JCB, Chaseside

JCB was founded on October 23rd, 1945 by Joseph Cyril Bamford, (after whom it is named) in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire from a lock-up garage 3.7 by 4.6 m (12 by 15 ft). It was the same day as his son Anthony, now Lord Bamford, was born. The foundation for the growth that was to follow was the manufacture of a tipping trailer made from war time scrap which today stands proudly in the showroom of JCB's World HQ. It was produced in his garage and sold for £45 at the town's market. The buyer's old cart was also taken in part exchange and Mr Bamford refurbished it and sold for another £45 – achieving the original asking price of the trailer.

By 1947 the company was expanding and because Mr Bamford's landlady also disapproved of his Sunday working, he moved a few miles down the road to a stable block at Crakemarsh Hall, which was owned by a Mrs Julia Cavendish, a survivor of the Titanic disaster. JCB also hired its first ever full-time employee, Arthur Harrison, who became foreman.

As the new decade dawned, the company was also harnessing new tools to generate business and promote the brand.

In 1961, JCB Aviation was formed and the company's first ever plane, a twin-engine de Havilland Dove made its inaugural flight, with customers from Europe now able to make a return visit to the factory in a single day. JCB Aviation is older than many of today's airlines.

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