Charles Newman was born in Aldington near Ashford in 1882. At the age of 26 he launched forth on a one man enterprise in Hythe. With premises in Chapel Street, Hythe, he started an oil round with one horse and one cart. They were not all together happy days for "Charlie" Newman for every penny of the family budget had to be considered before it was spent. But unflagging industry and the will to make good, sowed the seed of a purely local firm which, in the 1950's owned the biggest fleet of removal vans for many miles around.

Maurice Newman on the left with his father Charles in about 1940.