Page 59 - WHO'S WHO OF DUDLEY ROTARY

Road were both called Glen Devon, and he was buried in North Devon at St Nectan’s churchyard
in the village of Stoke near Clovelly. This was close to the home of his son Dr Graham Cook, who
was previously a member of the club (#429).

179 Frank CHATWIN (1889-1968) (Elected c.3.1935; resigned 1.6.1942.) Iron Founder. Managing
Director of Chatwins Limited, iron founders of Albion Street, Tipton, specialising in the
manufacture of ‘Sunbeam’ stoves and grates. The firm was founded by his grandfather and
continued by his father. He presumably joined the business on leaving Dudley Grammar School
at the age of 15 and worked his way up from a junior position: at 1921 he was employed as a
Costs Clerk. He left the Rotary club in 1942 because Chatwins had been taken over and he was
no longer able to attend meetings. He lived in Newbridge Avenue, Wolverhampton.

180 Sydney (‘Syd’) ROWLEY (1896-1992) (Inducted 17.6.1935; died July 1992
whilst still a member.) His original classification was ‘Dental supplies
(Retailing)’. This was changed to ‘Dentistry’ in 1947. He practised as a
dentist in his own name from about 1924 into the 1970s. He had two
surgeries: one in Long Lane, Blackheath, the other in Castle Street,
Dudley over Stantons music shop. This later moved across the road.
From 1937 he was in partnership with dental surgeon Geoffrey Mence,
practising as Rowley & Mence, until Mence retired in 1942. Syd needed
leave of absence from Rotary for two years from October 1943 because
he was working from his Blackheath surgery on Mondays. In 1954 the practice moved to The
Gables in St James’s Road, Dudley and Syd was joined in partnership by Donald Mole who
continued the practice after his retirement. Syd was well known in Dudley as the ‘Shilling
Dentist’.
Although born in Wordsley, he was brought up in Old Hill. In 1911, days after his 15th
birthday, he joined the Great Western Railway Company as a ‘Lad Clerk’ based at Brettell Lane
Goods Depot, Brierley Hill (at a salary of £20 per year). When the Great War broke out he was
a member of the 1st Battalion Worcestershire Volunteer Regiment (Hill, Cakemore & Quinton
Company). In October 1915 he was released by GWR to join the Army Service Corps. He served
in France from November 1915 to July 1919 as a Driver of horse-drawn wagons delivering stores
and supplies to the troops. During 1916 he survived the Battle of the Somme, but in November
1917 he was sentenced to 7 days Field Punishment No.2 (hard labour and shackles) for leaving
a pair of horses unattended whilst still attached to a wagon.
After being discharged from the army in August 1919 he must have become an assistant to a
local dentist because he was placed on the Dental Register in 1921 having qualified by practical
experience rather than having attended dental school. (From 1921 only dentists who had been
trained in a dental school could be admitted to the Register and only registered dentists were
permitted to practice dentistry. Syd was the longest surviving ‘1921’ dentist.) He had many
outside interests, including singing, the Magic Circle, fishing, golf, and freemasonry.

181 Norman Henry Moore BRATHWAITE (1897-1966) (Inducted 15.7.1935; made Senior Active
Member Dec.1952 so that Bob Bewley, Additional Active Member, could take
over his classification; died 1.6.1966 whilst still a member; he was club
Librarian and Correspondent for 30 years from 1936.) Newspaper Publishing;
Editor of the Dudley Herald and a director of Midland United Newspapers
Limited. He was born at Knowsley, Liverpool but his father died when he was
only 3. Three years later his mother married again, to the licensee of the Angel
Inn, Market Street, Lichfield, so he was brought up there. He started as a
journalist at the age of 16 but shortly afterward saw War service with the
Leicesters. He then worked on the ‘Walsall Pioneer’ and a Blackpool evening
paper before joining the Wednesbury ‘Borough News’ in 1923. In 1930 he became editor of all