Granddad

Man who Never Gave up his job

A Preston businessman who worked in the town's textile industry for more than 80 years has been laid to rest. (May 1998) William (Bill) Topping, of Ribbleton Avenue, started working barefoot in a cotton mill when he was 12 and never stopped. He combined his job with studies and rose to become the director of eight companies.

Service

Mr. Topping loved his work so much he never retired and when he was taken into Royal Preston Hospital he still held several directorships. Suffering from bronchial pneumonia, he passed away on May 14 1998. A funeral service for Mr. Topping, 94. took place at Blessed Sacrament RC Church followed by cremation at Preston Crematorium, his brother George, 84, said: 'He was an amazing man. My mum put him in the cotton mill labouring and he rose right to the top" William Topping mixed his studies with work when he entered the mills as a schoolboy in 1916. Born in a terraced house - Livesey Street, Preston, he was, like many boys of his age, a 'half-timer" working one week from 6am until noon and the other from 1pm to 6pm. He would go to St Augustine's School for hall-a-day and work the rest while attending night classes three times a week.

Emergency

During World War One he had to stop working in the mill because of ill-health but became an odd-job boy at the Moor Park emergency war hospital.

After the war he returned to the mills and, at 21, he was made an over-looker at Hartley Brothers Fylde Road Mill. In the 1930s he started evening classes in textile economics at Harris Technical College.

In 1940 he was made manager of both the Shelley and Fylde Road mills.

In 1966 he was made managing director of the Hartley company and his career took off over the years.

Mr. Topping leaves children Terence, Sheila, Michael. Julia and Jack, grandchildren and great grandchildren His wife Teresa and another son, Peter, have both died.