Nowadays, people flit around jobs, moving every few years. When I was younger, I can remember workers clocking up fifty years’ service. But raising the school-leaving age to 16 and compulsory retirement at 65 mostly put an end to that. Along with the destruction of Britain’s manufacturing industry in the 1970s and 1980s. (Thank you Mrs. Thatcher for that.)
This is even more impressive. Mr. Cornish managed 60 years at Youngs. And undoubtedly more, as he wasn’t retiring, even after such long service. Though that might have been because he couldn’t afford to. Pensions weren’t great back in the 1930s.
SIXTY YEARS IN-A BREWERY.
Fine Record at Wandsworth
Sixty tiny candles, all green, were lighted on the top of a huge cake in the coopers' shop of the Ram Brewery, Wandsworth, yesterday afternoon. Merrily they blazed, showing up the chocolate icing and the green ornaments, and the model of a shire horse. Chocolate and green are the Ram Brewery colours. It was whispered yesterday, though not as an established fact, that years ago they were the proprietor's racing colours. Mr. John Cornish could, perhaps, have said something about that. It was in honour of Mr. Cornish that the cake was made and the candles were lighted. He has been with the firm 60 years, though nobody would think it to look at him. A lot of fine, hale, young fellows were assembled yesterday afternoon, but scarcely any of them had a keener eye or a firmer expression than Mr. John Cornish, for all his 76 years. Whoever has seen and admired the great horses that draw the drays from Wandsworth Brewery has seen evidence of Mr Cornish's ability and good service. He is the foreman horsekeeper, and apparently he is likely to discharge that office for many a year to come. Sixty years is a long time for a man to be in one job. Mr. Cornish holds the record at the brewery; and the brewery is proud of it and of him.
The presentation of the cake and of a silver bowl for flowers - Mr. Cornish loves flowers - was made to him yesterday afternoon by Mr. Daniels, the bead brewer. Mr. Cornish was called on to cut the cake. He would rather, we believe, have tackled a horse, for he is
A VERY MODEST MAN,
and the cake, being solid, required heavy pressure on the big knife. There appeared to be some hesitation on his part in entering the building in which the ceremony took place, but two sturdy chaps, mere boys as it were, took him one by each arm and marched him to a seat at the chairman's table. Loud was the handclapping from the onlookers, typical brewery men, strong, determined, and more than a little disposed to be cynical with regard to the critics and detractors of their calling.
Sixty years ago, when John Cornish took service at Young's Brewery, Wandsworth was smaller than it is now. Mechanical traffic, however, had scarcely been thought of; therefore there was no lack of horses to be attended to, horses that then were the pride of the district. There were, as the company learned yesterday, “right handed horses and left handed horses " — horses that would go only towards the “Ram” and others whose house of call was the “Bull". At some houses, probably, they disdained to pause at all, for in those days "home-brew'd beer“ and "well air'd beds" still lingered.
In honour of Mr. Cornish, the room yesterday was plentifully beflagged and the slogan “Beer is best," was prominently displayed. More than that, beer was served and that not in any niggard fashion, but was poured from big copper cans. There did not appear to be any teetotallers present, though the company were so stalwart and so healthy. Several of the draymen made up their minds to beat the record of Mr. John Cornish, whose health they heartily drank.
A LIFE-SAVERA brave man as well as a strong man he is, for it was told how during one bitter winter be saved a colleague who had fallen through the ice of the frozen Wandle. He still looks after 28 horses.
The flower bowl was inscribed "1875-1935. Presented to John Cornish by his fellow workmen at the Ram Brewery." Mr. Cornish had previously been presented with a cheque from his firm.
Among those present were Mr. W. Gooding, the foreman of the bottling stores, who has been with the firm since 1905; Mr. C. F. Hayes, a former clerk in the Arm. with 42 years' service: Mr. G. N. Parsons (second brewer), and Miss V. Cornish, Mr. Cornish's daughter.
Mr. Daniels called upon Mr. Hayes, who, he said, was almost as young as Mr. Cornish — (laughter) — to say a few words.
Mr. Hayes said he was Mr. Cornish's oldest friend, although, perhaps, some of them might have known Mr. Cornish longer than him. “I have been 60 years in the brewery trade." Mr. Hayes continued. “18 years at Croydon and 42 years here. Mr. Cornish and I both went into the liquor trade at the same time. Almost
77 YEARS AGO
we both went in for mother's milk (Laughter.) We grew up to grow whiskers and when the beaver crisis came along and the young men shaved their faces until they looked like a lot of babies, Mr. Cornish and I remained true to type." Mr. Hayes recalled an incident that happened many years ago, when the Cut was frozen. While they were all sliding on the ice it cracked and everybody rushed off except Cock Wingrove, who fell through, and Mr. Cornish. who stayed to try and save him. He (Mr. Hayes) fetched a plank. Mr. Cornish crawled along it and pulled Wingrove to safety. That showed that Mr. Cornish was a man, and a white man.
HIS WONDERFUL RECORD.
Mr. Daniels, on behalf of Mr. Cornish's colleagues, then presented him with the flower bowl as a small mark of their esteem and appreciation, and what they thought of his wonderful record. He hoped Mr. Cornish would live for a long time.
"I didn't think I should have this to say 60 years ago." said Mr. Cornish, after his health had been drunk. "You have all behaved very kindly to me as fellow workmen. I must thank you for all you have done for me to-day. I can't say much about it. You all know me. I have done my best for everybody and they have done their best for me."
Mr. Parsons thanked Mr. Daniela for making the presentation, and also thanked Mr. Hayes. He added that they were also very pleased to see Miss Cornish.
South Western Star - Friday 15 February 1935, page 10.
At more go-ahead breweries, Mr. Cornish might well have been out of a job by 1935, as lorries replaced horse-drawn drays. Youngs were particularly old-fashioned in this respect, still using horses right up until the brewery closed in 2006.
Though, given the brewery’s location and the close proximity of most of their tied houses, using horses did make some economic sense. Horses not burning fuel when stuck in traffic. Something which wasn’t unusual in London.
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