Joseph Bamford to more than 130 countries around the world, while Bamford himself was appointed a CBE for Services to Export in 1969. In 1993 he became the first British citizen to be honoured in the Association of Equipment Manufacturers Hall of Fame, and remained the only British inductee until his son Anthony was inducted in 2008. What made Bamford different from many engineers was that he was also a marketeer. Bamford personally demanded to know daily from his staff how many "JCB Yellow" vehicles were off the road awaiting spares. Bamford created an image that JCBs were there to work, and
Harry Bamford and supporters alike, to play the ball out of defence even in the tightest of situations, he never lost the attacking instincts of the forward he had been in his younger days, and operated very much in the style of a modern wing-back. Bamford was an integral part of the Rovers' side which won promotion from Division Three (South) to Division Two in 1953 under manager Bert Tann. Bamford joined Rovers in December 1945, having been spotted while playing for St. Silas School Old Boys. Before his call-up in 1939 to the First Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment where he