchester Guardian on February 22nd that Messrs Purslow and Wilson “were taking legal advice” and added that “Mr. Herbert Purslow … and his co-director, Mr. Wilson, objected to Miss Dugdale’s appointment and they had received petitions from the workmen and the office staff, including heads of departments, objecting to Miss Dugdale’s becoming head of the firm.”

Whatever the ‘great assistance’ Miss Dugdale had rendered to JA in his time of need, she ended up in a most advantageous position, while poor Mr. Anderson’s widow, a partially-sighted and timid lady, was left in a parlous state. It was a story that hit all the newspapers of the day. The Manchester Guardian reported that on 24th March

“Miss Dugdale made her first appearance since the publication of the will and took possession of the managing director’s office. The news rapidly got round, work stopped, and there were hurried consultations between heads of departments. They made up a deputation, with Mr. J. L. Dunkerley, the secretary, and reported on their return that they ‘could get no satisfaction at all’. A second deputation also failed to report any change, and it was then agreed to declare a token strike. Mr. Dunkerley, in a statement on behalf of the directors, said:

‘In the interests of the firm we suggested to Miss Dugdale that until the legal aspect was clarified she should not make any appearance here in the factory. To everything we asked she said ‘I am not prepared to say anything.’ We got no satisfaction from a further meeting but we are hopeful that she will not make further difficulty’.

The whole of the staff … numbering nearly 200, walked out and declared that they would not resume work while Miss Mary Dugdale … remained on the premises.”

JA's extraordinary action in leaving control of St. George's to his secretary must have been a real threat to the future viability of the firm, and caused much concern to HP and Mr. Wilson. They opted to negotiate with Miss Dugdale and by April 27th The Manchester Guardian was able to report that:

 Miss Mary Dugdale … yesterday announced that “she had agreed to relinquish the position as head of the firm.” By then she had made two visits to the works, but “On each occasion the 160 employees have stopped work and walked out of the building. They refused to recognize Miss Dugdale as their employer. In a statement issued last night, Miss Dugdale’s solicitors on her behalf and on behalf of the firm, said “Matters concerning the company have been amicably settled by the directors and they have resolved that the office of governing director be abolished.”

It was also mentioned that JA’s assets included a Bentley car and that “Miss Dugdale had spent the week-end at the North Wales bungalow…”

I do not know the financial details of the settlement achieved by the firm but it may be that the will was challenged as not making adequate provision for JA's widow. In any case events could hardly have been to the company’s advantage and may have involved substantial financial outlays. Perhaps they were obliged to buy the rights conferred by company’s shares from Miss Dugdale, creating considerable debt. I believe that my father was much involved in reaching the settlement and I have been told that he ‘saved the company’.

We do not know what happened to Mary Dugdale following her triumph and settlement of the solicitors’ fees; perhaps she went to enjoy the sea air at Lloc, employing a chauffeur to drive her about in the Bentley. She may have lived until 1987 [18].

Take Over 

Not long afterwards, William Edward Anderson, JA’s nephew, entered the firm. By 3rd April 1951 he and HP were listed as the company directors. Perhaps it was the unforeseen events following the demise of JA that made the owners of St. George’s think more deeply about the future of the business and succession planning, for in a modification to the company’s Articles of Association passed on 5th October 1951 it was stipulated in Clause H that ‘The Directors may decline to register the transfer of a share or shares … to any person … who in their opinion is not desirable to admit to membership’.

It was also at this date that H. Purslow and W. E. Anderson were referred to as ‘permanent directors’ and it was also indicated that there would be other (non-permanent) directors who would be required to retire from office on rotation. At this date too, Herbert Purslow had become the ‘Chairman’[19].

On 9th January 1953 the board passed a number of Special Resolutions. Herbert Purslow and W. E. Anderson were in future to be referred to as “Senior Directors” and during their joint lives they were to have the power to appoint Stanley Herbert Purslow and Robert Gordon Scott Anderson to be a Director or Directors provided each had reached the age of 27 years and been in full-time service of the Company for 12 months. Subsequently provisions were made for S. H. Purslow and R. G. S. Anderson to move up to become Senior Directors in succession to their respective parents.

I remember Mr. W. E. Anderson from a visit that our family made at about this time to the fine bungalow at Broomedge, Lymm, in Cheshire where he and his wife lived. As a small boy I was aware that I needed to be on my ‘best behaviour’, but Mr. Anderson was very kind to me and allowed me to ride round the extensive lawn in front of the bungalow on his ride-on motor mower! He was evidently well-disposed towards my father, Leslie Dunkerley, who was perhaps rewarded for his efforts to save the firm after the Mary Dugdale affair by a directorship at about this time. I also understand that Edmund Ashworth, who had joined the company in the 1920s and worked his way up to become Chief Draftsman, was appointed to the position of Sales Director on my father’s recommendation in the late 1950s[20], although I have not found confirmation of this in the company records.

In spite of the ructions caused by Miss Dugdale, St. George’s appears to have been doing well at this time as suggested by the fact that on 30th March 1951 it was able to clear £3,000 of the Debentures from 1920 with the remaining £1,500 being satisfied on 28th February of the following year. I also know that at almost exactly this time my parents felt able to buy their first car, an event that followed complete repayment of the mortgage on their home by making use of annual bonuses paid by St. George’s over the period from about 1941 up to that date.

Another modification to the Memorandum of Association of the company was made on 20th February 1953 and allowed for provision for the welfare of Directors and employees of the company, including pensions and other listed benefits. This was probably one of the initiatives associated with Leslie Dunkerley, mentioned above.

On 6th September 1954 a resolution was passed to increase the capital of the company from £12,000 to £96,000 by the creation of 84,000 Ordinary shares of £1 each. The shares were created by capitalisation of undistributed profits of £85,995, as authorised by H. M. Treasury on 14th July 1954. Seven days later a listing shows shareholdings in the company as follows: 

Frederick William Wilson, Engineer, of 1 Fownhope Road, Sale                          3,927

William Edward Anderson, Director and Engineer of

            45 Barnfield Crescent, Ashton-on-Mersey                                                  21,254

Robert Gordon Scott Anderson, Professional Engineer of

            45 Barnfield Crescent, Ashton-on-Mersey                                                 19,780

Herbert Purslow, Managing Director of

            33 Priory Road, Sale                                                                                      1,720

Stanley Herbert Purslow, Professional Engineer of

            33 Priory Road, Sale                                                                                    19,657

Frederick Rowland Purslow, Articled Law Student of

            33 Priory Road, Sale                                                                                    19,657

                                                                                                                                  _______

                                                                                                                                    85,995

                                                                                                                                  =======

I remember when I was probably about ten years old – perhaps about 1956 – going occasionally with ‘my Dad’ to St. George’s, either on Saturday mornings or before Bank Holidays, so that he could do an hour or two’s urgent work. We’d park the car in a corner of one of the engineering bays and climb a steel staircase up into the offices. I remember the wide corridors with parquet floors, and steel partitions with glass panels above. Steel swing-doors separated the various areas. I was impressed by a large drafting office full of drafting tables equipped with vertical and parallel rules and articulated lights above them like spiders. If the visit took place during working time I’d be introduced to people who were very nice to me, and feel rather shy and embarrassed. If it was a Saturday visit I’d be put on a swivel chair at one of the large desks in an office next to my Dad’s and allowed to play with paper, rubber stamps, a stapler and other satisfying items, while Dad got on with whatever he’d gone to do. It made me feel a bit special and I’m glad I had the opportunity to visit where he worked.

In time HP’s son, Stanley Purslow, became the managing director of the company and work continued, but the business was beginning to struggle, as shown by the accounts for the year to 31st March 1970. Compared to the previous year, turnover had fallen from £560,720 to £554,518 and the company had made a loss of £27,872 (£17,019 in 1969). Its net assets decreased from £289,714 to £260,646. Other information revealed in the report to the accounts showed that the sole share-holding director at the time was S. H. Purslow (with 24,000 shares) and the other directors were J. L. Dunkerley, J. A. Campbell and F. Webb (the auditor, who had, however, died on 20th May 1969). In 1970/71 the company averaged 111 weekly paid employees and exports were worth £72,942 (13% of turnover). The company was operating with a substantial bank overdraft that had risen from £35,770 to £61,795. The overdraft was secured by a Legal Charge created on 30th October 1970 in favour of Northern Commercial Trust Ltd. on the premises ‘in Trafford Road, Taylorson Street and Ordsall Lane’ (effectively the works’ site). The company’s Land and Buildings had been professionally valued on the basis of a going concern at £300,000 in March 1969.

It must have been at this juncture that St. George’s was appraised by Hodge Clemco Ltd., a firm of Sheffield engineers who were interested in St. George’s shot-blasting expertise, and, probably, the value of its assets[21]. This resulted in the take-over of St. George’s by Hodge Clemco, announced in The Manchester Guardian on 31st December 1970, effective April 1971. At the take-over the company shares were held half each by the Purslow and Anderson families, as shown below: 

Stanley Herbert Purslow, 9, Cordons, Kingston, Lewes, Sussex                        24,000

Frederick Rowland Purslow, 197, Wigton Road, Carlisle                                    24,000

William Edward Anderson, ‘Hillcrest’, 221, Higher Lane, Broomedge,

            Lymm, Cheshire                                                                                              3,840

Robert Gordon Scott Anderson, 2, Blandford Road, Ealing, London W5          17,080

Elizabeth Dorothy Anderson, 12, Kenilworth Court, Bridge of Allan,

            Stirling                                                                                                            22,080

Mary Hope Anderson, 2, Blandford Road, Ealing, London W5                             5,000

                                                                                                                                   ______

                                                                                                                                    96,000

                                                                                                                                   ======

Perhaps the tide of economic events was running too strongly against Stanley Purslow so that despite his best efforts it just was not possible to keep St. George's in profit.

Leslie Dunkerley was asked to stay with the firm until the takeover became effective, at which point he was paid off and effectively retired a year early, aged 64.

Hodge Clemco

During the year ending 31st March 1973 Hodge Clemco sold the Land and Buildings on and in which St. George’s carried out its business, realizing a profit of £133,972. From then on rental payments were made for the premises. During the period of ownership by Hodge Clemco various inter-group items appear on the balance sheet, including transfers of tax losses from St. George's. Besides these benefits, it is not clear exactly what Hodge Clemco got out of the business but one assumes they related mainly to shot-blasting work.

Tilghman Wheelabrator

In June 1976 St. George’s was sold again, to Tilghman Wheelabrator of Altrincham. A certain Benjamin Tilghman had taken out the first British patent for sand blasting in 1870 and formed his first company in 1872. In 1890 he established a factory at Altrincham[22]. At some time Tilghman became associated with a large American corporation which used the ‘Wheelabrator’ name; both companies were involved in shot-blasting and surface-preparation work. St. George’s continued engineering operations until about 1979, but the Annual Report for the year ending 30th November in that year shows that the totality of the Plant and Equipment was either retired or transferred to a ‘fellow-subsidiary company’.  The firm ceased trading on 1st December 1983 at which time its trade and net assets were transferred, at book value, to Tilghman Wheelabrator Limited, ‘a fellow group company’. In the year to 30th November 1987 St. George’s paid an interim dividend of £129,841, representing its entire distributable reserves, to its parent company.

There is an interesting account of litigation in the United States that had St. George’s at its roots. On 9th November 1976, Coastal Steel Corporation contracted with Sir James Farmer Norton & Co. Ltd., a British company, for an in-line steel working plant for cold-drawn steel, to be erected in New Jersey. One component of the plant was a bar cleaning machine or blast unit that Farmer Norton contracted from St. George’s.  Soon after, St. George’s was acquired from Samuel Hodge (the Hodge Clemco group) by Tilghman Wheelabrator. It transpired that St. George’s had seriously miscalculated the cost of the blast unit on which it quoted and Tilghman later agreed to supply a unit at a price higher than that originally quoted by St. George’s, but lower than what it felt would be the true cost. The unit would be built in England and delivered to Farmer Norton, but Tilghman would supervise the commissioning of the blast unit after its installation at Coastal’s plant in New Jersey. In fact, Tilghman delegated the commissioning to its parent company, Wheelabrator. In 1979 Tilghman sent a representative to New Jersey to make modifications to the blast unit.

In April 1980 Coastal effectively went bust and its administrators began to pursue Farmer Norton, Tilghman and Wheelabrator for more than US$4 million in compensation for damages relating to the poorly-performing plant. Tilghman and Wheelabrator denied the material allegations of the complaint and legislation continued in the United States at least until May 1983 with legal ramifications until at least 1997[23].

The End Approaches

It was probably in the 1980s that St. George’s factory at Ordsall Lane was demolished and the land re-developed to its current use as residential and green-space. St George’s Engineers Ltd. had become ‘dormant’ by October 1989. The records from Companies' House show that it continued presenting reports as a dormant company at least until 1994.

A move was made to dissolve St. George’s in 1995 and a document of 10th September of that year says that the company was struck off. However this must have been reversed as it continued to exist beyond that date.

In 1994 the firm still belonged to Wheelabrator and was administered in Altrincham, but the ultimate parent company, always an American corporation, changed several times. In 1977 it was ‘Wheelabrator Frye, Inc.’; in 1982 it was ‘The Signal Companies Inc.’; by 1985 it had become ‘The Henley Group Inc.’; in 1989 it was Wheelabrator Technologies Inc.; in 1990 it was Waste Management Inc. Finally in 1993 the ultimate parent company was WMX Inc. The local directors remained broadly the same as St. George’s travelled on this corporate odyssey.

The end of the company finally came in 2002. St. George's Engineers Limited was eventually struck off the Company Register on 8th October of that year and dissolved a week later by notice in the London Gazette. And that was that.

Acknowledgement

My Aunt, Brenda Dunkerley, who worked at St. George’s for eighteen years during a twenty-three year period, has provided much helpful information for this account of the company and I am very grateful to her. Mr. F. R. Purslow has helpfully commented on an earlier version of this account.

Written by: Philip M. Dunkerley

This version: 5 November 2008

John Anderson’s Death Certificate

Registration District Manchester, 1948. Death in the Sub-district of Manchester Southern in the County Borough of Manchester. No. 86.

Died on Twenty fourth November 1948 at 157 Barlow Moor Road, Didsbury MD, name John Anderson, Male, Age 67 years, of 12 Princess Mansions Northenden, Wythenshaw, Manchester MD, Occupation a Director (Welding Engineers).

Cause of death I (a) Myocardial Degeneration (b) Carcinoma of Lung Certified by J. Padkin MB(?).

Informant W. E. Anderson Nephew of 45 Barnfield Crescent Sale Cheshire, registered on 24th November 1948, J. C. Pettitt Registrar.

Probate and Will of John Anderson

In His Majesty’s High Court of Justice

The District Probate Registry at Manchester

BE IT KNOWN that John Anderson of 12 Princess Mansions Northenden Cheshire and of Greengates St Asaph Road Lloc Holywell Flintshire

Died on the 24th day of November 1948

At 157 Barlow Moor Road Didsbury Manchester Lancashire

AND BE IT FURTHER KNOWN that at the date hereunder written the last Will and Testament (a copy whereof is hereunto annexed) of the said deceased was proved and registered in the District Probate Registry of His Majesty’s High Court of Justice at Manchester and that Administration of all the Estate which by law devolves to and vests in the personal representative of the said deceased was granted by the aforesaid Court to Mary Dugdale of 8 Titterington Avenue Chorlton-cum-Hardy in the City of Manchester spinster the sole executrix named in the said will.

And it is hereby certified that an Affidavit for the Inland Revenue has been delivered wherein it is shewn that the gross value of the said Estate in Great Britain (exclusive of what the said deceased may have been possessed of or entitled to as a Trustee and not beneficially) amounts to £132,954-5-2 and that the net value of the personal estate amounts to £129,950-0-0

And it is further certified that it appears by a Receipt signed by an Inland Revenue Officer on the said Affidavit that £45,590-13-7 on account of Estate Duty and Interest on such duty has been paid.

Dated the 17th day of January 1949

J. Ralph Duckworth

Deputy District Registrar

Extracted by Lloyd & Davies Solicitors

Manchester 2

THIS IS THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT of me JOHN ANDERSON of 12 Princess Mansions Northenden in the County of Cheshire and of Greengates St Asaph Road Lloc Holywell in the County of Flint in the Count of – [sic] made this seventh day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and forty eight I HEREBY revoke all wills made by me at any time heretofore I appoint Miss Mary Dugdale of 8 Titterington Avenue Chorlton-cum-Hardy Manchester in the county of Lancashire to be my executor and direct that all my debts and funeral expenses shall be paid as soon as conveniently may be after my decease I GIVE AND BEQUEATH unto my wife Emily Anderson the sum of £1000 (one thousand pounds) free of tax I give and bequeath to Mrs William Edward Anderson of 45 Barnfield Crescent Ashton on Mersey in the County of Cheshire the three piece suite in my personal bedroom at 12 Princess Mansions consisting of wardrobe dressing table and cupboard all to match also £500 (five hundred pounds) free of tax as some reward for her help to my sister As a reward for her loyalty faithful service and great assistance rendered to me during my many illnesses I give and bequeath to Mary Dugdale of 8 Titterington Avenue Chorlton cum Hardy Manchester the residue of my estate including my residence and all its contents known as Greengates Lloc near Holywell The residual contents of my flat at 12 Princess Mansions Northenden Cheshire My motor car All my jewellery where ever situated All moneys lying in the bank to my account and the whole of my 7083 (seven thousand and eighty-three) shares in St Georges Engineers Limited together also with my 3000 (three thousand) six per cent debentures in St Georges Engineers Limited My 500 (five hundred) savings certificates £1000 (one thousand pounds) defence bonds and all other items of goods or chattels cash or securities lands or buildings whether mentioned herein or not subject to the following conditions That Mary Dugdale pay to my wife Mrs Emily Anderson during her lifetime the sum of £65 (sixty-five pounds) free of tax each quarter That Mary Dugdale agrees to keep a watchful eye on the other members of my family and make to them such assistance as may seem necessary and in her wisdom she may think fit I direct that after the death of Mary Dugdale the whole of the shares in St Georges Engineers Limited shall pass to my nephew William Edward Anderson of 45 Barnfield Crescent Ashton on Mersey or in the event of him predeceasing Mary Dugdale then to his successors absolutely so that they may sell them or retain them as they may think fit In accordance with the powers vested in me by the Articles of Association of St Georges Engineers Limited I direct that Mary Dugdale become Governing Director of St Georges Engineers Limited and enjoy all the powers previously enjoyed by me and that her name be substituted for mine in the Articles of Association and that by way of salary or remuneration not less than £1000 (one thousand pounds) per annum to which shall be added all sums coming into her hands as owner of shares or by way of cash bonus payments or from any other source be paid to her Notwithstanding any of the provisions aforesaid the said Mary Dugdale shall have power at any time or from time to time during her life to totime during her life to [sic] transfer all or any of my said shares and debentures in St Georges Engineers Limited to my nephew William Edward Anderson or his heirs In the event of any dispute about this will Mary Dugdale is empowered to employ any firm of solicitors she may think fit

SIGNED by the said testator – in the presence

of us present at the same time who at his

request in his presence and in the presence of

each other have subscribed our name as

witnesses.

            W.E.Shill Motor Driver.

            E.Shill housewife.

PROBATE MANCHESTER 17 JAN 1949

CERTIFIED TO BE A CORRECT OPY. [sic]