
Kenrick & Jefferson Cricket team, 1936, taken at Salisbury Road playing fields. K&J Directors were keen on providing a sports ground to help their employees be happy and fit. In 1935 they presented a cheque for £500 to make a Sports Pavilion at the recreation ground. It had ladies and gents changing rooms, showers, a large kitchen, a bowls room and a maple floor for ballroom dancing. There was a choice of football, hockey, cricket, putting, netball, a crown bowling green (said to be the best in the Midlands), hard court tennis, table tennis, billiards, snooker and a library. Courtesy of Ivan Walker.

Kenrick and Jefferson football team, 1933. In 1931-32, the team were finalists in the McKechnie Cup and winners of the Oldbury Charity Cup and Johnie Walker Shield. In 1932-33 they were League Chmapions of Birmingham Works league Division 8, and won the Cadbury Shield, Prudential Cup and Vincent Jones Cup. In 1934 they won the Palethorpe Memorial Ball, defeating William Cooper & Sons 3-0 in a match played at the Hawthorns. The team remained consistently successful until the outbreak of the Second World War dispersed the team throughout the Armed Forces. Courtesy of Ivan Walker.

Staff and children at Hallam Hospital, Children’s Ward C1, 1967. Nurse Sister Charles is by the tree. Ivan Walker was there as Father Christmas. His wife Edna was a nurse at Hallam on the Children’s Ward for 22 years (third from right). Ivan Walker told us: “She only went for a month to start with. What made her day was seeing the children who had come in sick and very poorly and those same children go out again well and waving goodbye. She was originally a commercial artist at Kenrick & Jefferson before she became a nurse. They used to decorate the ward every Christmas with a theme – circus, for example, with stand up models of tigers and lions and Mickey Mouse and that sort of thing.” Courtesy of Ivan Walker.

“These are the collectors at the 7th Annual West Bromwich Carnival, on 4th & 5th July 1969. People dressed up for the carnival in those days. Everyone was encouraged to come in fancy dress. They lined up along Garrett Street, Carters Green and went up through the town to Dartmouth Park. Carol Walker is third from right on the back row.” Courtesy of Ivan Walker.