Joseph Bamford could shoot, fish, swim, and sail. Bamford paid more than fair wages, which rose regularly, and annual bonuses based on reports of individual worth. In 1967 Bamford stood on a farm cart and handed out personal cheques totalling £250,000. This extraordinary focus in return gave unprecedented levels of workforce flexibility, with the average JCB employee through the strike-dominated 1970s and early 1980s being seven times more productive than the average British manufacturing worker. In 1975 Bamford and his wife Marjorie (née Griffin – married 1941) handed over the business to their two sons, and retired to Switzerland as tax exiles.
Edward Bamford Edward Bamford Major Edward Bamford VC, DSO (28 May 1887 – 30 September 1928) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth military forces. Edward Bamford was also awarded the DSO for his gallantry aboard HMS "Chester" at the Battle of Jutland, the ship that also was the scene for the actions of Boy 1st Class John Cornwell who, posthumously, became a recipient of the VC at the age of sixteen. Edward Bamford was born on 28 May