It is with great sadness that we have to report today the passing of George French.
It will be the older ones amongst us who will remember George best, during the 1960`s in the days when EWH, HML & BH were right up there selling Eucs and the many, many trade-ins from new sales to all four corners of the globe, sometimes thru the BH overseas companies, but mostly on their own from Northampton.
George worked initially as a salesman for the Company, right back in the very early 1960`s, progressing to HML Sales Manager under Eddie Beesley, employing as salesmen such luminaries as Ken Kirkpatrick and Pip Johnson.
George was ambitious, and saw an opening towards the late 1960`s, when due to outside US construction manufacturing influence (you know who we mean !!), Euclid GB became Terex Corporation, and the Euclid agency became available in the UK and elsewhere with BH staying with Terex.
To a lot of peoples` surprise, George left HML/BH around 1969, and with others, formed a new Euc agency, they being Euc Trucks Inc and the Southam Truck companies.
Having taken a few Hodgeites with him to Southam, there was some animosity between HML/BH and George`s new operation, which lasted a number of years.
When we started Blackwood Hodge Memories, one of the first people we arranged to meet up with was George, and although we were familiar with him and knew him a little, those interviews were a revelation about the early days that took place in the golden years of Euclid products on the UK market, with stories from him of well past characters, who he almost brought back to life, and always told with a smile on his face and a glint in his eye which added to the enjoyment of listening to him.
George will be very much missed by a great many people, including the Northants Lighthouse Club members, and we were so please that despite not being in the greatest health, he came along to the 2019 BH Reunion with his long time buddy Jim Cahill, and was in the thick of the craigh and chat about days gone. A lot of muck was moved again that day.
George, you were a great salesman, and hopefully your new patch will be just as lucrative as all the others you have covered in the past.
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