Remembering Richard Pugh

Richard was born in Buxton, Derbyshire on 9/9/27 and lived his early life in the centre of town at 4 The Square. His father was a pharmacist and ran a chemists shop that is still there and still displays the name Pugh.

My father went to Buxton College, but very sadly his father died when my father was 17 and as there was little money he had to leave full time education and he took articles with a local accountant. During his five years there he qualified as a Chartered Accountant, but also as a Chartered Secretary. The latter became very important to him in later life as he joined the Guild – the Livery Company of the Chartered Secretaries, and was for a time on their Court. You will see that his coffin is draped with a Pall. That is the official pall of the Livery Company that has been lent for this occasion and I believe that other members of the Livery may be attending today.

When he finished his articles he embarked on a career in the mail order business, firstly at Grattan Warehouses in Bradford, but soon after my sister was born in 1956, he took a job at Kays of Worcester where he worked for the rest of his career, and he moved to Malvern where he lived for the rest of his life.

He didn’t stop studying when he finished his articles. He added a further accounting qualification to his list of accomplishments and also completed a law degree from the University of London studying on his own after work. Quite an achievement.

When he started at Kays he worked in Organisation and Methods – seeking to improve efficiency and effectiveness within the business. This took him into the field of computers and he was quite a pioneer in their use within a business. He moved from there to general management, becoming Assistant Managing Director, then Managing Director and then Chairman of Kays. Kays at that time was owned by Great Universal Stores – or GUS - which had parallel mail order operations in Manchester and he was asked to chair this too. From there he was appointed to the main board of GUS which was one of the largest companies in the country – in the top thirty I believe. He progressed further within GUS and became deputy Chairman and number two to its Chairman, Lord Leonard Wolfson. A meteoric business career by almost any standards I would suggest.

Alongside his career at Kays my father was involved with many other projects in Worcester. Perhaps most notably he was asked thirty years ago to chair the appeal to raise £4 million to repair the Cathedral tower which apparently swayed when the low notes were played on the organ. I think the organists were encouraged to keep up at the other end of the keyboard, but the money was duly raised and the work done and as far as I am aware, the tower still stands. Further to this he chaired the order of St John in the county, he was on the board of a local hospital trust, he was awarded an honorary degree by the college in Worcester and he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of the county.

He retired after 40 years at Kays aged 68 and embarked on an active retirement. He suffered a heart attack soon after he retired but he recovered fully and went on to travel widely. This was brought home to me recently when I found a drawer full of about 30 or 40 small plastic bags. Each contained coins from a country that he had visited. When not traveling he pursued a keen interest in genealogy, and in particular researching the history of the Crommelin family. Alongside all the coins are many shelves of papers, letters, photographs and memorabilia that he put together. Helen and I hope to pass this to the Crommelin family where we hope someone will build on what he did.

My last topic is perhaps the most important. My parents met at the Buxton Young Conservatives. A faith that remained strong throughout – with perhaps a small wobble when Margaret Thatcher had to stand down. They were married for over 63 years and some of you here were present at their diamond wedding anniversary, complete with telegram (or its modern equivalent) from the Queen. Those who were, will remember the impassioned speech that my father gave about the closeness of their marriage. My mother was perhaps the rock on which much of my father’s success was built.

A few here will know that I have a slightly disreputable habit – not that I think of it as disreputable – but I write limericks as a hobby. They are perhaps not the stuff of tributes, but I couldn’t resist writing one to finish what I have to say:

There once was a man named Pugh
Quite a whizz and a business guru
He had charm and a smile
Those he met he’d beguile
You’ll do well if the same’s said of you!