Jock Bone's Used Car Sales

A Memory of Kettering.

Opposite Morrissons below where Windsor Gardens is now situated in Lower St. was a car sales lot known as Jock Bone. I bought my second car from him, a Standard 10 after trading in my Ford Prefect. He sat in a caravan at the rear of the lot and would pounce upon you as soon as you drove or walked in. He was very slick with his patter and was not interested in what car you were looking for but what car he needed to get rid of. He had a bit of a poor reputation in Kettering for car dealings but I found him quite an amazing chap. I bought the Standard 10 and drove it for a few months without too much going wrong, but the week before I was getting married the manifold exhaust pipe blew, stripping the threads off two retainer bolts. Our honeymoon was to be in S.Wales and there was no way I would be able to get the car fixed in time. As a last resort I called in to see Jock Bone hoping I could rent a reliable car for the honeymoon week. Not expecting too much from him I was greatly surprised to be offered a Hillman Husky van at no charge for that week(obviously subject to damage). He must have seen my frustation with my honeymoon perhaps having to be cancelled.Travelling down to Wales it began to snow (this was late November) and the van having a light rear end skidded off the road and hit a farm wall. The wall was not damaged but the front wing had a nasty dent in it. After the honeymoon I returned back to Kettering and with much trepidation returned the van. I expected a huge scene but Jock Bone asked me if the honeymoon went well to which I replied 'yes apart from the accident'. He made a thorough inspection of the damage and told me it would need a new wing. Horrified I went home with instructions to call back later that week. I called back some five days or so later and the van was repaired. He took the dent out himself and had a colleague respray it. He charged me £10 and said to pay it over the coming month. What a man! How many reputable car dealers in the 60's would have done that. Not many. Hats off to Jock Bone.