Raymond Brookes, Baron Brookes

Raymond Percival Brookes, Baron Brookes (10 April 1909 – 31 July 2002) was a British industrialist.

Brookes became the Managing Director of GKN in 1964 and the group's Chairman and Chief Executive in 1965. He retired in 1974 and was made GKN's Life President.^[1]

Brookes was knighted in 1971. On 14 January 1976, he was created a life peer, as Baron Brookes, of West Bromwich in the County of West Midlands.^[2] He sat as a Conservative until 1990, when he left the Conservative Party in protest against the removal of Margaret Thatcher.^[3] He then sat as a crossbencher.^[4]

He sat on the Board of Governors of the University of Birmingham from 1966 until 1975.^[5]

Coat of arms

Coat of arms of Raymond Brookes, Baron Brookes

Crest A demi-bear rampant Proper beside and resting its sinister paw on an anvil Sable. Escutcheon Or on a pale Sable between in chief two crosses crosslet Gules a sword the point upwards and enfiling a Stafford knot the blade charged above with guard with a sun in splendour over all Or. Supporters Dexter a dragon Sable armed Gules sinister a figure habited as Vulcan standing in front of an anvil resting his exterior hand on a hammer all Proper. Motto Ignis Indurat Animum [6]