Page 27 - Shoeman no ch 1

CHAPTER 2
Introduction to Shoeman
It is apparent, on looking back, the period after my marriage was a time when I was driving the company forward and this became a total commitment. This restricted my activity with Sylvia and the girls to weekends and holidays, with weekends usually starting on Saturday mid-day, although one or two of the girls often came to play in the of ce on Saturday morning. But the result gave us security for a good and happy life. This left Sylvia with the total family responsibilities but she managed as she was well organised and a strong character. Sylvia also had a commercial appreciation and interest. I guess it worked most of the time. It is impossible to relate the development of the company chronologically, or in general terms as the division of activities – although interlinked – are too many and varied. I am fortunate to have been princi- pally involved in virtually all these activities which helps in writing these memoirs. I have, therefore, decided to give each element of production and business activity a separate chapter. These chapters take the company up to building our 40,000 sq.ft. Factory at Venture Park, Kettering in 2004, but rst, our war effort.
OUR WAR EFFORT
Before I start on the main processes, I would like to tell you about the riveted, screwed and stitched plant which is only suitable for heavy boots. On this plant we made many thousands of army boots during the Second World War (1939–1945). It ran along-side our welted plant and used the same machinery for lasting and nishing. After the war, my father saw little future in this plant – mainly because it didn’t re ect the direction in which he saw the company going forward. There was hardly a potential in the future younger men’s market when a majority had worn this type of boot for up to ve years with, in many cases, terrible memories.
Now, just to confuse you, I did have rst-hand experience of this process. We had a renaissance with the riveted, screwed and stitched construction when, with the use of three hired machines and our existing plant, we made an army boot contract in 1952, no doubt for National Servicemen. I think it must have been at a good price for us and the machines were probably on short leases. I was drafted in to the team by my Dad and spent my Summer holidays from Shoe College stitching soles on BUSM model “O” stitcher – exactly the same machines as I was working on at the college. The experience was a great help in my practical exam at the end of the course but a