Frank Dudley Docker
Encyclopedia
Frank Dudley Docker CB
(26 August 1862 – 8 July 1944), known as Dudley Docker, was an English
businessman and financier. He also played first-class cricket
for Derbyshire
in 1881 and 1882.
, Staffordshire
, the son of Ralph Docker and his wife Sarah Sankey. His father was a solicitor in practice at Birmingham and Smethwick who took on a large number of public appointments He went King Edward's School, Birmingham
but appears to have resisted formal schooling and left early. He was equally discontented when he went into his father's office to study law. In 1881 he left his father's firm and went into the varnish business with his brother William.
In the 1881 season
Docker played a first class match for Derbyshire
against Yorkshire which was drawn. He also played a match in the 1882 season
against Sussex where he scored 25 in his first innings but Derbyshire lost by a few runs. From 1884 to 1886 he played a few games for Warwickshire
, two games for Gentlemen of Warwick in 1887 and 1888 and one game again for Warwickshire in 1889.
joined Docker Brothers and the death of his father in 1887 brought more capital into the firm. The varnish business grew into more general paint supply, and in 1894 the company opened a London office reflecting their success in winning orders from railway and rolling stock companies and Docker developed his interest and success in making deals. In 1902 he arranged the amalgamation of five rolling stock companies into the Metropolitan Amalgamated Carriage and Wagon Company, one of the largest business combines of the time which in 1911 employed 14,000 people and occupied 475 acres (1.9 km²) of factory space. In 1906 he became a director of Birmingham Small Arms Company
, the arms manufacturer which also grew into a leading motorcycle company. In 1908 he became a director of W & T Avery Ltd.
, manufacturers of weighing equipment. He became a J. P.
in 1909 and his interests diversified into railways with directorship of Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
from 1909 to 1912, the Metropolitan Railway
from 1915 to 1933, London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
from 1918 to 1922 and then the Southern Railway
until 1938. He was also a director of the Midland Bank
from 1912 until his death. . He was one of the founders of the Federation of British Industry.
, Buckinghamshire
, where Docker died. He had also acquired a flat in Berkeley Square
Mayfair in 1923.
Docker married Lucy Constance Hebbert in 1895. Their only child Bernard Docker
succeeded his father in his business enterprises. In addition to Ludford, Docker's elder brother Ralph Docker
also played cricket for Derbyshire.
Docker was a substantial benefactor (£10,000) toward Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition
in 1914-1916. In recompense for donations toward the success of the expedition, Shackleton named one of the lifeboats aboard the expedition vessel the Dudley Docker. The benefaction proved significant when the expedition vessel sank and the castaways were forced to use the Dudley Docker for survival.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(26 August 1862 – 8 July 1944), known as Dudley Docker, was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
businessman and financier. He also played first-class cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
for Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
in 1881 and 1882.
Cricketer
Docker was born in at Paxton House, SmethwickSmethwick
Smethwick is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands of England. It is situated on the edge of the city of Birmingham, within the historic boundaries of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire....
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, the son of Ralph Docker and his wife Sarah Sankey. His father was a solicitor in practice at Birmingham and Smethwick who took on a large number of public appointments He went King Edward's School, Birmingham
King Edward's School, Birmingham
King Edward's School is an independent secondary school in Birmingham, England, founded by King Edward VI in 1552. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham, and is widely regarded as one of the most academically successful schools in the country, according to...
but appears to have resisted formal schooling and left early. He was equally discontented when he went into his father's office to study law. In 1881 he left his father's firm and went into the varnish business with his brother William.
In the 1881 season
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1881
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1881 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for ten years. The team played nine first class matches and won two of them-1881 season:...
Docker played a first class match for Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
against Yorkshire which was drawn. He also played a match in the 1882 season
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1882
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1882 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for eleven years. The team played eight first class matches and won one of them-1882 season:...
against Sussex where he scored 25 in his first innings but Derbyshire lost by a few runs. From 1884 to 1886 he played a few games for Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
, two games for Gentlemen of Warwick in 1887 and 1888 and one game again for Warwickshire in 1889.
Paint and varnish
In 1886 a third brother LudfordLudford Docker
Ludford Charles Docker was businessman and an English cricketer. He played first-class cricket for Derbyshire between 1881 and 1886, captaining the side in 1884, and for Warwickshire in 1894 and 1895.-Early life:...
joined Docker Brothers and the death of his father in 1887 brought more capital into the firm. The varnish business grew into more general paint supply, and in 1894 the company opened a London office reflecting their success in winning orders from railway and rolling stock companies and Docker developed his interest and success in making deals. In 1902 he arranged the amalgamation of five rolling stock companies into the Metropolitan Amalgamated Carriage and Wagon Company, one of the largest business combines of the time which in 1911 employed 14,000 people and occupied 475 acres (1.9 km²) of factory space. In 1906 he became a director of Birmingham Small Arms Company
Birmingham Small Arms Company
This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors....
, the arms manufacturer which also grew into a leading motorcycle company. In 1908 he became a director of W & T Avery Ltd.
W & T Avery Ltd.
W & T Avery Ltd. is a British manufacturer of weighing machines. The company was founded in the early 18th century and took the name W & T Avery in 1818. Having been taken over by GEC in 1979 the company was later renamed into GEC-Avery. The company became Avery Berkel in 1993 when GEC acquired the...
, manufacturers of weighing equipment. He became a J. P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in 1909 and his interests diversified into railways with directorship of Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
The Stratford Upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway was a small independent railway company which ran a line across the empty, untouched centre of England. It visited the counties of Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and a little of Buckinghamshire, only existing as the SMJR from 1909 to...
from 1909 to 1912, the Metropolitan Railway
Metropolitan railway
Metropolitan Railway can refer to:* Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground* Metropolitan Railway, the first underground railway to be built in London...
from 1915 to 1933, London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
from 1918 to 1922 and then the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
until 1938. He was also a director of the Midland Bank
Midland Bank
Midland Bank Plc was one of the Big Four banking groups in the United Kingdom for most of the 20th century. It is now part of HSBC. The bank was founded as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birmingham, England in August 1836...
from 1912 until his death. . He was one of the founders of the Federation of British Industry.
Death, family, and recognition
Docker and his family moved to Kenilworth at the beginning of the 20th century and in 1935 moved to Coleshill House, AmershamAmersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, where Docker died. He had also acquired a flat in Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square is a town square in the West End of London, England, in the City of Westminster. It was originally laid out in the mid 18th century by architect William Kent...
Mayfair in 1923.
Docker married Lucy Constance Hebbert in 1895. Their only child Bernard Docker
Bernard Docker
Sir Bernard Dudley Frank Docker was an English industrialist.Bernard Docker was born in Edgbaston, Birmingham, the only child of Frank Dudley Docker an industrialist....
succeeded his father in his business enterprises. In addition to Ludford, Docker's elder brother Ralph Docker
Ralph Docker
Ralph Docker was an English cricketer who played first class cricket for Derbyshire in 1879.Docker was born in Harborne, Staffordshire, the son of Ralph Docker and his wife Sarah Sankey. His father was a solicitor in practice at Birmingham and Smethwick who took on a large number of public...
also played cricket for Derbyshire.
Docker was a substantial benefactor (£10,000) toward Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition
Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition
The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition , also known as the Endurance Expedition, is considered the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Conceived by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the expedition was an attempt to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent...
in 1914-1916. In recompense for donations toward the success of the expedition, Shackleton named one of the lifeboats aboard the expedition vessel the Dudley Docker. The benefaction proved significant when the expedition vessel sank and the castaways were forced to use the Dudley Docker for survival.