Page 106 - WHO'S WHO OF DUDLEY ROTARY

the school. He was a Dudley magistrate from 1956, and president of Dudley Chamber of
Commerce 1969-70. As a young man he attended the same art classes as renowned Dudley
artist Percy Shakespeare. From boyhood he walked with a limp, having been spiked in the knee
with a metal railing.

335 William Frost HOLDEN (1898-1962) (inducted 2.11.1953; member until shortly before his death
on 17.7.1962.) Classification: Garage Service Station. Proprietor of Holden’s Garage in
Netherton which he founded in the mid 1920s. For the first few years it operated from premises
in Griffin Street, then moved to a prominent location at the corner of Baptist End Road and Arch
Hill Street. Although the garage carried out motor repairs, the principal business was as operator
of Holden’s Luxury Motor Coaches and Holden’s Taxis. After his death the business was
continued by his two sons. The son of a butcher he was born and spent all his life in Netherton
other than military service during and for 3 years after the First World War: he joined the Royal
Flying Corps in February 1917, which became RAF a year later, and served as a Driver/Leading
Aircraftman in France and Egypt until July 1921. He was able to join the club after Rotarian T B
Day (#198), who occupied the same classification, was made a Senior Active Member.

336 Harold TAYLOR ( - ) (inducted 2.11.1953; left June 1964 on retiring to Blackpool.) Official -
Ministry of National Insurance, and formerly National Assistance Officer. He was Manager of
the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance office in Priory Road, Dudley from 1950. Little
is known about him except that he lived in Paganel Drive.

337 John FLEMING (1909-1977) (Inducted 11.1.1954; died 10.12.1977 whilst still a member.)
Pharmaceutical Chemist. Proprietor of John Fleming Limited, Chemists, of High Street, Dudley.
He established the business about 1936, perhaps with the assistance of his father who owned
‘dining rooms’ in Hall Street. His son, John junior (club member #397), joined the business and
with his assistance the firm expanded and diversified during the 1960s to include also
photographic equipment and stationery retailing from two shops in Dudley and one in
Kingswinford. His home was in The Broadway and later in Parkway Road, Dudley until 1976
when he retired to Wolverhampton. His youngest brother - he was one of at least nine children
- was Father Tony Fleming, who spent almost 50 years as a Catholic missionary in Orissa, India.
The Rotary Club helped fund numerous community projects started by Father Tony, including
building houses and a dispensary for a leper community, and sinking village wells.

338 Leslie Edward GALE (1904-1982) (Inducted 11.1.1954; left June 1966 on retiring and leaving the
area.) Classification ‘Banking’. Manager of Lloyds Bank Ltd, Wolverhampton Street, Dudley (in
succession to Rotarian W A Woodall). Although born at Acock’s Green, Birmingham his parents
moved to Old Hill when he was a young boy and he attended Dudley Grammar School. He joined
Lloyds Bank on leaving school at 16, starting as a clerk at the Tipton branch. As a young man
Leslie was a talented cricketer. He was a slow bowler who played 14 first-class matches for
Worcestershire in the 1920s, his first when aged only 18. After the end of his first-class career,
he played minor counties cricket for Staffordshire through the 1930s, primarily as a top-order
batsman. He played for Dudley Cricket Club 1st XI for at least 10 years from 1929 and was
Captain for much of that period. His home was at Priory Cottage, Sedgley.

339 Dennis Albert READING (1900-1972) (Inducted 11.01.1954; left June 1960.) Classification
‘Finance - Investment’. Manager of Barclays Bank, High Street, Dudley from 1950. RIBI had ruled
that he was a normal commercial banker, already represented in the club, so was not eligible to
be a member, but the problem was solved when he resigned in June 1960 on his retirement
from the bank. He was succeeded by Jack Pearson (club member #410). Dennis was born in
Wolverhampton, son of the Corporation Superintendent of Sewers, and appears to have lived
there all of his life except for a few months at the end of the First World War when, as a teenager,