Grindlay was born in Coventry, England, in 1876, the fifth child of nine and second son of William Vaughan Grindlay (1843–1891), into a line of established engineers and horologicalmaster craftsmen.[5] He was orphaned while still a teenager, when first his mother, Mary Ann, died in December 1890, and then his father only a year later in December 1891. Upon leaving school, Grindlay joined a local cycle firm and began learning the skills he would employ later in his career.[3]
During his youth he was an able football player and regular midfielder for Foleshill Great Heath Football Club.[6] He captained the side during their most successful period, including the 1898–99 season when he was one of the top goal scorers and the club won the Midland Daily Telegraph Association Football Challenge Cup, Foleshill Nursing Association Cup, and the Nuneaton Cottage Hospital Cup.[7][8]
At the age of 20, Grindlay married Emma Chaplin in St Paul's Church, Coventry on 7 September 1896, and started his family in 1899, aged 23, when the first of his two sons, Reginald Robert Grindlay, was born.[a][9]
By 1901, Grindlay was working at Riley Cycle Company, one of the major firms in Coventry at that time. He progressed steadily within the company, until 1910, when while working as a foreman at Riley Cycle Company, he applied for a patent (24,683) regarding "improved means for carrying spare wheels" for motorcars. That same year Grindlay left Riley Cycle Company and took over the Coventry Motor & Sundries business, establishing Grindlay Sidecars, which became known for its "extremely high quality" machines.[10][11]
In 1918, he established Grindlay Company or Grindlay (Coventry) Ltd, which focused on coachwork for cars and later the manufacture of the Grindlay Spring-Wheel Sidecar which he himself designed.[12]
Grindlay contributed to the alliedwar effort both directly, through volunteer policing and emergency services civil defence work, and indirectly, by turning over his various factories for the production of war materials during WWI and WWII.
World War I
At the beginning of WWI Grindlay combined forces with Thomas Edward Musson (b.1875) founding Musson & Grindlay, specialising in sidecar production, and oversaw Musson & Grindlay and Coventry Motor & Sundries providing key materials for the armament and munitions industry in Coventry throughout the war. Some 5 years after the end of WWI, he parted ways with Musson in 1923 and established Grindlay Peerless.[13]
During the war, Grindlay was part of the Motor Patrol section of the Special Constabulary of Coventry, where he was able to utilise his extensive motoring experience.[8]
World War II
Throughout WWII, Grindlay was Commandant of the Coventry Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) in charge of all associated civil fire-fighting procedures, training, and emergency response operations. He led the development of the AFS and was in charge of the service until its eventual amalgamation with the National Fire Service. Moreover, in 1941 he was elected Mayor of Coventry.[8]
Grindlay further expanded his manufacturing operations in 1936 when he formed Coventry Engineering Company.[14] Specialising in machine parts and jigs, tool fixtures and gauges, early work involved assisting with the production of aircraft guns as part of the arms build up ahead of the war. Support for the war effort expanded to include the development of pitch propellers, barrage balloons, aircraft fuselages and control gear.[12]
Formed in 1923, Grindlay Peerless, which operated out of Melbourne Works on Shakleton Road in Spon End, Coventry, entered into the wider motorcycle market in the early 1920s, and began making high-powered racing machines. Like the Grindlay Sidecars before them, they employed numerous technological advances and innovative engineering, which included utilising early aircraft design features.[11][15]
Thorough his time in government he held several additional positions, including chairmanships of the Coventry Progressive Party, the Waterworks and Fire Brigade, the Libraries and Museum Committee, the City Redevelopment Committee, Coventry Savings Committee as part of the National Savings Movement, as well as membership of the Coventry Chamber of Commerce.[8]
Grindlay was generally regarded as a member of the Conservative opposition in the Council, though he described himself as a "Liberal in thought, but not a member of any political party".[8][19]
On 8 June 1946, Grindlay was present at the laying of the Coventry Levelling Stone, which marks the theodolite point for the rebuilding of Coventry city centre and from which all central building levels were subsequently taken. A symbol of Coventry’s regeneration following the bombardment of WWII, he laid the mortar for the ceremonial placement of the stone, and his name and office form part of the surrounding inscription.[21]
He presided over Coventry throughout the Coventry Blitz when the city was devastated by aerial bombing campaigns, particularly the notorious November 1940 raid during which Coventry Cathedral was destroyed, and the April 1941 attack that saw 230 bombers attack the city, dropping 315 tons of high explosive and 25,000 incendiaries. Grindlay led much of the early work to rebuild the city following the bombing, and a large portion of the city owes its design origins to his directives.[1][22]
On 14 October 1942, in response to the war-time solidarity that had developed between the people of Coventry and Stalingrad (now Volgograd), in a telegram to the people of Stalingrad, Grindlay wrote:
"The inhabitants of Coventry will never forget the sacrifices which were endured by Stalingrad. They express to you, the people of Stalingrad, their feelings of special sympathy and admiration for your great courage and iron determination to fight until victory."[23][24][25] – A R Grindlay, 1942
This close war-time relationship, fostered by Grindlay and the citizens of Coventry, resulted in the twinning of the two cities in 1944, becoming what became known as sister cities.[b] This act of comradeship started a trend that spread across Europe and the rest of the world.[26]
Grindlay was a keen sportsman and prominent figure in the Coventry sporting world, remaining involved with various clubs and associations throughout his life. His love of amateur football, beginning with his playing for Foleshill Great Heath Football Club in his youth, was a passion shared by his wife, Emma, and which culminated in his becoming vice-president of Coventry City Football Club.[27] He was also chairman of Coventry and Warwickshire Motor Club, vice-president of Coventry Cricket Club, and a member the Coventry Hearsall and Coventry Golf Clubs.[8][19][28]
A committed philanthropist, in his role as chairman of the Coventry Hospital Carnival Committee, Grindlay oversaw the organisation of 16 carnivals and 2 "Godiva" processions that raised more than £60,000 for the hospital, attracting visitors from around the world and to wide public acclaim, before it was eventually taken over by the government.[19] It was at one of these processions that his second son, Alfred Stephen Chaplin Grindlay, would meet his future wife, Frances Phyllis Burchell, who as an accomplished horse rider played the role of Lady Godiva.[29] He also contributed to the hospital by sitting on both its General and House Committees. In addition to his works with the city council, Grindlay was a Freemason like many of the wider Grindlay family, and contributed to many charities and philanthropic projects through his membership of the Trinity Lodge and Trinity Royal Arch Chapter.[8][19]
"Few public men have had a busier life than Mr. Grindlay, the ramifications of whose work embrace practically every phase of civic, social, business, sporting and philanthropic activity."[19] – Coventry Evening Telegraph, 1940
Grindlay was a Methodist and while living in Foleshill, was an active member of the Free Methodist Church on Station Street West, formerly Carpenter's Lane, and held all of the posts that were open to laymen.[30] In his later years he went on to become the President of the Coventry and District Free Church Council.[8][19]
In 1941, William Michael Maddocks, son of Sir Henry Maddocks, asked Grindlay to write the foreword to his commemorative novel, The City We Loved – Coventry, published in 1942, which details the story of the destruction of Coventry's medieval centre by the 1940 and 1941 blitzkrieg campaigns of Nazi Germany.
On 1 July 1965, Coventry City Council announced that a redevelopment in Windsor Street, Spon End was to be named Grindlay House in his honour.[22]
Having been a Coventry City Councillor for nearly 39 years, Grindlay was awarded the Honorary Freemanship of the City of Coventry on 15 November 1962.[c][4][20][32] His award is described by Coventry City Council as being "in recognition of his eminent and devoted service to the city during a period of unprecedented municipal development and as a token of public esteem".[d][4][33]
Grindlay retired from the council on 21 May 1964 at the age of 88 after serving for 40 years. He died at his home at Trinity House in Coventry in 1965 aged 89 years,[34] and was buried at All Saint's Church, Allesley on 2 June 1965. He is remembered as the "Father of Coventry City Council".[8][35]
a.^a Both of Grindlay's sons, Reginald and Alfred Stephen, later joined and expanded the family engineering businesses.
b.^b The close relationship between Coventry and Stalingrad, initiated and fostered by Grindlay, continues to the present day with regular analogous celebrations in both cities on the anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad.
d.^d Members of Coventry City Council proposed Grindlay have the further honour of a baronetcy bestowed upon him by the Lord Chancellor. Although the title of Sir Alfred Robert Grindlay, 1st Baronet of Allesley was under consideration at the time, it was not formally conferred before his death in 1965.
"Coventry's Mayors". Historic Coventry. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Roll of the Mayors of Coventry - 1941 Alfred Robert Grindley (Grindlay)
"Extraordinary Meeting of the City Council". Coventry City Council. 14 July 2015. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 October 2015. Appendix 1 (List of Honorary Freeman of the City of Coventry) Alfred Robert Grindlay CBE, JP. 15th November 1962. A Member of the City Council for nearly 39 years, in recognition of his eminent and devoted services to the City during a period of unprecedented municipal development and as a token of public esteem.
Warwickshire County Record Office; Warwick, England; Warwickshire Anglican Registers; Roll: Engl/2/1234; Document Reference: DR 411. Warwickshire Anglican Registers. Warwick, England: Warwickshire County Record Office.
"Telegraph Cup". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 25 October 1895 – via British Newspaper Archive. Telegraph Cup. Foleshill Great Heath v Progress. At Foleshill. Great Heath: Edge, goal; Suddens and Cooper, backs; Grindley [Grindlay], Barker, and Cattel, half-backs; Wood, Smith, Holmes, Strong, and Young, forwards. Referee, Mr. J. Kingham.
"Foleshill Great Heath Football Club - Annual Dinner". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 13 July 1899 – via British Newspaper Archive. Foleshill Great Heath Football Club - Annual Dinner. There were on the dinner tables of the Angle Inn, Foleshill, on Wednesday night, three football challenge trophies, that has been gained in meritorious fashion by Foleshill Great Heath Football Club during the 1899-99 season...One of them that they had had the pleasure in winning, was the Foleshill Nursing Association Cup. The second was that of the Midland Daily Telegraph...Then there was the Nuneaton Cottage Hospital Cup. The club has been in existence for 11 years, and they had one more cups than any other club in the district around. Matches played has been 38, of which 24 had been won, 6 drawn, and 8 lost. The principal goal scorers were Twigger 16, Tedds 24, Walton 18, Grindley [Grindlay] 9, Chatland 10, and Tasker 27. Since its formation, Great Heath has been instrumental in the gaining of £176 for charities, which they considered was a creditable work. (Applause)
"Freedom Scrolls Honour - Service of Three Coventry Alderman - 'Father' of the City Council". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 14 November 1962 – via British Newspaper Archive. Alderman Alfred Robert Grindlay, who is 86, is a Coventry man...he became a member of Coventry City Council in May 1924. He was a one time chairman of Coventry Progressive Party. Alderman Grindlay who is now regarded as 'Father of the Council' was Mayor of Coventry in 1941. He has served on the Waterworks and Fire Brigade Committee for most of his period on the Council and was chairman twice. He is also on the Planning and Redevelopment Committee. During the First World War he served in the Special Constabulary on motor patrol duty. In the Second World War he assisted in forming the Auxiliary Fire Service and was commandant until its amalgamation with the National Fire Service. He has always been active in the life of the city generally, from his younger days when he played cricket and football, captaining Great Heath, to his voluntary work in later years for the National Savings Movement in Coventry. He was chairman for many years and was awarded the O.B.E. in 1943 and the C.B.E. in 1946. To these services many others can be added. He was a one time president of the Coventry and District Free Church Council. He is a past chairman of Coventry and Warwickshire Motor Club. He was chairman throughout its existence of the Coventry Hospital Carnival Committee, which organised 16 carnivals including 2 Godiva processions, raising more than £60,000 for the hospital before it became state controlled. Alderman Grindlay, whose home is at Trinity House, Rectory Lane, Allesley served as a magistrate from 1932 until retiring under the age limit ruling in 1951.
Jackson, Colin (2017). Classic British Motorcycles. Fonthill Media. Alfred Grindlay and Edward Peerless form the Grindlay Peerlees Company and initially built extremely high quality sidecars. It was natural that when they decided to produce a motorcycle it should also be a machine of [exceptional quality]
Directory of Coventry Manufacturers(PDF). England: The Public Relations Department of the Corporation of Coventry Municipal Information Bureau. 1936. pp.33, 35, 43. Coventry Motor Sundries Company Ltd (Est. 1910) p35; Grindlay Company (Est. 1918) p43; Coventry Engineering Company Ltd (Est. 1936) p33
"1924 Grindlay-Peerless 1000cc V-Twin". RealClassic.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. 1924 Grindlay-Peerless 1000cc V-Twin: Grindlay Peerless built superb sidecars back in the 1920s and entered the motorcycle market itself in 1923 with a flagship model that put most other manufacturers in the shade.
"Grindlay Sidecar". Bonhams. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Lot 98 Grindlay Sidecar: A short-lived marque, Grindlay-Peerless is nevertheless guaranteed its place in motorcycling history thanks to works rider/tuner Bill Lacey, who became the first '500' rider to exceed 100 miles in the hour on British soil in August 1928.
"Deputy-Mayor Elect's Busy Public Life - A Pioneer in Motorcycle History". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 31 October 1940 – via British Newspaper Archive. Deputy-Mayor Elect's Busy Public Life: A Pioneer in Motorcycle History. Next year's Deputy Mayor of Coventry, as already announced will be Councillor Alfred Robert Grindlay, J.P., the Chairman of Coventry Progressive Party. Few public men have had a busier life than Mr. Grindlay, the ramifications of whose work embrace practically every phase of civic, social, business, sporting and philanthropic activity. A Coventry man, Mr. Grindlay is principal of three well-known local firms, all of them pioneer industries in a city which has thrived because of its ability to keep in step with the times. He founded Coventry Motor Sundries Ltd. in 1911, the Grindlay (Coventry) Company Ltd. in 1918, and the Coventry Engineering Company in 1936. All motorcyclists of any experience will remember the famous Grindlay Peerless machine, which was turned out by the firm some years ago and established its reputation when a 400 cc model was the first in this country to do a 100 miles in an hour, thus winning a treasured trophy which has gone unwon for a number of years. At the same time was produced the Grindlay sidecar for motorcycles, this, too enjoyed considerable popularity. So far as his record of civic work goes, Mr. Grindlay has represented Greyfriars Ward without a break for 16 years, being elected in May, 1924, and in this connection he holds another record. Within a few months of his election he was appointed vice-chairman of the Waterworks and Fire Brigade committee, and, successively, he became vice-chairman and chairman then vice-chairman and chairman again, these offices extending over a period of 13 years. Nowadays it is customary for a chairman to retain the position for 3 years only. Helping the city's development: During this period Mr. Grindlay took a very prominent part in the big development schemes related to the city's water supply and, of its fire-fighting services. He was also chairman of the Libraries Committee for 2 years, and has served on various other committees throughout his period of membership of the City Council. Mr. Grindlay was appointed a magistrate in 1932 and regularly attends to his duties as a Justice. Of his political interests he says 'I have never taken a very active part in party politics. I am a Liberal in thought, and at present I am chairman of the non-political party, the Coventry Progressive Party.' Mr. Grindlay seems to specialise in the number of local association in which he has had a hand in founding. For instance he is one of Coventry Rotary Club's oldest members, having been associated with the club since the second year of its existence, while he was greatly interested in the old motoring clubs of the city, which years ago, played a very big part in entertainment and money-raising efforts for charity. It was his connection with the Coventry and Warwickshire Motor Club which first brought him into contact with the Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital, and led to his becoming the first and only chairman of the Coventry Carnival Committee. Work for the Hospital: First attending a meeting called to consider what the motor clubs could do to help the hospital by raising money from a public entertainment, Mr. Grindlay found himself chairman of the organisation at the end of the meeting. He also found himself committed to sponsoring the idea of a procession, which has since grown to gain for itself a world-wide reputation. It was from these small beginning that the Coventry Hospital Carnival, as we have known it in recent years, began. The first procession was a comparatively small affair, which had the old Radford aerodrome as its focal point, and since, by stages build up on extremely hard work, the procession has increased and been extended in scope until its record includes two Godiva processions, which attracted visitors to the city from all parts of the world. During this period the Carnival Committee has raised in the neighbourhood of £50,000 for the hospital. Mr. Grindlay's connection with the hospital was subsequently extended to his membership of the House Committee for some years, and also of the General Committee. Another of Mr. Grindlay's interests is his membership of the Council of the Coventry Chamber of Commerce. During the time he lived in Foleshill Mr. Grindlay was attached to the Station Street Free Methodist Church and occupied all the offices it was possible for a layman to hold. Sporting Interests: In the sporting world of Coventry, some years ago Mr. Grindlay was a prominent figure because of his active association in a playing capacity with the famous old Great Heath Association Football Club. Mr Grindlay is a member of Coventry Golf Club, while he is also an enthusiastic gardener, as anyone who has visited his home, Trinity House, Rectory Lane, Allesley, will agree. A Freemason Mr. Grindlay is also a member of the Trinity Lodge and also of Trinity Royal Arch Chapter. Most recently Mr. Grindlay has identified himself most closely with the establishment and organisation of Coventry's Auxiliary Fire Service, which now nearly 3 years old. He is the commandant of the service, and under the direction of Chief Officer Cartwright, of the City Fire Brigade, an organisation some 600 strong has been built up, which has proved a credit to all concerned.
"The Free Men of Coventry". Coventry Society News. 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Alfred Robert Grindlay, Esquire, C.B.E., J.P. (Alderman)
"What is the point of Coventry's twin towns?". Coventry Telegraph. 2 August 2011. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Coventry was the first city in the world to twin with another. In 1944 Coventry started a trend that would spread across Europe and the rest of the world.
"Death of Wartime Mayoress". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 24 August 1953 – via British Newspaper Archive. Mrs Emma Grindlay...died yesterday at her home, Trinity House, Allesley, Coventry...She was a former member of the Rotary Inner Wheel and her interests included a lifetime of support for amateur football. For many years she attended Coventry Football Club matches and was also a keen and successful amateur gardener...
"Carnival Romance - Lady Godiva to marry Coventry admirer". Coventry Herald. 12 March 1938 – via British Newspaper Archive. Carnival Romance: Lady Godiva to marry Coventry admirer. Had it not been for a chance suggestion in 1936 of her office chief, Miss Frances P Burchell, Alfred Stephen Chaplin Grindlay, son of Councillor A. R. Grindlay, of Coventry, and the romantic engagement to him of the former 'Lady Godiva', announced this week, might never have happened... He chief notice the advertisement in the press for a 'Lady Godiva' for Coventry Carnival, and knowing that Miss Burchell spent most of her spare time riding, suggested that she should enter. Mr Grinday, junr., is general manager and director of the Coventry Motor Sundries Limited, and the director of the Coventry Engineering Company. He is a well-known sportsman and mountaineer. Since 1928 he has been a member of the Coventrians Rugby Football Club and has also played for the senior Coventry Team.
"Warwick University: Modern Records Centre". The National Archives. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Coventry Corporation: Coventry Civic Affairs, monthly news-sheet, no.168, reporting the award of Freedom of the City to Alderman A. R. Grindlay, C.B.E., J.P., Alderman G. E. Hodgkinson, O.B.E., and Alderman Sidney Stringer. Also nos.169, November, 172-6, Apr 1962 - Nov/Dec 1963.
"Director of a Coventry Firm dies aged 65". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 21 April 1965. Director of a Coventry Firm dies aged 65. Mr Reginald Robert Grindlay, the elder son of Mr A. R. Grindlay, a former Alderman and "Father" of Coventry City Council, died at his home at Derwent Island, Keswick, yesterday. Mr Grindlay was 65 years old and until about six months ago lived at Holly Lodge, Berkswell. He was a director with his father, and a younger brother, Mr Stephen Grindlay, of Grindlay (Coventry) Ltd. Mr Grindlay, a prominent Freemason, was a member of the Grand Lodge of England and of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Warwickshire. He was a past master of the Victory Lodge, Coventry. His death occurred suddenly. The funeral will be on Friday at 3.30 pm at Allesley Church. He leaves a widow, Mrs Vera Grindlay, and a son and daughter.
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