Richard Whiteley interviews Sir Joseph Kagan, the Lithuanian-born industrialist and founder of Kagan Textiles of Elland, which makes raincoats from the waterproof Gannex fabric he invented. Title: YORKSHIRE TELEVISION – Colour Production Colourful graphics based on various views of stylised male and female heads in profile introduce the programme. Title: CALENDAR PEOPLE Title: Richard Whiteley Richards sits in his chair wearing an overcoat. He then proceeds to show still photographs of...

Richard Whiteley interviews Sir Joseph Kagan, the Lithuanian-born industrialist and founder of Kagan Textiles of Elland, which makes raincoats from the waterproof Gannex fabric he invented. Title: YORKSHIRE TELEVISION – Colour Production Colourful graphics based on various views of stylised male and female heads in profile introduce the programme. Title: CALENDAR PEOPLE Title: Richard Whiteley Richards sits in his chair wearing an overcoat. He then proceeds to show still photographs of other famous people wearing the same style of coat. Two pictures show Prime Minister Harold Wilson wearing the same item followed finally by a picture of Prince Philip husband of Queen Elizabeth the 2nd, also wearing the overcoat. The coat is made from a material called Gannex and Richard shows other items also made from the same material including slippers, a suitcase and a flat cap. Richard goes on to talk about the development of Gannex and introduces the man wo invented it one of his guests Sir Joseph Kagan. Richard then introduces Sir Joseph’s wife Lady Margaret Kagan, who helped create the very well-known product. Before talking to his guests Richard outlines the story of the Kagans’ time in war torn Europe. With the aid of an on screen map showing Lithuania and the countries bordering it, Richard goes on to say the couple arrived in England after the war as refugees from Lithuania. After spending nine months hiding in what was little more than a cupboard, after two years they managed to escape to England. Joseph Kagan started in business with his father and uncle in Elland, Leeds. He then moved on to working for himself making blankets. In the mid 1950’s he started producing Gannex. a still photograph shows the entrance to ‘Old Gannex Mills’. Another photograph shows workers sewing together garments followed by a photograph showing a large building with the Gannex name displayed on it. The next photograph shows Sir Joseph with Harold Wilson a close friend. Back in the studio next to his chair Richard gathers the elements which make up the new material. Sir Joseph explains how the material is put together. Title: Sir Joseph Kagan He explains the principle is much the same as a double glazed window in this case instead air being trapped between two layers of glass you have air trapped between two layers of cloth. The outer layer is strong and waterproof, and the inner layer is wool to preserve warmth. Sir Joseph explains how he came to invent the textile during his time at Leeds University before the war. The idea to exploit the textile stayed with him even during his time as a prisoner in a concentration camp. Richard moves on to talk to Lady Kagan and asks how many members of staff they had when they started producing Gannex. Title: Lady Margaret Kagan She said initially only the two of them and another three people, they did everything from weaving to packing parcels. At first, they only produced the cloth but difficulties selling it pushed them forward into making garments. They approached a local tailor in the area to help them. Richard asks if trial and error governed the ambition to create the early Gannex cloth. Lady Margaret talks about the early failures. Richard produces an early coat which he bought which is very stiff and inflexible. Sir Joseph agrees that the material was stiff in the old coats, but he argues the easiest way to get warm is with a windproof garment, he says that you are almost in a ‘climatic chamber’ in the coat. The stiffness, Sir Joseph argues, ensures the coat is wind and rainproof. Richard then goes back to the time that Sir Joseph went back to Lithuania to rescue his mother. He became trapped in Lithuania because of the war. Sir Joseph goes on to talk about the Soviet Union taking over in Lithuania and he was identified as being part of the bourgeois elite, then Hitler entered Lithuania who persecuted the Jews in Lithuania which happened to Sir Joseph. Richard asks Lady Kagan how they both met. Sir Joseph had some records with him in the concentration camp, so Lady Kagan and her cousin paid him a visit to listen to records. It was Josephs involvement in teaching her English which brought them closer together. Lady Kagan’s father at this time had already been brutally murdered. Sir Joseph then talks about a German he knew before the war who was put in charge of an iron foundry, he knew that Joseph was in the concentration camp. Joseph and another Lithuanian managed to create a hideout in the iron foundry. After working at the foundry, the group of camp prisoners would go back to the camp, but on this occasion Joseph stayed back and hid there until the end of the occupation. The hideout was small and included Joseph, his mother and Margaret. In this small space they managed to eat with help from the foundry canteen manager, and they could get water at night from the canteen. Richard asks Lady Margaret about the success they had in business after returning to England which was itself recovering just after the war. Lady Margaret puts it down mainly to Sir Joseph’s enthusiasm, belief and drive to succeed. She also acknowledges the fight for survival they experienced to be a factor in their success at business. Sir Joseph talks about his experiences at the concentration camp, which strengthened his resolve and his determination. Richard Whiteley then asks Sir Joseph about his friendship with the prime minister Harold Wilson. He says it stems from the time Harold Wilson bought a Gannex coat from his hometown of Huddersfield and was pleased that it had been so effective on a trip to Russia and other nearby countries. His admiration for the coat was put in a note he sent to Sir Joseph, who thanked Harold Wilson for his remarks, and invited him to have a tour of the factory. Harold Wilson duly made the visit, and the two men got to know each other during the visit. Sir Joseph was knighted in 1970, and Richard asks Sir Joseph as to why he was knighted. Sir Joseph said it was due to impressive technical innovation, Richard asks might it have been that he knew Harold Wilson, or he gave money to the labour party, Sir Joseph responds that this was not the case. Sir Joseph outlines the reasons why he admires his friend. Richard asks out of all the successful business men Harold Wilson may have chosen for knighthood why would it be Sir Joseph. He suggests that Harold Wilson was looking for someone who was an asset to their industry and an asset to society. Richard turns to Lady Kagan and after summing up her life as a prisoner in a concentration camp after which she faced hardship when she got back to England, he then asks her if the success of the business and the wealth that generates makes her happy. She responds by saying she is a happy person but it’s not due to having lots of money. She says it’s a matter of her character and money is incidental. She continues by agreeing that having money enables you to do the things you like and help others, but she feels with her background she has been poor materially and if it happened again, she would cope. Richard talks to the couple about the large house they occupy, a still photograph shows a picture of Barkisland Hall near Halifax. Richard asks Sir Joseph if his lifestyle is compatible with being fervent member of the labour party. Sir Joseph responds that wealth is neither good or bad it’s the way you use it. Richard asks how Sir Jospeh uses his wealth. He replies by creating secure employment. Richard then asks about his anti- Marxism and that he once sacked an employee from reading the ‘Daily Worker’ a communist newspaper. Sir Joseph replies that it was not true. He also denies that trades union are not allowed in his factories. Richard asks Sir Joseph’s opinion about the British workman. He replies, properly led he is the best in the world. He says any weaknesses he has found have been in management. Richard asks Lady Kagan the same question and she agrees with her husband. Richard asks the couple about their current ambitions. Lady Kagan replies that she would promote peace, which she describes in broad terms. Sir Joseph replies his ambition is for his children to flourish in a democratic country that maintains its freedom and dignity for the individual. Richard asks are they happy they came to England. Lady Kagan talks of how England was described to her by Sir Joseph and after living here for a few years she realised that all the good things he described about England were perfectly true. Sir Joseph is very glad he settled in England, although he is concerned for the country’s democracy. Richard thanks Sir Joseph and Lady Kagan for their contributions to the programme. He then gives brief description of the following weeks programme when the guests will be comic actors Brian Rix and Ian Carmichael. Title: CALENDER People Tonight Featured Credits: Sir Joseph and Lady Kagan Talking to Richard Whiteley Director – Charles Flynn Editor – John Wilford End Title - YORKSHIRE TELEVISION Colour Production