Page 116 - WHO'S WHO OF DUDLEY ROTARY

Farm in 1969, Badger Heath Farm in 1977 and his remaining holdings in 1979 when he retired
through ill health. He served as a member of Seisdon Rural Council for 17 years from 1946 and
was its Chairman 1954-57; he was Chairman of the Wolverhampton Branch of the National
Farmers’ Union, and led a party of West Midland farmers on a tour of experimental farms in
Canada and the United States in 1959; and was Chairman of the Staffordshire branch of the
Country Landowners’ Association for several years from 1964.

378 John Neville FOULKES (1928- ) (Inducted 10.7.1961; made an Honorary
Member in 2019 and still a member at 2022.) Builders & Plumbers
Merchants. Joint managing director, with his older brother Alan (club
member #374), of Timmins & Foulkes Ltd, builders merchants and
ironmongers of King Street, Dudley, following their father Jonathan Nichol
Foulkes (member #212). They joined the firm soon after the last War and
left on selling the business and premises in 1982. John and Alan were also
directors of Whittaker Bros. Limited, electrical contractors of Firs Street,
Dudley until 1995. John has been an active freemason - member of the
Priory Lodge, Dudley - and, like his brother, reached the rank of Provincial Senior Grand Warden
in the Worcestershire Provincial Grand Lodge. He was a keen golfer well into his 80s and as a
young man a good tennis player. He was brought up in Northfield, Birmingham but, after
marrying in 1954, lived for over 60 years in Quinton until moving home to nearby Lapal.

379 Desmond A THOMAS (1923- ) (Inducted 1.2.1962; left before mid 1964.) Government - Youth
Employment. Dudley Youth Employment Officer, based in St James’s Road. He moved to
become Youth Organiser for Warley Council, perhaps at about the same time as he moved home
from Paganel Drive to Oakham Road in 1968. A native of Bridlington, North Yorkshire, his first
job on leaving school at 16 was as a clerk with the Bridlington Corporation Electricity
Department. In his 20s he was Bridlington Cricket Club’s left-hand opening batsman, scoring
1183 runs in the 1949 season. He moved to work in Darlington in 1950.

380 David Sadler STOCKTON (1938-2009) (Inducted 1.2.1962; left c.1969.) Automobile Retailing. He
was with Day & Mansell Ltd., Hall Street, Dudley, presumably eventually as a Director, but he
may well have joined in Summer 1960, immediately after graduating with a BSc in mechanical
engineering from Birmingham University. His father Percy Stockton (club member #371) was
head of the firm but died in Autumn 1960 so David may have been catapulted into taking charge.
(He was only 23 when he joined the Rotary Club.) The firm eventually became part of the P J
Evans group, now Evans Halshaw, but it is not known if he stayed with the company. David must
have been educated at the independent Rossall School at Fleetwood, Lancashire, because from
2004 he was a director of Rossall Enterprises, the commercial arm of the school, and donations
at his funeral went to the Rossall School Foundation. He lived in Edgbaston until 1968, then
moved to Wombourne and a few years later to Catholic Lane, Sedgley.

381 Frank Yorke TURLEY (1909-1994) (Inducted 12.3.1962; left c.1971.) Education - Administration.
Director of Education for Dudley Borough Council, based in St James's Road. He was previously
Divisional Education Officer for South West Staffordshire (which included Dudley) from 1954 to
about 1965 when he was appointed Assistant Director of Education for Dudley. He became
Director in 1972 on the retirement of Harry Eisel (club member #304) and held that post until
his own retirement in 1974.
He was born in Gloucestershire but brought up in Ocker Hill, Tipton where his headmaster
father and family moved when he was an infant. After graduating from Birmingham University
with a BA degree in 1932 and Diploma in Education the following year he became a school
teacher and appears to have taught in Sutton Coldfield and Keighley, Yorkshire in his early
career. From 1941, during the last War, until 1954 he served in the Administrative and Special