Swinnerton Authors

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.