And joining the celebrations was another venerable JCB veteran: 100-year-old Ken Harrison, the last surviving member of the original production team that built the first JCB machines.
Harrison, who turned 100 last November, joined JCB as a welder in 1952 when only 29 people worked on the shop floor. His first wage was four shillings and sixpence an hour, the equivalent of 22陆 pence in today鈥檚 money. He stayed for 36 years before retiring in 1988.
On Thursday, he returned to JCB鈥檚 world headquarters in Rocester, the place where the first JCB backhoes were produced 72 years ago, to mark production of the millionth JCB backhoe.
This time, instead of clocking on, he arrived in style in the company鈥檚 chauffeur-driven Jaguar to join in the celebrations.
During the 1950s and 鈥�60s, Harrison was at the forefront of JCB鈥檚 European sales drive and spent six years in the demonstration team, putting the machines through their paces for prospective customers.
Recalling those early days, Harrison said: 鈥淲e put long hours in at the factory in those days, in fact we almost lived there. I can remember being at work at 5pm one Sunday and I was the only one there when [JCB founder] Joe Bamford came in and shouted across to me 鈥業鈥檓 relying on you Harrison鈥�. In those days, everyone was addressed by their surname. Joe was all right; I really liked him.
鈥淓veryone was happy and friendly and everyone mucked in in those days. One day you would be welding and the next you would be operating a concrete mixer. You鈥檇 be doing all sorts of jobs in those early days, nothing like it is today.
鈥淚 remember the time they were extending the factory; it was so draughty you literally couldn鈥檛 weld as the weld was just blown away because all we had around us was a giant tarpaulin. We turned our hand to anything and when I was out driving a truck, Anthony Bamford [now company chairman Lord Bamford] used to come with me when I was out on local deliveries. He would only have been about 11 and it was a real novelty for him.鈥�
Thirteen of Harrison鈥檚 relatives subsequently followed in his footsteps and the family has so far contributed more than 350 years鈥� service to JCB.
Harrison鈥檚 great-nephew, 24 year-old Ed Farnley, of Uttoxeter, joined JCB six years ago as a business degree apprentice. He now works as a product specialist for JCB Attachments in Uttoxeter.
鈥淚鈥檓 the fourth generation of my family to work here and it gives me a real sense of pride to know that we have contributed so much service to JCB,鈥� said Farnley. 鈥淢y great-grandfather John Harrison and my grandfather Colin Farnley both worked here as does my dad Alan. It鈥檚 great that we have all been part of the success story that JCB has become over the past 80 years.鈥�
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