This is the Story of Herbert
Austin
from Boy to Lord.
(known to all who worked
for him, affectionally as) "The Old Man"
Herbert Austin who was born
on the 8th November 1866 to Mr Giles Stevens Austin, a farmer and
his mother Clara Jane Austin daughter of Willoughby Simpson, an
officer in HM Customs. They lived at Grange Farm in the small
village of Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire which lies in the
shadow of the Chiltern Hills. He was christened Herbert Austin at
the local Parish Church of St John The Baptist.
After
four years the family moved to a small village in Wentworth, South
Yorkshire, his father becoming Farm Bailiff to Earl Fitzwilliam. In
this small community there was very little to do as a small boy, so
as he grew up, it became obvious to his parents that his talent lay
in the way of drawing. At the age of six he would spend many hours
especially in the winter months at the large table making freehand
drawings of various subjects.
It was his ability to draw
anything mechanical which gave him the most enjoyment. Friends and
family used to be amazed that this small boy could produce drawings
that were of a geometrical nature that had the right sizes and
proportion to be almost three dimensional. This skill was something
that stayed with him through out his life. What was even more
surprising was that nobody in the family before-hand had shown this
aptitude.
Rotherham Grammar
School
When he was older, he
attended the Rotherham Grammar School, which meant a daily round
trip of 10 miles on foot come summer or winter. Along with his
passion in drawing his artistic skills were also to show in his
interest in music, and spent many hours enjoying the works of great
composers. He becoming a chorister in Wentworth St Peters
Church.
Wentworth
St Peters Church
After
leaving Rotherham Grammar School he attended the Brampton
Commercial College for about two years. It was at this point his
parents decided that his artistic talent could be used, so that he
should take up a profession in architecture. As his uncle was
architect to Earl Fitzwilliam. who had shown a willingness to have
Herbert join him, so an apprenticeship was entered into. This
arrangement did not bode well, as Herbert's heart was really in
engineering. So it was not long before the Uncle was having words
with Hertbert's parents that the apprenticeship would have to be
cancelled.
GNR
Motif
So his parents decided to
apply for an apprenticeship with the Great Northern Railway. This
Railway Company had been formed in 1846, it expanded and took over
many small railway companies of the day, with its main activities
been the transporting of coal. There were no vacancies at that
time, but Herbert was duly registered, and it was arranged that he
should enter upon his five years' training immediately a vacancy
occurred.
He was determined to improving his skill in freehand drawing, and
won several prizes for life-size crayon enlargements from
photographs. But it was in drawings of mechanical objects that he
receive most distinction.
It was whilst waiting for a vacancy with the Great Northern
Railways that he remembered that his mother had a brother in
Australia who had always been going on about what a fascinating
country it was. Being a young country that need men who were
willing to work hard and it would reward them richly for there
efforts. So this was to become his vision for the future.
His uncle who was managing a engineering firm in Melbourne was
going to visit them in a few months time, so was this the break he
needed, could he convince his parents that he wished to go back
with his uncle to Australia.
With uncle's visit now only weeks away, it was time to put his plan
into action. So he would seize an opportunity to get mother by
herself (how many times have we done this) and convince her that he
would like to return with his uncle to Australia. It appears that
over time she could see that he would only be happy if this could
happen. Now it was only a case of convincing father, but with
mother on his side it wouldn't be too difficult.
A few days after his uncle had arrived, the question was broached.
His uncle said that he was happy to take him back to Australia, so
after further pleading with his parents, permission was finally
granted.
So yet again his
apprenticeship, this time with the Great Northern Railway had to be
called off, as now it was a sea voyage to the land of
opportunities.
Australia
The journey in those days
took many months so I am sure although at times he wondered when he
would arrive, his time would have been put to good use. Although
only a young man in his late teens he was very focused, and no
doubt used his time to draw and plan out what he would do, down
under..
On the day they arrived in Melbourne it was the hottest the city
had experienced for many years. The next day his uncle who loved
horse racing took him to see the 1884 Melbourne Cup. Next day he
was in the North Melbourne engineering shop where his uncle was
manager for the Scottish owner Mephan Ferguson. It was here that he
received a grounding in general engineering particularly been a
mechanic. The company was of medium size but soon grew with this
canny Scot in charge. One thing he would never allow was to work on
a Sunday, but come Monday morning it was all hands to the pump and
this probable was good grounding for Herbert, that if you want to
succeed you have to work for it.
It is interesting that his
inventive genius, which had lay dormant, was now showing through.
As having only been in Australia for about a years, had already
applied for his first patent in the form of a locking plate for
railway fish-plates. He showed that he was willing to have ago at
anything that would involve his engineering and design
skills.
In his spare time his passion for drawing was catered for by
attending the Hotham Art School again in Melbourne, and as was the
case in England his work surprised his teachers. Although he was in
the Junior Section of the school, his work was of such high
standard that his work was put in the Senior Division for marking,
and even then he carried away the first prize. So this was the
first stage in him becoming a automobile designer.
After two years he felt
that it was time to move on, so severing the family ties with his
uncle he moved to another Melbourne company which imported and
installed Crossley gas engines and printing presses. This again
lasted about two years but in those years he obtained more skills
which would be useful later on.
He was only twenty one when the Government of Victoria invited
designs and estimates for a swing bridge over the Yarra River at
the end of Spencer Street, Melbourne, This would be a real
challenge, so it was only possible to work on the design in the
evenings and some weekends. His designs and estimates were duly
submitted. He was not successful, but was told that for such a
young man he was very talented.
The Langland’s Foundry Company, also of Melbourne was his next
move. This company had more bearing on his engineering life that
the others. He was quoted as saying, "I have mixed memories of this
particular shop, but I feel that I owe to it a very great debt of
gratitude, for it was here that I received a thorough training as a
mechanic."
After leaving the Langlands
Foundry, Herbert Austin managed to secure a post as manager of a
small engineering firm. Some of the work which came his way in this
capacity was in connection with the Wolseley Sheep Shearing
Company, from which his firm had obtained an order. In the course
of his work he was able to see various weaknesses in the machinery,
which he pointed out to the manufacturer. Several of his
suggestions for improvement of the machinery were adopted by the
Wolseley Company. Obvious he impressed the Wolseley management,
because he was latter offered the post of Manager.
The machine had many advantages over hand blade shearing, it
produced a better clip closer to the animal along with fewer nicks.
Having proved that this method was faster and better than hand
operation, he travelled across the country promoting the machines,
and wining orders and in 1888 was transferred to the Sydney
office.
A year earlier he had married Helen Dron, the daughter of James
Dron of Melbourne, on 26th December 1887 in Melbourne. Herbert
Austin, later had two daughters, and a son who was killed in France
in the First World War. At the age of 27 he had an invitation from
Frederick Wolseley to return to Birmingham, England, to supervise
the manufacture of sheep shearing equipment. This was because the
company had received a great many complaints from customers that
the machines were unreliable.
_________________________
Returning to England
Herbert Austin was called
back to England in 1893 to sort out the quality of the
sheep-shearing machines that were giving Wolseley a bad name. It
was not a very good home coming as his wife and first child (Irene)
were not well. He had left Sydney at short notice, selling his
house at a reduced price, for a quick sale. An arrangement had been
agreed where by he exchanged the patents held on the machine for
eighty shares in the company and took up the position of Production
Manager.
The difficulties with the machines was soon addressed, with the
company actually repurchasing the whole of the faulty machines.
Some could be rectified but most were scrapped, this procedure
costing the company a great deal of money. In the first ten years
of Herbert Austin controlling production, things were very tough
because the company's capital had been largely consumed in
connection with the shipment of faulty products. With a view to
keeping the cost down to the minimum, the company decided to start
a workshop in Birmingham mainly because of the fact that most of
the machine parts were produced there. The first premises were in
Broad Street, and chosen because of their cheapness rather than
with an eye to convenience. Operations had to be conducted with
remarkable economy, Herbert Austin had learned his lesson during
his years in Australia, and was now able to impress upon his
directors and his men that, in order to be good enough for overseas
conditions, machinery had to be of the very finest quality.
Second-rate apparatus could not function without failure under
conditions which were so very severe. Even though he succeeded in
impressing upon his own men the urgent necessity for exactitude and
care, still he was faced with shortcomings in the parts supplied
from outside suppliers. Because of the poor quality on some
components bought in, a decision was made to move to a larger works
at Alma Street, Aston, Birmingham, and so manufacture as many
components itself. With the quality now good, the next challenge
was to restore confidence in the product, this proved to be a slow
process.
It was now that the company
looked at other products to keep the workforce and machinery busy.
This took the form of making machine tools principally for cotton
machine makers, along with supplying parts for the bicycle
manufactures, of which there were many around the Midlands. Herbert
Austin even designed a bicycle, but was never put into production.
Another side line was machine tools, and at Alma Street there was
produced the first vertical semi-automatic chucking lathe, which
was considered to be a remarkable piece of workmanship when
exhibited at the Paris Salon.
Herbert Austin then started to look at making a motor car, the main
board were not convinced that this would be a good move, so did not
back him. This did not dampen his enthusiasm, so in his own time he
set to work on making his own car. Various designs were looked at,
but his second Wolseley car, or should it have been called an
Austin if he was funding it himself.
Wolseley
Autocar
Wolseley Autocar No. 1 was
revealed. It was a three wheeled design (one front, two rear)
featuring independent rear suspension, mid engine and back to back
seating for two adults. In June, 1898, Herbert Austin drove a
Wolseley car to Rhyl and back a distance of about 255 miles,
averaging around eight miles per hour, carrying two passengers
without experiencing any kind of breakdown. The end result was it
received favourable comments from the board and they decided to
fund a four wheel car, this was called the Wolseley "Voiturette" in
1899. In 1900 his latest baby was entered in the 1,000 miles trial,
which proved successful and on the strength of this the board
elected him to the board as a director in 1901.
Wolseley Voiturette with
Herbert Austin at the wheel
He was concerned that
because of the cash restraints, his vision for the future would not
materialise without an injection of money, from outside the
company. Herbert Austin was at the time in touch with Sir Hiram
Maxim (Vickers Shipbuilders) so he approached the company Vickers
Sons and Maxim with the suggestion that it should take over the
machine tool and motor side of the Wolseley concern. At this time
the great shipbuilding firm was in the heyday of its success, and
was prepared to consider any additional enterprise that looked
promising. A deal was put to the Wolseley board, which was
accepted, and Herbert Austin was made General Manager, with the
company renamed The Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Company. With
finance behind them, a new factory was erected and called Adderley
Park to replace Alma Street.
Adderley Park
1901
It is interesting that
although he was now the General Manager of Wolseley, part of him
wasn't sure it was right for him. As the was quoted as saying, "In
a sense it is possible that I made a mistake when I took over the
management of Wolseley Company for Messrs Vickers, in that I did
not commence to build cars on my own account. It would, of course,
have had to be in a very small way, but it might have been better
from the personal stand point, than managing somebody else's
business. It would have been a slow process, however, and also
somewhat unsafe."
So what were the main
problems for the car manufacturers of the time. it appears that
there were three main areas that affected the reliability of the
vehicles.
A reliable ignition system, as at the time only the hot wire type
was available. Next came the tyres, which partly because of the
poor roads in some areas, punctures were quite frequent also the
milage covered per tyre was very low. Transmission in the form of
the gearbox, were very noisy and they had very wooly gear changes.
It is this area that Herbert Austin came up with the universal gate
change in 1895. In the early years, Wolseley cars used horizontal
engines, but later on changed to the vertical type that soon became
the norm.
Financially the company was now on a firm footing, as in 1901 from
February to December the turnover was £22,368 by 1903 the turnover
had risen to £171,136. With the rapid growth of the car business,
the machine tool section took a back seat. So the Wolseley range of
cars expanded and production increased, showing that with Herbert
Austin leadership the company was moving forward in the right
direction.
In 1905 Austin and the Vickers management had a disagreement, we
don't know what brought it to a head, but no doubt Herbert Austin
felt that he was unable to steer the company his way. So this was
the catalyst that made Herbert Austin start looking for a place
that he could call his own.
_________________________
Herbert Austin Sets Up His
Own Company
Just how much capital would you need to
set a car company in 1905, well it appears that £100,000 is the
minimum needed. At the time he had only £15,000, but what he did
have was this reputation that brought with it design and management
skills. Some of this capital came partly from a son of an old
friend, Captain Frank Kayser, (who owned various companies,
including a steel company in Sheffield) he was his only partner.
About a year afterwards, Harvey Du Cros joined the firm, and later
on various members of the family furnished the additional capital
which enabled the company to expand. At the time, his candid
friends ridiculed the idea of starting a motor manufacturing
company on his own account, and especially doing it seven miles
from the centre of Birmingham. But as the empty workshops at
Longbridge were of a size convenient for his immediate purpose, and
there was available plenty of space for expansion. With the Great
Western and the Midland Railway lines having siding accommodation
there, along with his then modest financial resources he could
scarcely arrive at any other decision. After all it was not that
far from the manufacturing centre of Birmingham which could supply
all his needs in the early years.
His main problem was to get a skilled workforce that would be
willing to travel to Longbridge. But this is what we would call
today a green field site, although he would have to adapted the
buildings from tin box printing to motor manufacture. It was
because he had worked his way up from the shop floor to management
in an engineering environment, he was able to do any job and had
the knowledge of knowing what facilities were needed. This ability
proved invaluable when employing workers, as they soon respected
his judgement, although they may not have always agreed with
everything he did. He no doubt kept a tight reign on his workforce,
and was able to implement different working procedures that would
have not been possible at Wolseley. The old-times at Longbridge
used to say that the "gov'nor" is able to see round corners.
One thing you need when producing cars, is a dealer network.
Herbert Austin had no problem in setting this up, because of his
Wolseley connections he was able to contact various distributors at
home, the Colonies and elsewhere. At the time the sole selling
export agent was put in the hands of Mr R G Ash who had his own
company. This carried on till 1912 when Mr Ash joined the Austin
Motor Company as the export director to expand the markets
overseas.
K Gate early
1910s
At the end of
1913 Austin and Frank Kayser decided that they needed more capital
to finance and expand the business. The three main shareholders
were Herbert Austin with 186,663, next was Harvey Du Cross (Dunlop
Rubber Company) 18,663 and Frank Kayser with 26,662. Austin would
become chairman and managing director on a five year contract at a
salary of £3,500 a year and 2.5 per cent of the net profits in each
year. All this was signed and sealed in February 1914 and the
company was renamed The Austin Motor Company (l914) Limited. With
net turnover at over £400,000 for the year, allowing for all
expenses, depreciation and the setting up of the company, it made a
healthy profit.
Although Austin was happy at the time taking the company public,
when asked in the late 1920s if he though that was a good think he
made the remark, "The truth is that was the biggest mistake I ever
made, had it remained a private concern its development would have
been more personal and less spectacular'
In recognition of the important service Herbert Austin rendered to
his country during the war years, (Link) he was created a Knight of the British
Empire in 1917. He was also honoured with the Order of Leopold for
war services to the Belgium people. It was sad that his only son
was killed in France in January 1915.
After the war it was now time to reorganise the factory back to car
production. The company were able to exercise the option of buying
the North and West Works from the Goverment. Of course the
workforce had to be slimmed down as Government contracts came to an
end. It must have been a very difficult period to decide what type
of vehicle to put into production, and how to price it. To try and
kick start the market, the first model introduced was the Austin
20, which was sold at a very low price. Sales did not really take
off as most people considered it as too big. But then came along
the Austin 12 which was popular. But the real boost in production
and profit came with the Austin Seven.
In October 1918 his daughter Irene Austin married Capt. A. C. R.
Waite who joined the company and was involved in the Racing side of
the company.
_________________________
Herbert Austin becomes an
MP
Although he had no particular yearning for
a political career, there was a feeling after WWI it was time that
to get the country back on its feet, the Government should include
business men. So Herbert Austin was persuaded in 1919 to stand as a
Unionist member for the Kings Norton Division of Birmingham, which
covered the Kings Norton, Northfield and Longbridge areas where
most of his workers lived.
He was duly elected and sat in the house of Commons until 1924, but
felt frustrated with the Government, as when it was time to be
re-elected he remarked, "I have no intention of standing again for
Parliament, because I am convinced that the business men of
England, including myself, are best engaged in giving the whole of
their attention to their own particular jobs, and thus bring about
a solution of the country's difficulties by natural means. The
thriving condition of the Longbridge factory to-day will do more,
for example, to minimise the evil of unemployment than could all my
efforts on the floor of the House. In making these statements I do
not wish to create-any wrong impression. I do not wish to infer
that I regard Parliament as a home for nonentities, or as a place
from which no good thing can emanate. I just wish to point out,
that men such as myself can accomplish more outside than in.
Despite this, I remain convinced that the argument promulgated in
1919 still holds good to-day, and that England does need to be
governed in a businesslike fashion. After all, government is a huge
business, and needs to be run on lines exactly similar to those
along which any smaller enterprise might be expected to
prosper.
Provided that there is no radical change in our fiscal policy,
England may now count upon a period of unprecedented prosperity.
Development is proceeding and must proceed apace, and every day,
under present conditions, sees England better fitted to meet
outside competition. Provided that the English manufacturer is
allowed to make legitimate use of his home markets, he will be able
to put up a better fight for those in other parts of the world. For
example, Longbridge turned its attention to the 20 horse-power car,
the commercial vehicie, and the agricultural tractor. Later on,
however, Longbridge busied itself with the manufacture of the
small-powered car, and it was here that England scored. Despite the
undoubted brilliance of our competitors and the unique
opportunities that had been theirs, they overlooked the small car
need.
In view of the peculiarly poverty-stricken condition of the people,
particularly in Europe, economy should have been a watchword.
Therefore, despite the wasted years, England had the start in this
field, and the lead she obtained does not seem likely ever to be
decreased. As soon as it was recognised as a practicable
proposition, the Austin Seven was hailed with delight by those
people who stood in sore need of mechanical transport but who could
not afford to pay a big price therefor. As you already know, the
Seven is manufactured under Licence in France, and is selling like
hot cakes. Germany also obtained the licence to manufacture the
'baby' in that country, and there, too, it is enjoying a remarkable
popularity. Fortunately, it was not only in Europe that the Seven
found its market. It is also needed in outlandish parts of the
world where the call is for a tough proposition that can live a
long while on very little fodder."
He had this to say on the question of Buying British Products. " I
would like to impress upon the people of this country that if they
have the interests of the nation at heart and wish to see the
solution of our unemployment problem, the dole a thing of the past,
prosperity a condition shared by all, then they should see to it
that it is a point of faith to purchase nothing but the truly
British article wherever and whenever possible. It has been the aim
of the Longbridge factory to justify certain additions to the
slogan which we now hear so frequently: 'Buy British.' There is, of
course, the addition 'Buy' Best,' which the wise have long taken
for granted; but the other addition is 'Buy Cheapest,''and this is
now an accomplished fact. If a motor car is British, best, and
cheapest, what more can anyone ask ? "
My other little bit of advice, chiefly tendered to the younger
generation is: Be courteous. I do not address this to the younger
generation because I think they are any less courteous than were
their fathers, but because they have to carry on the good work.
They were born with a steering wheel between their hands, and it is
up to them to see that throughout their lives they are able to make
the very best use of it. If motorists will practise a perpetual
courtesy then will the motor car establish itself still more firmly
in popular favour, and primitive legislation, which still hampers
development, will be swept away. Common sense' and courtesy are the
qualities required to make motoring safe."
Sir Herbert the
Benefactor
Lord Austin of
Longbridge
Sir Herbert followed the example of that
great motoring benefactor Lord Nuffield by presenting a small
fortune to an educational establishment. He gave £250,000, which
must have represented a high proportion of his own rather meagre
personal wealth, to Lord Rutherford's Cavendish Laboratory at
Cambridge University for scientific research into radio-activity.
With the exception of Payton, whose wealth was derived from his
many other interests, Austin directors did not build up vast
fortunes. When Sir Francis Pepper died at the age of 75 in
November, he left only a little over £80,000. Later Austin followed
his major endowment with a gift of £7,000 to the Birmingham United
Hospital for radium equipment and £1,000 to the National Hospital
in London, and also paid off the debts owed by the Coach Harness
Company, one of London's most historic City Guilds.
In 1934 William Morris had been honoured and taken the title Lord
Nuffield after his £l million gift to Oxford University, which
created Nuffield College. In June 1936 a delighted Sir Herbert, in
his seventieth year, was made a baron in King Edward VIII's first
and only birthday honours list. Unlike Morris, he decided to retain
his name in his title - Lord Austin of Longbridge.
1931:- President of the Institution of
Automobile Engineers
1932:- President of the Institution of Production
Engineers
1932:- Chairman of the Birmingham General Hospital in
1932
1934:- President of the Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders
Ltd
1936:- Created Baron Austin of Longbridge
___ ... Gave £250,00 to the university of
Cambridge to forward the work of Lord Rutherford
1937:-
The university of Birmingham conferred upon him the honorary degree
of Doctor of Law.
1940:- President of the Motor Trade Association and was made a life
member Governor of_Birmingham United -----------Hospital.