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Photographed, c1960

A photograph of the Factory Estate, Hollingbury c.1960
From the private collection of Martin Nimmo

Comments about this page

  • Hello! In the 60s my late mother used to work at Creeds.

    By Brian (28/09/2003)
  • I work here today…it’s fantastic!

    By Darren (03/11/2004)
  • Happy days working in the CVA factory there in the 50s.

    By Ronald Hill (08/06/2005)
  • I started at Typewriter Sundries in 1956 ,then moved to Pullars Instruments, then to Gross Cash Registers. Loads of happy memories. Loads of employment.

    By Dave Cresdee (11/08/2006)
  • My mother worked at Pullars Instruments and her best friend was Pam Cresdee – any relation Dave? If so, my Mum (Kay Fuller, formerly Lang) and her friend Jane Mathews would love to get in touch with Pam. Please contact me: sharon@spaced8.plus.com

    By Sharon Fuller (05/10/2006)
  • My dad worked for Gross Cash Registers, I think it used to be Smiths, or maybe it was the other way round. It would have been in the late 1960’s early 1970’s because he went there to help them change over to the metric system.

    By Josie Campbell (05/10/2006)
  • Josie – you’ve got it in the right order: Gross took over the Smith’s factory when they pulled out. Prior to that the factory was owned by Pullars Instruments Ltd. They moved in when the building was new from their old premises off Roedale Road.
    Sharon – Pam is my sister and she worked at both Pullars’ sites. I will pass your message on.

    By Dave Cresdee (11/11/2006)
  • Can anyone help me get some information? My Dad converted cash registers during decimalisation, and has a few old cash registers from that period. He is trying to get as much information as possible in any way, about Gross/ Universal/Gledhill and National. The companies, the people, the cash registers. Anything will do. You guys seem like the best people to talk to. Please email me bexms@hotmail.co.uk. Any information will be gratefully received.

    By Rebecca Memeti-Starling (25/02/2007)
  • Josie – When I commented before (12/11/2006) your surname didn’t register with me. Is your dad’s forename Bernie? If so I worked with him previously when the factory was Typewriter Sundries Ltd, this then changed to TS Precision Engineering Ltd. When I applied for the draughtsman vacancy after leaving Pullars Instruments, it was Bernie who called on me to advise me that I had got the job.

    By Dave Cresdee (24/07/2007)
  • Can anyone remember a young girl called Sandra Carlsson, she worked for Gross Registers and would be about 63 now. Her mother was a green grocer. She would have been in her twenties when she worked there.

    By Zara (03/12/2007)
  • I found this site today and the comments about Gross Cash. I did my apprenticeship there from 1976 up to the time it shut down. I worked in the tool room and Bernie was the boss at one time. I think he moved with the company to St Albans? I moved from the tool room just before they shut it to the goods-in department.

    By Paul Herbert (03/02/2008)
  • I worked for Gross Cash during decimalisation in the press shop when Bernard Campbell, I think was the tool room manager. I also remember Jerry Lovegrove who started cash bases with Brian Stavley, Dave Robinson (Maintenance dept and was my father in law), Bert George, Harry Chile, Ricky Marshall who I still work with, Bert Dove, Stan and Phil Hill, Colin Hills worked in Ireland for Gross Cash and came back to work in Brighton in the press shop, Fred Funnell, Bernie Brown, Brian Carter, Peter Bollinbrooke, Ronald Friend, Ann Williams, Peter Williams, George Chaplin, Micky Ford, Johnny Powell, Derek Walker, Fred Montigue, Peter Beck, Bob Dunsmoore, Bob Later. Well theres a few names for people to see if they remember.

    By Bill Pentecost (13/05/2008)
  • Bill – You’ve missed off my mate Phil Benzie and me.

    By Dave Cresdee (19/06/2008)
  • My father Ray Davis worked there and later my brother Malcolm. I do remember the fantastic Christmas parties for the children (Bob Latter was Father Christmas!).

    By Matthew Davis (25/08/2008)
  • My dad worked for Gross Cash and my sister Allison and I would go to the Christmas parties. Most probably late 60s / early 70s.

    By Zena Moore (03/09/2008)
  • I remember most of the names that Bill posted. I had a motorbike accident in 1977 when I was in the toolroom. We had our engagement party at the social club. We have just had our silver wedding anniversary. I remberber S. Green, L. Green, Spanish Steve, S.Pannett. I’m not too good with names.

    By Paul Herbert (16/11/2008)
  • Well what a funny old world we live in. I worked as a sales rep for Gross Cash Registers from 1964 to 1969 covering the Coventry/Warwickshire areas. The Cotswolds was my favorite and what a great time I had competing with the National Cash Register Company, always seeming to come out on top. Very proud of Gross Cash Registers being British. I remember Sam Gross, Mr Bloom, John Adams and several other of the sales staff. It was a sad day when the company went out of business. Happy days

    By Noel Ellesmere, Hamiton, New Zealand (07/01/2009)
  • I googled Gross Cash Registers after another former employee contacted me via Friends Reunited and found this site. I was employed in the cash/wages office and worked with the accountants in the 70s. Years later I had a small shop in Maidenhead and obtained an old Gross register secondhand. It might not have had all the latest features but it kept the money safe.

    By Susan Blandford (11/03/2009)
  • I have bought an old Gross cash register on ebay. Can anyone tell me how to get it to work – or where would I get an instruction manual? Thanks

    By Eleanor Hayes (15/03/2009)
  • I worked for Gross for 10 years from 1969 in the Export Office, and remember most of the names mentioned. I certainly enjoyed my time there. I used to work for Mr Robinson and his wife was his sec. After a couple of years I used to do the export production plan which always filled me with dread as any wrong number would produce a different machine, but walking around the production line was good fun. I think the change from mechanical cash registers to electronic was the end. The calculators were good, but cost too much to make. I remember Ray Davis as mentioned above was a director, and the MD was Sid Downton in his plush office – I think on the second floor of the factory. This I had the pleasure of using near the end of Gross. I was also at the new office at Preston Park on the 5th floor and I remember well Mr Latter shouting from his office in the corner. The best bit was taking Nat Fulko’s car with 4 electronic cash registers on a trip to our agents in Denmark, Sweden and Norway for 3 weeks. I took my wife and 18 month daughter – it was great fun.

    By Robin Singer (19/03/2009)
  • My father Sidney Downton joined the Gross brothers just after the war. He was the office boy who became the MD! His real skill was in sales and largely as a result of his efforts the company became the success that it was. My sister worked in the canteen in her holidays, I worked in the commercial office under Bob Latter and my brother worked in the factory. Dad never stopped thinking about the business even when we went on holiday. Sadly he died December 2007. His wife Muriel survives him aged 89.

    By dgdownton (29/05/2009)
  • I just happened to Google ‘Gross’ today and came up with this page. I am related to the Gross family and whilst I didn’t spend any of my career with the company, I worked every school holiday from the age of 12 in the factory and offices in the company’s early days at Hornsey and then the North Circular Road. At the NC Road site I worked every holiday in the wages office with a man called Mr LeStrange My own father later in his years managed the Gross showroom in Baker Street. So many names mentioned above are familiar to me and I was especially interested to read Sidney Downton’s daughters comments. I remember meeting her father and mother on many family occasions at the Gross brother’s homes and maybe I even met her as a baby! I know the Gross brothers thought the world of her father Sidney. I Googled ‘Gross’ on hearing from Daphne, Sam Gross’s wife, that Henry had died last Sunday at the age of 95. Sam died many years ago.

    By Peter Kaye (21/07/2009)
  • Nice to find this site after Googling Gross Cash Registers, I joined Gross in 1966 at their North Circular Road office, after training I became a service engineer working out of the Gillingham branch. I worked in the Brighton factory for a time during decimalisation, I stayed after Gross was taken over by Chubb. I also remember Sid Downton, Bob Latter & of course the Gross brothers. Made a lot of friends over the years at Gross. I remained in the cash register industry until I retired in 2004. a total of 43 years I always enjoyed it, but the Gross years were always the best.

    By Ben Kehily (06/09/2009)
  • My first job was for Gross Cash Registers on the North Circular Road Wembley. I worked as a punch card operator. I remember that my Supervisor’s name was Mrs Christopher and her husband also worked there. I loved my time at Gross. At the time I was 15 years old. My mum also worked there in the cashier’s office, her name was Doris Howick. Memories of chistmas dances and day trips courtesey of the social club. Unfortunately when they moved to Brighton I was too young to go with them, now I would have jumped at the chance to live in Brighton.

    By Susan Meadows (nee Howick) (09/09/2009)
  • I worked for 8 years with Gross Cash Registers in Hornsey, North London, shortly after they started up. I had just left my home in Ireland. Sam and Henry were great fellows. We had loads of fun and it was a great place to work. Happy memories of younger days. I would love to hear from anyone who worked there, or how about a get-together for old time’s sake. With kind regards to all. Kevin Dowd. kevindowd@btinternet.com

    By Kevin Dowd (27/09/2009)
  • Does anyone remember Bert George at Gross Cash Registers? He was the foreman there when we worked at Cross Lane, Hornsey, North London. This is a long shot but maybe somebody will remember him. Perhaps Bill Pentecost. Send me an email kevindowd@btinternet.com

    By Kevin Dowd (15/10/2009)
  • I remember Bert George as he re-employed me at Gross after I left to work for A & T Music for about eighteen months. My wife and I saw him a couple of years ago in the (Waitrose) car park in Burgess Hill. He was fit and well and frankly didn’t look much different.

    By Dave Cresdee (12/11/2009)
  • Hi everybody, I know my Dad worked at Gross Cash Registers, I wonder if anybody remembers him? His name is Sergio Quarleri, Italian, I’d be pleased to share information with any of his old friends. Regards, Malcolm

    By Malcolm (19/12/2009)
  • Hi Everybody. I started working with Gross in 1974, initially as a scale engineer, Gross having a department selling Bizerba Scales, Tarematic prepacking scales and Bizerba coffee grinders. I was based in the West Country working from the Plymouth office. By 1978 I transferred to the Register department and trained at the factory at Hanger Lane on the North Circular in London and at the factory in Hollingbury Brighton. Whilst training there we used to stay at a Hotel on the seafront ‘Claridges’ owned by Dora Brian; lots of memories about that place. Bob Latter who has been mentioned in posts was the Service Director. Whenever Bob left his office, the message went out and all the engineers in the field, disappeared, all frightened to death of Bob. I came across him many years later when he had retired to Seaton in Devon, he remembered fondly his days with Gross and his power over the service division. Great guy; he passed away about 4-5 years ago. After the take over of Gross by Chubb I continued in the business working from the Chubb Cash Registers office in Bristol. I was eventually made redundant in 1986 when Chubb sold out to Hugin. Since that day I have been self employed selling TEC cash registers and in the last 10 years touch screens by Toshiba. Happy Days. I would be interested if anyone has any pictures of the Gross Ambassador.Happy New Year to all. Dave Lee: g6xuv@hotmail.com

    By Dave Lee (30/12/2009)
  • Hi, I have just found this site; very interesting comments. I used to work at Pullars before it became Smith’s Industries. One of the ealier comments made by Dave Cressdee brings back memories - he used to be in a group called the Polygons. My wife often went to some of his gigs at the Mile Oak pub. He played the clarinet brilliantly. He was always asked to play Strangers on the Shore. Great group. Hope you are well Dave. All the best Mike and Brenda Hale.

    By michael hale (22/02/2010)
  • Just stumbled across this site and what memories it brings back as I recall most of the people mentioned. Like one or two others I started with Gross Cash when it was at Cross Lane, Hornsey before moving on to North Circular Road and then to Brighton. I did a tool making apprenticeship and then seemed to work in every department up until it finally went bust shortly after it was taken over by Chubb. Dave (Cresdee) are you still drumming in your rock band?

    By Terry Martiny (10/03/2010)
  • I was a Chubby from 1977 almost to the very end of the Hollingbury factory in 1982. Having joined after the ‘glory years’ of decimilisation, this was a time of decline and industrial unrest. Every year there were redundancies and you dodged the bullet by changing jobs. I started in Progress, under Mick Pentecost and working with Bob Weight (now deceased) and James Stromhold, who I still occasionally see. I later worked in the Export in that fine ‘secret’ office with Alf(?) Robinson, a lovely man and Nat Falco, an Italian who ran on very strong Italian coffee. I remember Bert George (claims he played for Arsenal) and Harry Tuhil, a much feared manager who also took bets. Word had it that once, in a progress meeting, Harry was raving about a particular part being a ‘line stopper’, the others were quite bemused until somebody said ” But Harry, that’s not a part number…that’s the date!” Too many names to mention but some not previosly, Bob Sutton and his mum, Milly Parsloe, Wendy Best, Margarite Stubbs and so very many. I later worked on security at the factory with Roy Harrington, Dave Thomas. Mick Toner and Haslam. Sorry to any I’ve missed, am rather rushing. I did save some old pictures of the production lines, factories and certain machines. I’ll try and dig them out for those who have asked above.

    By Ken Valder (03/04/2010)
  • My father Bert Smith worked for Gross, I think he was a Supervisor. Does anyone remember him?

    By kevin smith (13/04/2010)
  • In response to Mike and Brenda Hale. So nice to hear your pleasing comments, it’s great to be remembered. The Polygons, with gradual changes, went on for a total of 23 years and although we’re no longer playing I still manage to keep in touch with some of the other guys. My wife and I hired, what used to be, the public bar at The Mile Oak for our 25th anniversary, the rest of the band were there (minus instruments). The place hasn’t changed that much and it brought back some fond recollections. Sadly it wasn’t quite the same without the presence of Gib, Audrey and Rinty behind the bar, but we did manage to sneak in a couple of old recordings of the group amongst the recorded music. The clarinet has long passed on I’m afraid and totally beyond repair. Funny though, I still have it in its case. I’ll leave it for my kids to dump after I’ve popped-me-clogs.

    By Dave Cresdee (25/04/2010)
  • I worked in the Loughborough Sales/Service division. I was interviewed by John Adams and John Schmidt. Sales personel at that time were: Dave Baxter, Doug Miles, Nick Field, Brian Everett, Bill Johnson, Dave Price, Jim Patterson, Pete Forman, Allan Hay, Colin Dorsett, Ronnie Cook, Barry Baggott, Mike Chown, to name but a few. I remember the TTT competition and the dinners at the Dorchester Hotel London. Gross was, for me, an apprenticeship in speciality selling. Been selling ever since. I was 23 yrs old then. I’m now 64. Good old days. I remember vividly, at the training school, being told by Pete Foreman that I had joined the most prestigious company in the country. I believed him until I went to Brighton on that grey wet Friday to pick up my knackered, clapped out old Gross Ford Anglia van. I drove back home in that jalopy thinking, Yes, Gross Crap Registers Ltd. I remember the times spent pencilling in the street maps as we canvassed each area systematically. The ‘Approach’ ‘Four dems’ one sale’. ‘Positive suggestion’ ‘The golden handshake close’ (Still use it today) Because of the Gross training I have successfully run my own marketing business for the last 38 years. Lovely to have found this site. Hope to hear from anyone associated with Gross over the decimalisation period 1970-1971. Alan Sear (Salesman of the week)

    By Alan Sear (17/02/2011)
  • I joined Gross Cash Registers as a Salesman in 1970 and worked with Alan Sear (the last contributor). Although Alan and I were not in the same sales team we become friends and still are to this day. There are lots of familiar names on Alan’s list and here are a few more, the one and only Ron Yates, Alec Cannon, Bill Bromley, Dave Wainwright, John Chaplain, John Parkinson, Bill Betts and John Hickman and for those who we have forgotten let us know where you are. The highs and lows of the job are still fresh in my mind, the lows, the BLANK after a week without a sale, the highs top man in the team that week or the dizzy heights of salesman of the week for the Loughborough Branch, also trading in an old till driving round the corner with the anticipation of taking the draw out and finding a crumpled fiver or a tenner. My training started at Newmarket and on my first day we were all given a small sheet of paper with the following typed on it “Good morning Sir, You are Mr. Jones. My name is Roberts from Gross Cash Registers who have ask me to call and ask your opinion of our new Decimal Machine. Would you like to look at this Mr. Jones while I fetch it in” I still have that sheet of paper to this day, it may sound a bit out of date with e-mail, voice mail, mobile phones, laptops etc but those few words have given me and my family a good living dare I say it for the last forty years in selling and business. Colin Dorsett.

    By Colin Dorsett (14/03/2011)
  • Please can anyone sell to me a handle for my beloved Gross till – a ribbon would be handy too. I don’t want a modern till they have no character!

    By J Richards (17/04/2011)
  • I wonder if anybody can help? I am trying to locate a Peter Beck who worked at Gross Cash Registers in Hollingbury. Unsure of the exact period he was there entirely, but he was certainly there in the mid-sixties. Would anybody remember him and if he’s still perhaps in the Brighton area? I would also be interested in contacting his family. Many thanks if you can help.

    By Martin (28/04/2011)
  • I worked with Gross Cash in Scotland, our branch was in Irvine, Ayrshire. I was a service engineer trained by Gross. I started repairing pressdowns, electric switch total and decimal machines, then the downfall Gross electronic. Tried a few different models but were all very bad even the Chubb ones. I loved every day I worked there in the 70s.

    By David Blair (01/06/2011)
  • My mum and dad met at Gross in the ’70s. If anyone remembers Tom Jones or Vivien Newman – give me a shout.

    By Michael Jones (11/06/2011)
  • I joined Gross in 1968 and spent 9 years in the Ulster region ending as regional sales manager. I remember many of those mentioned in previous messages and would be pleased to hear from anyone who may remember me (I can be contacted on 07909-784909). I am now 65 and still in the cash register trade.

    By Jim Parkes (04/07/2011)
  • I joined Gross in Jan 8th 1968 and worked there untill the redundencies in 1980. A great place to work. I was based in Grangemouth with a short spell in Newcastle branch 1970/71 . Jimmy Anderson was the boss; great man. The Manager, Nen Porter Pat,  Marshall Ken Edge was the office manager and many more good salesmen. I worked as a distributor till I retired in 2009 and it was Gross training that was the key to my success.

    By Tom Hailstones (03/10/2011)
  • I was a salesman for Gross in the 1970s and my father (Geoff Hogg) was the area manager for north Lancs. We worked from Raikes Lane, Bolton. Many happy days. I  also remember picking up a blue Ford Anglia from Brighton. Dad worked for Gross in the 1960s- his manager was Frank Prout a lovely man.

    By Malcolm Hogg (16/11/2011)
  • I worked for Gross Cash Registers from 1974 working out of Mirfield depot, West Yorkshire. Trained by Cyril Ackhurst and initially under Barry Baggot, General Manager. We had a host of high achievers … Harry Hill, Earnie Gill, and myself were all TT winners and in the same sales team which was headed by Alan Whitaker. Other names which some of you may have heard of: Ken Eyre, Derek Hill, Paul Connolly, Alan Turner, Tom Hailstones, Dennis Booth and Barry Jones who sadly died earlier this year. Many of the former members of Gross went on to form their own business and had good success probably down to the great training Gross provided – which wasn’t everyone’s idea of fun I might add. You were only as good as your last sale and it wasn’t easy to be consistent. The fail rate was exceedingly high but a strong nucleus of salesmen with ability evolved and tended to stay the course until Chub took over the company which sadly failed following the development release of the 148 terminal and the sales force was dissolved and a terminal from Japan (Kingtronic) was brought in to cover the remaining period of warranty of the last sold Gross/Chubb terminals. The company ceased to trade within 2 years. Alan Prior was the MD at the time together with Don Cherry who later left to join TEC. I still have a nice telegram from Alan Prior and 2 silver TTT salesman of the year cups which were presented to me at the Metropole Hotel at Brighton. Working for Gross as a salesman was a job people either loved or hated. The good times were good sales …the bad times was tramping around in all weather wondering who the hell was going to buy a mechanical box weighing 1/2 a ton! I took an early retirement from the cash register industry and am now a pro musician scoring music and enjoy performing at top venues with my own function bands. I’m delighted to be out of the rat race….at last! My best regards to anyone who may remember me, I can be contacted by email tymeglobe@aol.com

    By Geoff Burrows (16/12/2011)
  • My name was Pat Downton before I got married and my father Sidney Downton was managing director of the factory at Hollingbury, Brighton until he retired. Sadly he passed away about 4 years ago but my mother Muriel is still alive and kicking and living in a retirement village in Northampton. During the school holidays I used to work in the canteen, helping with the prep of food and taking the tea/coffee trolley around the offices and the factory floor. Many of the old faces are no longer with us, but my mother is in contact with Daphne, Sam’s wife. Henry passed away last year. If you remember me please get in touch, Mum still talks about the good old days.

    By Pat Kilroy (12/01/2012)
  • I joined Gross in 1975. I was in the engineering design group led by Gerry Bannister, my immediate boss was Brian Marshall. Others in the department included Geoff Smith, Ian Habens, John Cunnell, Peter Bamfield Mustapha, Spiros and in Production Peter Beard. I worked on new equipment with Mr. Sam Gross and salesman Hugh. I only stayed a few months; I got a phone call from Sound Diffusion offering me a job with a company car. I left just in time before the sell-out to Chubb!

    By Tony Hill (26/02/2012)
  • I worked for Mr Bob Latter as his ‘PA’ for 5 years when he was sent to the Chubb Cash Renovation Centre at Spencer Road, Churchill Industrial Estate, Lancing in the early 80s. I did laugh at the comment by Dave Lee about people being terrified of him, I was too at times! The recon engineers used to superglue coins to the workshop floor and he would be there with a screwdriver trying to get them up. He would hold ‘summit’ meetings in his office daily midst a room full of houseplants which I was charged with keeping alive. When I handed my notice eventually he had 15 secretaries come and go in as many weeks after me. He taught me so much about the workings of an office such as if you have a miscellaneous file you havent got a filing system, and those blue follow up slips! He was a legend and I did keep in touch with both him and his wife Muriel, who recently died. He wanted us to visit him in Seaton and to come and visit us in Spain, where we now live but sadly it never happened.

    By Jan Hunt (01/03/2012)
  • Lol… Bob Latter. Mmmm! Really was Uncle Bob as I was unfortunate enough to be his nephew. The man was a raving nutcase with a hell of an attitude problem. Hi Janet, I remember those days at Lancing very well but so called renovation centre was more like Bob’s butchers. Prior to this I was at Holllingbury in 75 where I was again under his control as field service engineer. I then went to Lancing before he got put out to grass over there and made our lives a misery.

    By Bryan Latter (15/03/2012)
  • Bryan – I couldn’t agree more he was nutter and not very nice either.

    By Terry Martiny (01/05/2012)
  • I was The Bristol workshop engineer starting in 1977. I once went to Lancing with Alf Hart and we were invited into Bob Latter’s office and given a cup of tea. Unfortunately I do not drink tea, luckily Bob left the office for a few moments so I was able to “water” one of his plants with it. In 1982 I was a service support engineer/technical trainer officer for the south west and wales until being made redundant in 1986 when hugin-sweda took over. Bob Latter then became involved with a cash register company from York called TKG and offered me a job as service engineer which lasted for about six months. I remember Dave Lee mentioned in an earlier post, Kelvin Carter, Ken Hazlewood, Alf Hart, John Lipscombe, Fred Taylor, John Harrow, Brian Raynor, Jeff Evans, Mike Raybone, Roger Vaughn, Dave Clarke, Steve Francis, Peter Dawson, Bob Lee, Colin Baker. Best wishes 

    By Pete Selvey (10/05/2012)
  • I worked as a field engineer at Gross based in Brighton from 1971 to 1976. Brian Latter, I hope you remember me, I took you out on the road with me when you first came to Gross. I too remember your Uncle Bob, he moaned at me so much I felt deprived if he didn’t! I worked with Terry Fensome, Nat Fulco, Bob Howe, Geoff Knight and others whose names I can’t remember, and Colin Jones. He and I started Standard Cash Registers in 1980 which is still trading now although Colin retired in 2006 so it’s just me now. I also knew Vince Hayden from the Salisbury branch who also started his own Cash Register company but went on to found a highly successful Lotus car dealership in Salisbury. They were good days but was tough on the road sometimes.

    By Terry McCann (29/09/2012)
  • Hi Terry, yes I remember you very well. You told me that you had had an encounter with my uncle after driving your van into a lamp post. After work you told me not to hit any lamp posts. That following Sunday night I did just that – my girlfriend was killed and the van was a right off. Shortly after I was in Lancing and worked under Colin Jones and Bert Pike, they were great days until Uncle Bob came and took over! Do say hello to Colin for me and what happened to Stephen Howard?

    By Bryan Latter (18/11/2012)
  • I joined Gross in Cardiff in the late 60s to sell cash registers in s Wales working under a manager named Lew Whitman. I met Sidney Downton in Brighton at a training meeting, he was impressive! I never met anyone like him before. Gross took on the mighty national cash register, and from humble beginings they gave ncr a real fight. In 1970 I left to join a German company Anker cash registers, as they were technically superior. They were fun days! Alan.

    By Alan Grenville-Jones (19/11/2012)
  • Hi Brian, thanks for replying. I did hear about your accident and the death of your girlfriend many years ago, but had forgotten about it. That was dreadful, and quite shocking to hear that it happened so soon after such an innocent remark to you. I didn’t know you knew Steve Howard but I have a vague idea that you might have had some contact with him when you worked for a company in Surrey somewhere (Horley?). He worked with Colin and I for some years at Standard Cash Registers. He was a great asset to our business but we ran into some hard times about 12-15 years ago (could be more, you know how time flies) and sadly we had to let him go. He worked for a few years at a Safety Equipment Company in Lancing, and then moved to an Industrial Supply Company called Wurth. He still pops in for a cup of tea now and then and my wife Martina and I love to see him. If you would be interested have a search at Standard Cash Registers Worthing. Regards, Terry.

    By Terry McCann (29/11/2012)
  • From 1980 to 1982 I used to work for Kearney Trecker Marwin. I do not know if anybody remembers me or anybody that worked there at Hollingbury?

    By John Leach (30/11/2012)
  • My brother-law worked at gross cash regesters in the 60s-70s. His name is Pat Kelly. Does anybody remember him?

    By Stephen Raynsford (17/01/2013)
  • Hello Steve Raynsford here. I mentioned my brother-law worked at gross at Hollingbury Pat Kelly 1964-1985, he remembers Phil Hill and a few other people. He now works at BQ in Brighton.

    By Stephen Raynsford (23/01/2013)
  • Wonderful to see this photograph, although it was a year or so after my family left for Canada (1957). My father worked at Typewriter Sundries. I still remember walking the footpath from Elsted Crescent over towards the Industrial Estate to meet my dad coming home from work – a less complicated time! Peter.

    By Peter Denyer (18/02/2013)
  • Hi everyone, I’m doing a bit of research into the working conditions of maintenance workers at Gross’ Brighton site. Please email me at rhf-howard@hotmail.com. Thanks very much for any help offered.

    By Rando Howard (19/07/2013)
  • I came across this website and must say it is nice to read that most people loved Gross. I joined in 1969 and was there at the end – happy days.

    By Laurie Mason (26/09/2013)
  • I worked at the Salisbury branch and I remember Bob Latter was on the phone giving out b*ll*ck*ngs to someone almost everyday, it seemed like he was running everything. Once I heard some manager ask “what’s it got to do with him? He’s the service director!” and the person answered back that Latter was in charge of everything – even the toilets! I only ever met him once when I went to Brighton to collect a replacement van after a road accident had written it the van off and he asked to see me. He just wanted to know what happened and only wanted to ask if I was pushing the service maintenance contracts and how much revenue I was collecting. The branch manager was Fred Jones and he was a great boss, I enjoyed working there very much

    By Richard Oram (12/02/2014)
  • I worked for Pullers Instrument Company in 1954, in their design office, when I had completed my National Service.  It was very convenient as I lived in Ladies Mile Road and only had to walk across a bit of downland to get there. A wonderful factory and very nice people.

    By Cedric de la Nougerede (27/05/2014)
  • I started at Gross two weeks after they moved down to Brighton. My first job was to help unload the lorries from London. I remember crow-barring a machine on rollers, with the guy next to me covered in oil who said he was off to make tea. I cheekily said
    “two sugars for me” this was in Jerry Lovegrove.  I worked in the press shop as a press operator and then on the guillotine. I moved on to press setter with Phil Benzie, and made press setter supervisor. Bernie Cambell was the press shop manager. When the press shop closed down it was very sad. I walked around the shop floor, the machines were still in place. it was so quiet after all the noise i was used to. i missed all the friends that i made there. i met Jerry Lovegrove in the old press shop. he agreed with me that it was very sad.

    i was moved to the assembly line as a supervisor assembling printed circuits. i stayed there till the line was closed down and helped with packing parts for Sweden. when i was eventually made redundant there were only seven of us working there. Does anybody remember me?

    By Dick Wickham (19/07/2014)
  • Does anybody remember me at the Wembley factory North Circular Road? I served my apprenticeship in the tool room from 1965-70. Harry Edmeedes was the foreman and Les Kirby was the chargehand.The training and the pay was excellent. I also met my first love there, Ann Hogan who worked in the canteen.

    By Alan Webb (21/07/2014)
  • Hi there, enjoying reading your comments. I don’t have any connection with Gross other than I have a small collection of vintage tills including two by Gross. They are really well made beasts that will last forever. I spent months restoring one and couldn’t figure out why it was still adding in pre decimal mode. Then I found the magic switch. Ingenious! Regards to all.

    By Jason (26/07/2014)
  • I think my uncle, Herbert Hanna, worked for Gross. Anyone remember him? He died in 2006.

    By Peter Molloy (29/07/2014)
  • How many people worked at Gross?…………about half of them!

    By Pete Smith (29/07/2014)
  • I have met Tobby Gross many years ago when he was involved with the Gross Cash Register Company, and have lost contact through the years.

    By John Booker (06/11/2014)
  • I remember lots of the names mentioned and yes you too Alan Webb as I started at Cross Lane in 1959 as an apprentice toolmaker moving on to North Circular Road and then to Brighton.  Gerry Lovegrove was the toolroom foreman then with “Spud” Murphy the chargehand, both became directors.  I also worked with Herbert Hanna who was sales director for a short time.  Retired now but certainly Gross was the best company I worked for, Sam & Henry were real nice Guys; you don’t get bosses like them nowadays.

    By Terry Martiny (11/11/2014)
  • I’ve just stumbled across this thread researching Gross. My dad, who’s passed away, had a Gross Ambassador which is still fully working and he had it from new. Odd there a collector’s market for vintage tills. There’s one on eBay for £500…..I’m staggered, is it really worth that much?

    By Richard (30/01/2015)
  • Does anyone know which factory made parts for cookers?

    By Ernie Ball (05/03/2015)
  • All these posts and not one mention of the company I worked for on that estate in 1960 and that was Underwoods Typewriter Co. which later became Creeds, who I also worked for during the 70s. If I was to hazard a guess as to who made the cooker parts I would have said Wade Engineering, who were a sub contract company I believe. They stood on the site of the car sales (I think Tates?) today.

    By Tony Dicker (07/03/2015)
  • I worked in Smiths which made cooker clocks,  it closed around 1970 it was where Matalan is now.

    By Shirley (07/03/2015)
  • Tony the Underwood/Creeds page is here: Underwoodhttp://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/page_id__10402.aspx?path=0p115p210p675p

     

    By Peter Groves (07/03/2015)
  • I’m Bert (Bertie) George’s son. Dad started the company in the 195’s with the Gross brothers Harry Tuhill and one or two others with tools he gained from the Fleet Air Arm after being released from Tottenham Hotspur due to a knee cartilage problem which used to finish football careers. They expanded and moved from the shop at Highbury Corner in Islington to Hornsey where they also employed my uncle Ben Williams. When they moved to the North Circular Road dad had risen to foreman and subsequently they moved to Hollingbury where my dad became factory manager. The company benefited from decimalisation but didn’t adapt very well to the electronic revolution and when Chubb took them over they lost interest in cash registers and dad was made redundant. Dad had a very happy life but developed dementia at 80 and died in 2010.

    By Peter George (13/06/2015)
  • I worked for for Gross’s from 1969 till 1973, I was secretary to Ray Davis who ultimately became the Financial Director.  I’ve enjoyed reading on this site about many of the people I came into contact with, especially Bob Latter who I also was in awe of.  I remember all the directors mentioned and many of the other names.  I also remember dancing to the Polygons at Christmas “dos”, very good they were too.  I mainly recall the secretaries for obvious reasons – Jenny Leeworthy (Mr Downton), Joan Clayman, Bernice (Len Thompson), Gill Weller (Gerry Lovegrove).  I left just before Chubb took over, being secretary to the Financial Director I guessed what might be coming.

    By Jean McCutcheon (nee Saunders) (21/06/2015)
  • Hi Martin, re your post, I’m Peter Beck’s son. Did you used to work with my dad at gross cash registers, then? Regards Pete

    By Peter Beck (02/07/2015)
  • Hi everyone, I have just found this page. Regarding a man called Martin leaving a message in 2011, I know this is a little late but Martin was asking about my father Peter Beck, I can certainly help Martin with any questions he has if he would like to contact me. Lynn Harmer (nee Beck)

    By Lynn Harmer (02/07/2015)
  • Hello, I am wondering if I could get some information on a Gross cash register we are using in our pottery cooperative in Perth, Western Australia. It has $ and cents keys. It has a serial number 67549 grey in colour with a blue draw. It also has a lift up lid, with a counter and a reset button. I have pictures of it and would be happy to email them if it would help determine age, model etc. Many thanks. I have enjoyed reading your posts. Kind regards.

    By Robyn Bloom (31/07/2015)
  • Hi Martin, Please contact me regarding my father Peter Beck. You can contact me via email: lynnharmer@yahoo.co.uk

    By Lynn Harmer (25/08/2015)
  • My dad worked for Gross and then for Chubb. He also named The Ambassador cash register!   Wonder if anyone on here would remember him, Alan Browne?

    I have many childhood memories of Gross cash registers on the kitchen work top being fixed!  

    By Sharon Curtis (06/12/2015)
  • Hi Peter George – I have fond memories of working with your Dad having started at Cross Lane as an apprentice in 1959. We both moved on to North Circular Road and then to Brighton. One memory in particular was Bert driving me to Hornsey Cottage Hospital in his Vauxhall Wyvern having dropped a large piece of mild steel on my foot. Also I bumped into him at Highbury the day Charlie George, his nephew, made his debut for Arsenal. Obviously I remember the others you mentioned in particular Ben Williams who lived in the next road to me on what is now called the Harringay Ladder. Good times. Terry Martiny

    By Terry Martiny (15/01/2016)
  • I worked from 1974 to 1984 first at Hollingbury and then when I think we became CCR and had a small office in New Church Road. Many of the names I remember and I had the misfortune to be Bob Latter’s PA for some of the time!! Anyway I have come across a letter about a Kingtron Pension scheme that I was apparently in…..anyone have any information?

    By Robert Rousseau (21/01/2016)
  • Hello all, as previously mentioned I worked for Gross for 9 years in Ireland ending as regional sales manager. Every post makes good  reading. Bob Latter was really a bully and I got fed up with him and turned on him. No problems after that. He was a company man and saw himself as the company policeman. Yes I agree they were tough days but Gross got our best years. I am 70 now and still dabble in tills. Regards to all

    By Jim Parkes (09/05/2016)
  • For Jean McCutcheon. I haven’t been on the site for a while Jean so I hope it’s not too late to thank you for your comments about my group, The Polygons. Your post June 2015. Thought you may be interested to hear that the band split in 1983 but after my seventieth birthday party we decided to reform. We’re now calling ourselves Polygon 66 and are gigging around the area once again. They were good times at Gross and don’t seem that long ago.

    By Dave Cresdee (10/05/2016)
  • Following my post regarding the pension, it has been traced and is held by Guardian Royal, and I’m pleased that I am now receiving a pension from them.

    By Robert Rousseau (31/05/2016)
  • Many thanks to Dave Cresdee for his response (11/05/2016) to my post, it was good to get an update on the Polygons.  Looking back Gross was certainly a good place to work, although it didn’t always seem that way at the time!  I agree it doesn’t seem that long ago.  I wish you every success with Polygon 66.

    By Jean McCutcheon (nee Saunders) (16/07/2016)
  • Any past members of the gross team out there in Northern Ireland or the Republic. I would love to hear from you. Tel 07909784909

    By James Parkes (07/08/2016)
  • In response to Jean McCutcheon posted 17/07/2016. We’re still playing and had quite a few gigs locally. Please have a look at our Polygon 66 Facebook site if you’ve got a few moments to spare. There’s some photos on there plus a few recordings. It’s a public site so you don’t have to have a Facebook account to access it. Hope you’re keeping well.

    By Dave Cresdee (08/08/2016)
  • Two of my uncles worked at Gross’ in the 60’s: George Shakespeare and Stanley Borer. Uncle George died many years ago but Uncle Stan is still going at 101 years old.

    By Stella Hughes (09/08/2016)
  • Message for Dave Cresdee:  I’ve been into Polygon 66’s Facebook page as you suggest and the pics, etc. are great.  You obviously can’t keep the oldies down, lol, speaking as a 68 year old myself.  You may like to know that I’m far from Gross-land these days as I now live in Cheshire so Polygon 66 fame spreads far and wide!

    By Jean McCutcheon (15/08/2016)
  • Wow, Wow, Wow! Firstly let me apologise in advance for any typo errors and for such a long blog/reply I enclose below. To all the comments previously made: they are great! This site is fantastic and a true reflection of the good old days at Gross Cash Registers (GCR). I have just reached my 65th birthday and going through my pension options, so looked up GCR and came across this site. My wife was nearly asleep when I spoke louder than I should have, “Wow, well I’ll be!”. Thinking she was asleep she said, “what’s wrong?”. I said, ” I’ve just come across this website and it’s old memories of people I knew and heard of while working at GCR”. It’s brought back such happy memories reading the complete blog from you all, so much so I couldn’t switched off until I had read everyone’s comments (3am this morning!). I too started in 1978 as a service engineer employed to work on Bizerba products (scales, slicers, bandsaws, coffee grinders, and various other catering products). My initial training (2 weeks) was with Bernie, can’t remember his surname, but sales manager at Hanger Lane, North London. Although I drove around in a red Ford van with gold writing saying Gross Cash Registers, I never repaired tills at that time. I would often be asked by strange shopkeepers to look at their broken tills, but never could; I’m sure some thought I was lying. I remember the call-out charge was £19.2 shillings and 6 pence plus parts and additional costs after the first hour on site. A couple of years later GCR gave up the Bizerba franchise, so I was trained at Brighton’s head office located on the London Road. It was here I first encountered the wrath of Bob Latter, and to my detriment encountered it many more thereafter (but, hey ho, I live to tell the tale). Having now been a Director myself I can understand the pressures Bob was under, so he wasn’t all bad considering, was he? I vividly remember my week’s training I had at Brighton on cash registers. There were about 30 engineers on the course. You were paired with another engineer and had to strip down manual old press-down tills first, as well as the newer electro-mechanical ambassador till (single entry and 4 total). I was with a guy called Gary Dawson who came from Baldock, Herts. What a scream he was! The training consisted of one of the pair stripping down the machine and laying all the parts out in order of removal. Then after lunch your partner would reassemble from the order of removal. This was fine until Gary decided on day 3 to remove 1 part from about 5 or 6 sets on other engineers’ benches. This happened just as we were all gathering our coats to break for lunch. He never told me until later that night, but that afternoon the instructor and failing assembly teams were completely baffled why the machines would not work properly. Well guess what – yep, you’re in front of me – the next morning in charged Bob Latter, steam gushing from every orifice (at times he was ‘hissing off’ so much I thought we were on a plumber’s course, not cash registers). Yet, although Gary had done wrong, Gross training instilled a code of loyalty; you stuck by your work colleagues be it in thick or thin. As I was made aware by Gary the previous evening over dinner, by God we were skating on thin ice. If Bob had ever found out who had swiped the parts I’m sure Gary would have been out and sacked. So the bond had sealed and he was a great mate. In time an engineer’s role was also to inform the sale’s manager if a machine was uneconomical for further repair or customers wanted to upgrade. Engineers were paid a nominal amount if this lead turned into a sale, so engineers were encouraged to forward leads. Bob Latter even set up internal competitions like a salesman to earn extra commission. I did very well at this and by luck won most awards GCR promoted so was advised to move across to sales, which I did. I was now working from the GCR Newmarket branch. The manager was Fred Knight, the service manager was Shaun Doyle and the national sales manager was a chap called Keith. The regional sales manager was an Irishman called Jim O’Shea (lived in Ipswich, Suffolk). As well as I who lived, Essex, I recall other salesmen: Tony Harriton came from Wivenho, Essex; Paul Knight, Freddie’s brother came from Hockley, Essex, the same village where Fred live); Ken Saunders came from Collier Row, Essex and a chap called Nick came from Southend. Can’t remember all the surnames of people that worked in the Newmarket office but the office manager was Mr Edwards. No one ever called him by his first name, he was lovely, a gentleman, but you could never pull the wool over his eyes, he was as sharp as a pin when it came to contracts and paperwork completion (excellent training that I also picked up). There was a chap who worked in the stores/repairs department name of Dave from Soham, Suffolk, walked with a limp, and a service supervisor, Graham, who lived in Mildenhall, Suffolk. Another supervisor engineer called Roger moved to cover the Lincoln area. When we were taken over by Chubb Electronics and Tupe across Chubb tried to compete with the faster emerging ECR companies that were coming in from Japan: Tec, Sharp, Casio, Omron, Zonal etc. We only had the Chubb ECR 1-4-8 but could not match up for reliability. Chubb was not even as reliable as the Gross President range P8,16, P32. After losing much ground, they brought in a fully programmable ECR called Kingtron. This was a very clever ECR to hold the fort and steady the ship. A main issue with Kingtron was programming them and although we all managed their methodology, I would spend no end of hours on my kitchen worktop when the children had gone to bed programming these machines in Hexadecimal code to meet customer requirements. I progressed to National Sales Manager after a round of redundancies and remember Nat Fulco well. We spent many a long hour together in places like Whitbread’s head office as well as other major breweries and multiples where Gross had always been inherently strong. Nat was a very intelligent guy and if I recall spoke about seven languages fluently. Even though Chubb was losing ground to other Japanese manufacturers, I seemed to be doing well with Kingtron ECR. In 1986 Sharp Electronics approached me to work for them as National Sales Manager. As I had a young family and it was only a matter of time, I joined Sharp and was based in Vere Street, London. I stayed at Sharp until 1993, where I joined the Public Sector heading a department for HMSO, governed by HM Treasury. Now I am officially retired as of Dec 2016 and am looking into my pensions, even those I wasn’t aware I had. I, like Robert Rousseau (entry May 2016), have found I had a pension with Kingtron. These policies were purchased by Royal Guardian and have since change their name to Reassure, so any that may want to chase a lost pension call 0800 980 6595 and hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised.

    Can anyone assist me? I am sure I had a pension with Gross Cash Registers, but as I was Tupe across to Chubb Electronics, I can’t seem to track down any contact points to check if I do. To my surprise the government’s pension tracing service via HMRC informed me I had “contracted out” a pension with Kingtron for 18 months employment. So although I have a Kingtron Pension, this is only for 18 months, yet I started with GCR in Mid 1978 and left to join Sharp in Aug 1986. Is there anyone who can guide me or provide contact addresses and/or telephone numbers to check if I have a GCR/Chubb pension? I’ve contacted Chubb Alarms but they say I have never worked for any of the Chubb groups, which for those that did (AKA Chubb Electronics) know we have. Any help is much appreciated. My email is emsinsight@hotmail.co.uk and tel: 01206 851917 or 07546539654. It has been an immense pleasure reading past comments on this site and reminiscing   and my best wishes and good fortune go to everyone who has contributed and continues to be active. I will certainly keep myself updated reading further comments. God bless and fondest regards. [Doug, thank you for your very interesting posting. I have edited it slightly and tidied up the typos for you. All the best sorting out your pension. Editing Team]     

    By Douglas (Doug) Woodberry (07/01/2017)
  • Message for Jean McCutcheon. Glad you liked the Polygon 66 page. I’m coming up to 76 in March and intend to carry on as long as I can. Coincidently I was born in Birkenhead which, although it’s now in Merseyside, at the time of my birth (1941) it was in the county of Cheshire.

    By Dave Cresdee (25/01/2017)
  • I worked in the conversion admin dept under Bob Latter from March 1970 until after ‘D’ day when our dept. no longer had a purpose. We used to supply plastic keys which fitted over the existing keys as a temporary measure prior to the factory converting machines, it was the best we could do at the time! Dealing with customers waiting for the return of their machines and paying for the conversion was part of my job. It was, under Mr.Latter, an extremely high pressure job which extended to everyone involved and led to me having a partial nervous breakdown! I have to say that I doubt it could have been done without the sheer drive of Bob Latter although I cannot in all honesty say I liked him that much but then it wasn’t his job to be liked! I echo what many people have said, it was a great place to work and I used to turn up in my Reliant Supervan 111 which I have to say didn’t cause a stir! It’s been fun reading some of the stories.

    By Robin Biles (08/05/2017)
  • I have just read the article from Bryan Latter about a van crash. If it is the same one, I was in the back of the escort van at the time with Nicky Hagist  and Collin. I live in Oz now and have not seen any of these people for years.

    By Paul White (01/07/2017)
  • Does anybody remember the BBC documentary on TV about the history of gross cash registers? It was filmed in several departments. Is it possible to get a copy?

    By D Wickham (14/07/2017)
  • ref: Doug Woodberrry – Jan 17. Just come across this site which I read from top to bottom. I worked for Chubb at the Hove Head Office of Chubb Cash Registers from 1983 to about 1986 when it was purchased from bankruptcy by Hugin Sweda. I continued to work for Hugin for a several years until I was made redundant and Hugin went into liquidation. The M.D. of Chubb, whilst I was there, was John Hutchins. Nat Fulco was the UK sales manager. I was employed as the sales manager for the London region. Visited Hollingbury many times getting my hands dirty programming Kingtron machines – which were the only machines I sold (sold the Pizza Hut contract). I well remember Bob Latter and the rest of the very small team who remained at the time. Taking history a stage further, after Hugin bought Chubb out, the sales people (Nat & I) moved to Uxbridge. I was promoted to Divisional Sales Manager and Nat Fulco was one of my sales people. Some six months after I was made redundant Hugin went down the pan. Great company to work for. What an interesting site.

    By Howard Huett (30/07/2017)
  • I worked for HSG Cash Registers straight from school from 1981 – 1983. The factory was in Wood Green North London. I do remember Sid Downton who was our Sales Manager . A smartly dressed man with quite a stern look but always said hello and really quite friendly. Other names that come flooding back are, Robin the Stores Manager who supported Brighton FC , Derek our designer , Mike the Storeman , Jose Bello (Spanish ) “you gotta take the top out”, Annie , Steve Callan , Hippy Sue , Jackie , Terry Shinn , Bernie , Cathy . And of course Arthur Elmer our Manager , a fantastic and really nice man . One other person, Jayne my wife who i met at the factory.

    By Eric Spencer (17/08/2017)
  • Gross was a lovely place to work . in the good old times. I’m trying to track down anyone who remembers Cross  Lane. Best Regards to all. Give us an email.  Best wishes to all.

    By Kevin Dowd (04/11/2017)
  • I worked at Gross Grangemouth as a rep. I remember these guys well  – Jim Anderson, Pat Marshall, Ken Edge and Norrie Cruikshank was my area manager. They were all great guys. They taught me my trade and I went on to have my own successful business in South Africa for 25 years. if any of you guys read this, Thanks for all your input – it lasted all my life.

     

    By Russell Iverson (15/01/2018)
  • Thanks for info on Wade Engineering who made cooker parts. I worked there in 1966. Anybody else?

    By Dave (02/02/2018)
  • I must apologise it wasn’t Wades but Smiths. Pullars were there before me, and Smiths came from Smethwick, just by where I lived in Birmingham till I left home and ended up in Bonny Brighton. I made the ‘ding’ in the timer on cookers !! Thanks Editor. 

    By Dave (04/02/2018)
  • Hi there,

    Love reading all your comments!  I own two Gross tills; one the sturdy Ambassador and the other must be the last mechanical model made.  The till roll date runs from 1979 – 1990 and has a Chubb plug.  I want to give it a clean and oil but cannot for the life of me figure out how to open the case!  I have undone 3 screws at the front but something is still attached elsewhere.  Would be forever grateful if somebody could give me a pointer with this.  My email is me@jasonswift.co.uk

    Thanks and regards

    Jason

    By Jason Swift (20/04/2018)
  • Hello Jason I worked for gross/chubb.i think the answer to your question is that there is a shaft that runs between the two side plates.the shaft end can be seen if you lift the left hand flap,you should see the end of the shaft just sticking out,thread in a small bolt in the end and withdraw the shaft.Hope this helps.

    By laurence mason (17/05/2018)
  • Does anyone remember my father who was from the Lock and Safe side of Chubbs till his partial retirement when he worked in the Hollingbury building. Sad to say he died in 1997, he was eighty though and had originally worked for Milners before working for Chubbs where he became an export salesman.

    By Kathryn (Katie) Fairclough (28/07/2018)
  • I am now at the ripe old age of 91 and worked for Gross Cash Registers in the early 50s at Cross Lane, Hornsey.  I was working for National Cash and my mate Danny Badenoch had become Gross’s first full time Salesman.  He told me that Sam & Henry were considering starting a Service Dept.  To make a long story short I phoned Sam and got the Job of their first full time Service Engineer.  Sam & Henry were managing directly at this time and Toby Gross was a sort of chargehand.  They supplied me with a van and I started their Service Dept.  Unfortunately one day when calling into Cross Lane for spares I had a haemorrage in my stomach and left a pint or so of blood in the gents. I was rushed off to hospital. I must make this point of how caring Sam & Henry were as employers.  Every Friday evening for a month they would call in at the hospital to see me and Sam would slide his hand under my pillow and leave my pay packet. That’s what I call caring.

    By Tony Schofieldd (25/08/2018)
  • Just came across this page as I was searching out what happened to Gross’ as my dad George Thomas used to work there. He started off at Wembley and moved to Brighton sometime around ‘63 but left in 1970 when we moved to Leeds and he bought a milk round. Dad died in 2017. I am coming to Brighton soon and thought I would revisit some of the places I went as a child. I remember the fab Christmas children’s parties. Dad used to play football I think it was a factory team, I know mum (Margaret) got roped in to wash the team strip every week. I don’t recognise many of the names apart from The Gross Brothers, that Dad always spoke fondly of. He also mentioned Bert George and Harry Tuhill. I am still in contact with Harry’s brother George and family.

    By Yvonne Bell (nee Thomas) (27/03/2019)
  • Hi, my dad worked for Gross, then Chubb as a service engineer. I remember the red escort van with cushions in the Back that was great fun being thrown around as kids. He took voluntary redundancy after a while with Chubb, he loved tinkering with old tills in his shed, I still remember the smell so clearly.
    I believe he worked out of the Newmarket site and his name was Cyril “tug” Willson.
    Any info would be nice Wilson2lf@hotmail.co.uk

    By Paul Willson (28/04/2019)
  • Hi. My mum Bernice was the PA to Len Thompson in late 60s. Just wondered if anyone has photos. Thanks all.

    By Jo Grimond (13/07/2019)
  • Hi Jo. Sorry I don’t have any photos but you might like to know that I was secretary to R M Davis at Gross in the late 60s/early 70s and remember Bernice well as a fellow secretary.

    By Jean McCutcheon nee Saunders (30/07/2019)
  • Hi Jean. Just wondered as my dad was Len Thompson and I was not aware of this until I was 40. I have no idea what he looks like. Glad you remember my mum though.
    Thanks Jo

    By Jo Grimond (02/08/2019)
  • Hallo again Jo. I knew your mum when she was expecting you so technically I’ve met you………. I did wonder if you were the baby I knew of and now I know that you were! I remember your mum as a very vivacious and cheerful person with an infectious laugh. I only remember Len Thompson as a tall man with wavy dark hair.

    By Jean McCutcheon (03/08/2019)
  • Hi Jean. I was born in September 1969 so hopefully it was me in the bump you remember. If you are ok could I call you as I’d like to hear more. Thanks Jo.

    By Jo Grimond (16/08/2019)
  • Hi Jo. To be honest I don’t think I could add anything to what I’ve already posted on here, just that I believe Len Thompson was Marketing Director. I wish you well and am sorry I didn’t have any photos from that period for you.

    By Jean McCutcheon (23/08/2019)
  • Hi – I remember Len well, we travelled together quite a lot when he was Export Sales Director. The most memorable was Washington DC where we stayed at the Washington Hilton; good times. When I get the opportunity I’ll look through some old photographs to see if I have any of him seem to remember one taken outside the White House and again in the Smithsonian Museum. Len lived in Telscombe Cliffs and I in Saltdean.
    Related to the previous posts Bert, George and Harry Tuhill (who lived opposite me in Allison Road, Harringay) were good friends.

    By Terry Martiny (11/09/2019)
  • Hi Terry. It would be wonderful if you could find photos of Len as he was my dad and I would love to see if I look like him.
    Many thanks Jo

    By Jo Grimond (24/11/2019)
  • Hi Jo – I’ll do my best I think the pics are at my daughters house, give me a bit of time as I’ve only just picked up your message.
    Terry

    By Terry Martiny (29/12/2019)
  • I worked for Gross Cash Registers 1970-1973 and was a team manager covering North & West London

    By Ronald Icklow (20/01/2020)
  • Hi Terry. Just wondered if you managed to find the photos. I’d love to see a picture of my Dad Len. Please get in touch. Thanks Jo.

    By Jo Grimond (29/01/2020)
  • Hi Jo – plowed through hundreds of pics and found two of Len. They’re not good enough quality to scan but I can post them to you just let me know a convenient address – all the best Terry.

    By Terry Martiny (14/02/2020)
  • I worked with Gross Cash Registers as a salesman from the Grangemouth office in 1970 with Rex Lawson, Bill Florence, Alister Fraser and Tommy Grant. My manager was Dave Bowie, also as manager was Pat Marshall. I forget some of the names – my name is Jim Angus.

    By Jim Angus (15/04/2020)
  • I would like to contact anyone connected with Tobby Gross who was a director of Gross cash Registers and lived in Pinner London .
    My interest is only to try to contact the person who was a young man at that time , and he has just finished Medical Studies. I helped him in London meet Tobby and his Wife and their dog a little puddle at his home in Pinner.
    The reason for my interest is just to see if he was successful in getting any work at Gross Cash Registers . Appreciate any information, please advise on this site .
    George.

    .

    By George (11/05/2020)
  • Hi, my name is Brian Sorensen and I came across the ‘My Brighton and Hove’ web-site by chance while tracking down memory lane regarding Hollingbury and the Gross Cash Registers business and building virtually, using the internet and GoogleEarth. It’s great the buildings are still there – so many others in Crowhurst Road have been demolished. I worked for Gross at Hollingbury for two years, 1972-74, as a Production Engineer. Straight from college it was my first job and I worked for Brian Carter, a very nice guy. Now 69 and living at Plymouth, Devon in retirement, two years now seem to pass in a flash – but then, in a new environment and with a fast on-the-job learning curve to contend with, my period with Gross seemed to have packed a lot in. My PE responsibility was the plastic injection moulding shop, getting to grips with moulding technology and problems – plastic materials and large moulding machines from Negri Bossi in Italy soon became familiar. Almost all the plastic components for CR’s and Calculators were moulded in-house: from whole casings and keyboard buttons made in ABS to printwheels made in Delrin. The moulding-shop, press-shop and tool-room were situated side by side in one area of the plant, and the PE team were located adjacent in open office – so it wasn’t a quiet life! I remember for a period the press-shop was (I think) managed by Dave Evans, who always seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders (probably senior management demanding increased yield…). I recognise some of the names other contributors have mentioned here, but unfortunately have forgotten the names of most of the others I worked with day by day.
    One reason for having a very strong memory of my time at Gross was that this period of early 70’s coincided with the huge amount of industrial unrest in the whole country and shortage of oil – the time of Ted Heath, the Three-Day-Week, the threat of petrol rationing and the miner’s strike. For Gross, as with all other commercial and industrial concerns, it meant power cuts at odd times of the day, when the plant was plunged into darkness and a strange silence ensued. Management’s reaction was to install a backup generator to keep the machines running, and I remember it being craned-in between the factory buildings; but it seemed that no sooner had it been installed then the period of the power cuts was over and it hadn’t had much use…
    I moved on to work at a division of the large American corporation Sperry Rand – ‘Sperry Gyroscope’ – at Bracknell in Berkshire as a Production Engineer; then in 1976 transferred down to their plant at Plymouth, where proximity to the naval dockyard was valuable for a business manufacturing & servicing ships’ Gyrocompasses. In 1982 S.G. was bought out by British Aerospace, and I continued at the plant until retirement in 2014 when I left on VR terms, finishing as a QA Manager.

    By Brian Sorensen (09/06/2020)
  • Hello Katie.
    I remember Mr Fairclough well, as I worked for him when Chubb took Gross over and it was all going downhill. They had the new electronic cash register out and your dad decided to send me on a tour of Denmark, Sweden, Norway in June. Apart fron showing of the machine, I had my wife and daughter with me, and we had a fantastic time over 3 weeks. Many thanks to your Dad.
    As time went on and export slowed down, they sent us upstairs to Downtons old office, very posh and we we had next to nothing to do, so in the end I looked for another job, so I was not there at the end. Your Dad was very good to us in Export.

    By Robin Singer (31/08/2020)
  • Hi .. Does anyone remember Ray Berry? He worked at the Hollingbury Gross, I think in the early 60’s ?

    By Lynn Wood (30/10/2020)
  • There were 2 Ray Berrys worked in Hollingbury, the ginger haired supervisor and the assembly floor manager, I worked with both.
    I also remember Don Fairclough well and like Robin I worked in export for a while. Nice guy came from the Chubb lock company and probably ended his working days at Brighton. He always kidded me that he was the father of David Fairclough best known as Liverpool’s super sub. Good memories.

    By Terry Martiny (14/12/2020)
  • It’s amazing how things turn out. Even though I’m now retired my profile is still located on “Linked-In” a business forum for people associated with specific style’s of business which allows contacting/connecting each-other for mutual business expansion and/or job opportunities. Anyway, last week I connected with a chap by the name of Geoff Cox from the Midlands. Geoff Cox was a name I recall from my Gross days as we, along with others, were part of Gross/Chubb national sales team selling to multiples. The name ‘Geoff Cox from the Midlands’ seemed too much of a coincidence for it not to be him. So I contacted him and sure enough it was the same chap. We laughed about the day we were all in the office at Brighton with John Hutchins (MD) and Nat Fulco National Sales Manager. We were given certain national accounts to grow plus new one to try bring on board. No time like the present, Geoff picked up the telephone to contact a new potential, “Bulls Brothers an Office Licence chain” Even though all our phones were frantic Geoff brought the house down. He managed to get through to the MD of Bulls Brothers and when he said is that Mr Bulls? (who said Yes, who calling ) Geoff said Mr Cox, paused and followed, from Gross Cash Register’s. Well the rest of us just froze and burst in laughter because you couldn’t make it up if you tried, it would have been a perfect sketch for only fools and horses. I’m sure Mr Bulls thought Mr Cox was taking the P-ss especially when he must have heard us all laughing in the same office. The moment was pitch perfect . Ironically Geoff did great business from that account. So, Yep, Geoff turned out to be the same chap from our GCR days back in the 70’s.an 2017)
    I told him about this site which he was keen to follow-up. Needless to say,things are not great for any of us due to Covid19. Like too many, my family have lost loved ones to this terrible virus, so I sincerely wish all of you and your family a safe and healthy passage.
    Fondest Regards Doug

    By Douglas Woodberry (25/01/2021)
  • I didn’t work for Gross but during the 1970s & 80s I did business with many ex Gross sales and service people and management who had then started their own businesses in cash registers throughout the UK. Some I recall were Les Roberts and Roger Marsden from South London, Gerry Jaffa from North London, Stan Pigg and Malcolm Hall from Kent, Roger Bentley and David Wilkinson from Yorkshire, Barry O’Neil and Peter Clarke from Merseyside, and the infamous Norman Waller.

    By Paul Marfleet (04/10/2021)
  • Does anybody remember COLIN BLACK? he was manager at BOGNOR from 1969 to 1972. I understand he went back to BRIGHTON as a line manager when BOGNOR closed.

    By malcolm may (14/05/2022)
  • I remember Ray Bery he took over press shop manager he used to strut up and down the the press shop like a sergeant major, had white lines painted everywhere. He wasn’t a bad manager but I had a few run ins with him. It was very sad when his wife died she used to run the computer room.I worked in the press shop for about 18 years as a press setter supervisor and made many good friends but have lost touch over the years and all the tool room characters. They were happy days.

    By Dick wickham (27/06/2022)
  • As engineers we would stay in Dora Bryans hotel on the sea front.

    By pete (02/10/2022)
  • Hi everyone,
    I’m looking to find out if anyone remembered my dad who worked at Kearney & Treacker as a draughtsman in the 60’s and 70’s? His name was Michael Everett, referred to as Mick. He left to set up his own design company with someone else from the same dept I think. New place was called M & J designs so I’m guessing they are the J !! He died in 1978 drowned at Saltdean saving someone’s life. I don’t think the new company was up and running! Any info would be greatefully received. He used to take me to the offices on a Saturday and I remember the Christmas pantos in London? Thank you.

    By Julie Early (12/01/2023)
  • As a young lad I worked there from 1970 but don’t remember him. Post your question on Facebook, Brighton Industrial History, there are loads of old KT bloggers there!

    By Peter Groves (12/01/2023)
  • As a young electrician I worked at Gross Cash Registers from around 1969 to end of decimal conversation. My greatest memories are of working personally for Sam and Henry Gross at their homes in Finchley London .

    By Robert (Bob) Mundey (27/08/2023)
  • Reading all these comments most of the managers supervisors name ring so many bells. When I was there Fred Funnel was the maintenence manager , and the supervisor was John ? Most certainly remember installing all the electrics to new building which eventually became the press shop what heavy times moving all 100 tonnes from the old press shop. Also spent many weekends changing assembly lines to different positions to try improve output. During my years there, became good friends with Gladys Braun fly press operator, and Harry ( Host ) German by birth surface grinder operator , we stayed good friends up until both passed a few years back. My worst job ever was when a tanker driver used wrong intake pipe to boiler house and filled the boiler house with crude oil spent all night with most of maintenence guys getting it out with bloody buckets where was health and safety then!

    By Robert Mundey (28/08/2023)

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