CAFFYNS AT WAR

The patterns of Mr. Sydney and Mr. Edward Caffyns careers during the war years reflect the dual nature of the struggle in which the whole of Britain was involved: the one ensuring an efficient and thorough back-up at home to mechanised forces serving overseas and seeing that the firm base of the Company’s structure remained to build on as soon as conditions allowed; the other pursuing a distinguished military career in places which were to become household names in the years that followed.

At the outbreak of war in 1939 Caffyns were employing 450 men and women. Staff had been encouraged to join the Territorial Army and in May 1939 Mr. Edward Caffyn was called on to raise and command the 10th Army Field Workshop. In the first week of the war Mr. Edward, six Branch Managers and a quarter of the entire staff were called up. Those left had to cope with a flood of restrictions and regulations, as well as the obvious hazards of being in a front-line area: Caffyns’ premises were damaged in no less than 79 separate bombing incidents during the war.

Petrol rationing had an immediate and drastic effect on turnover, which halved during the first months of the war, but strenuous efforts were made to get Government work and, after months of what Mr. Sydney Caffyn (in charge of Caffyns’ operations on the “Home Front”) called “Heart-breaking trekking from one Government department to another”, contracts were secured for the production of tools for Ordnance Factories at Marine Parade and aircraft parts at Brighton. In May 1940 Brighton was also appointed a Civilian Training School for Army Mechanics — it went on to become the largest in the country training over 8,000 troops during the next five years.

In Eastbourne the Terminus Road premises were closed and Caffyns Head Office moved in June 1940 to its present site in the Meads Road building. The German occupation of the French coast meant that the Sussex coast became a restricted area, with only seven depots allowed to stock petrol. Crowborough, Goring and part of Heathfield branch were requisitioned for units returned from Dunkirk and subsequently a total of twenty-seven of Caffyns’ buildings were requisitioned for Army and Navy units, while the BBC set up transmitting stations at the Brighton and Hastings branches. Machine tools and body building activities were concentrated at Brighton, Eastbourne and Haywards Heath.

From September to December 1940, due to the threat of invasion, the Head Office was temporarily moved to Haywards Heath, though workshop staff volunteered to stay on and continue the important supply work being carried on in Eastbourne. During this period Meads Road and Chapel Road, Worthing, were badly damaged in air raids. 

Mr. Sydney Caffyn raised and commanded the Sussex Recovery Company Home Guard, with 200 men and 45 vehicles, including factory units at Eastbourne (Seaside) and Hove.

Hove branch, under Mr. Cecil Caffyn (a brother of Mr P.1. and Mr H.B. Caffyn) and Mr. Coote, was appointed one of the first Army Auxffiary Workshops, to be followed in 1943 by Haywards Heath and later by Seaside

A great variety of bodies were produced at Seaside for the Ministry of Supply, many to Caffyns’ own design. The loss from absenteeism at the Seaside works was less than one per cent, a source of great pride to Mr F.J. Wootton under whose control the branch was. Once again, women and elderly staff coped superbly under very difficult conditions, work being constantly interrupted by low flying enemy aircraft. A Canadian Army unit established a gun post on the roof of the Seaside building and in August 1942 shot down a FW19O within afew hundred yards of the premises. A propeller blade from the plane is now in the Combined Services Museum at the Redoubt on Eastbourne sea front. 

The Company suffered a sad loss by the death on 23rd May 1942 of Mr PT. Caffyn, Chairman and Governing Director, to whom Mr Sydney Caffyn paid tribute in the following words:

“It has been due to his foresight and industry that the Company has grown from a very small beginning to one of the largest Motor businesses in the country. Together with great business genius he had also a deep religious faith as everyone who had the privilege of knowing him realised and respected. He set my brother and I a great example and we trust we shall be able to maintain the tradition he has established.”

The years 1942 and ‘43 saw the most serious losses from air raids, with the complete destruction of Aitken, Grinstead & Co.’s showrooms in December 1942. On 6th June 1943 Marine Parade branch caught fire after a direct hit and what remained of the three-storey building was so badly damaged that it had to be demolished. Fortunately this happened on a Sunday, for on weekdays staff had been working 24 hours a day — almost all of them subsequently voted to stay in Eastbourne and continue working. At Bexhill, after an unexploded bomb had been removed from the forecourt in front of her office, Miss Noakes installed her desk in a workshop pit, had a bench pulled over the top and steadfastly carried on with her work!

In 1943 a contract was obtained for the repair of RAF vehicles at Eastbourne, Lewes, Tonbridge and Bexhill, and Hove branch was appointed by Morris Commercial Cars Ltd to convert vehicles to run on Producer Gas. All sections of the Company’s war effort in Sussex and Kent were operating to full capacity~ with staff endeavoring to maintain a normal service to civilian and military customers, whilst spending their nights in fire-watching or on Home Guard duties, where eight members of staff held commissions.

Abroad, a total of 370 Caffyns’ staff served in the Forces, of whom 37 received commissions. twenty-two were Warrant Officers and 117 NCOs. Eleven received honours and 13 were mentioned in Dispatches: a proud record reflecting the caliber of the men and women concerned.

Throughout the war years, Mr Sydney Caffyn wrote a regular newsletter to staff serving in the Forces. The letters he received in reply provide a poignant personal insight into the war as seen by individuals in many fields of service. A vivid description of a low-level raid on an aerodrome in Holland in 1940 was sent by Sergeant James Stevens (Air Gunner, RAF) who had worked for Caffyns since leaving school in 1923, first at Marine Parade, Eastbourne, and later at Worthing. Sergeant Stevens was killed in action in September 1941, after taking part in about 40 raids during his brief but spectacular contribution to the war effort.

Private C. Boakes (Royal Sussex Regiment) of Haywards Heath sent a moving account of his experiences at Dunicirk, and others wrote about Normandy, North Africa, Singapore, Burma, Java... in fact, every part of the world where the war was being fought. Miss V.M. Bush (RSM, ATS) of Worthing wrote:

“I’m getting quite ‘fed up’ sitting down at a typewriter all day long. What I want to do is to go on a gun site.”

Mr Edward Caffyn was made a Lieutenant-Colonel on the outbreak of war, and took the 10th Army Field Workshop RAOC which he had raised, to France in 1940, where he was stationed on the Maginot Line with the 51st Highland Division, was in action on the Somme and evacuated from Brest. He commanded 3rd A.EW. in Northern Ireland and in 1942 became a Colonel and received the OBE. lIe was then posted to Northern Command as Deputy Director Ordnance Services (Engineering). Later in 1942 he was promoted to Brigadier and posted to the War Office in connection with the formation of REME. He became Deputy Director Mechanical Engineering (Org.) and went on a tour of inspection in North Africa after taking part in planning the landings. On formation of the 21st Army Group he was appointed Director Mechanical Engineering and controlled all REME units on the Continent, numbering over 43,000 men, until demobilisation in August 1945. During the early part of 1945 he was twice Mentioned in Dispatches and in March received the CBE.

Mr Sydney Caffyn praised the steadfastness, courage and loyalty of the men and women who “throughout the difficult and dangerous years stood to their posts and enabled our output to be maintained”. 

Brigadier Edward Caffyn returned to Eastbourne with a hand­written letter from Field-Marshal Montgomery, who said: “Thank you very much for all you have done in the REME line in this campaign. Your branch has stood up to every stress and strain and has done its stuff in a manner that is beyond all praise.” Eighteen men did not return. Their names are on the Caffyns’ Roll of Honour.

Throughout the war Caffyns had kept an eye to the future and had purchased the business of Messrs Ryders of Eastbourne and Willlngdon, the Seaford Motor Company and the Saltdean Service Station. During 1945 a number of acquisitions took place: the East Kent firm of Maitby’s Ltd (celebrated for its quality coachwork) with branches at Canterbury, Folkestone, Sandgate and Hythe premises of Sevenoaks Motors Ltd and Rock, Thorpe and Watson Ltd of Tonbridge Wells (established in 1822 as makers of horse-drawn carriages).

Victory in Europe brought with it the cancellation of body­building and machine shop contracts but vehicle repair work continued and, as demobilisation began and staff returned, Caffyns again began to reorganize the business on a peacetime basis, to include the newly acquired branches in Kent.