Bill was a true Black Country man, born in Vicarage Road, Amblecote in 1938, eldest son of Morgan and Winnie who had three other sons and a daughter (see photograph of family with Bill wearing a tie). His earliest memories include the presence locally of American airmen who were resting after operational duties. They were generous with their gifts of sweets and chewing gum, as all food including sweets were rationed.

Morgan was an iron moulder and a member of the Home Guard who spent much time on his allotment accompanied by Bill who learned much from his father.

In the early dreary post -war years one of Bill’s regular tasks was to get up at 6am several times a week to go to the nearby gas works to queue for coke. The allocation(ration) of 28 lbs , was loaded into an old pram which he pushed home. At this time there was so little traffic about that it was quite safe to play in the street and he emerged as an organiser of street games. This organising ability never left Bill and he put it to good use throughout his life with considerable benefit to the communities he served and lived in.

Amblecote being one of the smallest local authorities in the country situated between Brierley Hill and Stourbridge with the river Stour as a boundary, had no sports facilities. Bill and his friends wanted to play football so he founded Amblecote Rovers, organised a campaign to find a ground for a football pitch, and managed to persuade a nearby licensee to use his premises as dressing rooms enabling the team to join a local youth football league. For a decade the team were one of the best in the league, and with improved facilities the team lasted for over 50 years.

Bill (pictured in the tie) with his family, and Bill with his old teacher Stan Hill.

Bill attended the Old King William Street Infants School, Amblecote later transferring to Brook Street Infants School, Wordsley, and four years later started at Audnam Secondary Modern School, Wordsley. Whilst at school he excelled in all subjects, and some years later one of his teachers stated that Bill was the brightest student that had taught over a 40-year period. This teacher was Stan HILL and the second photograph shows Bill with Stan in recent years who was at this time in his nineties.

There were plenty of job opportunities for school leavers in 1953 and Bill tried several before settling on a two year tool making apprenticeship. Attracted by a newspaper job advertisement for police cadets he applied and was successful and at seventeen started his two year in house course with Staffordshire Police.
During his time as a police cadet in April 1957 he was present when HM Queen Elizabeth visited Brierley Hill which at that time was in Staffordshire.