Peter Corby dead – Corby trouser press inventor dies aged 97 after revolutionary design made him a household name

PETER Corby, the man who invented the trouser press, has died at the age of 97.

The Corby Trouser Press was launched in the 1960s and was described as "a man's best friend" in adverts.

Inventor Corby patented the revolutionary design, which included an electrical heating pad and went on to sell millions.

The household name later sold his business to Jourdan plc, which is now owned by Huddersfield firm Fired Up Corporation.

Today, tributes poured in for the designer, with one person writing on Twitter: "RIP Peter Corby. His trouser presses were like an old friend".

Another described his product as a "fantastic British invention".

Born in Leamington Spa in July 1924, Mr Corby joined the Royal Air Froce's Volunteer Reserve in September 1943 and was mobilised in February 1944, according to the Telegraph.

After training as a flight engineer, he flew in the Halifax bomber as part of 78 Squadron in the final weeks of the war in Europe. 

After the war he joined his dad in the family business.

And a chance meeting with the Concorde aeronautical engineer who had solved the problem of how to prevent the nose cone from freezing, gave Corby his idea.

He was inspired by the innovation to come up with the electrical heating pad which transformed the effectiveness of the trouser press.

The businessman later began a leasing arrangement with hotels in the early 1970s before selling his firm.

Corby has been described in tributes as a "remarkable businessman" who "managed to keep selling a product (mainly to hotels) despite the fact that most guests never used it". 

He is survived by his second wife Gail Clifford-Marshall and their son, as well as two children from his first marriage.   

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