Tom Jennings in 1967-1968
At the beginning of 1967, all was not well. The company that had held a controlling interest in "Jennings Musical Industries" since early 1963 - Royston Industries - was on the slide. Its black box flight recorder, the "Midas", had failed to capture the market. As "The Observer" newspaper noted in 1964, the fortunes of members of the Royston Group - Burndept Electronics, Jennings, Vidor Batteries, and so on - depended on its success.
27th January, 1967.
Tom appears to have been the only member of JMI to have bought shares in the company - 1050 in September 1965.
A detail from two vast volumes recording the details of those holding shares in Royston Industries, 1966. At the end of the second volume, a supplement of shareholders not encompassed in the main body of the lists is given, Tom Jennings among them.
In late September '67, against the background of Royston's on-going troubles, Tom Jennings was sacked. The local Dartford press ascribed his dismissal to a "difference of opinion on domestic policy". John Oram, who worked both at JMI and at Jennings Electronics Developments, the company subsequently set up by Tom, is quoted in "Guitarist" magazine (November, 2017) as saying:
“Tom used to treat himself, fairly regularly, to a new Jaguar car,” says Oram. “He’d gone through the range. He’d had the Mark II. He had the Mark X. Then he decided that he wanted a silver E-Type. He was at a board meeting and happened to let it slip that he’d ordered one. The board went crazy. ‘You don’t need a new car!’ they said.
He had tears running down his face and said, in words to the effect of, ‘those bastards have kicked me out of my own company’.
“Now, when Tom was with ENSA [Entertainments National Service Association] during the war he had worked very closely with a chap called Sidney Ives. Sidney had become the in-house company accountant. Tom sent him down to the bank to withdraw some cash, walked round the corner to Beadles, the main Jag dealers, and he got his E-Type.”
“They sacked him,” reveals Oram. “He came over to the research department over the road, where myself, Dick Denney and a few others were. He had tears running down his face and said, in words to the effect of, ‘those bastards have kicked me out of my own company.’
“He said, ‘I’m going to start again. Dick will you come with me?’ Dick said, ‘Yes, guv.’ He said, ‘John will you come with me?’ and I said, ‘Well, yes.’ ‘You can become my chief engineer,’ he said.”
“’Where are we going Tom?’ we asked.” He replied, ‘We’re going back to the chip shop in Dartford Road.’”
Number 117 Dartford Road had been a chip shop before Tom acquired it in the mid 1950s. But he did not get back there until later in the year (see below).
As for JMI, on 8th December 1967, the official receiver took charge (R.N.Langdon). Receivership was in effect a means of staving off bankruptcy, allowing companies some breathing space to find a means of re-capitalisation. Although all expenditure had to be signed off, primary operations could continue as normal. Indeed, in March 1968 JMI attended the Frankfurt Trade Fair, exhibiting at least three new items.
In late April '68, however, the end of the road was announced and JMI gave way to "Vox Sound Equipment Limited", created by Cyril Windiate and Reg Clark with a view to taking the Vox name forward.
Some documents
These as far as possible have been arranged in chronological order. For the most part, the local Dartford press had the news first, supplied either by Tom himself or a confidant. The music trade press, often following a month or so later, generally gives more detail however, especially in relation to matters of business: the beginnings of Tom's new company "Jennings Electronic Developments"; the formal end of JMI, and the start of "Vox Sound Equipment Limited", which, it turns out, was the trading name of "Surminster Limited", its parent company. Syndicated reports of "Surminster" having replaced JMI also circulated in the daily broadsheet press in 1968, but with no mention of "VSEL", which must have led to considerable confusion in some quarters.
Below, one of the first public notices of Tom Jennings's dismissal from JMI, published in the local Dartford press, 29th September, 1967.
29th September, 1967.
Musical firm's director sacked.
JENNINGS Music Industries' wonder-boy, Mr. Tom Jennings, has been sacked as Managing Director of the company he founded in 1946 with a £10 war bond.
His services have been terminated by the parent company, Royston Industries Ltd., after it is thought, a difference of opinion on domestic policy.
Statement.
Mr Jennings is expected to make a full statement on his dismissal today (Friday). He has placed the matter in the hands of his solicitors.
This year the company, now at Erith, makers of guitars, amplifiers and electronic for the world's top beat groups, received the Queen's Award to Industry.
Music trade press, October 1967.
Local Dartford paper, 10th November 1967.
Local Dartford paper, 10th November 1967.
Music trade press, December 1967.
Tom's action following his dismissal. Quintin Hogg (Viscount Hailsham) was a considerable force in legal and political affairs, becoming Lord Chancellor of Great Britain under Edward Heath in 1970.
By November '67, Tom had already set up his new company "Jennings Electronic Developments", its main drive initially being audio consultancy. Dick Denney was his first employee. Other former JMI people - John Oram being one - followed.
Music trade press, December 1967.
The note above is at present the earliest public mention of Tom's being back at numbers 117-119. JMI's move away from Dartford Road took place in two stages, the first well before the official receiver was called in. In June 1967, a number of departments were moved out to the West Street Works in Erith.
Music trade press, June 1967
The idea clearly was to centralise operations in Erith as fully as possible. The departments named above were relocated on the top floor of Works, which had remained little used after the fire of December 1965.
In December, the Dartford Road premises were emptied further. At least two liquidation sales are said to have been held at number 115.
Photo printed in the music trade press, March 1968.
A shot of Tom Jennings and Dick Denney as "Jennings Electronic Developments" at the Frankfurt Fair, February 1968. The company did not have a stand at the show however. Tom and Dick demonstrated their equipment at a nearby hotel, though they clearly made their presence known in the exhibition halls.
"Jennings Electronic Developments" at this point had pedals, a number of "gadgets", guitars, and at least one amplifier - some of the designs having been developed and tried out in JMI days (late 1967). Tom evidently had some agreement, or perhaps even the rights, to use them.
It should be said that in February 1968, Tom's action against Royston Industries for unfair dismissal was still in progress. Both he and Dick were to some extent in limbo. 115 Dartford Road though mostly empty - the majority of JMI's departments had been moved into the West Street Works in Erith in June 1967 - still technically belonged to JMI and Royston.
Picture published in the music trade press, March 1968.
A page on the JMI stand at the Frankfurt Trade Show, March 1968 can be found here. There is no preview report of the display however. The company was one of a half dozen manufacturers that did not exhibit in the British section (arranged by the Board of Trade) at the Fair. The stands of those that exhibited separately were not covered in the preview write-ups.
American music press, March 1968. Thanks to Nick for the imagee.
Published in the music trade press in July 1968.
R.N. Langdon, the official receiver, signalling to the music trade press that the company had come to an end on 26th April 1968, and that its place had been taken by "Surminster Limited", trading as "Vox Sound Equipment Limited".
Published April 1968. Numbers 117 and 119 Dartford Road seemingly reverted to Tom in December 1967.
May 1968.
Tom had actually created "Jennings Electronic Developments" in November 1967. "They're back" not only celebrates the new company, but the return to business proper at Dartford Road. Tom sold number 117 (what had been the old chip shop before JMI acquired it) in 1969, retaining number 119 until 1975.