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Thursday, January 17, 2013Express & Star ES 43www.expressandstar.com

TThhee ssttoorryy ooff aann iimmppoorrttaanntt aarreeaa

HAVE you a story toshare about the Black

Country? If so, drop Carla note. If you have a taleto tell, a memory to passon or a photo to share,then write to Carl c/oThe Editor, Express &

Star, Queen Street,Wolverhampton, WV11ES. All photos will be

scanned immediately atthe Express & Star

offices and returned asquickly as possible. You

can also email Carl atcarl@brummagem.fsnet

.co.uk

● Carl Chinn isProfessor of

Community Historyat the University ofBirmingham andyou can listen tohim each Sunday

between noon and2pm on BBC WM,

95.6 FM

Write

to Carlof neighboursacross the sea

“Unfortunately this was the last contact thatI had with Joe Austin who is with his Maker.”

Since then Mike has been able to pass on hisdeep appreciation of their neighbourliness tomembers of the Gittins family, whilst a relativeof Joe Austin has been in touch.

She is Jane Nicklin who writes that “JoeAustin lived with my Gran, his cousin, some-time through the mid-60s/s and early 70s inDaisy Bank, Coseley. In my early teens Iremember him helping me and my cousins withhomework and he loved to give people books. Istill have a dictionary he gave to me, I think onmy thirteenth birthday. He had written inside,‘When you are counting your blessings may younever run short of words’. I vividly rememberin the front room his huge full book cases.

Mike has since spoken with Floss and Davidand when they were talking, Floss told himthat “her niece, Christine, was married to aman who like me is a member of the Gentle-men Songsters Male Voice Choir and everyrehearsal we were sitting next to each other yetthe link to Joe Austin never surfaced”.

Ian Jeavons also has memory of the remark-able Joe Austin. He remembers that “I wasaged nine in 1957 when my father and I metJoe on a coach taking Wolves fans to Highburyfor a football game against Arsenal. I haveworked out it was 1957 because I rememberthe score was 0-0 So it was over two years later,in December 1960, when out of the blue Ireceived the attached birthday card from Joetogether with a one dollar note. I still have thedollar as well as the card. What a kind andthoughtful man he was!” Left, the poem sent to Michael after the death of his beloved mother by Joe Austin. Right the birthday card sent to Ian Jeavons in 1960

Malcolm Carrier is a Senior Site Engineer atSteelway. His grand-dad, Reginald, and two sons,Rick and Aaron have also worked for the companyover the years, whilst his father, John, was Work-shop Foreman for the handrail department. Johnworked for Steelway from when he was fifteenuntil he retired at 65 – and he is on this photographof a work’s dinner from 1953.

Jon can also name most of the others: “workingfrom the back row on the left the names are as fol-lows: Brian Wilkinson; John Carrier; GordonBeech; Ron Wright; Albert Lockley; Tom Jarvis;Ernie Jervis; unknown but maybe Tom Evans; thenext two gentlemen are unknown as are the nextthree ladies; and the lady in front of the gentlemanis unknown, as is the gentleman behind her.

“Standing then comes Jack Oakley; unknown;Jim Slater; Bill Forrest; unknown but maybe A.

Nock; Bill Goodyear; Fred Hammond; Miss EdithHolbrook; Bill Goodyear Jr; Harold Wilkes; and thenext two gentlemen are unknown.

“The first gentleman on right-hand side isunknown; Bert Jones; unknown, as is the gentle-man leaning forward unknown; Ted Styles; MacBeddows; Joe Wilkes; Walter Brown; John West-bury; and Colin Legge.”

“Inside right working towards the top table isGordon Legge; Richard Blower; Tom Lovell; PercyOakley; Harry Billings; Doug Marsden; ArthurFieldhouse; Fred Price; George Taylor; unknown;and Fred Shaw.

“Inside left working towards the top table is BillHickman; Joe Weaver; Fred Cooper;

Unknown; Walter Evans; Ron Chester; Jim Mills;Jim Barclay; Jack Gibbons; and Jack Potts possi-bly.”

role in coronation of a king

Names and faces of 1953works dinner to the fore