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Left Column Names The wording on the Tablet is as follows"This Tablet is erected to commemorate the generosity and public spirit of the undermentioned men and women who in 1918 raised a guaranteed of £1000 in order to found The Bilston Junior High School and thereby created the nucleus of the present school for which Staffordshire County Council provided these buildings in 1931.  Right Column Names
  • George North Adams,
  • Tom Byron Adams,
  • William Henry Adams,
  • Thomas Ridley Bailey,
  • Herbert Beach,
  • Hermon Bradley,
  • Charles Howard Bussey,
  •  John Doughty Bussey,
  •  Frank William Collins,
  •  Gabriel Estwick Ford,
  •  John Freeman, Charles
  • John Griffiths,
  • Charles Holland Harper,
  • Clement William Harris,
  •  Harry James Harris,
  • James Wilfred Harris,
  •  Sidney Harris, William
  •  Henry Hawthorne,
  • Helen Donaldson Heatley,
  • Thomas Burnham Heynes,
  • Edward Hickman,
  • Thomas Edgecome Hickman,
  • John Twigg Homer,
  • Walter H Hughes,
  • William John Jenkins
tablet

This tablet was  discovered abandoned in a Boiler House at
Bilston Community Centre,
it has now been donated to The BCMC for safe keeping.
Click the image for a larger version
Information from Cynthia Hill

This used to be in the Crush(Entrance) Hall at school. Some names are familiar to me- they would have been the equivalent of Rotary members - prominent professional and business men of the time.

  • Herbert Beach - furniture shop and mayor of Bilston,

  • Bussey family - don't know where money came from 

  • Frank Collins - funeral director,
  •  John Freeman was a local preacher in Methodist Church

  •  Walter Hughes became an author,

  •  Hickmans were timber merchants,
  •  Dr Lambah - Miss Lambah's dad,
  • Legges were Lock and Key manufacturers,

  • Thompson's boilers,

  • Wesson's were in Darlaston but big family at Bilston

  • Wesley Metz Wilkins were jewellers,

  • Woolridge bakers
Information from Megan Fitzgerald Plummer
  • George North Adams – JP, Mars Iron Works, also Director of Bilston Gas Light & Coke Co

  • Thomas Byron Adams – son of the above

  • William Henry Adams- son of GNA

  • Thomas Ridley Bailey – Dr, Lyndale, 13 Wellington Rd

  • Herbert Beech – Furniture Dealer,

  • Hermon Bradley –  Chairman of Beldray - Son of Walter Smith Bradley, (Beldray)

  • Charles Haywood Bussey – Springfield House , Wolverhampton St ( prior to Hickman Park Ground)

  • John Doughty Bussey- Springfield House Ditto

  • Frank William Collins – Undertaker

  • Gabriel Estwick Ford – Vicar

  • John Freeman – Author  

  • Charles John Griffiths- Charles Holland Harper - Hardware manufacturer ( son of John Harper alderman of Brueton House)

  •   Clement William Harris – Laburnhams

  • Harry James Harris – ditto

  • James Wilfred Harris – ditto

  • Sidney Harris – ditto

  • William Henry Hawthorn – Grandson of Helen Donaldson Heatley – 1st headmistress of Wolverhampton Girls High School

  • Thomas Burnham Heynes – Drugstore/Oil & Colour Merchant

  •  Edward Hickman – Son of Sir Alfred Thomas Edgecome Hickman – Brigadier General, MP for Bilston , Wergs Hall Wolverhampton.

  • Alfred John Twigg Homer – Chair of Dudley Board of guardians, high sheriff of Staffs, (adventurer)

  • Walter Hughes – Author Hugh Walters

  • William John Jenkins –

  • Edward Johnson –

  • James Adams Jordan – Enameller, went into partnership with Ralph (Ralph & Jordan)

  • Vishwa Mitra Lambah – Dr, Police surgeon

  • Alfred Lathe –
  • William John Jenkins –

  • Edward Johnson –

  • James Adams Jordan – Enameller, went into partnership with Ralph (Ralph & Jordan)

  • Vishwa Mitra Lambah – Dr, Police surgeon

  • Alfred Lathe –

  • Leslie Ward Lee – JP, Gent, Wellington Rd. Director of Bilston Gas Light & Coke Co

  • Joseph Legge – Lock Maker
  • William John Lester – Coal merchant / Japanners- Lester St, ( the only Lester’s I can think of)

  • David Lewis – JP, a founder of Bilston Girls High School

  • Herbert Thomas Merchant – Builder,

  • Frank Millington – Taylor
  • Joseph Henry Parker –

  • Frederick William Plant – Westbourne,

  • Henry Simcox Pratt – Solicitor

  • Frederick Ernest Sankey – Wellington Rd Chairman of the Board of Guardians of Wolverhampton Grammar

  • George Henry Sankey – ditto

  • Richard Smith – ?

  • Samuel Ashley Smith – MD, JP , 1 Wellington Rd

  • Samuel Thompson –

  • Stephen William Tyler –

  • Alfred John Wesson – Iron Works, Moxley ( Wednesbury)

  • Charles Wesson – ditto

  • William Wesson – ditto

  • William Wilkins –

  • William Henry Metz Wilkins – Jeweller/watchmaker

  • Frederick Woolridge - Baker /pastryman