Early letter heading, unlikely to be 1905, as written on it, as I believe that the start of manufacture of the motorised army ambulance was in 1909

William Rufus Herwin was born in Mancroft, Norwich in 1873, the son of John Rufus Herwin, an engine driver on the Great Eastern Railway. John Rufus was one of the elite drivers of the company and regularly drove the Royal Train between London and Sandringham. The photograph shows him with other GER employees in front of the engine in which he made the first non-stop run from London to Cromer, utilising the Wensum Curve, which meant that the train no longer had to stop at Norwich and reverse out to Cromer.

In the year 1895, William Rufus travelled from Norwich to London in order to find work. His total assets were a completed apprenticeship in the Norwich locomotive engineering works, a diploma for Machine Construction and Design, issued by the Norwich School of Art, and thirty shillings in his pocket. He had high hopes of finding work in the Woolwich Arsenal, but soon found that "no new hands were required", and so walked on to Erith to try his luck at Vickers Engineering Workshops. He obtained work there as a fitter and later worked under Sir Hiram Maxim, manufacturing the 37 mm pom-pom gun.

Young William Rufus had two invaluable qualities, a sound practical genius for engineering and a liking for hard work, which soon led to a more responsible job now inside the Arsenal. It was here that he carried out many of his earlier experiments and met his late partner, Harry Canny, a dour hard working Scotsman, and very capable engineer. After they had experimented with a new kind of motor cycle belt fastener, they left the Royal Arsenal and set up a business partnership. It was thus that the firm Herwin Canny & Co. came into being.

In 1896, he married Clara Clayton, whose parents owned the Jolly Dyers in Fishgate Street, the same street in which his parents lived. By the time of the 1901 census, he was living in Plumstead, with Clara, her widowed mother, Martha, and his younger brother, Mark, also an engineer and fitter. Clara became a successful milliner.

In the year 1901, William Herwin and Harry Canny opened their first premises in Woolwich, at 158 Sandy Hill Road, manufacturing their patent belt fasteners (the Simplex) and hiring out bicycles at 6d an hour. Bill Herwin is on the extreme right in the photograph. However they had an eye for bigger business and were soon manufacturing and selling their own machines. Business was so brisk that, twelve months from opening their original premises, they had to move to larger premises in Princes Road. The firm was by now quite well established and had started to assemble motor vehicles. Most of these early models were tiller steering and of course had to be preceded by a man walking ahead with a red flag. Among the firms first customers, in Woolwich, were Sir Clarence Smith (an Oldsmobile), Doctor Dunkinson (a Dion ) and Doctor Heath ( a Star).

By 1904, they were already manufacturing motorcycles, mainly from parts sourced in Belgium and William was the recipient of a Gold Medal from the British Auto Cycle Union. Later, after building cars with Bill Morris (Lord Nuffield), he went on to design and build his own car, but it crashed on Shooters Hill, nearly killing him.

In 1906 another move was made to a larger base in William Street (later the site of Marks and Spencer). These premises were purchased freehold for £5000, but, within twelve months, the firm was again working to its full capacity. It continued thus until 1914 when there was a complete turnover to war work, equipping ack-ack vehicles and ambulances, and inventing and manufacturing the first automatic bombing vanes. These vanes rotated as the bombs fell and armed the bomb after it was well clear of the aircraft, greatly contributing to pilot safety. Every bomb that Britain dropped after 1915 was equipped with these vanes. It is interesting to note that the firm of Herwin Canny were also the designers and manufacturers of the first motor army ambulance in 1909 and that the first Handley Page glider was built in the works.

Bill Herwin also owned the Barrack Tavern on Woolwich Common and in about 1918 appointed Annie Dorothea Thomas, who was to be the mother of his 3 children and his second wife, whom he married in 1943, after the death of Clara. The pub was popular with officers and non commissioned officers from the nearby Royal Artillery mess and with theatregoers to the Royal Artillery Theatre. He also owned the King’s Arms in Francis Street, which was the target of an IRA bomb in the 1960’s.

In 1916, William purchased Fairmount, in Mottingham Lane, Eltham (pictured below), complete with all fixtures and fittings from the executors of Dr W.G. Grace.

This was to be his home for 31 years. The rear garden was over half a mile long and the property required a full time staff of 6 and was a veritable treasure house of antiques, many originally the property of W.G. Grace. At the rear was a beautiful sunken garden and large ornamental fish pond, created by WG and where he spent many hours. The house is now a nursing home.

1919 Letterhead. Note the emphasis on motor vehicle sales and the agency for Studebaker

After 1918 the firm rapidly returned to peace time production, and again the premises were found to be inadequate. Land was purchased at Artillery Place, originally the site of Woolwich’s annual Circus and Fair, right opposite the main gates of the Royal Artillery Barracks. The premises were built by direct labour and completed in 1925.

The period between the wars was a time of rapid expansion and many areas of the business, such as sales, body building, coach painting, and cellulose spraying were developed. The Wolseley agency had been taken up in 1909, being one of the first in the country. Other agencies were taken out with Morris, Austin, Ford, Standard, Triumph and other leading manufacturers.

On the right is William Rufus as founding President of Woolwich Rotary Club 1926/1928. His younger son, Frank, was President in 1975 and his elder son, Bill, in 1977. I remember this portrait well from visits to Woolwich as a child. Later it was presented to Woolwich Rotary Club by Frank and they subsequently lost it. Such a shame, as we would love to have it now.

In the early 1920’s, he also purchased Hiawatha, 50, Bean Road, Bexleyheath and here, Annie Dorothea brought up his children, William Sidney Rufus (my father) born in 1920 in Wateringbury, Kent, Francis (Frank), born in 1928 and Sheila, born in 1933.

On the left is a studio portrait from the late 1930’s of William with his sons William and Frank, daughter Sheila, future wife, Annie Dorothea and "Ruff", one of her much loved Norfolk Terriers. Hiawatha was William’s second home and the family were there until the early 1940’s.

In 1939 saw another turn over to war production and in 1940 about 90% of all work consisted of London County Council ambulance, fire, civil defence and war department vehicles. Like the original motorised army ambulance, the auxiliary fire service tender, which did so much to save lives and property during the Blitz was designed by Bill Herwin and built in the works. Later the firm took on contracts from Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, to build mobile workshops, gas plants and wobbly wheel rollers (for clearing aircraft landing strips in various islands as the Allies advanced). A considerable amount of this equipment was destined for the Pacific theatre but was not used owing to the termination of hostilities by the atomic bomb.

To the right is the oil painting of William Rufus, that dominated the board room for many years. I am not sure exactly when it was painted or the name of the artist, but it was probably in the 1930's. It shows him with the badge of President of the Woolwich Rotary Club, of which he was one of the principal founders. I can remember the picture from visiting the company, when I was a boy and it is probably how I most think of my grandfather.

In 1941 the firm was made a limited liability company with the directors of the company being the founder William Herwin, Managing Director, Mr.A.J. Mant, Accounts Director and Bill Herwin, elder son of the founder, who was at that time in the armed services. He volunteered for overseas service and then spent the rest of the war in Kenya, the Seychelles  and Madagascar

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Bill Herwin, my father, in 1944, as an officer in the King’s African Rifles.

In 1943, Bill married Eleanor Mary Knaggs (Mary), the daughter of James, a former Mayor of Twickenham and Elsie Knaggs, both originally from Darlington.

In 1946 W.S.R. Herwin, after his return from war service renewed his active interest in the company and was appointed Works Director. The immediate period post war was a time of trial and tribulation, with insufficient skilled labour, a severe shortage of new vehicles and ridiculously inflated second hand values. The company maintained its policy of "fair trading" and, in spite of the difficulties, slow but steady progress was made up to 1950.

In 1950 the company suffered two major set backs. On the 29^th September 1950, the founder died at Potter Heigham on the Norfolk Broads at the age of 76 and Mr FW Clarke, the Sales Director, suffered a major stroke, which caused his death later in 1951.

Mr. Clarke had served the company for over 40 years. He had joined the company as a shop boy in 1914 and was promoted Sales Director in 1948. To fill these vacancies, Mr. WSR. Herwin and Mr. AG Mant were appointed Joint Managing Directors, with W.S.R. Herwin taking over as Sales Director. It was at this time that the founder’s younger son, Mr. Francis Stuart Herwin, joined the company as Service and Works Director.

In 1952 car deliveries were stepped up. Full advantage was taken of improved trading conditions to consolidate the company’s position. Over the next five years, buildings, equipment and vehicles were brought up to date and two new premises were opened (Ford sales and service) in Charlton and (Triumph sales and service) in the centre of Woolwich Town. The upswing continued except for a temporary setback due to the Suez Crisis in 1957.

In 1958 Mr. FS Herwin joined his brother as Joint Managing Director and Mr. AN Harper, FCA. was appointed to the board as Financial Adviser.

Frank was a keen and successful rally driver and the publicity from his successes helped both the sales and service arms of the company. He was part of the Sevenoaks and District Car Club team that gained the 2nd place team prize in the 1964 RAC. Rally. Company sponsored cars also competed in many top rallies, including "The Monte".

In 1959 over 900 cars and commercial vehicles were sold and, apart from a few minor trade recessions, this increase in vehicle sales has continued year on year.

Between 1960 and 1962 expansion of the Artillery Place premises took place with the purchase of 3 adjoining properties, namely Heathways mineral waters, Shirley Brooks, the military tailors, and Gradidges, sports equipment manufacturers. This provided valuable additional facilities for pre-delivery checks, showrooms, office space and modern paint shops.

In 1968 the company’s sales rose to over 1600 new and used car and commercial vehicles.

In 1971, the company, in accordance with the trend towards specialisation, became sole British Leyland car and commercial vehicle dealers, giving up the Ford dealership, to concentrate their efforts in selling and servicing British cars. This meant coping with the sale and servicing of a greatly increased number of British Leyland vehicles. ln 1974, an additional dealership for Rover cars was negotiated.

Despite the emphasis on vehicle sales, the company continued with body building, particularly of commercial and specialised vehicles such as crew truck testing vehicles for Standard Telephones. These were designed by Frank. Pictured is one from 1976. In the background is the main gate to the Royal Artillery Barracks, which was opposite the firm's head office and main works.

In the ten years that followed and in particular the later part of the decade the whole of the UK motor industry faced greatly increased competition, from continental and Japanese manufacturers. In spite of attractive offers from foreign manufacturers, the company remained loyal to British Leyland and its thousands of satisfied customers.

The policy originally laid down by the founder in 1901, was to build up the business on customer recommendation and to maintain that, by offering a second to none service to the motoring public. In over 80 years of trading this policy, earned the company enormous respect from the public and local commerce alike. As a customer, I found that their service was excellent and I used to bring my cars over, to be serviced from my then home in Hampshire. I always found it ironic, that my Father was a businessman, through and through. When I bought my first new car, a Triumph Toledo, in 1971, he told me of the wonderful deal he would do for me. When I went to Woolwich to pick up the car, I found exactly the same deal on notices , plastered all over the walls and available to anyone.

Sadly, shortly after the firm’s 80^th birthday, the company ceased trading. The very deep recession of the early eighties had taken its toll which revealed and polarised differing strategic views within the company, leading to the sad decision to close in October 1982, with the loss of some 70 jobs.

20 years later, Frank wrote that it was his belief that there was a continuing tribute to the training that was offered through the company, by their skilled craftsmen, that so many of Herwins’ apprentices and employees went on to senior positions within companies, training colleges, and their own businesses.