Front row (l-r): Tina, Steven, Andrew and Joanne Boot. Back row: are Daniel Boot, Dave Stubbs, Gary, Colin, Mark, Alan and Shaun Boot.

As JCB marked its 75th birthday last week, one family had an extra reason to toast the milestone after notching up 600 years' service to the company.

The Boot family started its long association with JCB in 1949 when Bill Boot clocked on for the first time at the company's factory in Rocester, Staffordshire. In the years thereafter, nine of his 10 children went on to work at JCB - Tony, Dereck, Ken, Bob, Bill, Dennis, Les, Ron and Ruby - followed by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His wife, Lucy, worked in the canteen.

In total, 27 Boot family members - including nine grandsons and three great-grandsons - have followed in Bill's footsteps, registering 600 years' combined service to JCB.

The late Bill Boot's legacy continues as 11 members of his family still work at JCB - including five of his grandsons and three of his great-grandsons.

Bill's son Bob, aged 81 and living in Cheadle, Staffordshire, started work at JCB in 1956 on a temporary contract - and stayed for nearly 44 years.

Bill's grandson, Gary Boot, 58, of Uttoxeter, who retired in September, said his family were very proud of their JCB links. Gary, who started working for JCB in 1986, says: "I always wanted to join from an early age. My dad, Dereck, would come home and tell us stories of the company and Mr JCB and that sparked my interest. I've made so many great friends and have so many memories of the place. It is amazing to think of how many years' service our family has put in - 600, it's astonishing."

Gary's identical twin brothers, Andy and Steven, both work at the World HQ in Rocester. Andy, 53, joined in 1983 on a Youth Training Scheme and "hasn't looked back from there".

The fourth generation of Boots working at JCB is made up of great-grandsons, brothers Shaun and Daniel Boot, and their second cousin, Leigh Boot. Shaun, of Denstone, who has worked for JCB for 20 years, says: "There is definitely something in the blood of the Boot family that makes us want to work at JCB."

JCB was founded on the same day as JCB's chairman, Anthony Bamford, now Lord Bamford, was born.