Demand for Ted Everett’s book, ‘My Life as a Photographer with Massey Ferguson’, has exceeded all expectations since the launch last December. The good news for those of you that failed to secure one of the first 500 copies is that a second edition has been printed.
Based in and around Coventry, Ted Everett was employed as a Massey Ferguson photographer from 1952 to 2018. With over 300 photographs, the 112-page book is a fascinating collection of memories and anecdotes from the company’s longest-serving employee.
The man behind the camera.
Ted captured the products, the people and the events of the firm on camera throughout his 66-year career. Split into four informative chapters, the first covers his early years at the Fletchamstead factory in Coventry and outlines his first official shoot with a TE20 and how he first met Harry Ferguson.
The second and third chapters detail his work at Banner Lane and Stoneleigh. Supported with factory floor pictures and plenty of Massey tractor and combine images, there is an amusing story of how he photographed prime minister Margaret Thatcher at the 1989 Royal Show.
MF 100 Series production line.
I found the section from 1993 to 2018 particularly interesting. AGCO acquired Massey Ferguson in 1994, and Ted photographed the chairman of the North American company, Robert Ratliff, at Banner Lane. He also documented the last Massey tractor to leave the production line on Christmas Eve 2002.
An MF698 in the snow at Stoneleigh.
Ted took tens of thousands of photographs during his long career. Some of them feature in the picture galleries (1940s-2018) chapter, which includes a couple of pages on the Massey-Harris combine factory at Kilmarnock in Scotland and a section of members of the royal family and other dignities at the Royal and Smithfield shows.
This picture of an MF690 was snapped at Stoneleigh in April 1982.
There are also pictures of numerous Massey tractor milestones, including the two-millionth one to leave the line in January 1974 and the three-millionth tractor in October 1996. The final pages are reserved for some of his favourites and for the technically minded there is even a page on the different cameras he used during his long career.
Ted on top of the Land Rover during a photo shoot in June 1974.
“Writing and self-publishing the book has been an amazing experience. I’m thrilled that so many people have found it interesting and enjoyable. It’s really exciting to see my work come to life on the printed page and be able to share my photographic archives.”
Ted on a TE20 at his first location shoot.
This book provides a unique new perspective on an important chapter in Massey’s history and will have great appeal to enthusiasts and anyone connected with the Triple Triangle brand.
“We took a chance on the initial print-run of 500 copies and have been totally overwhelmed by the fantastic reaction to the book,” says Ted. “There are Massey Ferguson enthusiasts all over the world and we have had orders from Europe, the USA and New Zealand.”
The second edition of ‘My Life as a Photographer with Massey Ferguson’ is available from Amazon, priced at £28.50 plus postage and packing.
Main picture: Ted with the first TE 20 and final MF tractor to be made in Coventry.
