When Sir George Wade was asked on his 90th birthday if he still had any ambitions left, he replied that he'd like to be shot by a jealous husband.

Even at 90, his renowned wit hadn't deserted him. No wonder Sir George was eagerly sought as an after-dinner speaker.

A leading North Staffordshire industrialist for half-a-century, he ultimately earned the title of grand old gentleman of British ceramics.

Colonel Wade, as he was known to his workers, was born at Burslem and ran the famous Wade pottery group (founded by his father George) almost like a big family, with himself as the father-figure.

He found the time to talk to his employees on the factory floor, often about their personal problems. He even left money in his will to several long-serving workers.

Nevertheless, his management style was nothing if not progressive. Under his leadership both before and after the Second World War, the Wade group enjoyed a period of booming trade and expansion.

Sir George had an extended three-year term as president of the North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce, served as chairman of the management board of the Pottery and Glass Trades Benevolent Institution, and was chairman of Burslem Old People's Housing Society for 25 years.

Among many other offices he was president of the North Staffs Medical Institute and played a leading role in raising the money for it to be built.

In politics, he inherited his father's Liberal sympathies, then switched to the Conservatives and stood as candidate for Burslem in 1945. He was knighted in 1955 for political and public services.

In both world wars Sir George served with distinction. He saw active service with the Machine Gun Corps from 1914 to 1918 and won the MC and bar. In 1939, he organised national defence companies in Staffordshire and Cheshire, commanding the Birkenhead Garrison.

A talented painter, he conceived the idea of forming the Friends of the City Art Gallery and actively supported the building of the New Victoria Theatre. His home near Market Drayton, was a treasure-house of antiques.

Before Sir George died in 1986, aged 94, he told his son: ‘‘When I pass away tell my friends — if any of them turn up for the service — not to be sad but to rejoice, as I have had a long and happy life.''