William George Pye and Harold John Pye
Founders of Pye Radio
William was born on 27 October
1869 at Battersea, London the third of eight children born to
William and Elizabeth Pye.
His father was employed as a
scientific instrument maker and encouraged his son to develop an
interest in this trade.
The knowledge gained from his
father helped William gain employment with Cambridge University
In 1892 he married Annie Eliza
Atkins with whom he was to have four children.
Confident of his ability to succeed he formed his own company
called W G Pye and Co in 1896 with help from his family.
The new firm developed a range
of optical and scientific instruments which helped it prosper
requiring larger and larger premises.
His son Harold John Pye was
born on 27 November 1901.
In 1914 World War One proved a
great stimulus for W G Pye with additional demands for precision gun
sights and the development of the new ground-breaking Aldiss
signalling lamp.
The end of the war proved
problematic as the new items produced by Pye were no longer sought
after with a shrinking armed service budget.
By 1922 William's innovation
came to the fore again and he developed radio parts and then a
complete radio but this sold poorly as it did not perform as well as
the main competitors.
Harold attended St Johns
College in his home town of Cambridge and on graduation joined the
family firm becoming a partner the following year.
He proved to be a skilled
engineer no doubt picked up from his father and at the right time
for the company he became a persuasive salesman with the drive to
re-energise W G Pye and Co.
Harold developed a new model
of radio with improved receiver but critically worked on the design
to make it one of the most attractive radios then available.
This new radio called the 700
proved very successful selling in large numbers making Pye a
household name.
By 1927 the radios were
selling so well that the optical operation of Pye had to move out of
the factory to give more room.
On 1 March 1927 Harold married
Jennie Milson.
The success of the 700's
brought attention of larger firms and in 1929 the radios and rights
to the name of Pye Radio were sold. The business continued to have
success making the name of Pye familiar in radios, Gramophones and
similar instruments.
Despite having driven the new
radio division Harold stayed with the family firm and in 1936
Harold's father sold him his share of the business and retired.
One again a World War brought
about a surge in business with precision military equipment being
required in large numbers.
On 13 October 1949 William
George Pye died in his retirement home at Bexhill.
W G Pye and Co continued its
success and in 1949 an offer came in from Pye Radio to take over the
W G Pye. Harold accepted the offer and the radio and optical
divisions were once again reunited under the name of Pye although no
longer under the influence of the Pye family.
The settlement was generous
enough that Harold was able to retire.
His wife Jennie died in 1948
and so Harold decided to move to Burnham on Crouch and start a
second career as a farmer at Elm Farm.
On 20 December 1955 his new
life was complete when he married a widow called Edith Pinney.
They lived happily until 1969
when Edith died and once again Harold opted for change by selling
his farm. moving to new flats at the Belvedere, Burnham on Crouch
and devoting himself to sailing.
Harold died at Ipswich in
1986.
William George Pye born 27
October 1869 at Battersea died Bexhill, Sussex 13 October 1949
Married Annie Eliza Atkins in
1892
Children
William John Pye ( Died as a
child)
Donald Walter Pye
Marjorie Irene Pye
Harold John Pye
Married Jennie Milson on 1
March 1927
No Children
Married Edith Pinney nee
Flight on 20 December 1955
No children although Edith had
two children from her first marriage
