Death of Mr. Walter Gammons
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NOTHER man wall known in our industry has passed away in the person of Mr., Walter Gammons, founder and managing director of Walter Gammons, Ltd., and Cifco, Ltd. He died suddenly, in his sleep, in the early hours of September 6. He was a man thoroughly well esteemed in the industry, and one of its most able protagonists. Many will remember his book. " Forty Years in Transport."
Born in Bedford in 1881, he was practically cradled in transport, his father tieing a railway man, and from a very early age he learned all he could regarding railway matters, actually joinin.g the staff of the Midland Railway at Cardington on his 12th birthday.
At the age of 19 he left to become principal clerk at some large mills as the result of help that he had afforded to the traffic manager. His main reason for leaving, however, was disagreement with the treatment of railway staff and with the manner in which the public was then treated by the railways.
amount of money, and, in this way, obtained his first real appointment as a transport manager. Almost at once Mr. Gammon developed his own cartage team, two years later replacing part of the horsed fleet by motor vehicles. [This was towards the end of 1905, the year When "The Commercial Motor" appeared.1 Even then he began developing the return-load idea, working for other concerns on the back journeys, and at last found that he was able to crack the whip at the railways.
After 11 years on this work, the first world war caused a slump, and he obtained another position, but having attested under Lord Derby's scheme it was necessary for him to End work of national importance, and he became traffic manager to a large aircraftmanufacturing concern.
In 1920 he was appointed general manager of a straw-goods business, but in the same year joined the A 3 Transport Co as traffic manager, and in 1921 took over the road-transport side of this business, forming the concern of Walter Garnmonssand Co:, Ltd., from which time he never looked back.