26.05.2008

Roy Richards 1931-2008

We bring the belated news that Roy Richards, the founder of crane hirer, Richards and Wallington once the UK’s largest crane hire company, and the founder of the UK’s National Motorcycle museum died on March 27th.

In November he had been diagnosed with terminal throat cancer, but was determined to fight it, he passed away though after contracting a respiratory infection, just days after returning to work following chemotherapy.
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Roy Richards

Richards was born in 1931 and attended Bordesley Green Technical School leaving at 14 to take a job as a surveyor for Bryant Builders, now one of the country’s leading house builders. After seven years there he teamed up with Ray Wallington, to set up his own building company, Richards & Wallington.

In 1968 the company diversified into crane and general rental under the same name, Richards went on a major acquisition programme culminating with the takeover of MLS – Mobile Lifting Services, a division of Tarmac.

The name of the company was then changed to the grandiose sounding British Crane Hire Corporation, which was for a time Europe’s largest crane hire company.

The company opened subsidiaries overseas including Richards & Wallington International in Holland, managed by a young Dick Schalekamp (which became Riwal) and FAL in France. In 1976 he co founded Crown cranes – later Cosmos Cranes – in a joint venture with Clark and eight senior managers from Coles, who quit following its takeover by Acrow. By 1980 things began go wrong and the business went into administration.

Richards a long time motorcycle fanatic went on to found the UK’s National Motorcycle Museum in 1984 in Birmingham. His first bike was a Norton and his favourite saying was apparently “When God made the mountains he had Nortons in mind.”

When the museum was destroyed by fire in 2003 Richards was the driving force behind its 15 month rebuilding programme.
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The funeral cortege leaves the Motorcycle Museum

Married four times, Richards is survived by his wife, Christine, a son and daughter and three step-children. The funeral was held on April 9th at the Robin Hood Cemetery, in Shirley – which Richards & Wallington built. The funeral cortege made its way there from the National Motorcycle Museum with a classic bike escort.