Jack Olding

Jack Olding of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England had a company (Jack Olding & Co. Ltd), which specialised in the import and modification of tanks and tractors during the Second World War (notably being the sole importer into the UK of Caterpillars).

He had a factory on the A1 just to the north of Hatfield, at a site now known as Oldings Corner.

After the war, partly because of government pressure caused by a shortage of dollars, he made an ultimately unsuccessful gamble by relinquishing the Caterpillar agency for what proved to be the less than successful Vickers Vigor tractor.[1] Indeed, the company is recognized as the only Caterpillar dealer to voluntarily give up the franchise. They were also distributors for the Opperman Motocart.[1]

W. A. Robotham of Rolls-Royce recalls him as a "great sportsman, a charming host and an able administrator" with his main hobbies "racing" (he ran horses in the Grand National), "shooting and playing games of chance"; but he was an unlucky punter, and Robotham learned not to follow his racing tips. The Vickers tractor used a Rolls-Royce engine, and Oldings set up a worldwide service organisation for the tractor. But Vickers-Armstrongs had to fly urgently-needed tractor parts around the world at great expense, and stopped production after making about a thousand tractors.[2]

On his death the company passed to Scottish Land Development.[3]

Jack Olding's real name was Henry John Douglas Olding.[1]

See also

References
  1. "Jack Olding of Mayfair and Caterpillar Island, Hatfield".
  2. *Robotham, William Arthur (1970). Silver Ghosts and Silver Dawn. London: Constable. pp. 241–4, 253, 273.
  3. Sanders, Maurice H. (1999). Earth and Tree Moving in War and Peace: 60 golden years. Volume I. Ashwell: Cortney Publications. ISBN 1904686257.
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