Draft:John James (philanthropist)

John James CBE (25 July 1906 – 31 January 1996) was an English businessman and philanthropist.

Early Life

John James was born at 96 Philip Street, Bedminster, Bristol (now the site of Windmill Hill City Farm). His father Jack originally was a miner and then a docker at Avonmouth docks. In 1918, he won a scholarship to study at the Merchant Venturers’ Technical College (now known as Cotham School – other notable alumni include Paul Dirac and Peter Higgs) where he excelled academically. In the same year his mother, Emily, died in the great influenza epidemic.

Career

In 1923, he lied about his age to join the RAF and was posted to Malta where he developed his skills as a wireless operator.

He had a brief spell as a salesman before he joined the Royal Aircraft Establishment in 1938 and became a Squadron Leader working on the development of radar at Farnborough during World War II.

On demob in 1946, he bought his first shop in Broadmead, Bristol and went on to develop the Broadmead Wireless Company.

The company expanded rapidly and by 1952 there were 115 shops and 750 employees, having branched into television as well.

In 1957 John James bought the John Murdoch chain of 90 shops and his company was confirmed as the “biggest single ownership retail radio TV business in the world”. In December 1959, he sold the business to Charles Hayward’s Firth Cleveland Industrial Holdings for £5.8 million.

His management skills and shrewd business acumen in achieving such substantial growth without the benefit of capital was commented on in Harry Miller’s analysis of 21 post war British firms written for the Institute of Economic Affairs, The Way of Enterprise.

After a brief spell in the Caribbean, John James started in business again setting up a chain of radio and TV shops. He then set up John James (Industrial) Ltd as a holding company for small ambitious companies in the South West, Midlands and South Wales and appointed Sir Ted Leather as Managing Director between 1965 and 1967.

He was also a leading member of Harlech Television which made a successful bid for Independent Television’s contract for Wales and West in 1968..

The John James Group, a publicly quoted company, was set up in 1965 and concentrated on West Country light engineering and manufacturing. This was sold in 1979 to Wolseley Hughes for £23.7 million.

Philanthropy

John James made numerous private donations and was actively involved in the Dawn James Charitable Foundation, a charity set up in 1966, following the tragic death of one of his daughters, and the John James Bristol Foundation, set up in December 1983. Following his death, the two funds amalgamated in 1998. His main areas of philanthropy were the elderly, education and health and he is particularly remembered for:

Bristol Old Folk Festival: In 1963, John and Mollie James donated £12,000 to the Bristol Post to meet the cost of the first Festival which provided free entertainment for anyone over 70 within the greater Bristol area for a week during May. From 1966, it was funded through the Dawn James Charitable Foundation and there were variety shows at the Bristol Hippodrome, coach trips to resorts, cinema visits and trips to Bristol Zoo. Gift food parcels were provided for those that were housebound and unable to attend. The variety shows continued until 1980 and the trips until 1996. In total it is estimated that over 270,000 people attended the variety shows and 500,000 enjoyed free excursions.

Health: In 1980, he donated £300K to Harefield Hospital to maintain their transplant programme and £500K to the creation of St Peter's Hospice in Bristol. In 1985, £1 million was donated to purchase the first MRI machine for Bristol at Frenchay Hospital and three years later, a further £1 million to buy a shock wave lithotripter machine for Southmead Hospital. £1 million donations were also made to purchase an ultra sound scanner for the ante natal clinic at Southmead and towards the creation of the new Bristol Children’s Hospital.

Education: Following the cessation of the direct grant scheme in 1976, he made significant donations to all of the ex direct grant schools in Bristol to provide bursaries or assisted places to enable children of similar backgrounds to his own to have the same start in life. He also provided funding for bursaries for the existing three independent schools. He challenged the ten comprehensive schools to raise up to £100,000 each which he would match to create enrichment funds to support worthwhile activities and develop the personal qualities of every pupil. Annual donations have been made for awards and activities at the Heads’ discretion.

As of June 2024, the John James Bristol Foundation has made donations in excess of £45 million.

Honours

1981 awarded the CBE for services to charity.

1983 awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Bristol.

1987 became an Honorary Member of the Society of Merchant Venturers.

1987 became the first Honorary Member of the Guild of Guardians.

1999 voted the Person of the Century by readers of the Bristol Evening Post