Wilf Castle....purveyor of good lardy cakes and wholemeal bread from his emporium in Market Street, at one time his empire stretched to another outlet in Gorse Hill, but the growth of the predilection of the housewife for sliced bread.....Hovis,Sunblest etc. saw this enterprise fold, victim to early corporate takeover.
If Wilf could have done a Warburton, who knows we might now be top flight.
Wilf got on the Board in 1950....now it should be noted that the Articles of Association meant that to be on the Board you didn't particularly need money....rather being seen as a pillar of the community sufficed....and who better than a baker who produces "the staff of life" So the Boards of the day consisted of worthies....dough boys like Wilf, purveyors of quality chitterlins like Eric Lane, local farmers like "Piggy" Williams and mine host of the Crown, Stratton Frank Plyer. The Works had to have its rep...Reg Fricker, who would arrive at Board meetings, AGMs etc on his bike and free his trousers from their bike clips before getting down to business.
You could get voted off the Board at an AGM, by the many small shareholders, so needed a certain political acumen....in Wilf's case make sure your lardy had sufficient grease on it to the lube the axles of a King class.
Wilf's tenure to say the least was not always popular with the rank and file....like in 55/56 when the Board decision by now Wilf was chair, was a proto Power scenario....a manager wasn't appointed rather a trainer, what we'd now call a coach, the Board dealt with recruitment...we applied for re-election.
The appointment of Bert Head though was a masterstroke, whoever made the decision....the relegation in 64/65, however made for a stormy AGM at which Wilf was criticised for penny pinching when we had a chance to push on. The scene was redolent of Leo Amery quoting Cromwell, re Neville Chamberlain..."You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go.
This antipathy spilled into the TE, and brought about the classic zeitgeist chant of " send Wilf Castle to Vietnam alleluia, send Wilf Castle to Vietnam alleluluia" Wilf's response was to dig in his heels and reduce the amount of grease on his lardys.
The irony was that Wilf retired in 68, and the long time vice Chair Eric Lane, got all the glory of 68/69. Castle's bakery probably went on until perhaps the 90's. You could still find Eric behind te counter of his Wood Street shop when he was into his 80's, it eventually fell foul of H and S....too much fat around in pork butchers.