Sir Bernard Dudley Frank Docker (9 August 1896 – 22 May 1978) was an English
industrialist. Born in
Edgbaston
Edgbaston () is an affluent suburban area of central Birmingham, England, historically in Warwickshire, and curved around the southwest of the city centre.
In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family a ...
, Birmingham, he was the only child of
Frank Dudley Docker, an English businessman and financier.
Career
Docker was the managing director of the
Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) group of companies from the early 1940s until 1956. He also chaired
The Daimler Company Limited and the
Anglo-Argentine Tramways Company
The Anglo-Argentine Tramways Company (Spanish: ''Compañía de Tranvías Anglo Argentina''), known simply as ''La Anglo'' in Argentina, was a large transportation company which operated the majority of the trams in the Buenos Aires network, wh ...
. He was awarded a knighthood in 1938 for his ‘energetic work during twelve years as the Chairman of Westminster Hospital.’ He was succeeded by
Jack Sangster
John Young Sangster (29 May 1896 – 26 March 1977) was a British industrialist and philanthropist. He was an important figure in the British motorcycle industry, where he was involved with Ariel, BSA and Triumph.
Early life
Sangster was born ...
as Chairman of BSA, following a 1956 boardroom coup.
First marriage
Docker's first wife was
eanne Stuart(née Ivy Sweet), a British actress. They married in 1933, but the marriage was soon dissolved after pressure from Docker's parents. His father had her tracked by private detectives, and after finding her with actor
avid Hutcheson Docker divorced her. Jeanne later married a member of the Rothschild family.
1933 ROLLS-ROYCE
1934-Bernard Docker took delivery of AYO 867 (UK) FXE 616 (California) Rolls-Royce Phantom 2 50HP Long Continental Limousine, Chassis No. 89RY Engine No. SU85. straight six petrol. One of only 11 "Long Chassis" Ordered from Rolls-Royce Derby on several foolscap sides of personal specifications. The Coachwork was completed by Park Ward, the front wing sidelights were Daimler. This car had a glass divider, full width & height of the interior, to ensure complete privacy (with illuminated drinks pockets), from the front seat occupants.
MY ''Shemara''
Docker commissioned
John I. Thornycroft & Company to build a 863 tonne yacht to his specifications in 1938. 'I must stress that she was our home,' Norah: the Autobiography of Lady Docker states.
MY ''Shemara'' was requisitioned by the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
at the start of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
in 1939 and used as a training vessel for anti-submarine warfare. It was during a training exercise with HMS ''Shemara'' that the submarine
HMS ''Untamed'' was lost with all her crew.
''Shemara'' left RN service in 1946
Green Goddess
Docker commissioned
Hooper & Co. to build a
drophead coupé
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving exp ...
on a
Daimler DE-36 chassis for display at the first post-war
British International Motor Show
The British International Motor Show is an annual motor show held by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders between 1903 and 2008 in England, and as The British Motor Show since 2021 by Automotion Events.
Initially held in London at T ...
at the
Earls Court Exhibition Centre
Earls Court Exhibition Centre was a major international exhibition and events venue just west of central London. At its peak it is said to have generated a £2 billion turnover for the economy. It replaced exhibition and entertainment grounds, ...
in 1948. Named the "Green Goddess" by the press, the car had five seats, three windscreen wipers, and hydraulic operation of both the hood and the hood cover. After the show, the car was further tested and refined, after which it was kept by Docker for his personal use.
Six other chassis were bodied with similar bodies. These were all called "Green Goddesses" after the original, which was exhibited with jade-green coachwork and green-piped beige leather.
Second marriage
His second wife was
Norah Collins (née Norah Royce Turner), a former showgirl that he married at Caxton Hall in 1949. She was the widow of Sir William Collins, the president of
Fortnum & Mason
Fortnum & Mason (colloquially often shortened to just Fortnum's) is an upmarket department store in Piccadilly, London, with additional stores at The Royal Exchange, St Pancras railway station, Heathrow Airport in London and K11 Musea In Hong ...
, and also the widow of Clement Callingham, the head of Henekeys wine and spirits merchants. They lived at Heath House in Stockbridge.
Docker Daimlers
Sir Bernard Docker commissioned a series of Daimlers that were built to Lady Docker's specifications for the show circuit.
In ‘Norah: The Autobiography of Lady Docker’, ‘The Golden Daimler’ is given its own chapter. ‘If I could find a single reason for my elevation to the dubious ranks of a celebrity, then I think, I would have a motor car to thank.’ Norah told her husband Sir Bernard Docker of her frustration that no one abroad had heard of Daimler cars. To boost the car’s popularity, she asked Bernard: “Why can’t you manufacture a smaller Daimler, suitable for the family?” Bernard invited her to join the company and to take on the project.
;1951 – The Gold Car (a.k.a. Golden Daimler)
''The Gold Car'' was a touring limousine on the
Thirty-Six Straight-Eight chassis. The car was covered with 7,000 tiny gold stars, and all plating that would normally have been chrome was gold.
This car was taken to Paris, the United States and Australia.
;1952 – Blue Clover
Also on the Thirty-Six Straight-Eight chassis, ''Blue Clover'' was a two-door sportsman's coupé.
;1953 – Silver Flash
The ''Silver Flash'' was an aluminium-bodied coupé based on the 3-litre
Regency
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
chassis. Its accessories included solid silver hairbrushes and red fitted luggage made from crocodile skin.
;1954 – Star Dust
based on the
DF400 chassis. In 2014, the Star Dust limo, "finished with 5,000 sterling silver six-pointed stars" was sold after having been found in a barn in Wales in the 1980s.
;1955 – Golden Zebra
The ''Golden Zebra'' was a two-door coupé based on the
DK400 chassis.
Like the ''Gold Car'', the ''Golden Zebra'' had all its metal trim pieces plated in gold instead of chrome, and it had an ivory dashboard and zebra-skin upholstery.
Separation from Midland Bank
An entire chapter of 'Norah: the Autobiography of Lady Docker' is devoted to the Dockers and their separation from Midland Bank titled 'The B.S.A. Affair'. The book was ghostwritten and edited by
Don Short.
Separation from BSA
At the end of May 1956, Docker was removed from the board of Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA), and he was replaced as chairman of BSA by
Jack Sangster
John Young Sangster (29 May 1896 – 26 March 1977) was a British industrialist and philanthropist. He was an important figure in the British motorcycle industry, where he was involved with Ariel, BSA and Triumph.
Early life
Sangster was born ...
.
Decline and death
Without their main source of income, the Dockers began to run out of money. In 1965, Docker put ''Shemara'' on the market for £600,000; it was eventually sold for £290,000.
In the Norah: the Autobiography of Lady Docker, their isolation was described. 'Now we feel alone in this world, long since forgotten by those we helped, with only a handful of true and trusted friends remaining.'
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Docker, Bernard
1896 births
1978 deaths
Knights Bachelor
People from Birmingham, West Midlands
British motorcycle pioneers
People from Edgbaston
Daimler people
20th-century English businesspeople