THE POWELL FAMILY

4.  My parents - Clifford and Phyllis Powell - and my brother and sister, Tony and Gloria

My mum, Phyllis, all dressed up - but I don't remember where she was going!
The Blakenhall Conservative Club was important in my parent's social life. Here they are in the Club with, from left to right: Stan Williams, ??, Mr. Rowe, Mum (Phyllis Powell), Millie Vanes, Dad (Clifford Powell), Mr. Vanes.
The Blakenhall Conservative Bowls Club.

The bowling green was a crown green and was at the back of the Club.

My father was a very keen and very good bowls player.
Back row: Geoff Cheshire, ??, George Garner, Clifford Powell, George Evans, Peter Jones, Harry Jones, Harold Cheshire. Front row: Sam Evans, Stan Williams, John Shelley, Jack Guest, Billy Wharton, George Osbourne. My Dad and Bill Wharton are wearing the caps which I think the Staffordshire Bowling Association gave you if you played for the county. This must be some time in the 70s.
This must also be in the 70s and I think this must be the Club's team. Left to right: Paul Shelley, John Shelley, George Garner, Harry Jones, Jack Guest, George Osborne, Chris Harman.  (Paul Shelley was John Shelley's son.  John Shelley owned the chemist's in Dudley Road).
This is an old and faded newspaper clipping which I think must be from the Express and Star.
This is my Dad receiving a cup from another well known Wolverhampton sportsman, Billy Wright, who played football.  Stan Williams is on the left.  
In fact, he seems to have made a bit of a habit of it. Here he is with Billy Wright on another similar occasion.
Time moves on. This is Dad with his granddaughter Kelly, outside No.14, about 1975, not long before they moved out and the street was demolished.
Dad eventually retired in 1980, after 22 years with Star Aluminium.
Star Aluminium's company newspaper, Star News, published the picture of him above, and wrote this about him:

Cliff retired on October 17th after 22 years service with Star. He began in the Wolverhampton Despatch office in 1958 and in 1961 moved as a clerk to the Finishing Department office.

From 1931-1935 he was in the Merchant Navy, mostly taking coal from South Wales to South America and bringing back grain. During this time he obtained his Second Mates Certificate. Afterwards he had several jobs including selling Hoovers, before joining the R.A.F. in 1939 - staying with the service until 1946.

Prior to the war, Cliff served in Egypt as ground crew with a Flying Training School near the Suez Canal. Due to the imminence of war, they were moved away from the canal to Iraq because of the danger of bombing to this target and whilst on their way war was declared. Arriving in Iraq they were besieged by local troops who had turned against the British. For 3 weeks they managed with little or no food until they were relieved by our men from India. These troops included Gurkas who were renowned for quickly disposing of the enemy! The problem between Britain and Iraq was sorted out and they stayed until 1945, then back for a short stay in Ireland before being demobbed in 1946.

He and his wife, Phyllis, have three children and 6 grandchildren and they hope to visit Australia for 3 months next year to see again their one daughter and 2 grandchildren, so that Cliff's very varied and interesting life will be further added to.

At the time of writing, Phyllis is about to enter hospital for a hip replacement and we do hope all goes well.

In retirement, Cliff intends to take it easy to start with. Bowls is his great love and he will also do some light - he repeats light - gardening.

To Cliff and Phyllis we all wish a long, healthy and happy retirement.

My brother, Tony, first went to work at Salt's butchers on the Penn Road.  He worked there for about 12 months and then he moved to the Co-op grocery store at Wanderer's Avenue for a year.  The, at the age of 18, in 1961, he started working for Liptons.  He worked at all their branches in Wolverhampton:  at the corner of King Street and Dudley Street; at Queen Square, where Cost Coffee now is);  at Chapel Ash, near the Combermere Arms; and at School Street, opposite the Horseshoe Grill.  When he started work at Liptons butter and dried fruit were still being weighed and packed in the shops.  He always wore a white "cow gown".  His hours of work were 8 am to 6 pm, with one hour off for lunch and a 5 1/2 day week.  After that he worked at Star Aluminium

This is Tony, at the left in the front row, with some work mates from Star Aluminium.

This was not the main factory but the works in Sedgley Street (opposite the Corona bottling plant) where they made the cases for the foil. 

Tony also played bowls at the Conservative Club.  Here he is, third from the left in the back row (and my father, in the county cap, in the centre).

Later on Tony moved to Stafford where he still lives with his family.

 
The car belonged to Gloria and her husband and they have brought it round to be admired. Gloria went to Australia and lived near Melbourne on St. Philips Bay.  Recently she moved to Yarrawonga, in the north of Victoria.  These days we communicate by email.

Mum and Dad's house was bought by the council under a compulsory purchase order.  They moved to a council house in Bevan Avenue, Parkfields, where they lived out the rest of their days.

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