Category: local history

Arthur Stokes (1871-1953), signalman

Arthur Stokes was born in Birmingham on 19th February 1871 and was the second of the six children of parents, Peter, a carter, and Ann (née Humphreys) who had married in Bordesley in 1867. He started work on the railways at the age of 13, and spent 44 years as a signalman at Solihull Station. In 1936, he published his memoir, the proceeds of which went towards the Solihull Methodist Church Building Fund.

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Elmdon C of E School

The elementary school in the grounds of Elmdon Park closed for the final time on Christmas Eve, 1943. The entry in the school log book notes the closure for Christmas but it seems that the school never actually reopened. There had been five juniors and 12 infants on the school roll on 10th December 1943, with only 80 per cent of the juniors attending school, and 31.6 per cent of the infants. The following week there were only 10 children registered.

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Olton Remembers the First World War

During the Solihull Remembers project to commemorate each of the Borough’s First World War casualties on the centenary of their death, library staff worked with researchers from across the Borough, including a team from St Margaret’s Church, Olton. The names of the 52 men on the war memorial in the church were researched. It was found that there were at least 30 other casualties with a local connection whose names were not included on the memorial.

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Solihull Volunteer Infantry

In the face of rising fears of invasion, an association for the defence of Solihull, Knowle and Elmdon was formed in 1797. The association offered to the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire a troop of horse at least 50-strong, with volunteers comprising local tradesmen and farmers who agreed to serve only within the bounds of Solihull, Knowle and Elmdon. Unlike the militia, which was raised by public ballot and administered by the War Office, the volunteer forces were self-regulating and would only come under the control of military authorities in the event of an invasion.

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Queen’s Baton Relay, 26th July 2022

Having been on a 294-day journey to all 72 Commonwealth countries, the Commonwealth Games baton returned to England on Monday 4th July 2022 for a 25-day tour of the regions. After visiting Sandwell on 25th July, the baton officially arrived in the Solihull Borough at 8am on Tuesday 26th July 2022, when the day’s first Batonbearer, Wayne Elcock (BB001), carried the baton into the grounds of Castle Bromwich Hall Hotel.

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