Mould began his career at his grandfather’s printing business – Mould Printing Company in Leyland – in 1939.
He applied to join the RAF in 1942 and was called up in 1943, and went on to fly many missions in Kittyhawk and P-51 Mustang fighter planes.
Mould’s son Christian Mould takes up his father’s incredible war story: “He was eventually shot down over Yugoslavia. The crash broke his back but he was picked up by Tito’s Partisans and transported over 100 miles in a hay cart back to the Allied lines.”
Mould was handed over to a British patrol that was headed by Winston Churchill’s son Randolph, who gave the half-naked Mould a shirt to wear – an item that he kept and that is among his effects.
“His recovery was long and included 12 months in a full body cast. He returned to the family business and remained in printing for the rest of his career,” Christian Mould explained.
Mould Printing Company changed its name to Leyland Printing Company, and Bill Mould was its managing director until he retired in 2005. The Mould family connection continues at Affinity Packaging today.
“He remained deeply involved in the business and was last in the factory in December 2023 at the ripe old age of 99.
“Bill was a fiery character and a hard taskmaster but also one of the fairest and supportive employers and his staff adored and deeply respected him.”
Mould had many passions outside work. He built a 46-foot yacht by hand in the factory yard, which he then took on numerous sailing trips including sailing to Spain and back after gaining his Ocean Yachtmaster certificate – the gold standard for aspiring skippers.
He also single-handedly rebuilt three light aircraft in a warehouse at the print factory, which to this day is referred to as “the Hanger”.
