Page 140 - WHO'S WHO OF DUDLEY ROTARY

464 John Eric DAVIES (1928- ) (Inducted Jan.1975, left in 1983/84.) Banking (Commercial). Manager
of Barclays Bank, High Street, Dudley from 1974 (in succession to Harry
Jones, Rotary member #437). On leaving Oldbury County High School, he
did his National Service with the RAF, being trained as an Air Traffic
Controller and promoted to Sergeant. He then joined the Birmingham City
Council’s Treasurer’s Department and was there four years. He started
with Martin’s Bank in 1953 and served in branches at Wednesbury,
Walsall, Birmingham City and Birmingham Five Ways, and the Midland
District Office, before becoming Manager of Martin’s Wolverhampton
Street, Dudley branch in 1961. When Martins merged with Barclays in
1968 he transferred to Barclays’ High Street branch. He was then branch manager at Digbeth
and Redditch before returning to High Street Dudley in 1974. He left the club at the end of 1983
on being made manager of Barclays’ Colmore Row branch in Birmingham. After retiring from
the bank he became a Financial Consultant and served on the board of several companies. He
was also on the board of Dudley Zoo (Dudley & West Midlands Zoological Society Limited) from
1991 to 2002. He lived at Pedmore from 1968 and at West Hagley from 1975.

465 Charles WOOD, JP (1926-1988) (Inducted Feb.1975; left in 1982/83.) Fruit & vegetable,
Retailing. Manager of the Dudley Co-operative Society Fruit & Vegetable Department, Nith
Place, Dudley. His home was in Cromwell Drive, Dudley, and he was born, lived and died in the
town but otherwise very little is known about him.

466 Arthur Reginald WOODHALL (1923-2001) (Inducted Feb.1975; left in 1980/81.) Education,
Primary schools. He was Headmaster of Blowers Green Primary School, Dudley from January
1963 until taking early retirement in July 1980. He was raised in Old Hill but went to Halesowen
Grammar School after winning a scholarship. His first job was as a clerk at stoneware
manufacturers Doulton and Co. at Springfield, Dudley. In October 1941 he was called up by the
RAF and trained as an advanced wireless operator with Coastal Command. He then joined 419
Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force - the ‘Moose Squadron’ - and flew with them until the
middle of 1944. From then until being demobbed in October 1946 he served as a Signals
Instructor and Signals Officer, finishing with the rank of Flying Officer. He decided to take up
teaching as a profession but had to wait until 1947 to attend Dudley Training College. In the
meantime he got a post as an unqualified teacher at Old Hill County Primary School. In
September 1955 Arthur was appointed deputy Head of Sledmere County Primary School in
Dudley and remained there until moving to Blowers Green. He lived in Wall Heath from at least
1968.

467 Thomas William Melvin (‘Mel’) ABSALOM (1932-2016) (Inducted July 1975; left in 1977 on
leaving the district.) Department Stores. Manager of the Marks &
Spencer store, Market Place, Dudley, probably from 1967 until he was
transferred to Warrington in 1977. He was raised in Haverfordwest,
Pembrokeshire, married in Christchurch, Hants, then lived near Swindon
and perhaps Newport, South Wales, before moving home to
Wolverhampton in 1967. He then lived at Grappenhall near Warrington
from 1977 until 2013 before moving to South Devon, near Beer where
his son has opened a wine bar. During his period as a member at Dudley
he was prime organiser and compere of a highly successful charity
concert by the Treorchy Male Choir in Dudley Town Hall. Subsequently he organised regular
Treorchy concerts in Warrington Town Hall and helped raise many thousands of pounds for a
local hospice, for which he was recognised by being made an honorary member of the choir in
2000. His wife Patricia is a champion breeder of British Brown Spotted cats.