Grice & Young
The firm of Grice & Young Ltd. is another example of a group of companies that I find fascinating, small engineering works that in the immediate post WW2 years turned their attention to the manufacture of fishing reels. Another good example already explored on these pages is T. J. Harrington.
Grice & Young began their career in the inter-war years making components for the aviation industry. One of the principals, Joseph Brindley Gurney Grice, known as Gurney , was well-known in gliding circles and had himself designed a "pou de ciel" (French, literally a "flea of the sky", or "Flying Flea"). He called it the "Mosquito" and an early advertisement for the company shows them supplying parts for Flying Fleas in the mid-thirties. His partner in the business was Charles Edwin Young, of whom relatively little is known.
Grice & Young began their career in the inter-war years making components for the aviation industry. One of the principals, Joseph Brindley Gurney Grice, known as Gurney , was well-known in gliding circles and had himself designed a "pou de ciel" (French, literally a "flea of the sky", or "Flying Flea"). He called it the "Mosquito" and an early advertisement for the company shows them supplying parts for Flying Fleas in the mid-thirties. His partner in the business was Charles Edwin Young, of whom relatively little is known.
During the war the firm expanded significantly, occupying at least three locations in Dunstable and manufacturing a variety of items from components for aircraft undercarriage to parts for the De Havilland Mosquito fighter-bomber. Very soon after the war possibly 1946-47, the firm relocated to what appears to have been purpose built premises at the Agila Works, Somerford Road, Christchurch in Hampshire, and it is from this period that their output becomes interesting. Gurney Grice may himself have been a keen fisherman, he was a personal friend of Bernard Venables, better known as "Mr. Crabtree", and it is in this post war period that Grice & Young began making a bewilderingly extensive range of centrepin and sea fishing reels. Grice & Young centrepins have quite a loyal following, they were well-engineered and well-liked, and you can find out more at Matt McHugh's excellent website here. The sea reels also displayed the same engineering standards and a flair for ingenuity. Gurney Grice already held a number of patents relating to aviation, so patenting his various improvements to fishing reels must have been relatively easy.
orlando-patent.pdf | |
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This is the patent application for one of Grice & Young's most ingenious and easily recognised products, an extraordinary reel designed for rapid line deployment when deep sea boat fishing. But the firm also produced a comparatively small range of fly fishing reels and it is these we shall be looking at here.
An aerial view of Grice & Young's "Agila" Works in Christchurch.
The first offering in the fly reel range appears to have been the "Agila", available in three sizes, Mk I, Mk II and Mk III. This practice of differentiating reel sizes a "Mk." seems to have been common in Grice & Young's range and can lead to a deal of confusion.
Adverts for the Agila appeared in The Fishing Gazette as early as 1948. "Agila" was probably the first fly reel to be offered, this is partly borne out on the evidence of the reel itself. Firstly, the model name - Agila. This was also the name of the Christchurch premises and it was often the case that a product would be named after the workshop that produced it, for example K. P. Morritt's "Intrepid" reels originated from the "Intrepid Works". It makes sense that after the relocation to Christchurch, the firm would wish to promote its new identity and would adopt a branding policy to suit. The second clue is the paint finish on the spool - this distinctive "crackle black" paint was widely used for instrument panels and electronic equipment during the war and it is likely that Grice & Young would have a surplus supply. This use of war surplus materials was common, the most celebrated example is J. W Young & Son Ltd's use of green metallic paint, supplied to them by Dunlop, for the finishing of the firing mechanism of the Spitfire fighter, which Young's produced during the war. "Condex green" is now celebrated by the presence of a Young's Condex reel alongside a Spitfire in The Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum at Manston in Kent.
On the back of the reel, the model and size is indicated on a small metal disk held in place with a rivet. Again, labels like this were a common feature of wartime instrument panels. Young's also used a similar method on their post-war products, though the disk was larger. The reel itself is a very well-made, neatly designed fly reel. It is 3" RHW, the spool is bushed and there is a simple spring and pawl check with a replaceable pawl. The frame doesn't seem to have any tool marks, which might suggest that it was die-cast rather than machined out of a sand-casting. Morritt's were also using this method at about the same time. One thing that did strike me about this reel is the number of similarities to other contemporary products, - Morritt's for the die-casting, but more so post-war Young's products. However, having said that, there are only so many ways economically to produce a spring an pawl fly reel.
On the back of the reel, the model and size is indicated on a small metal disk held in place with a rivet. Again, labels like this were a common feature of wartime instrument panels. Young's also used a similar method on their post-war products, though the disk was larger. The reel itself is a very well-made, neatly designed fly reel. It is 3" RHW, the spool is bushed and there is a simple spring and pawl check with a replaceable pawl. The frame doesn't seem to have any tool marks, which might suggest that it was die-cast rather than machined out of a sand-casting. Morritt's were also using this method at about the same time. One thing that did strike me about this reel is the number of similarities to other contemporary products, - Morritt's for the die-casting, but more so post-war Young's products. However, having said that, there are only so many ways economically to produce a spring an pawl fly reel.
This version of the Agila, at 31/2", is slightly larger than it's older brother, and there are one or two other changes of note. There is the same riveted resin handle, but the spool is now secured with a three-screw latch. The latch itself has an additional very interesting feature. In the centre is a fourth screw for adjusting any spool "wobble". This was a feature of Young's reels of the same period, and once again I am struck by the many similarities between their respective products. (Incidentally, the Young of Grice & Young has no relevance to J. W. Young & Son Ltd., just one of those odd coincidences.) The spool is finished in plain matt black rather than the crackle finish. On the back of the reel the printed metal disk describing the model has been replaced by an engraved legend, "Agila Mk. III, MADE IN ENGLAND". This style of script became a characteristic feature of Grice & Young reels as we shall see later. Another change is the duplicated check, - both checks are biased for RHW. The reel foot, rather than being screwed to the frame is now secured by a pair of rivets. Both of these reels give an impression of simplicity, but they are clearly well-conceived and equally well engineered.
It is this quality of engineering that comes to the fore in the next pair of reels from Grice & Young.
This is the Grice & Young Jecta Fly Mk III. At 3 3/4", with a wide spool, this is a serious fly reel. Compared to the previous models, there is a very real sense of "up-scaling". Among the notable features is the use of an extended brass bush in the spool. This protrudes from the back of the spool, beyond the check sprocket and sits on a bearing ring around the bottom of the spindle. The check pawl is held above the backplate of the reel on a small platform or rostrum, raising it sufficiently to engage the sprocket. This arrangement makes for a very smooth rotation of the spool. The reel is also fitted with a chrome line guard, for which there are fixing holes on both sides of the reel, implying that the reel might be used as both RHW or LHW, though the check itself is biased for RHW only.
You can see from the legend on the box that this reel was intended for salmon fishing. The next reel is the De Luxe version of the Jecta Fly Mk III, and you could possibly use it to fish for hippos..........
You can see from the legend on the box that this reel was intended for salmon fishing. The next reel is the De Luxe version of the Jecta Fly Mk III, and you could possibly use it to fish for hippos..........
The overall appearance of the De Luxe reel is similar to that of the standard model, and the basic workings are the same, even down to the simple pawl and spring check. Where this version differs is in the addition of an adjustable brake which works by engaging a brake pad on the shaft behind the sprocket, which is now permanently mounted on the spindle rather than on the spool back. The operation of the "Drag" lever on the back of the reel compresses a leaf spring that increases the pressure on the brake pad. When fully engaged, this reel could probably stop anything that swims in freshwater.... There is also a clutch mechanism incorporated into the sprocket assembly which ensures that the brake operates only as line is drawn from the reel, it does not impede line retrieval.
It occurred to me that a drag as sophisticated as this must surely have been patented and sure enough, after a search through other Grice & Young products I came across an image of the checkwork for the Seajecta Mk III, the mechanism for which is patented. Small wonder than that it would stop any freshwater fish, as it was originally designed for a sea reel...
It occurred to me that a drag as sophisticated as this must surely have been patented and sure enough, after a search through other Grice & Young products I came across an image of the checkwork for the Seajecta Mk III, the mechanism for which is patented. Small wonder than that it would stop any freshwater fish, as it was originally designed for a sea reel...
sea-jecta_patent.pdf | |
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Here's a detail of Gurney Grice's patent drawing for the Seajecta. Notice the leaf spring at 27 and the cam at 29.
A pair of these reels were auctioned a number of years ago, one example of the standard model and one of the De Luxe. These were formerly the property of Bernard Venables and were accompanied by a letter of provenance confirming that they had been a gift from Venables' friend, Gurney Grice.
Grice & Young fly reels seem comparatively rare when compared with the number of centrepin and sea reels to be found. This situation might be explained by the following advertisement from the 1950's, - notice the Jecta Fly at the bottom of the page.
Grice & Young fly reels seem comparatively rare when compared with the number of centrepin and sea reels to be found. This situation might be explained by the following advertisement from the 1950's, - notice the Jecta Fly at the bottom of the page.
Both models of the Jecta Fly here are the Mk III. If Grice & Young's policy of sizing their reels by "Mk." is consistent, there may be smaller versions of this model to be found.
This next reel is also a "Jecta Fly" but is markedly different from the preceding models.
Although this is another Grice & Young "Jecta", it bears absolutely no resemblance to the other reels from this firm. In fact, when I first came across this reel it struck me as being relatively crude, but look closely and it has some remarkable features.
Firstly, the spool has an exposed rim, making it possible to slow the reel by "palming" the spool. The spool itself is made using just four key components, the face, backplate, bush and a drum of seamless aluminium tubing. Even the face of the spool is a clear departure from the normal manufacturing techniques used on British made fly reels, - it is made from a single pressing. Pressed components are more commonly seen on American made reels, and I am not aware of the technique being used on any other British made reel, other than the lightweight so-called "boys reels" popular in the period between the wars. The checkwork is unremarkable, following the usual Grice & Young spring and pawl model, but in this case there is the option to reverse the spring making the reel optionally RHW or LHW. The final innovation though is perhaps the most startling. For its size, the reel seems oddly light - because the cage is made not from machined or die-cast metal, but from plastic. It is possible that this was the first fly reel to be produced using this method, though the firm's centrepin reels also used this material for the backplate. This innovation appeared after 1974 (you'll find details of the centrepin reels on Matt McHugh's site here.) That year also saw local government boundary changes resulting in Christchurch being re-zoned to Dorset, same name. This change is recorded on the Grice & Young branding cartouche on the back of the reel. One interesting aside to the story is the record in the London Gazette from February 1980 citing the liquidation of a company called Christchurch Engineering Ltd., operating out of the Agila works.
Grice & Young Fishing Accessories Ltd., was itself the subject of a liquidation notice published in the London Gazette in February 1984. although centrepin reels with similar tooling and finish continued to be sold by Shakespeare.
Firstly, the spool has an exposed rim, making it possible to slow the reel by "palming" the spool. The spool itself is made using just four key components, the face, backplate, bush and a drum of seamless aluminium tubing. Even the face of the spool is a clear departure from the normal manufacturing techniques used on British made fly reels, - it is made from a single pressing. Pressed components are more commonly seen on American made reels, and I am not aware of the technique being used on any other British made reel, other than the lightweight so-called "boys reels" popular in the period between the wars. The checkwork is unremarkable, following the usual Grice & Young spring and pawl model, but in this case there is the option to reverse the spring making the reel optionally RHW or LHW. The final innovation though is perhaps the most startling. For its size, the reel seems oddly light - because the cage is made not from machined or die-cast metal, but from plastic. It is possible that this was the first fly reel to be produced using this method, though the firm's centrepin reels also used this material for the backplate. This innovation appeared after 1974 (you'll find details of the centrepin reels on Matt McHugh's site here.) That year also saw local government boundary changes resulting in Christchurch being re-zoned to Dorset, same name. This change is recorded on the Grice & Young branding cartouche on the back of the reel. One interesting aside to the story is the record in the London Gazette from February 1980 citing the liquidation of a company called Christchurch Engineering Ltd., operating out of the Agila works.
Grice & Young Fishing Accessories Ltd., was itself the subject of a liquidation notice published in the London Gazette in February 1984. although centrepin reels with similar tooling and finish continued to be sold by Shakespeare.
Liquidation of Grice & Young Fishing Accessories Ltd., London Gazette, February 1984
There is a short coda here to the Grice & Young story, a reel acquired shortly after I had written the above. This tiny, 2" aluminium reel bears a Grice & Young mark. It is very simple, but robust, has no check and may just be the earliest reel to be produced by the firm.
Just when you think the performance is over, there's another curtain call, this time in the shape of a complete Grice & Young catalogue with a pricelist dated 1952. Although the document has no information about fly reels, it is still the most remarkable survivor and is reproduced here in its entirety.