Obituaries Australia

Henry Fitter, n.d.

from Pastoral Review, 16 November 1922

The frozen meat trade loses one of its best known and most highly respected figures by the death of Mr. Henry Shipley Fitter, which occurred on 24th September at his residence, ''Sonningdale,'' Sandgate-road, Folkestone. His death will be a sad shock to many people in Australia and New Zealand, where he had a wide circle of friends, having visited both countries with his sons.

It was less than six months since Mr. Fitter returned from a tour of Australia and New Zealand, where he renewed, as he had with fair frequency beforehand done, his old acquaintance and friendship with leading producers and shippers in many districts. Mr. Fitter has been suffering from indifferent health for some time past, but his sudden death from a seizure and cerebral hemorrhage on 24th September came as an unexpected end to an active public life. For some time past the greater part of the business of Messrs. Henry S. Fitter and Sons, of the London Central Markets, Smithfield, had been controlled by the other partners of his firm, so that on the demise of the senior partner affairs are conducted under exactly the same management and on the same lines as before by Mr. Percy S. Fitter.

Mr. Fitter may perhaps be regarded as the last, as he was certainly the leading, representative of the old direct commission salesmen section of the overseas frozen meat business. The firm of which he was the head was originally established in Leadenhall market, and reached out to greater and wider activities on the creation of the great meat markets at Smithfield. It took up the frozen meat trade from the start, and Mr. H. S. Fitter was ever to the fore in its gradual development.

While many of the market salesmen, as well as outside agents, preferred to sell frozen meat on c.i.f. terms, Messrs. Fitter adhered in the main to the earlier practice of transacting business on direct commission, and in that way handled most of the consignments sent to them of meat; whether home-killed or imported.

Mr. H. S. Fitter was personally interested in the first shipment of frozen beef that ever went to England from the United States, and in due course he was handling some of the earliest consignments of frozen mutton from Australia and New Zealand. While recognising the difficulties of the pioneers of refrigerated meat, he was never among the Jeremiahs. Indeed, he joined ardently with those who made up their minds to overcome all difficulties, and his foresight, combined with judgment and energy, helped materially in putting the whole frozen meat trade on a sound foundation.

During the war Mr. Fitter's mature and reliable advice was sought by the Ministry of Food and the Board of Trade, and readily given, for he was nothing if not patriotic. The war charities, such as the Meat Red Cross Fund, the Belgian Relief, and other funds, found in him a generous supporter. He was indeed a charitable and public-spirited man at all times, and the benevolent organisations of the meat trade were the richer for his contributions. He was a liveryman of the Butchers' Company, an ancient city guild which, unlike some others, is really in touch with its trade; and he served the office of master, afterwards assisting the counsels of the guild as a member of the governing body.