J. Brian Crawford

Brian was among other things a Joint Managing Director at Early's blanket makers and is also related on his mother's side to the Early family. He grew up in Southampton but he and his brother Alan stayed in Witney for a month every August with their grandmother; from the age of about seven they were allowed to play in the offices and warehouses of the company and, when they were slightly older, throughout the mill too, as there were no health and safety restrictions in those days.

After serving in the Royal Air Force, Brian studied textiles at Leeds University before going to work for Early's full time. He started in the dye house and blending plant, and went to on to bring many of the latest textile technologies into the firm. In the 1960s he was very responsible for introducing Fiberweaving, a radical new way of blanket making, into Early's, which gave it a competitive edge at a time when many blanket companies were facing closure. He stayed working at the company until 1986.

A recorded interview with Brian is available from Oxfordshire Studies - details are available on the Search the Collections page (search for his name).