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ARNOLD REBER SWINNERTON

Arnold Reber ("A.R.") Swinnerton was born on the 28th September, 1912, in Stoke-on-Trent, the son of Bertram Swinnerton, founder of the Swinnerton pottery firm, and Elizabeth Camp Boerstler. After the tragic death of his father in 1913 his mother took the family back to America, her home country. He married Martha Jane Powell in the Old Trinity Episcopal Church in Tiffin, Ohio on the 1st October 1938. They had two sons, Eugene and Daniel.

He died at 1:35pm Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Centre in Toledo, aged 95.

'A.R,' as he was always known, graduated from Warren (Ohio) High School in 1930 and attended Tiffin University for two years. He was then employed by the American Standard Company as an assistant buyer and then as a buyer until his retirement in 1972. He served in the US Army during World War II from 1942-1944 in the European theatre. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church for over 50 years.

In addition to his work, as well as being a husband and father, he was an active writer for over 35 years. His specialty was humour and he sold numerous articles to the Saturday Evening Post, several short stories to Boy's Life Magazine and a weekly column to the Advertiser-Tribune for over 20 years. He also sold a short book intended for 5-6th graders entitled 'Rocky the Cat'.

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BERTRAM BOERSTLER SWINNERTON

Bertram Boerstler Swinnerton was born on the 21st July 1896 in Stoke-on-Trent, the second son of Bertram Swinnerton, founder of the Swinnerton pottery firm, and Elizabeth Camp Boerstler. After the tragic death of his father in 1913 his mother took the family back to America, her home country.

He married Mary Jane Brimner and had two children, Thomas Bertram Swinnerton and Nancy Jean Swinnerton. He died on the 3rd October 1965 in Tiffin, Ohio and is buried in the Greenlawn Cemetery there.

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DICK SWINNERTON

Author of We Passed This Way, an account of an exciting bicycle adventure, first planned in 1992 and ridden in 1994. It began on a cold spring morning on the Oregon coast when three retired friends, Dick Swinnerton, Roger Wedel and Kirby Miller set out on a 75-day, 3795-mile coast-to-coast trek from Astoria to Boston.

Author Dick Swinnerton recounts with humour, personal experiences, and memorable historic reminiscences of others who have passed along the same route. This book is a collage of America's diverse and beautiful peoples and their unique lifestyles. Dick and riding partners Roger and Kirby made a point of avoiding major roads and taking the trip along rural America's back roads, discovering the true riches of our country.

We Passed This Way will appeal to the bicycle enthusiast, travellers and history buffs alike, as it takes you on a present-day journey through America's heartland recalling some of the adventures of the past that have helped shape modern America.

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Professor JOHN SWINNERTON PHILLIMORE

John Swinnerton Phillimore was born 26 February 1873, in Boconnoc, Cornwall, the son of Vice-Admiral Sir Augustus Phillimore, grandson of Anne Swinnerton of Butterton. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford. He graduated with first classes in Classical Moderations (1893) and in Literae Humaniores (1895), and was recognised as the most promising classical scholar of his generation. In 1895 he was President of the Oxford Union.

Phillimore remained at Christ Church as a lecturer, student and tutor until 1899, when he was appointed to the Chair of Greek at Glasgow. In 1906, the year he was appointed to the Chair of Humanity, he converted to Roman Catholicism. He was a prolific author who was particularly respected for his notes on classical writers. He also published volumes of his poetry. He died 16 November 1926.

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JOSEPH EDWARD SWINNERTON

Joseph Edward Swinnerton (Joe) was born on the 21st August 1912 in Birmingham, the second child and only son of Edward Albert Swinnerton, a descendant of our Warwickshire Branch, and Mercy Madeleine née Harper.

From a very early age he showed an independence of mind and a single-mindedness of purpose which is characteristic of so many male Swinnertons but which the ladies they marry more often refer to as 'bloodymindness'! As a boy, he revelled in scouting activities where his scoutmaster, Harding Swinnerton, was a distant cousin although, at the time, he had no idea of the relationship. He carried on into Rover Scouting as a young man and the knowledge he gained in camping and looking after himself out of doors was to stand him in good stead when he later joined the army.

As a young man he was articled to an auctioneer which gave him a good grounding in business but he moved on and, by the time war broke out in 1939, he was what we would call today an area sales manager, leading a team of salesmen selling Hoover vacuum cleaners in the Solihull area. By this time he was father to Shirley Anne having married Evelyn Ruth Shirley in 1937 in Stafford. At the time he was living in part of the old Stafford Castle of which he gave an amusing account in our journal some years ago.

Some months before the outbreak of war he joined the ARP and was doing part-time duties with them when he was called up. Despite having had some bronchial and asthmatic problems he was passed as fit and was attested and sent home to await his orders for joining. Three days later, acting on what he thought was good advice, he returned and volunteered, thereby being assured he could join the regiment of his choice. He was promptly rejected as unfit for service! So - back home he went and, thinking he ought to do his bit, was looking for a job in a factory when he was called up!

He was posted to the Royal Army Ordnance Depot at Chepstow where he trained as a vehicle mechanic for the Royal Army Service Corps. However, his army career was not to last for very long and on Thursday May 15th 1941 he was discharged as medically unfit after a number of illnesses.

Even before the war he had shown evidence of his entrepreneurial skills: he already owned two houses which he had bought with his savings and rented out and was a car owner in the days when this was not at all common. On his return from active service, he resumed his business career which eventually led to the founding of Swinnertons of Walsall, a highly successful wholesaling business, and the acquisition of several other businesses, particularly garages in which he was eventually joined by his two sons John and Franklin. He became a dedicated Freemason and in later life a very enthusiastic Rotarian.

In his very late 70s he bought a computer and, despite problems and much frustration, he mastered it and for some years produced the indexes to the volumes of the journal and also published his memoirs which make fascinating reading. His son, Franklin, has promised to complete the unpublished parts.

This is, of necessity, only a very brief outline of a many-faceted career: Joe was a very special man, he was one of life's characters of which, sadly, there are far too few around these days - everyone is far too busy trying to conform. Enthusiastic and always energetic, even in his later years he could make others feel quite tired, life was never dull when any cause he took up always had 100% of his effort. He was a fervent supporter of the Swinnerton Society, serving on the Council and as an excellent Chairman from September 1994 to September 1995 when he was obliged to step down under the six years on the council rule. He continued to take a great interest in the society and he and Irene regularly came to our weekend get-togethers.

He died in September 1999.

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MARGARET SWINNERTON

Margaret Pamela Swinnerton was born in Featherstone, the daughter of Stephen Harry Swinnerton and Esther Eileen Myers.

She has spent much of her life in Africa eventually working for the United Nations including 10 years in Mogadishu.

She is now retired and back in England.

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