H J "Harry" Dolman OBE (6 August 1897– November 9, 1977) was a well-known

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

businessman, starting off as an engineer who later bought out the firm he worked for, Brecknell, Dolman & Rogers Ltd. (formerly Brecknell, Munro & Rogers Ltd.) and as chairman and president of Bristol City FC.

Early life

Harry Dolman was born in

Kington Langley Kington Langley is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish about north of Chippenham in Wiltshire, England.OS Explorer Map 156, Chippenham and Bradford-on-Avon Scale: 1:25 000; publisher: Ordnance Survey A2 edition (2007). The pa ...

near Chippenham,

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

. His father was by trade a farmer and also landlord of a village pub.

Brecknell, Dolman & Rogers Ltd.

Starting out as a 21-year-old junior

draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to: * An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century * An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...

in the engineering firm within six years Dolman had become chief engineer and by 1929, managing director. The company's products ranged from egg grading machines to ticket and change issuing machines, many of them Dolman's own inventions, the company was also credited with making turnstiles for the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

. At its height the business employed 1,600 people. The scope of its original purely mechanical machines was expanded considerably when in the 1960s BDR acquired the Brislington-based electronics company Redcliffe Electronics which was renamed Brecknell-Redcliffe Electronics which continued in the development of electronically actuated ticket and coin machines, obtaining a number of patents in this field The firm then known in 1969 as BDR Machines (or with affection in Bristol as Dolman's) was sold to the Vokes Group and in turn was taken over by Thomas Tilling in 1972. A year later in spite of protests by the employees and trade unions, the decision was taken by

Tilling Group The Tilling Group was one of two conglomerates that controlled almost all of the major bus operators in the United Kingdom between World Wars I and II and until nationalisation in 1948. Tilling, together with the other conglomerate, British El ...

, to abandon the business altogether.

Association with Bristol City FC

Harry Dolman was chairman of

Bristol City FC Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

between 1949 and 1974, he designed the first set of floodlights installed at Ashton Gate stadium in the early 1950s and was fundamental in the design and build of the Dolman Stand which opened in 1970 at the cost of £235,000.http://www.bcfc.co.uk/page/Records/0,,10327~63412,00.html, Bristol City FC Website - 'Potted History', posted: June 6th 2008. In 1974 having been deposed as chairman, he took on the presidency which he held until his death in 1977, aged 80. His wife, Marina, now holds this position.

References

External links

* http://www.bcfc.co.uk Bristol City Football Club's official website 1897 births 1977 deaths 20th-century English businesspeople Bristol City F.C. English football chairmen and investors Businesspeople from Bristol {{UK-business-bio-1890s-stub