Herbert had four sons, the eldest William John (1896 to 1916) was killed in the First World war. Herbert commissioned a stained glass window in William’s memory which is sited in the chancel area of St Mary’s Church in Bedfont. His three remaining sons, Reginald, Sydney and Murray, followed him into the family firm and they continued to develop and adapt the business to meet the needs of their customers. J. Gibbs became a limited company in 1937.
The Bedfont site had grown and expanded from the original blacksmith’s shop to cover a large corner site encompassing Stanwell Road and the Great South West Road. The opening of the A30 in 1926 meant that the firm was now situated on the main road between London and Southampton. In 1949 the motor division, known as Longbridge House, was built. This completed the expansion of the business premises at Bedfont.
The site at Bedfont. Longbridge House is the large building in the foreground on the left. The Spinney cottage and blacksmith’s shop can just be seen centre back, standing slightly separate from the rest of the buildings. The Great South West Road (A30) is in the foreground, whilst Stanwell Road can be seen running at right angles to it.
