"My first memory of Jerome's  is from 1939, when my father returned to Aldershot, just before the war broke out. I was taken into Jerome’s to be fitted out for my new school, The Oaks.

During the War, Jerome’s continued to  provide what clothing I had. Clothes were rationed of course so visits were not frequent. Eventually, I joined the Royal Navy at the age of 15 in 1947. I had no use for civilian clothes for some years, until I was invalided out of the Royal Navy and had to get into some sort of civilian clothing. The obvious choice was Jerome’s. I had little money and my father was not necessarily generous about it.

A year after my accident, my father died from a fall through a roof where he was working in Farnborough, so, I went to see Jerome’s to get some civilian clothes for the funeral (what clothes I had were not really suitable). They were very generous to me, fitted me out with a suit, an overcoat, black socks, white shirt and black tie and when I said to them 'I haven’t got the money to pay for all of this' they said 'Don’t worry you will pay us when you can '.

I did and I never forgot that kindness.

When I later went into business in Aldershot, I had reason to buy white overalls for the staff of a bakers. They were my production staff not retail staff as we were wholesale only at the time, without a retail unit. The crew that I inherited or took over were very shabbily dressed  - untidy - to say the least, so I went to Jerome’s and ordered work wear. This continued for many years. I never went to any of the other work wear firms who offered their services - I gave the business to Jerome’s as they had looked after me and so I helped to look after them. This has continued even until the present day.

I never forgot their kindness. I knew all the family from the Grandfather, through to John’s father, through to the present management and I cannot say enough how grateful I was to them, when they had no reason to think that I would ever have a penny piece to pay them back!"