Simon William Peel Vickers Fletcher, 91, steel magnate father of Susannah York
Michael Rhodes
steel magnate, died suddenly at his home at Sowerby Bridge, West
Yorkshire, 2 October, 2002. He was 91.
Monocled Mr Fletcher - the epitome of an elderly English squire- was
the father of Susannah York, one of the great post-war beauties of
British screen and stage.
The son of a building contractor in Oxford, he was educated there at
the local high school.
Three years after joining Carlton Greig, a City merchant bank, as an
unpaid *devil* in 1935, Simonm Fletcher was made responsible for
re-organising the old Shropshire Iron Company in Telford. Having
married for the first time he moved with his wife from London's
Knightsbridge to a manor in Yorkshire.
By the age of 33, he had used his own and family money to take control
of the bank and had become managing director and majority shareholder
not only of Shropshire Iron, but of Monmore Green Rolling Mills,
Haybridge Steel and Wolverhampton Steel & Iron Company -which alone
had more than 250 employees.
To these four companies, all well-established and making an important
contribution to the war effort, he linked a fifth, Wolverhampton
Rolling Mills, which became their stockholder and supplier.
But his Wolverhampton group had further acquisitions in sight in the
Black Country, which would have elevated it to second place among the
independents. It also had permission to install a continuous rolling
mill, which would have set new standards in efficiency.
Fletcher was in a reserve occupation when the Second World War broke
out. But in 1943 - the year after the birth of his daughter Susannah -
he was called up on the grounds that he was not needed to ensure that
the production levels recquired for the war effort were achieved.
Output under his leadership had been impressive.
Mr Fletcher believed he was called up as part of an attempt by some
members of a cartel of the *heavy steel makers* to take control of his
group. He spent the next 40 years battling to persuade the courts to
examine the affairs of his companies which, he claimed, collapsed as a
result of fraudulent dealings by government officials.
The Minister of Supply and the former president of British Iron and
Steel Federation, Sir Andrew Duncan, appointed Mr John Adamson as
authorised controller to run the businesses on behalf of the Crown.
Mr Fletcher's first legal argument turned on this. He claimed that Mr
Adamson could only act on the Crown's behalf and not on behalf of the
companies. Shareholders, who were powerless to act, were alarmed when
Mr Adamson converted the companies' money and used it and their credit
to finance operations. This, Mr Fletcher claimed, was unlawful.
By the end of November, 1944, the Ministry of Supply had relinquished
its control over Mr Fletcher's former robust companies. Shortly after,
Mr Fletcher -who by this time had risen to the rank of captain was
transferred to the Army's *B* Reserve and was called to London, to be
faced with the liabilities Mr Adamson had contracted.
It was these liabilities which brought about the liquidation of the
five companies in 1945.
Another twist came when the former authorised controller, Mr Adamson,
was appointed by the Official Receiver's special manager in the
liquidation. Mr Adamson was also appointed liquidator of the merchant
bank associated with the steel companies. In this case, too, he was
relieved of publishing reports and accounts until 1966.
After he was discharged from his bankruptcy in 1960, William Fletcher
continued his battle, first to prove the alleged frauds, and then to
gain compensation which by then ran into millions. But on every step
of the journey he was frustrated.
Even into the 1980s Mr Fletcher was battling in the courts. By 1984 he
was living alone on supplementary benefit - at Rooley Heights, Sowerby
Bridge, and despite the backing of MP's including the Liberal
Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown, Fletcher was never compensated for his
wartime losses.
The funeral service takes place at St Peter's Church, Upper Slaughter,
13 October, 2002, at 2.30 p.m. followed by interment in the village
churchyard.
---
Michael Rhodes.