Jack Olding

Last updated

Jack Olding of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England had a company (Jack Olding & Co. Ltd), which specialised in the import and modification of tanks and tractors during the Second World War (notably being the sole importer into the UK of Caterpillars). Before this Jack had several prestige Car Dealerships in Mayfair and other London locations.

He had a factory on the A1 just to the north of Hatfield, at a site now known as either Oldings Corner or Caterpillar Island.

In 1935 Fred Myers, already the sole UK importer for Caterpillar machines, under the banner of H. Leverton & Co. Ltd. , forged an alliance with his friend Jack Olding in agreement with Caterpillar USA, to split the UK Caterpillar Dealerships in two throughout England and Wales. Fred and Jack also formed a joint company, L.O. Tractors , which looked after Scotland. After the war, partly because of government pressure caused by a shortage of dollars, he made an ultimately unsuccessful gamble by relinquishing the Caterpillar agency for what proved to be the less than successful bid, having been offered Worldwide Rights to the new Vickers Vigor tractor. [1] Indeed, the company is recognized as the only Caterpillar dealer to voluntarily give up the franchise. They were also distributors for the Opperman Motocart. [1] and from 1936 to 1950, John Deere Tractors and Farm Equipment.

W. A. Robotham of Rolls-Royce recalls him as a "great sportsman, a charming host and an able administrator" with his main hobbies "racing" (he ran horses in the Grand National), "shooting and playing games of chance"; but he was an unlucky punter, and Robotham learned not to follow his racing tips. The Vickers tractor used a Rolls-Royce engine, and Oldings set up a worldwide service organisation for the tractor. But Vickers-Armstrongs had to fly urgently-needed tractor parts around the world at great expense, and stopped production after making about a thousand tractors. [2]

On his death the company passed to Scottish Land Development and became known as SLD Olding. [3]

Jack Olding's real name was Henry John Douglas Olding. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley</span> British luxury automobile manufacturer owned by Volkswagen Group

Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North London, and became widely known for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930. Bentley has been a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group since 1998 and consolidated under VW's premium brand arm Audi since 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger</span> British WWII cruiser tank

The Tank, Cruiser, Challenger (A30) was a British tank of World War II. It mounted the QF 17-pounder anti-tank gun on a chassis derived from the Cromwell tank to add anti-tank firepower to the cruiser tank units. The design compromises made in fitting the large gun onto the Cromwell chassis resulted in a tank with a powerful weapon and reduced armour. However, the extemporised 17-pounder Sherman Firefly conversion of the US-supplied Sherman proved easier to produce and, with delays in production, only 200 Challengers were built. The Challenger was able to keep up with the fast Cromwell tank and was used with them.

Armstrong Siddeley was a British engineering group that operated during the first half of the 20th century. It was formed in 1919 and is best known for the production of luxury vehicles and aircraft engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Meteor</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Rolls-Royce Meteor later renamed the Rover Meteor is a British tank engine that was developed during the Second World War. It was used in British tanks up to 1964. It was a result of co-operation between Leyland Motors and Rolls-Royce who between them in 1941 had suggested that a specialised de-rated version of the Merlin aero-engine would be highly suitable for use in armoured fighting vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Eagle</span> 12-cylinder vee liquid cooled aircraft engine

The Rolls-Royce Eagle was the first aircraft engine to be developed by Rolls-Royce Limited. Introduced in 1915 to meet British military requirements during World War I, it was used to power the Handley Page Type O bombers and a number of other military aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Hives, 1st Baron Hives</span> Chairman of Rolls-Royce Ltd.

Ernest Walter Hives, 1st Baron Hives, was the one-time head of the Rolls-Royce Aero Engine division and chairman of Rolls-Royce Ltd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley Mark VI</span> Motor vehicle

The Bentley Mark VI is an automobile from Bentley which was produced from 1946 until 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Phantom IV</span> Ultra-luxury flagship automobile in its fourth generation

The Rolls-Royce Phantom IV is a British automobile produced by Rolls-Royce. Only eighteen were made between 1950 and 1956, sold only to buyers whom Rolls-Royce considered worthy of the distinction: the British royal family and heads of state. Sixteen are known to still exist in museums as well as in public and private collections.

This article lists British armoured fighting vehicle production during the Second World War. The United Kingdom produced 27,528 tanks and self-propelled guns from July 1939 to May 1945, as well as 26,191 armoured cars and 69,071 armoured personnel carriers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Limited</span> 1906–1987 UK automobile and aerospace manufacturer

Rolls-Royce Limited was a British luxury car and later an aero-engine manufacturing business established in 1904 in Manchester by the partnership of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Building on Royce's good reputation established with his cranes, they quickly developed a reputation for superior engineering by manufacturing the "best car in the world". The business was incorporated as "Rolls-Royce Limited" in 1906, and a new factory in Derby was opened in 1908. The First World War brought the company into manufacturing aero-engines. Joint development of jet engines began in 1940, and they entered production in 1944. Rolls-Royce has since built an enduring reputation for the development and manufacturing of engines for military and commercial aircraft.

Spirito Mario Viale was an Italian engineer. He was born in Turin, but did most of his important work in France and the UK. He was an early manufacturer of aircraft engines, producing a series of 3-, 5-, and 7-cylinder radials from a workshop in Boulogne-sur-Seine from 1910 until the outbreak of World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Summers & Sons</span>

John Summers & Sons Ltd was a major United Kingdom iron and steel producer, latterly based on the Dee Estuary at Shotton, Flintshire. The company was absorbed into British Steel Corporation in 1967; British Steel became Corus in 1999 and this company was taken over by Tata Steel in 2007.

The Rolls-RoyceC range was a series of in-line 4, 6 and 8 cylinder diesel engines used in small railway locomotives, construction vehicles, marine and similar applications. They were manufactured by the Rolls-Royce Oil Engine Division headed by William Arthur Robotham to 1963, initially at Derby and later at Shrewsbury, from the 1950s through to 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H.R. Owen</span> British luxury motor retailer

H.R. Owen is a luxury motor retailer in Britain, and one of the world's largest retailers in Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Maserati, Lamborghini and Bugatti brands. The company is headquartered in London, and operates 18 sales franchises and 17 aftersales franchises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barker (coachbuilder)</span> British coachbuilder

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perkins Engines</span> Diesel engine manufacturer

Perkins Engines Company Limited, a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc. since 1998, is primarily a diesel engine manufacturer for several markets including agricultural, construction, material handling, power generation, and industrial. It was established in Peterborough, England in 1932. Over the years, Perkins has expanded its engine catalogue, producing thousands of different engine specifications including diesel and petrol engines automatives.

Jack Barclay Bentley is the world's largest and oldest Bentley dealership and part of the H.R. Owen motor retailing group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vickers VR180 Vigor</span> British crawler tractor

The Vickers VR180 Vigor was a British crawler tractor, built from 1951 to 1958 by Vickers-Armstrongs. Since the 1920s, the company gained substantial experience in the design and construction of tanks and continuous track vehicles. After the war they developed a civilian crawler tractor that could be sold for use in peacetime reconstruction work. It was notable for the unusual sophistication of its chassis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce B range engines</span> Series of gasoline engines for military vehicles

The Rolls-Royce B range was a range of petrol engines first intended to be installed in a car but in 1943 developed into a range to power the British Army's wheeled vehicles.

William Arthur Robotham was a Rolls-Royce executive involved in the development of Rolls-Royce cars, during World War II of tanks and tank engines, and post-war of Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars complete with bodies and then of industrial petrol and diesel engines.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Jack Olding of Mayfair and Caterpillar Island, Hatfield".
    • Robotham, William Arthur (1970). Silver Ghosts and Silver Dawn. London: Constable. pp. 241–4, 253, 273.
  2. Sanders, Maurice H. (1999). Earth and Tree Moving in War and Peace: 60 golden years. Vol. I. Ashwell: Cortney Publications. ISBN   1904686257.