Between The Wars
| Chapter 3

It is difficult to decide how the impact of the first world war affected the church of St. Michael and the parish of Boldmere generally. Superficially, at any rate for a time it seemed to make little difference. People were perhaps dazed by the sudden change of events and scarcely alive to their full implications. They did not realise that customs, habits and ideas were in the melting pot and that something different was bound to emerge in the future.

Partly due perhaps to the subsequent foment of ideas, to the loss of many men from the parish who joined the forces and to the frequent illness of the vicar a period of decline set in and St. Michael's in common with many other churches failed to grasp the opportunities provided by these new occasions.

However, the work of the church persists thanks to the hard core of workers who always give of their best whatever the circumstances and so it proved at St. Michael's.

About this time attention was being given to the extension of the churchyard.

The original churchyard now known as "the old portion" consists of a piece of ground roughly an acre in extent bounded on the south side by Church Road, on the east side by Boldmere Road, on the west by the vicarage garden and extending on the north side to just beyond the main path leading from the gate in Boldmere Road to the west door of the church.

In this old portion the first recorded burial, that of Sophia Griffen, was made on 27 November 1857. Here also are the graves of the first incumbent, Rev. E. H. Kittoe, and his successor the Rev. A. E. R. Bedford. This part of the churchyard contains the family graves of many old Boldmere families such as Ansells, Antrobus, Hooper, Houlston, Moore, Randle, Sadler, Satchwell. and Yates. These families were prominently connected with the church in its earlier days and their names and personalities will be recalled by some of our older parishioners.

A very pleasing feature of this old portion is the Lych Gate on the south side erected in 1931 through the generosity of the Misses H. and C. Inston. This gives easy access from Church Road to the churchyard, the porch and the west door not to mention an alternative and popular approach through the gardens to the vicarage. Timber used in the construction of the Lych Gate was taken from Erdington Hall and is known to be 400 years old.

The amenities of the churchyard are much improved by the splendid avenue of trees which form the approach to the church from Boldmere Road and by the tarmac paths from the west and south doors to the Lych Gate, these latter being the gift of Mr. T. P. Smith of Boldmere Road.

In 1914 the churchyard was extended on the north side and fenced in at the expence of Mr. Appleby; because of the rapid expansion of the Boldmere district a further extension had to be made in 1937 so that the present ground covers rather more than five acres. In the first extension are the graves of former churchwardens, Wm. Adcock, R. A. Eaton, W. J. Greatrex, S. Hoadly, A. R. Lynex and Wm. Randle, men who gave yeoman service to the church. Here also are the graves of two former parish clerks, K. Fellows who as a boy could remember the church being built and J. D. Lauterbach who so successfully sponsored the St. Matthias Help Fund for many years. A former organist and choirmaster, G. L. Lyon, lies buried here too. Of interest to sportsmen and particularly to cyclists is the grave of Victor Johnson who at one time was the world's champion cyclist.

When the churchyard was extended the second time some seventy or so young trees were planted as a memorial avenue. After twenty years they are making good progress and in due course may be expected to rival the original avenue.

At the present time of high costs and labour shortage the maintenance of the churchyard in the condition which everyone would like to see it is a serious problem which all who have their relatives buried there should help to solve by keeping their family graves neat and tidy and at the same time making proper use of the litter baskets which are provided at convenient points.

The font was presented by Rev. E. H. Kittoe and a very attractive cover was added in 1922 as a memorial to Wm. Adcock, a former churchwarden. The carved oak cover is raised by balanced weights suspended from the roof of the baptistry. It is octagonal in plan with sacred emblems in its lower panels. Included are the Ark, the Three Fishes, Dove, Olive Branch, and the Holy Name, Alpha and Omega. The lower portion is surmounted with a spire enriched with delicately carved crockets and crowned with a four-branch finial. The arms of the Borough of Sutton Coldfield are displayed on one face of the spire. The work was executed by Bridgman & Sons, Lichfield.

A new Ewer, the gift of the Mothers' Union, was dedicated on 17 February 1930.

Two war memorial plaques are situated in the nave. That for the 1914/18 war records the names of 85 men of the parish who made the supreme sacrifice. It was unveiled in the presence of the Mayor of Sutton Coldfield (Cr. Hooper) by Major A. H. S. Waters V.C., D.S.O., President of the Sutton Coldfield Branch of the British Legion. The preacher on that occasion was Rev. R. M. Gibson, C.F., a former curate at Boldmere who later became a chaplain to the king.

On Remembrance Sunday 1945 the vicar read out in church the names of those then known to have fallen in the second world war. A temporary list served for a time until the second plaque was unveiled on Easter Day 1954 by the Mayor of Sutton Coldfield (Cr. Chas. Stephens) when the names of 36 men were recorded; included in the list is the Mayor's only son. The plaque which was carved by the Boldmere craftsman, A. V. Dwyer, has for its motif a representation of St. Michael taken from the churchwarden's wand of office.

In the south aisle there is a commemoration plate recording the names of six members of the Church of England Men's Society who laid down their lives in the 1914/18 war.

After the first world war the Church of England in common with many other religious and secular societies set out on a programme of reorganisation to identify itself with changes of ideas which had taken place during the war and to meet the challenge of future needs. Among the steps taken was the reformation of church government.

For the first fifty years of its existence the participation of the ordinary churchgoer in the affairs of St. Michael's was largely confined to attending its services and such social functions as were occasionally arranged. He played no part in the management of the church unless he happened to be a ratepayer in which case whether churchman or not he was entitled to be present at vestry meetings which were usually held annually but occasionally at more frequent intervals if more pressing business arose. The vestry elected the people's warden, or parish warden as he was often called, and received a statement of the churchwardens' account. The Local Government Act of 1894 made the parish church council and not the vestry the unit of administration in secular affairs.

A church council seems to have met for the first time in Boldmere on 22 May 1908 under the chairmanship of Rev. Beviss Thompson with Percy Gibbs as secretary. It was composed of "all ex-wardens able and willing to serve" together with conference representatives. It first met in the ringing chamber in the tower. Among its earlier agenda one finds that it considered restoring the use of the natural tone of voice in public worship; the desirability of curtailing the length of notices given out by the clergy on sundays; the distribution of church alms; the election of sidesmen by ballot. At a later date leaders of church organisations were invited to join in the deliberations.

In 1920 following further legislation the modern parochial church council of 24 members, conference representatives and wardens under the chairmanship of the parish priest was elected by the new body of electoral roll voters and the first meeting under the new auspices took place in Boldmere after the Easter vestry on 16 April 1920. The parochial church council is now a body corporate and therefore able to hold property. It has taken over from the churchwardens their powers and duties regarding the care and maintenance of the church fabric and churchyard. When the benefice is vacant it may make representations to the patron of the living as to the type of incumbent required although it may not name a candidate. If it does not approve of the patron's choice it may appeal to the bishop of the diocese who if required to do so by either patron or council must consult a body of advisors before accepting or rejecting the patron's nominee.

A modified method of electing churchwardens was adopted by St. Michael's church council in 1934. Under this scheme no warden serves more than three years and is first appointed vicar's warden before passing on to people's warden. The church council and vicar nominates the vicar's warden alternately.

Owen Wethered, the son of a wealthy brewer, was educated at Eton and Oxford. While at the university he came under the influence of Dean Vaughan and decided to read for holy orders. After experience at Grimsby and Frankley he followed Beviss Thompson as vicar of Boldmere. He was a striking personality being six feet four in height and often seen riding his motorcycle combination about the parish with his sidecar overfull of children. This affords some insight into his character for he was a kindly man who did much good stealthily and he was generous almost to a fault. The former rector of Curdworth (Rev. A. Combe) who served him as curate and knew him well describes him as "a charming, delightful and witty personality!'

At first Mr. Wethered met with some success in his ministry at St. Michael's, the discordant notes which had previously intruded quietened, and church activity increased notably in the Church of England Men's Society whose meetings were well attended and whose speakers commanded a good press. Mr. Combe was responsible for Emmanuel so Rev. Dr. Hughes came to assist the new vicar. But the war came too and disruption set in. The following year Dr. Hughes left to become vicar of St. Mary's and St. Ambrose, Edgbaston. A new curate, Rev. R. M. Gibson, was appointed but his duration was short as he joined the army as chaplain in 1916. Shortly afterwards A. T. Wilding who had conducted a Bible class for young men for the past ten years left the parish. The vicar's health which had never been good got progressively worse and the need for an additional curate was imperative. Eventually, Rev. T. D. Rhys, a former nonconformist minister for fifteen years, came to the rescue and things generally improved.

St. Michael's Men's Club was formed after the war to take the place of the former Men's Institute which had become "swarmed with non-church members." This new club operated successfully for a dozen years or so and the football team gained considerable local and even some national distinction. It is a matter for regret that it is now divorced from the church although the separation has been bridged to some small extent by the sportsman's service which takes place occasionally.

Continued ill-health eventually forced Mr. Wethered's retirement and Boldmere lost a well-loved if perhaps a rather ineffective vicar. He died at Bournemouth in April 1931.

Speaking at a memorial service for O. H. Wethered in Boldmere church Canon Brown said this "He was a man of great gifts, a Latin scholar who could read the classics as most of you read English. His musical ability was considerable and he composed hymn tunes and chants. He represented the sane, central type of churchmanship which is the backbone of the Church of England and when it seemed likely that the living of Boldmere would pass to an extreme party he used his influence and gave generously in order that the living might be handed over to the diocese. He was essentially a shy man at his best with young boys. He was a man of wealth who because he had a real religion spent his life in service."

In 1933 the chancel chapel was furnished as a memorial to the life and work of O. H. Wethered and the dedication took place on Whitsunday when
the Bishop of Birmingham (E. W. Barnes) took the first communion service at the new altar and preached the sermon.

The chapel is situated at the east-end of the south aisle with a wood screen dividing it from the aisle. The design was the work of a church member, A. L. Snow, and much of the craft-work was also done in the parish. The cost of furnishing was £335.

Originally, the patron of the benefice of St. Michael's was of course the rector of Sutton Coldfield, Rev. W. K. R. Bedford. but shortly before his death the advowson was sold and passed into the hands of Edward Ansell sometime churchwarden of Boldmere. When Rev.  O. H. Wethered resigned the living it was arranged by those who were acting for Mr. Ansell who was ill that Canon E. W. Brown, vicar of St. Andrew's, Bordesley, should be presented to the living. Canon Brown had agreed to preserve the tradition of worship of Boldmere church and to make no changes save with the concurrence of the parochial Church council. Unfortunately, Mr. Ansell died before these arrangements could be completed; shortly afterwards it was reported to the Bishop of Birmingham (E.W. Barnes) that negotiations were in progress for the sale of the advowson to a church party organisation. In the bishop's view when extreme partisans bought the right to present one like themselves to a church where parishioners wish to remain loyal to the Prayer Book and to continue in their present ritual such purchases constituted an abuse of the power of money. Dr. Barnes with the help of friends speedily collected the £800 required to purchase the advowson but with his customary scrupulous fairness declined to hold it in his capacity as bishop and it was transferred to the Diocesan Trustees, a predominantly lay body of men closely and officially interested in the work of the diocese who in due course presented Canon Brown and as the bishop said "can be trusted in the future to consider in the appointments they may make the welfare of the parish and so far as the law allows the wishes of the parishioners."

The structure of the Church of England is such that much responsibility devolves upon the parish priest. Among the many (perhaps, too many!) demands made on him is that of leadership. If he is not a leader he will mostly fail in what is required of him despite other good qualities he may possess. Only leadership in front is of any value and no amount of badgering, bullying or imploring from behind is likely to have much effect on a congregation except to drive them elsewhere. For more than twenty years St. Michael's suffered from lack of effective leadership so that a period of decline became inevitable, much previous good work suffered thereby and the congregation drifted away. Fortunately, with the appointment of the present vicar this drift was arrested.

 When he was instituted to the living Canon Brown was supported in his appointment by some 300 members of his former parish who came to wish him well. The presence of such an unusually large number of supporters besides greatly stimulating the new vicar must have aroused latent feelings of enthusiasm in the parish of Boldmere. Leadership was restored and progress gradually followed.

The new vicar found a general appearance of neglect in the church building and an atmosphere of apathy among church members so that one of his first tasks was to organise working parties to clean windows and to cut grass. Neither was the freshening up confined to temporal matters for he obtained the bishop's agreement to hold a service of confirmation at Boldmere, the first for 28 years. There were by this time some 8000 people in the parish and the need for an energetic curate was supplied by Rev. R. W. Yaxley who gave valuable help during the next three years and was followed by Rev. N. J. Woodhall who served until his departure as an army chaplain for a world war had again interrupted the even tenor of church work at St. Michael's as it did elsewhere and on a scale unknown before in the history of the world.