Leslie Arrowsmith

Who was he?

•A member of Stonehouse Parish

Council for thirty years without a

break. 1937 – 1967

•Vice-Chairman for 10 years and

Chairman for almost 11.

He was also a District Councillor

•He was remembered by naming

the sports pavilion on the

Oldends Playing Field the

Arrowsmith Pavilion, and later

Arrowsmith Drive.

Leslie Arrowsmith and Jack Anderson

Leslie Arrowsmith

•Born in 1903

•In 1911 he was living in Balsall Heath,

Birmingham with his family. Father James

was a tramway man

•By 1928 he was living in Regent Street and

employed as a railway man

•He married Gladys in 1928 and they moved

to Hill Crescent – a row of houses just behind

Gordon Terrace, in Gloucester Road, near the

bottom of Woodcock Lane.

Leslie and Gladys wedding 1928

Leslie Arrowsmith In 1939 the family was living at Hill Crescent with daughter Margaret

aged 7. They later had a son, Michael.

Leslie was a railway crossing keeper at Oldends Lane crossing

He is also described as an A.R.P. warden with the City and County of

Gloucester

Leslie Arrowsmith Leslie lost his foot in an accident

at Snowshill Station in

Birmingham and later on his leg

was amputated to just below the

knee as a result of the initial

injury. Apparently he kept his

sock up with drawing pins!

Neither of these photos feature

Leslie but they show the gates

that he would have worked.

His grandson can recall huddling

round a brazier to keep warm in

the shed by the level crossing.

Leslie Arrowsmith 1930s raising money for good causes. Newspaper cuttings.

Whist Drive for National Institute for the Blind - organised by MC Leslie Arrowsmith

Social at the Church Rooms for Church Room funds. Mr Arrowsmith’s lecture was

amusing.

Leslie Arrowsmith

1935 King George V Silver Jubilee

Leslie Arrowsmith 1930s raising money for good causes. 1930 newspaper.

Leslie Arrowsmith 1936 Mr Arrowsmith was secretary of Stonehouse AFC Supporters Club and

fund raising for them. By 1951 he was a Director of the Football Club.

Leslie Arrowsmith

1950s political involvement

Leslie Arrowsmith

Leslie Arrowsmith Involvement in politics

In 1937 he became a parish councillor and in 1946 was elected a Labour

representative on the Stroud Rural District Council

Chairman of the Parish Council 1952 -1955 (Vice J.H.A. Anderson) and 1959 – 1967

Leslie Arrowsmith Supporting Labour, with ex-MP B T Parkin in the 1957 General

Election. Polling Day at Stonehouse Council School

Leslie Arrowsmith

Some of the developments in Stonehouse while he was Chair or Vice-Chair

1954

The old hump back bridge over

the canal by the Ship Inn was

straightened and filled in.

Leslie Arrowsmith 1957 Stonehouse Secondary Modern School opened.

Some of the developments in Stonehouse while he was Chair or Vice-Chair

1955 Ryelands Road estate planned 1956 Anglo-Egyptian refugees arrived at Bridgend Hostel. Mr and Mrs Anderson and Mr and Mrs Arrowsmith went down at Christmas to hand out presents 1957 the subway under the High Street railway bridge was started 1957 Stonehouse Secondary Modern School was officially opened 1958 electric street lighting extended to Gloucester Road and Bath Road 1959 plans for a complete changeover to electric street lighting aiming to make Stonehouse the best lit parish of its size in the County 1959 Elm Road built 1959 Subscription Rooms to close 1959 Councillor Leslie Arrowsmith mentioned it might be possible to purchase 11 and a half acres of land at Oldends Lane (later where Arrowsmith Pavilion was built) 1960 Community Centre officially retained by the Parish Council 1962 Barnard Parade built 1962 JHA Anderson became Clerk to the Council 1963 Branch library opened in Elm Road 1964 Bristol Road station closed. 1964 Kimmins Field (Oldends Lane) bought

Leslie Arrowsmith

J.H.A. Anderson in his book “The First Ninety Years” writes

“In January 1967 the Chairman Leslie J. Arrowsmith died.

He had been a member of the Council for thirty years

without a break. Vice-Chairman for 10 years and Chairman

for almost 11 and, as he was also the long-serving District

Councillor he had made a great contribution to

Stonehouse through his local government work. He was

later to be remembered by naming the sports pavilion on

the Oldends Playing Field the Arrowsmith Pavilion.”

and more recently Arrowsmith Drive.

Leslie Arrowsmith

Thanks to Kevin Lewis,

Leslie’s grandson, for the photographs.