Sir George Wade

Sir George Wade was born plain George Albert Wade on July 19th 1891 in Burslem. His father, also George, owned a pottery in Burslem and was a local Justice of the Peace (JP).

Young George had an older sister, Daisy but she died aged three in 1893 leaving George to grow up as an only child.

Whilst still very young the family moved to Watlands Hall in Porthill (near Burslem) and George attended Wolstanton Board School and later the Newcastle-under-Lyme High School.

At 15 George left school and joined the family business which at that time 1905, had just acquired the firm of Henry Hallen, his fathers old rival, and the company was also moving into the newly built Manchester Pottery.

Young George worked for his father up to the outbreak of the First World War but on 5th August 1914 he signed up with the North Staffordshire Regiment as a private soldier where he stayed for three months before transferring to the South Staffordshire Regiment as a lieutenant in the Machine Gun Corps seeing service in France and Egypt. He was awarded the MC for valour in December 1917 with a Bar added in January 1919, the latter for his part in the crossing of the St. Quentin Canal in September 1918.

On his release from the Army in 1919 aged twenty six, Major George Wade was welcomed home by his family and friends, his father making him a partner in the company - thereafter called George Wade & Son Ltd.

George had married Florrie Johnson on 18th September 1915 whilst on leave from the army and prior to him going to the Western Front. She was the daughter of Samuel Johnson JP, a teapot manufacturer of some note. Florrie was a gifted painter who had won a scholarship to go to Florence but her father had rejected this idea. George and Florrie Wade had three children, Iris was born in 1917, Cynthia in 1922 and George Anthony Johnson in 1924.

After the war the family moved to their new home in Sandy Lane, Newcastle-under-Lyme. It was a large property with beautiful gardens which was originally called 'Elersfield' but which George changed to St. Quentin, no doubt after his wartime experiences.
George Wade & Son Ltd. based in the Manchester Pottery, were manufacturers of gas and electrical components as well as other industrial ceramics and George Wade, the Major, made a conscious decision that he wanted to move towards the lucrative giftware market, no doubt having seen the success of both Wade Heath & Co Ltd at their Royal Victoria Works as well as A.J. Wade Ltd at the Flaxman Pottery. With this in mind George hired Jessie Hallen to work for him at the Manchester Pottery initially modeling garden gnomes for Carter's seeds progressing to flowers, animals and ladies. (Link to Jessie Van Hallen File)

In 1930 Jessie was allowed to set up her own small department at Wade's Manchester Pottery, reporting directly to George Wade himself. Here she produced her delicate floral arrangements, and now famous lady figurines. With her great gift for modeling and his flair for marketing, they were a formidable pair. Eventually Jessie had studios in all three factories.

After the 1905 expansion of the company when George Wade Snr had bought out his rival Henry Hallen and acquired the Manchester Pottery, it was another twenty six years before the next expansion occurred. In 1931 his son, Major George Wade became a director of both Wade Heath and A.J. Wade Ltd. and when A.J. Wade died\par In 1933 he became Chairman of both companies even though he was only a minor shareholder. George senior retired in 1927 dying on New Years Day 1938 leaving the business to his son, the major.

In November 1935 the new company was floated on the stock market. Known as Wade Potteries Ltd, it was made up of Wade Heath and A.J. Wade Ltd. George Wade was Chairman with George Heath the new Managing Director. However on 4th June 1937, just over two years after the flotation, George Heath died suddenly aged 64 and thus George Wade assumed control of Wade Potteries. It wasn't until as late as 1958 that Wade Potteries Ltd took over George Wade & Son Ltd and Wade (Ulster) Ltd and, for the first time brought all the Wade group of companies together under Colonel, Sir George Wade.

Sir George ...... part two

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