Owners of No. 18 Gloucester Road

The early life of George Excell

George was born in Oswestry in Shropshire in 1919.  Within a few weeks his family moved to Teignmouth in Devon and then moved again to Thornbury in 1923.  They lived in a house on The Plain, between Savery’s and Bert Iles, the hairdressers.  His father ran a small boot and shoe business there until he bought larger premises on the corner of the High Street and Soapers Lane.  Here he had as many as 18 or 20 people, mostly on a part time basis, specialising in making and repairing hob-nailed boots for the County Council, local quarries and farmers.  He carried on this business until 1954.

In an interview given to the Thornbury Oral History Society, George recalled moving into the house on The Plain. “It had no tap water, no proper sewerage, a man used to come round with a horse and cart and empty the bucket toilet, and gas was used for lighting and cooking.  Water was obtained from a hand pump from a tank under the scullery and drinking water was obtained in buckets from the mains water tap across the road which had replaced the old hand pump.”

George went to the Church of England School where S.W.G. Dennis was the headmaster.  When he was nine he progressed to the Grammar School, where this photograph was taken in 1936.  He left school at the age of 16.  He had wanted to be a journalist but was prevented from doing so by an accident he had to his eye.  Instead, he started at Forest & Orchard Nurseries (now Wyevale).  According to the interview, George said he “didn’t last long.  Not having learnt Latin.  I unfortunately sent a load of laurel bushes to a customer in Yeovil, a lorry load of laurel bushes instead of Christmas trees.  My career at the nursery ended on Christmas Eve.  I was given a thorough telling-off, and given half a crown as a Christmas box.”

George was encouraged by his father to join the shoe trade, but didn’t like it.  He started an apprenticeship at the Thornbury and District Electricity Supply Company run by the Grace family.  This first electricity in Thornbury was produced by a gas engine at the sawmill run by Edmund Cullimore.  Francis Grace was married to Helen, Edmund Cullimore’s daughter.  Francis started the electricity company to sell off the electricity they had to spare, and soon started buying in electricity from the West Gloucestershire Power Company to supply the demands from businesses and houses.

George’s job was to wire up the houses, shops and businesses and put in the supply poles and connecting cables.  He also helped out Frances Grace in the town cinema.  After a full day wiring houses, he worked all evening in the cinema.

George continued with this work until 1939 when he joined up with the Service Corps despite being in a reserved occupation.  He was invalided out in 1942 and he started his own electrical business in the old shop on The Plain which his father had used when they first came to Thornbury.  Unfortunately he had to give up this business for health reasons associated with his army service.  He sold this business to Cranbrook Radio with whom he worked for a few years. There followed a number of jobs, with the Ministry of Supply, Cryselco, a manufacturer of fluorescent tubes, and then Bristol Aeroplane Company where he worked on the test beds for the Brabazon aircraft, the Britannia and was there during the very early stages of the development of engines for the Concorde.

George was very interested in music, and as a drummer, he played with many of the famous dance bands of the time, including Billy Merry and Joe Loss.  For a time he became a redcoat with Billy Butlin at Pwllheli Holiday Camp.  Here he recalls working almost 24 hours a day, as camp announcer he had to get up at 7am and be in front of the mike saying 'Good morning Happy Campers' and reading out the menu and entertainment programme for the day.   His duties with the dance band often carried on till 2 o'clock the following morning.

He was also an active member of Thornbury Dramatic Society. He joined in 1932 when the society was formed and continued until 1965.  He only appeared in two productions, he was mainly involved back stage looking after the lighting and other special effects.

George and Joan married in 1943, and a few years later in 1947 they moved to what is now 18 Gloucester Road.

This page was last updated: 28/08/2007