Citylife in Rugeley and Cannock Chase March April 2021

Bert Bostock
Another Old Contemptible!
By Cyril Cooper of Landor (local history) Society
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Bert, or to give him full names, Herbert Thomas Scott Bostock, was born
in Millington Street, Rugeley on 1st June 1896 to Thomas and Beatrice
May nee Scott. The Bostocks were painters, decorators and plumbers
but Bert did not follow the family trade and became an office boy at Brereton
Colliery.
Beatrice May, Bert’s mother, died in 1909 and Thomas, Bert’s father, married Sarah
Ann Wright in 1911. Sarah Ann had a reputation within the family of being a very
good cook. She had worked in this capacity in the households of Fredrick Bonney
in Colton and the Scott family in Manchester. Mr Scott was the Editor of the
Manchester Guardian and the Scotts were well known in Manchester society.
By 1914, the family were living in Brereton Road from where Bert enlisted in the
army. On 30th December 1914 he became 61533 Sapper H T S Bostock in the
Royal Engineers. He was accompanied by a letter written by William Foggo, Colliery
Manager, on headed paper from the Earl of Shrewsbury the colliery owner; this
attested to Bert’s good character and progress as an office boy and later moulder.
We are unaware of all the details of Bert’s service career but know he was rated
as a skilled tradesman who served in France and was awarded the three campaign
medals which showed he was there in 1915. At some stage he learned to drive and
was discharged on 28th January 1919 having signed to say his service had left him
with no disabilities.
Bert married Elsie Violet Sutton, the girl next door as their addresses were 73
and 75 Brereton Road. They had no children and Violet passed away in 1959.
The family believed that he had been trained as a chauffeur at Rolls Royce and in
later life he was the driver for Mr Staley the Colliery Manager.
Bert had an outgoing personality and was a long-term member of the Royal
Antediluvians Order of Buffalo (The Buffs).
In later life he lived in the Samson Alms Houses in Brereton and died 1st January
1983 and was buried in Brereton.
Zero Carbon Rugeley
Have Your Say
........................
Zero Carbon Rugeley is a £3 million Innovate UK
project that puts the Rugeley community at the
forefront of the UK’s green energy transition,
championing innovative solutions towards a sustainable
future for all. This will be achieved by designing lowcarbon
solutions for Rugeley and the surrounding area,
including the former coal-fired Rugeley Power Station
site.
At the heart of Zero Carbon Rugeley is the coproduction
of a Smart Local Energy System (SLES) to deliver
clean, affordable energy to the Rugeley community. It could
include AI-controlled, low-carbon energy generation, lowcarbon
transport and deep fabric retrofit of existing
buildings, as well as use of novel energy optimisation tools.
Recently launched ‘Engage Zero Carbon Rugeley’
comprises of a series of online workshops, as well as
opportunities for people to express their views via social
media. You can find Engage Zero Carbon Rugeley on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linked In, or email them at
engagezcr@keele.ac.uk.
Zero Carbon Rugeley is looking to recruit community
ambassadors for this project. These will be local volunteers
that want to help with engagement and inclusion in the work
and whom might have an underlying passion for
sustainability. The role is flexible, requires no formal training
except a desire to make a local difference!
Upcoming Workshops
All workshops will be on Facebook - search Engage Zero
Carbon Rugeley/@ZCR
8th March
Trent Talk with Zero Carbon Rugeley
Introducing the project, what it’s trying to achieve and how
people can get involved further!
Mr Staley's motor at Brereton Hall (c1950)
10th March
Who is Rugeley?
This workshop will ask participants to explore the local
heritage of Rugeley and its population, as well as how they
can come together to create a low carbon future for the
community.
13th March
Transport - The First and Last Mile
A chance to hear the community's perspective on local
transport in Rugeley, what the current key problems are and
to consider how they can be addressed with low carbon
solutions.
25th March
Sustainable Buildings in Rugeley: Myths and Realities
Focussing on 'retrofit' and how buildings can be made more
sustainable in Rugeley.
26
Newly refurbished Samson Cottages at Brereton