Hungerford Arcade is full of an amazing mix of eclectic items. Just when you least expect it, you come upon a hidden gem like this magnificent dagger, which was presented to Sir Leonard Crossland, the former chairman of the Ford Motor Company in Great Britain.
The dagger is dated 1972 and is made from Continental 800 silver with 18ct gold decoration. His name is inscribed on the rim of the scabbard.
Leonard Crossland was born in Yorkshire in 1914 and his first job, with Ford, was straight from grammar school. His career started in 1937 on the shop floor of Ford’s plant in Dagenham, Essex, with take home pay of £5 a week. He worked with them until 1939 when he joined the Royal Army Service Corps. The Second World War saw him at Dunkirk and mentioned in dispatches. He went straight back to Ford on demobilisation and a job in the Buying Department, helping to source the hundreds of parts the company needed.
By 1954 he was in charge of all buying for Ford’s tractor making operations. progressing to cars and lorries three years later. By 1966, he was Director of Manufacturing, Staff and Services. Crossland was made Assistant Managing Director at Ford in 1966, Managing Director and Deputy Chairman in 1967 and then Chairman in 1968. He was knighted in 1969. He died in 1999, aged 85.
During Sir Leonard’s tenure, Ford knocked the British Motor Corporation (later British Leyland) off the top spot in the sales charts to take market leadership; the Ford GT40 beat Ferrari at Le Mans and they launched the Capri in 1969 – billed as ‘ the car you always promised yourself.
