BMC/Leyland merger
16 February 1968
On this day:
At 9.15am Sir Donald Stokes phones Sir Frank Kearton at his Courtaulds office to place on record that at no time did he push for Sir George Harriman to resign or be moved to a ceremonial non-effective position in the merged company.
At the Berkeley Square headquarters the Leyland directors decide to push for Sir George Harriman's resignation, led by Jack Plane.
Sir William Lyons and Sir George Harriman arrive at the Leyland HQ where they are ushered into an office by Jack Plane who strongly lectures them on the state of BMH's finances and tells Harriman, "...to get the hell out of it".
Later that day Stokes writes to Harriman that Leyland could not go on with the merger due to the state of BMH's finances.
That evening the BMH board, judging that a take-over bid is in the offing decide to agree to the merger on existing terms.
More news from the archive
Fri, 09 Feb 1968
DAILY MIRROR A pay strike by maintenance electricians led to 4200 cars workers being laid off at BMC’s Longbridge factory in Birmingham...
Mon, 12 Feb 1968
THE GUARDIAN Forty car assembly workers at Jaguar Cars, Coventry, will resume work today after a walkout on Friday. The dispute, which...
Tue, 13 Feb 1968
Sir George Harriman, chairman of British Leyland Motor Corporation, talks to Geoffrey Charles, Motoring Correspondent, about the company's...
Wed, 14 Feb 1968
THE GUARDIAN While the strike at the Jaguar car factory in Coventry continued yesterday, an appeal by both management and unions went...
Thu, 15 Feb 1968
On this day: Sir Donald Stokes leave Sir Siegmund Warburg's flat at 2.45am. Later this day at the Leyland headquarters at Berkley...
Sun, 18 Feb 1968
On this day: Sir George Harriman's friend and former Leyland chairman Lord Black arranges another meeting. It took place on this...
Mon, 19 Feb 1968
On this day: The agreement that resulted in the formation of the British Leyland Motor Corporation was ratified on this day. The...
Fri, 23 Feb 1968
CLIFFORD WEBB, Midland Industrial Correspondent British Motor Holdings has begun a full-scale reorganization of its biggest production...
Sun, 25 Feb 1968
CARS AND DRIVERS by GEOFFREY CHARLES Whatever the outcome of the BMH-Leyland merger in model rationalization, intensified marketing...
Wed, 28 Feb 1968
By GEOFFREY CHARLES, Motoring Correspondent A high-level reshuffle of BMC directors' areas of responsibility was announced yesterday...
