When Eric Cole discovered a way to use electricity to power radios in 1922, it was to change his life forever, and his name became an international brand of the must-have gadgets of the day. His company EKCO was the first to produce car radios, truly portable televisions, convection heaters, and fluorescent lighting. Less known is its important role in radar, providing the technology behind Britain's first guided missile, and its secret war work monitoring the Nazis. From plastic baby baths to vital medical equipment, the EKCO brand touched most people's lives in its 40 years in business, led by a true pioneer. Eric Cole was one of the first to establish apprenticeships and paid holidays, occupational pension schemes and an employee's sports and social club. This book offers a unique and fascinating insight into EKCO and its founder from the people who worked there. Vivid memories of work, experimentation and social life at the company are recounted by the people who laid the groundwork for the many innovations of today's technology, and is sure to appeal to everyone interested in the history of Southend and British invention.

At the turn of the 20th century, an exciting new invention had everyone transfixed. The radio brought the world into people’s homes and for young Eric Kirkham Cole it was a chance to experiment, as he built ‘Cat’s Whiskers’ radio devices at his parents’ kitchen table. Never could he have imagined then how his unique talent would be used to defend Britain from Nazi invasion, nor how his small radio set business which he set up in his garden shed in 1922 - the same year the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was formed - would become an international brand designing the must-have gadgets of the day.From radios with station dials, car radios, convection heating, fluorescent lighting, to the first genuine portable television, E.K.Cole Ltd (EKCO) dominated the market for over four decades. EKCO is less known for its role in the birth of radar, developing tactical radar for the V-bombers, groundbreaking military and civilian airport and airborne radar systems, as well asvital equipment for the medical and nuclear industries. EKCO even provided the technology behind Britain’s first guided missile. Subsidiary EKCO factories carried out secret manufacturing work for the British government during the Second World War and it has recently been revealed that EKCO modified radios for use as listening devices for Bletchley Park to decode Enigma-encoded signals and that EKCO employees were so highly skilled, many were employed on the Enigma monitoring duties.Eric took the same pioneering ethos to his workforce, and his company was one of the first in Britain to introduce paid holidays, occupational pension schemes, and an employee social and sports club which still exists today. In its heyday, EKCO was the largest employer in Southend, employing over 7,000 people. It was said that if you met somebody in Southend High Street it wasan odds-on bet that this person either worked for the company, was related to someone who worked for EKCO, or knew somebody who did.This book, with narrative by Eric’s son, Derek Cole, and many former employees, reveals not only the history of this great Essex company from 1924 to its sudden takeover in 1966, but the passion and talent of the people who once worked there. EKCO was much more than just a radio factory.

When Eric Cole discovered a way to use electricity to power radios in 1922, it was to change his life forever, and his name became an international brand of the must-have gadgets of the day.His company EKCO was the first to produce car radios, truly portable televisions, convection heaters, and fluorescent lighting. Less known is its important role in radar, providing the technology behind Britain’s first guided missile, and its secret war work monitoring the Nazis.From plastic baby baths to vital medical equipment, the EKCO brand touched most people’s lives in its 40 years in business, led by a true pioneer. Eric Cole was one of the first to establish apprenticeships and paid holidays, occupational pension schemes and an employee’s sports and social club.This book offers a unique and fascinating insight into EKCO and its founder from the people who worked there. Vivid memories of work, experimentation and social life at the company are recounted by the people who laid the groundwork for the many innovations of today’s technology, and is sure to appeal to everyone interested in the history of Southend and British invention.