Page 51 - WHO'S WHO OF DUDLEY ROTARY

brother-in-law John Chilton (club member #53), having previously worked there as manager for
several years. Like his older brother Ernest, he was born in Brisbane, Australia during the period
of perhaps 10 years that his Dudley-born parents were resident there. The family moved back
to Dudley around 1900. In his earlier years he worked as a ‘law clerk’. During the First World
War he was a Lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery and served in France for a considerable
period, being wounded and gassed shortly before the Armistice was signed. Bert was elected as
a member of Dudley Council for Woodside ward from 1927 to 1930 in succession to his recently
deceased father. In 1927 he set up a new company, Davies (Dudley) Ltd, to carry on the business
of chemists, druggists, drysalters etc. but it is not clear that it traded. From 1934 to 1950 he was
a director of the Dudley & District Benefit Building Society, and during the 1950s was Company
Secretary, and probably also a director, of Prima Industries, manufacturers of foot pumps, jacks
and car horns based at Burton Road, Dudley. He seems to have been the owner of a racehorse.
Was it a coincidence that a horse named Queensland owned by a Mr A F Davies raced at
numerous courses around England during 1939?

152 Rev. Bertram (‘Canon Bertie’) Henry GREEN (1881-1970) (Elected
12.5.1930; left Nov. 1940.) Clerk in Holy Orders. Vicar of St John’s Church,
Kates Hill, Dudley from 1926 to 1940 and Rural Dean of Dudley from 1936.
He left in November 1940 on being installed as Honorary Canon of
Worcester Cathedral and Vicar of Longdon near Malvern and the
neighbouring parish of Greenhill. He retired to Worcester in 1954.
He was born at Leamington, Warwickshire, but when he was 9 his
widowed mother sent him to the Masonic Institution for Boys, Wood Green,
north London where he remained until aged 18. He then spent 10 years in
business in the East End of London, starting as a stationer’s assistant, before feeling the call to
the church and studying for three years at the Theological Department of King's College London.
He graduated in 1911, became a deacon in that year, and was ordained as a priest in 1912. He
was Curate at St Luke’s, Cradley Heath 1911-16, Curate at St Mary’s, Warwick 1916-26, also
Chaplain to Warwick University 1922-26, before coming to Dudley. At Warwick he acted as
part-time assistant master at Warwick School and was also Chaplain to the Poor Law Institution
and Secretary and Treasurer of the local Boy Scouts Association. He was a prominent freemason,
being Provincial Grand Chaplain of Worcestershire from the 1930s. He never married.

153 Frederick William GREEN (1870-1939) (Elected Summer 1930; died
6.2.1939 whilst still a member.) Solicitor with his own practice in Priory
Street for 40 years. He was Deputy Borough Coroner from 1911, becoming
Coroner in 1936; Clerk to the Commissioner of Taxes for Dudley District
from 1939; and solicitor to Dudley Licensed Victuallers’ Association for
whom he made frequent police court appearances.
He was born in Netherton and lived all his life in the borough. He
started work as solicitor’s clerk with Bourne & Morton, was later articled
to Mr W Cook Kettle, Registrar of Dudley County Court, and qualified as a
solicitor in 1898. He set up his own practice the following year. He was a prominent figure and
held office in many local organisations. He was a member of Dudley Cricket Club for 50 years
and secretary for 15 years, and also secretary of the Primrose League, the St John's Ward
Conservative Association, and the Lifeboat Saturday Fund. As a freemason he was a Past Master
of the Harmonic Lodge, Dudley, a Past Provincial Grand Deacon and Past Provincial Officer of
the Worcestershire Province, and chairman of Dudley Masonic Lodge. He was closely associated
with St John’s Church, Kates Hill and Secretary of its Parochial Council for many years, and held
offices with the Worcestershire Diocese. The church has a stained-glass window inscribed in his
memory.