This chap William ''Bill'' Scholfield was my paternal grandfather and lived, at a few places around the city includin Aston (in a famous managers house my dads said) and at 6 Grange road Erdington. He ran a few limited companies with one John ''Jack Mellor'', whom I have been told was a big underworld figure in the city in the 40s.
Between them they racked up occasional fines for adding saccharrine to ice cream and hygiene issues, among Im sure lots of other bits of unreported mayhem.
He was th black sheep of the family, as they were all underwriters and bankers, his dad, William Clegg Scholfield (wife Mary I think) of Lloyds in Birmingham.
My grandma gave him the boot after 2 years of marriage, a son was born my father Anthony Scholfield.
''He had an eye for the ladies!'' she told me. (Married 1935 Nuneaton)
His crowning glory I reckon was ''going out in the Blitz and burning down the Nuneaton tax office.''
He also stole meat off the docks in the war, and people were very grateful for it. He'd bring a side of beef over his back up the street at a designated time people would come out and carve it nothing in Formula 1 wheel change time. ''This was when half of England was starving'' my Aunt Vera told me.
He was a director of the Elmdon Aero Club, holding a full pilots licence. There has been rumour of drug smuggling after a plane with a Turkish pilot crashed at the airport (now Birmingham Int'l) Funnily enough he had a Turkish lodger and he was a bit of an inventor. He thought he could make the washing machine quicker so he replaced the inner spinner with a home made aluminium device, which ripped the lodgers silk shirts to shreds.
He went missing one night and his wife called the club to see if there had been a crash, which was not that unusual, no they'd packed him off home. She found him sitting in the garage unable to move. He'd taken a bet that he could swing from beam to beam in the Midland Aero Club and landed on his backside-his companions bundled him into his car and sent him home. Back in the days Im sure when drink driving was the norm.
He bought and sold army surplus, ''One week rags, next week riches'' his son told me, state of the art car one week, clapped out banger the next.
In April 1951 he was killed at Elmdon aerodrome as a co-pilot doing stunts for a show with Stephen John McCarthy an experienced WW2 pilot when his wing tip hit the ground and the Auster 2 seater burst into flames, throwing contents across the runway, a gruesome end. They had been warned not to go up.
This photo was used on the Evening News front page to announce his death.
Jack Mellor folded all the businesses and gave the money to his widow. He lived 'til about 85 years at least.
Between them they racked up occasional fines for adding saccharrine to ice cream and hygiene issues, among Im sure lots of other bits of unreported mayhem.
He was th black sheep of the family, as they were all underwriters and bankers, his dad, William Clegg Scholfield (wife Mary I think) of Lloyds in Birmingham.
My grandma gave him the boot after 2 years of marriage, a son was born my father Anthony Scholfield.
''He had an eye for the ladies!'' she told me. (Married 1935 Nuneaton)
His crowning glory I reckon was ''going out in the Blitz and burning down the Nuneaton tax office.''
He also stole meat off the docks in the war, and people were very grateful for it. He'd bring a side of beef over his back up the street at a designated time people would come out and carve it nothing in Formula 1 wheel change time. ''This was when half of England was starving'' my Aunt Vera told me.
He was a director of the Elmdon Aero Club, holding a full pilots licence. There has been rumour of drug smuggling after a plane with a Turkish pilot crashed at the airport (now Birmingham Int'l) Funnily enough he had a Turkish lodger and he was a bit of an inventor. He thought he could make the washing machine quicker so he replaced the inner spinner with a home made aluminium device, which ripped the lodgers silk shirts to shreds.
He went missing one night and his wife called the club to see if there had been a crash, which was not that unusual, no they'd packed him off home. She found him sitting in the garage unable to move. He'd taken a bet that he could swing from beam to beam in the Midland Aero Club and landed on his backside-his companions bundled him into his car and sent him home. Back in the days Im sure when drink driving was the norm.
He bought and sold army surplus, ''One week rags, next week riches'' his son told me, state of the art car one week, clapped out banger the next.
In April 1951 he was killed at Elmdon aerodrome as a co-pilot doing stunts for a show with Stephen John McCarthy an experienced WW2 pilot when his wing tip hit the ground and the Auster 2 seater burst into flames, throwing contents across the runway, a gruesome end. They had been warned not to go up.
This photo was used on the Evening News front page to announce his death.
Jack Mellor folded all the businesses and gave the money to his widow. He lived 'til about 85 years at least.
