I had not realised it at the time, but all this, on top of five years non stop strenuous work was too much for me. Like the runner who collapses a few yards from the tape, I cracked up in April 1945. I had gone down to the works as usual and sat at my desk with my mail. An hour later, my secretary, worried at not being called as usual, came into the office and found me staring vacantly at the untouched pile of letters.
For some six weeks I suffered in the depths of depression, my doctor did what he could but impressed on me the absolute necessity of taking it easy for a few months, and assured us that it was only a mild breakdown, and although it would be some years before I completely recovered, he was quite certain, knowing the help my wife would be, that I would pull through. Distressing though it must have been for her, this proved to be the case, but at times of stress for some five or six years to come, I had to heed the warning signs, and keep taking it easy for a few weeks.
The cease fire in Europe found me convalescing on the Atlantic Coast at Bude in Cornwall, temporarily relieved of factory responsibilities by my excellent supporting staff. In June, a few mornings a week were enough to keep me in touch, a the Government contracts were all allowed to proceed, although not being suited to Far East conditions, most of the output was quite useless, and after being meticulously inspected by A.I.D. was junked off at Surplus Auction, or I was told, just dumped down a disused coal mine.
During this period, the uncertain atmosphere caused a large percentage of the key personnel to leave. My absence contributed to the indecision, and the Board had decided while I was away to move the WDU back to Southend together with some of our key personnel, which almost reduced Malmesbury to an industrial corpse. When, later on it was decided to reactivate the place and integrate it into the Company's peacetime organisation, it took years to get it on its feet again, by which time I had left Ekco.
In 1946 after I had been on a survey trip to the USA with Norman Robertson, Deputy Managing Director, to look for manufacturing opportunities for the Electrical Appliance Division, I was asked to leave the Company without any reason being given, much to the obvious embarrassment of the Board.
To this day I have never found out why I was disposed of; the only explanation I can think of is that the "Authorities" considered my views too "left" for one in charge of sensitive production for the Armed Forces and put pressure on Eric Cole to get rid of me. Some years later when I had built up a successful business connection with Easter Europe I ran into Norman Robertson, whom the company foolishly and to its great disadvantage had seconded to Government Service as Director of Telecommunications, who, being told of my business activities, remarked that being a "Party" member my new activity was logical. I assured him that I had never been a member either overt or covert of any Communist Party; he was quite non-plussed and went very silent. I never had a chance to reopen the matter with him, as he died tragically of cancer at an early age, and Eric Cole was later drowned while bathing in the West Indies.
As my leaving Ekco resulted in a successful career in a new field, whereas Ekco had been completely absorbed into the Philips - Pye organisation, I really have no grounds for complaint. As an end note, the Malmesbury factory is the only survivor of the whole group of Ekco factories and I gather is still operating successfully. The main factory at Southend is now occupied by a Bank consortium adding to our current inflation by employing some hundreds engaged in processing Access Credit Cards and accounts. A sad end to what was 40 years a hive of industry producing Radio, Television and electrical equipment for home and export.
