Page 99 - WHO'S WHO OF DUDLEY ROTARY

Midwives, British Polio Fellowship and the Scottish Society, and was closely associated with the
Cheshire Homes, and of course a longstanding member of Rotary. Curiously he dropped his
birth name Thomas from a young age and was known as Oliver until taking it up again just after
the last War.

310 William (‘Bill’) Edward MERRITT (1908-1977) (inducted 14.11.1949;
resigned 18.7.1955 because of pressure of work in his one-man business.)
Recreation - Sporting Goods. He was a Sports Outfitter, proprietor of a
shop in the Fountain Arcade, Dudley from 1948 to 1966. He was a New
Zealander and a noted cricketer, known both as a spin bowler and
batsman. He grew up and eventually died in Christchurch, South Island.
Between 1926/27 and 1935/36 he played first class cricket for Canterbury
(the region that includes Christchurch). In 1927, whilst still a teenager, he
was picked to play for his country against a touring Australian team. Later
that year, having played just four first-class matches, he was chosen to tour with the first New
Zealand team to come to England. In doing so he turned down the chance of going to South
Africa with the NZ rugby team. Over the following 9 years he was a member of several New
Zealand Test and touring sides. Following the 1931 tour he returned to England and played in
the Lancashire League from 1932 to 1938, first for Rishton (Blackburn) and then East Lancashire.
He filled in the winter seasons by playing Rugby League, first for Wigan and then Halifax. In
1938, having qualified by residence, he played cricket for Northamptonshire, and did so again
for the 1939 and 1946 seasons. He played as ‘Pro’ for Dudley Cricket Club (in the Birmingham
League) for the 1940 season, scoring a record 878 runs and taking 80 wickets. Then, because of
the War, he joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and saw action in Italy, for which he was
mentioned in despatches. He reached the rank of Captain. However he kept up his cricketing,
playing for a British Empire XI (1941); the Army XI (1941-1942); West Italy Forces (1945) and
Central Mediterranean Forces (also 1945). On leaving the army he resumed as Cricket
Professional for Dudley in 1946. He stepped down as ‘Pro’ at the end of 1950 but continued as
first team captain until 1954 and then for one more season on an occasional basis. In 1959 he
was elected Chairman of Dudley Cricket Club. In addition to running his Dudley sportswear
business, Bill was commentator for the BBC Overseas Service covering New Zealand test cricket
tours of Britain in 1949 and 1958. He left Dudley in 1966 and returned to New Zealand to spend
his retirement in Christchurch.

311 Cyril Dennis Augustus MATTHEWS (1910-1998) (inducted 24.11.1949; resigned 18.5.54 as no
longer eligible for membership.) ‘Wrapping Paper Distributor’. Proprietor of George Wilton &
Co Ltd, Wholesale Paper & Paper Bag Merchants in succession to his father Cyril, who died in
1940. (Cyril was a Club member - #157 - from 1931-34.) The firm was in Bourne Street off Castle
Hill until 1940, then moved to the High Street, Queens Cross, and finally to Tipton Road,
Woodsetton from 1958 before being wound up in 1984. Dennis lived at Kingswinford but seems
to have retired to Cornwall. In December 1951 he stepped in as Club Secretary when C F Jones
was unable to continue owing to a serious eye disease.

312 Robert (‘Bob’) Arthur JONES (1912-1981) (inducted 16.1.1950; left during 1960/61.) Electric
Light & Power Service. Dudley District Manager of the Midland Electricity Board, presumably
from nationalisation of the industry in April 1948, until 1962 when he was appointed Manager
of the newly combined Stourbridge and Brierley Hill MEB districts. Before joining the MEB, from
at least 1939 until 1947, he was Deputy Manager of the Shropshire, Worcestershire &
Staffordshire Electric Power Co. whose headquarters were in Halesowen although his home was
in Oldbury. In his 10 years in the Rotary club he moved house from Hagley to Quinton,
Kingswinford and Stourton, before eventually settling in Pedmore. He was a qualified electrical
engineer.