Grindlay was born in Coventry, England in 1876, the fifth child of six and second son of William Grindlay an established watch artisan. Upon leaving school, Grindlay joined a local cycle firm and began learning the skills he would employ later in his career. At the age of 20, Grindlay married Emma Chaplin in St Paul's Church, Coventry on the 7th of September 1896, starting his family in 1899 when the first of his two sons was born. By 1901, Grindlay was working at Riley Cycle Company, one of the major firms in Coventry at that time. Grindlay progressed steadily within the company, until 1911, while working as a foreman at Riley Cycle Company, he applied for a patent regarding 'improved means for carrying spare wheels' for motorcars. That same year Grindlay left Riley Cycle Company and took over the Coventry Motor & Sundries business, establishing Grindlay Sidecars, which became known for its "extremely high quality" machines. During WWI he combined forces with Thomas Edward Musson founding Musson & Grindlay, specialising in Sidecar production. However, parting ways with Musson in 1923, Grindlay established Grindlay Peerless.
Motor industry
Formed in 1923, Grindlay Peerless operated out of Melbourne Works on Shakleton Road in Spon End, Coventry, entered into the wider motorcycle market in the early 1920s and began making high-powered machines. Like the Grindlay Sidecars before them, employed technological advances and innovative engineering, which included utilising early aircraft design features. CWG 'Bill' Lacey became the first man to exceed a 100 miles in an hour on British soil in August 1928 aboard his modified 498cc Grindlay Peerless. The bike covered 103.9 miles in the hour at Brooklands racing circuit, in Surrey to secure a Fédération Internationale de Motocyclismeworld record. In 1929, Bill Lacey broke the record again on his Grindlay Peerless, by covering 105.78 miles in the hour at Autodrome deLinas-Montlhéry, Montlhéry, in France.
Government
Grindlay was a prominent member of Coventry City Council. Joining the council in 1923, he dedicated much of his life local government in Coventry and wider Warwickshire. During WWII, in 1941, Grindlay was appointed Mayor of Coventry and presided over Coventry during the Coventry Blitz that saw 230 bombers attack the city, dropping 315 tons of high explosive and 25,000 incendiaries during the April 1941 attack. Grindlay led much of the early work to rebuild the city following the 1941 bombing and a large portion of the city owes its design origins to his directives. Grindlay House in Windsor Street was named so in his honour.
Having been a Coventry City Councillor for nearly 39 years, Grindlay was awarded the Freedom of the City on 15 November 1962. His award is described by Coventry City Council as being "in recognition of his eminent and devoted service to the city during a period of unprecedented municipal development and as a token of public esteem". Grindlay died in Coventry in 1965 aged 89 years.
