Bernard Docker
Encyclopedia
Sir Bernard Dudley Frank Docker (9 August 1896 – 22 May 1978) was an English industrialist.
Bernard Docker was born in Edgbaston
, Birmingham
, the only child of Frank Dudley Docker
an industrialist.
Docker was the Managing Director of the Birmingham Small Arms Company
group of companies (BSA) from the early 1940s until 1956 and he also chaired the Daimler Motor Company
.
He became noted during the 1950s for producing show cars, such as the "Golden Daimler" (1952), "Blue Clover" (1953), the "Silver Flash" and "Stardust" in 1954. He was succeeded by Jack Sangster
as Chairman of BSA, following a 1956 boardroom coup.
Docker's first wife was Jeanne Stuart
(née Ivy Sweet), a British actress. They married in 1933 but the marriage was soon dissolved after pressure from Docker's parents. His second wife was Norah Collins
(née Norah Royce Turner), a former showgirl he married in 1949 as her third husband; she was the widow of Sir William Collins, the president of Fortnum & Mason
, and widow of Clement Callingham, the head of Henekeys wine and spirits merchants.
The Dockers were often objects of ridicule because of the ostentatious flaunting of their wealth. In the 1950s they bought and lavishly redecorated Glandyfi Castle
in Wales
.The comedian Frankie Howerd
would often refer to people as "looking a bit like Lady Docker". Lady Docker
retorted by saying that she had brought "A bit of glamour to the business of making motorcycles".
Sir Bernard and Lady Docker are both buried in the churchyard of St James the Less, Stubbings
, near Maidenhead in Berkshire, along with Norah's first husband Clement Scott Callingham and their daughter Felicity.
Bernard Docker was born in Edgbaston
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, the only child of Frank Dudley Docker
Frank Dudley Docker
Frank Dudley Docker CB , known as Dudley Docker, was an English businessman and financier. He also played first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1881 and 1882.-Cricketer:...
an industrialist.
Docker was the Managing Director of the Birmingham Small Arms Company
Birmingham Small Arms Company
This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors....
group of companies (BSA) from the early 1940s until 1956 and he also chaired the Daimler Motor Company
Daimler Motor Company
The Daimler Motor Company Limited was an independent British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in London by H J Lawson in 1896, which set up its manufacturing base in Coventry. The right to the use of the name Daimler had been purchased simultaneously from Gottlieb Daimler and Daimler Motoren...
.
He became noted during the 1950s for producing show cars, such as the "Golden Daimler" (1952), "Blue Clover" (1953), the "Silver Flash" and "Stardust" in 1954. He was succeeded by Jack Sangster
Jack Sangster
John Young Sangster was an industrialist who became an important figure in the history of the British motorcycle industry. He is more commonly known as Jack Sangster.-Early life:...
as Chairman of BSA, following a 1956 boardroom coup.
Docker's first wife was Jeanne Stuart
Jeanne Stuart
Jeanne Stuart , born Ivy Sweet, was a British stage and film actress.Using the stage name Jeanne Stuart, she performed on the London stage, on Broadway, and in motion pictures...
(née Ivy Sweet), a British actress. They married in 1933 but the marriage was soon dissolved after pressure from Docker's parents. His second wife was Norah Collins
Norah, Lady Docker
Norah Docker, Lady Docker was an English socialite.Daughter of Amy and Sydney Turner, she was originally a successful dance hall hostess and was noted for her colourful lifestyle.-Marriages:...
(née Norah Royce Turner), a former showgirl he married in 1949 as her third husband; she was the widow of Sir William Collins, the president of Fortnum & Mason
Fortnum & Mason
Fortnum & Mason, often shortened to just "Fortnum's" is a department store, situated in central London, with two other branches in Japan. Its headquarters is located at 181 Piccadilly, where it was established in 1707 by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason...
, and widow of Clement Callingham, the head of Henekeys wine and spirits merchants.
The Dockers were often objects of ridicule because of the ostentatious flaunting of their wealth. In the 1950s they bought and lavishly redecorated Glandyfi Castle
Glandyfi
Glandyfi is a small hamlet in the county of Ceredigion in Wales on the A487 trunk road from Machynlleth to Aberystwyth....
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.The comedian Frankie Howerd
Frankie Howerd
Francis Alick "Frankie" Howerd OBE was an English comedian and comic actor whose career, described by fellow comedian Barry Cryer as "a series of comebacks", spanned six decades.-Early career:...
would often refer to people as "looking a bit like Lady Docker". Lady Docker
Norah, Lady Docker
Norah Docker, Lady Docker was an English socialite.Daughter of Amy and Sydney Turner, she was originally a successful dance hall hostess and was noted for her colourful lifestyle.-Marriages:...
retorted by saying that she had brought "A bit of glamour to the business of making motorcycles".
Sir Bernard and Lady Docker are both buried in the churchyard of St James the Less, Stubbings
Stubbings
Stubbings is a hamlet in the civil parish of Bisham, west of Maidenhead, in the English county of Berkshire.Stubbings House mansion was very briefly the home of Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec and later, during World War II, of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. It is...
, near Maidenhead in Berkshire, along with Norah's first husband Clement Scott Callingham and their daughter Felicity.