June 1925 found our parish a very different place from today. For a start, it was geographically larger, including more of Brereton, yet it was home to fewer than 500 households and around 1,600 people. Coal-fired bottle kilns at the potbank filled the skies with smoke when fired, as did the brick kilns along New Road—now the site of Millmoor Avenue and the Shropshire Brook estate. A railway station still served the village, but there was no mains gas or electricity. The potbank generated its own electricity and acetylene gas for lighting, and larger homes like The Mount and Armitage Lodge did the same. That June, Mr. Moore of Armitage Lodge offered to supply the church with electricity, free of charge.
Technology and Communications
In 1925, only about a dozen telephones served the entire area. Television did not yet exist, and most households relied on homemade crystal radio sets. The BBC, formed in 1922, had not yet developed a nationwide service. However, the upcoming opening of the Daventry transmitting station in July promised good reception for the first time.
Social Life and Entertainment
Despite limited technology, the parish enjoyed a vibrant social life. Pubs were plentiful, and entertainment came in the form of regular dances, concerts, and whist drives—often held twice a month. Mr. Handley’s orchestra performed for one such event hosted by the Football Club at the Club & Institute. Nearly 100 people played whist, with even more arriving for the dance.
The committee of the Club & Institute also organised a whist drive and dance to raise money for a wireless installation at Rugeley District Hospital. Rather than a small set used at home, a system for the hospital needed loudspeakers and a complex setup:
- A valve (vacuum tube) receiver
- Dry cell batteries for the filament
- Wet cell accumulators for the anode
- A long, insulated aerial wire strung up (e.g., to a chimney)
- A proper earth connection (e.g., a metal rod driven into the ground)
- Loudspeakers
- A licence costing 10 shillings per year
Prizes were awarded for both the whist and the dancing. Mr. Robinson provided piano music, Bill Heath served as MC for the whist, and George Neville presided over the dancing. Prizewinners included Misses Conway, Martin, Birch, and Hudson, and Messrs. Downing, J. Conway, J. Shelley Jnr, and J. B. Walker.
Sporting Life
June 1925 was the driest on record since 1766—ideal for cricket. The newly formed Armitage Cricket Club, founded by Ken Stott the previous year, played most weekends despite not yet having a home ground. Players arranged their own transport; Ken Stott typically travelled by motorbike with Sam Leigh riding pillion.
On Saturday, 6th June, the team visited Whittington Barracks to face the 38/64th Depot team. Batting first, Armitage scored only 39 runs. Ralph Crisford and Stan Izzard then bowled out the Depot for 44, and Armitage’s second innings yielded a stronger 84 for 3, including a half-century from William Love Campbell. Crisford and Mellor bowled out the Depot again for just 36, securing a win by 43 runs.
Clubs, Societies and Pastimes
Beyond pubs and sport, many parishioners joined local clubs and societies such as the Women’s Guild, Mothers’ Union, Girl Guides and Brownies, Girls Friendly Society, Nursing Association, and Bible Society. Sporting alternatives included tennis, bowls, billiards, and participation in the Air-Gun League. Fishing remained popular, though 1925 saw the introduction of national fishing licences for both river and canal.
On Monday, 15th June, a new society was born: Eadie Lodge of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB), known locally as “the Buffs.” The grand ceremony at the Crown Inn drew over 80 attendees.
Transport and Safety
Road signs and markings were virtually nonexistent, and street lighting had yet to arrive. While there was a national speed limit of 20 mph, the lack of compulsory speedometers (not required for new cars until 1937) meant drivers had to estimate their speed. Heavier vehicles over 2½ tons were limited to 12 mph, and if towing a trailer, just 5 mph. Traffic was sparse, but accidents still occurred.
One incident was recorded on the morning of Wednesday, 24th June, when a lorry from Lichfield collided with a horse-drawn milk float coming out of Tuppenhurst Lane. Mr. Smith, delivering milk to the station, was unharmed. The horse sustained minor injuries, but the float was wrecked and the milk spilt.
Church and Community
During morning service at St. John the Baptist Church on Sunday, 21st June, Mr. Milton Sanders was admitted as a lay preacher by Rev. John Kenneth Powell, standing in for the Bishop of Lichfield. Mr. Sanders, headmaster of the church schools, had served as secretary to the Parochial Church Council since its founding in 1921.
The following Sunday, 28th June, saw the only two baptisms of the month. Jack Binfield, born 2nd June to John and Ethel, was their seventh child and fourth baptised at Armitage. William Sydney Mills, born 7th June to James and Cecilia, was their third child and first to be baptised here.
This glimpse into life in June 1925 reminds us of how much has changed—and how much has remained constant—in our parish over the past century.