Page 116 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

Harry was a perfectionist. His business was run on almost military lines. All his staff knew
just what was expected and they all had total pride in their company and its amazing
business record.
I had joined Firestone in 1966 at the instigation and through the kindness and
“manoeuvring” of Firestone management by my best ever boss Fred Popham.
Fred was the first District Manager of Firestone at Lincoln when it opened in the 1950’s
and he was still with the company, just, as they closed Lincoln 25 or so years later.
I must add here that largely because Fred and Harry Thorne were “new boys” together,
they formed a firm life long relationship in their business dealings.

Fred had been brought up in the tyre trade in the Al Capone era and had in fact spent
some time in Chicago and seen those famous times first hand.
Fred and Harry’s ideals matched. They both strove to produce the very best service in
their individual roles. Fred in distribution and wholesale sales, Harry at the “pointed end”
dealing with the public and business clients.

(Picture of my first Firestone car,
The Ford Anglia.)

I was very lucky to spend probably
the best of those 20 or so years with
Fred and that Lincoln team he had
developed, as one of his two
“General Line Salesmen”.

Fred retired at the time Firestone
was destroyed in the UK by its
American led Management and he
eventually worked for us at ECYB
for some time in our Loughborough
Uniroyal depot.
Fitting all this background around
the basic story, is somewhat
confusing even to me, so I hope you
are following the plot!

DEMISE
Three or four years before Firestone fell apart in about 1975/6 Harry Thorne introduced his
son Terry into the business and thus began the demise of that wonderful company.
I was still around with Firestone at the time Terry came on the scene and can remember
the shock it had on the whole F & T “family”.
The managers who had given their all for years, to build the company into the most
efficient and best respected independent tyre dealership in the UK were on the move.

The writing was on the wall and they could see they had to begin looking elsewhere.
The first to go was Geoff Fossitt the original manager who had built up the company in
South Lincolnshire over 25 years.

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