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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 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 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.
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.