Charles Bartlett
Sir Charles Bartlett (c1890-1955), chairman and managing director of Vauxhall between 1929-53
1955 Obituary [1]
THE death occurred on August 10th of Sir Charles Bartlett at his home, near Harpenden, Herts, after an illness of many months. He was sixty-five.
Sir Charles, though he began work in a bicycle shop at the age of twelve, intended to devote his life to horticulture, and after serving during the first world war with the Devonshire and Dorsetshire Regiments, it was the after effects of a wound that compelled him to give up the outdoor life.
He entered the British subsidiary of the General Motors Corporation as a book-keeper in 1921 and became managing director five years later. When General Motors acquired Vauxhall Motors, Ltd., he became its managing director, and was chairman from June, 1953, until last December. His work over nearly thirty years with Vauxhall Motors, Ltd., was unsparingly devoted not narrowly to the firm but also to its workers, and the human problems of industry were a strong concern of his.
In 1944 he was knighted in recognition of his own and his company's war effort. He was a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Bedfordshire.
His early interest in gardens lasted throughout his life, joined with a liking for many sports.
1956 Obituary [2]
Sir Charles Bartlett, who died on 10th August, 1955, in his sixty-sixth year, had been a Member of the Institution since 1947. He was also a Member of the Institution of Automobile Engineers, his election having taken place in 1934.
His education was gained at Bath Technical College, and during the 1914-18 war he served with the Devonshire and Dorsetshire Regiments.
In 1921 he entered the British subsidiary of General Motors, Ltd., being appointed managing director five years later, and when the company acquired Vauxhall Motors, Ltd., he became its managing director, and was chairman from 1953 until December 1954, his services to Vauxhall Motors, Ltd., extending over almost thirty years.
In 1944 he was knighted in recognition of his own and his company's war efforts.
Sir Charles was a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Bedfordshire.