FM Conway - Going the Extra Mile

Chapter 1 Early Days

Dad took advantage of the extra office space to set up a second, smaller company, Penge Plant Hire

Michael Grogan. I remember him as a very nice man; and to me in those days, he cut rather a heroic figure. Every morning, he would make the journey from his home in Coulsdon on a tiny moped, even in the coldest, darkest, wettest days of winter. He never owned a car. Dad took advantage of the extra office space to set up a second, smaller company, Penge Plant Hire (PPH). PPH was never seen as a main revenue earner, but it was a useful way of bringing in a little money from the plant when we weren’t using it ourselves. At that time, PPH was run by John Wolf and John Farley. In 1970, Dad won the tender for a big job at Throwley Way. Sutton Council wanted to extend the road, create some new footpaths, and a whole range of extra work. The work was divided into four phases and would continue over the next three or four years. The agent for this job was Major David Lourie, an ex-army man with a moustache, a pipe permanently stuck in his mouth, and a fierce temper – ‘he’d spit on you rather than speak to you’ the men told me later. He didn’t approve of drinking on the job, although he could never completely stop it happening (and it was common practice in those days for the men to spend the lunch break in the pub, if there was one nearby.) The Major had warned one of the men, Mickey Lloyd, a couple of times already. So, when he came over to the men with the wages, and found Mickey sitting on the kerb, trying to get the top off a bottle of Guinness, he was not happy. ‘Mr Lloyd, you’ve had a warning,’ he growled. ‘I know,’ said Mickey, still trying to get the top off. Then, off it came with a pop, and hit the Major in the face. He just turned away, the pipe clenched between his teeth, and stalked off.

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