Bill Breese wrote a lot about the owners of Hendreddu and Gartheiniog quarries between the Wars. Much of this has guided the research for this chapter of my book. However, not everyone that Bill mentions is accounted for. Here is an intriguing paragraph from his booklet Village at War
John Hargreaves, Major Bill, & Good Leicester were moderately wealthy on their arrival at Aberangell, but penniless when they bid us their sad farewell. J.H. Harris; Wm. Bowley; Joseph Morris; Powell; Smith; formed a Company so as to seek success where others had met but dismal failure and disappointments. They assumed that to renew and to modernize the machinery would cure the quarry of its problems. They returned as registered bankrupts to Melton Mowbray, their quarry in liquidation and to be dealt with by an Official Receiver. A similar fate, ie loss of capital awaited Hadrill (of Cefn Gwyn) Woodrow (Cefn Gwyn) Wallis, Shillang and Forrester, all genuinely believing that they would win the day despite being aware of the fate and sorrow of predecessors who left in poverty and disgrace.
We know who many of these people are. Some of them remain mysterious.
John Hargreaves was the Hendreddu engineer in 1922, who left in 1926
"Major Bill" is Major Charles Bill who led the Hendreddu company from 1922 - 1926
"Good Leicester" is a real mystery. There were strong connections between the Hendreddu company and the city of Leicester, so did someone called "Good" from Leicester work at Hendreddu? Perhaps it was a mishearing of John Heawood, who was from Leicester? No clear
J.H. Harris is John Henry Harris who replaced John Hargreaves in 1927.
William Bowley is the director Hendreddu from 1922 onwards.
Joseph Morris was the owner of Dickinson & Morris famous pork pie shop in Melton Mowbray and director of Hendreddu from 1922.
Powell is a name with many connections to Hendreddu and Gartheiniog in the person of "James Powell" aka Roland Morgan. Another possibility is Arthur James Powell of Melton Mowbray, though he hasn't been positively connected with either quarry.
Smith could be the nebulous B.B. Smith who was mine agent at Gartheiniog from 1923-25. He hasn't been positively identified.
Hadrill is Temple Hadrill, lessor of Gartheiniog
Woodrow is George Alfred Perharn Woodrow who was a Director of Gartheiniog Slate Quarries Ltd. in 1926. He was born in 1892 and lived in Kings Norton after the First World War
Wallis is Sydney Wallis, the son-in-law of William Clayton Russon
"Shillang" is Archibald W. Shillan who was a director of Bowley’s Quarries Ltd. and directly involved with the final company to run Gartheiniog.
Forrester is our final unknown. He might be Captain Francis William Forester who lived in Melton Mowbray and had been the Master of the Quorn Hounds before the First World War. Again, he hasn't been directly connected to either quarry.