Zoo’s dizzy duck that couldn’t swim
Part Two
WE turn the clock back some 41 years with this photograph that originally appeared in the Evening Mail back in June 1980.
It’s rather a sad story about one of the residents at Dudley Zoo – Alex the duck that couldn’t swim!
This mixed up mallard came from Torquay and was found there as a duckling by Birmingham businessman Alan Darby. The poor duck was struggling to survive so Alan brought him home and reared him alongside his two pet labradors.
Mate
All was well but after a year or so Alex had developed into a mature drake and was interested in the usual things that mature drakes are interested in – he wanted a duck of his own to mate with!
It was then he was given a home at Dudley Zoo but his year of living away from other birds had had its effect. He had not learned to preen himself properly and as a result the natural oils that kept his feathers waterproof had dried out. This meant that Alex could not swim!
Alex is pictured with Dudley Zoo receptionist Donna Hodgetts, giving him swimming instructions – does anyone know what happened to poor Alex?
JOSEPH Sankey and Sons was one of the great names of Black Country manufacturing and this pair of photographs were taken at the company’s Bankfield Works in Bilston.
Joseph Sankey was born in Bilston in 1827 and by the early 1860s he was running his own business producing tin tray blanks for the local japanning trade at his premises in Dudley Street. Later that decade he expanded his works, buying land in Albert Street. Later came works at Bath Street and Bankfield, across the Birmingham Canal.
Products
The company went on to produce a wide range of products, from hollowware and stampings to car components and electrical equipment.
In both First and Second World Wars Sankeys made many munitions and military equipment, most notably stamping out millions of steel helmets worn by British, Commonwealth and Allied troops. ■ What are your memories of Sankey’s? Please contact the Black Country Bugle, Dudley Archives Centre, Tipton Road, Dudley, DY1 4SQ or email dshaw@blackcount rybugle.co.uk
A member of the famous Clarke footballing family, Wayne was born in Short Heath in 1961.
Starting out in his career with Wolves he played 148 League games for the Molineux club before moving on to Birmingham City, for whom he played in 92 League games.
Return
Moving to Everton he was a member of the team which finished as First Division champions in 1987. Later he also played for Leicester City, Manchester City, Shrewsbury Town, Stoke City and Walsall, playing in all four Divisions of what was then the Football League.
Whilst at Stoke City he took the opportunity to return to Wolves to play just one game.
His career concluded in 1996 during which time he had played a total of 444 League games, with 141 goals.
In all Wayne appeared in 520 games, scoring 158 goals at first class level. The youngest of the five footballing brothers, his record certainly merited the respect of his brothers, Frank, Allan, Derek and Kelvin, who all played League football.
Manager
After leaving the full-time game Wayne had a brief spell as player-manager with Telford United in the Conference.
As a footnote the Clarke brothers scored a total of 546 goals in the Football League.
Jimmy Cochrane
Jimmy was born in Brierley Hill and as a pupil at Bent Street Secondary he was a member of the Brierley Hill, Sedgley and Tipton Schoolboys team that were runners up in the English Schools Shield in 1951.
Jimmy played at inside right and was the acknowledged playmaker of the team. On leaving school he joined the ground staff at Birmingham City.
He made his first team debut at seventeen years of age in the Second Division at Huddersfield Town. He had to wait a further twelve months for his next first team appearance, deputising for Welsh international, Noel Kinsey, and Jimmy scored the opening goal in a 2-0 victory. After making one further appearance his career was interrupted by National service.
Returning to St Andrews he was transferred to Walsall for whom in his only season he made six League appearances and scored once.
Released at the end of season 1958-59 Jimmy joined Southern League Wellington Town (now Telford United) and later played for several local non-league teams.
Paul Cooper
For a player who was born in Cannock and whose father later kept a pub in Brierley Hill it seems strange that Paul spent the majority of his career a long way from his roots. To be exact it was on the east coast with Ipswich Town.
Debut
After playing for Sutton Coldfield Paul signed for Blues in 1971 and made his debut the following year, keeping seven clean sheets in his twelve League matches. Ipswich manager, Bobby Robson, initially signed Paul on loan in March 1974 with the move made permanent three months later for reported fee of £23,000.What a bargain that turned out to be as over the next thirteen seasons Paul kept goal for the Portman Road club in an incredible 446 games.
He played in the club’s 198081 UEFA Cup-winning side when they defeated AZ Alkmaar in the final of the competition. At the end of that season Paul was named Player of the Year by Ipswich supporters.
During his time there Paul was the only regular first team player not to play for his country, his career unfortunately coinciding with those of Ray Clemence and Peter Shilton.
After making 446 League appearances (over 500 appearances in total) Paul had spells at Leicester City and Manchester City before concluding his
career at Stockport County, by which time he had amassed over 550 Football League appearances. On retirement he ran a golf business on the island of Tenerife. In 2014 he was inducted into the Ipswich Town Hall of Fame.
Brian Farmer
Born in Wordsley, Brian joined Blues as an amateur from Stourbridge in 1950 when he was seventeen. He turned professional in 1954 at the age of of twenty and made his first team debut in 1956 although initially he was used only as cover when Jeff Hall or Ken Green were injured or on international duty.
Brian became a regular following Hall’s death in 1959 and made 145 appearances in all competitions, 117 of which were in the First Division.
Finals
He appeared for Blues in both the 1960 and 1961 finals of the Inter-cities Fairs Cup.
Leaving Blues in 1962 he spent three seasons at Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic, making 132 League appearances for The Cherries, many of them as captain.
Post-playing he worked as a scout for Aston Villa and Bournemouth. A more than useful cricketer, Brian was a top order batsman for Stourbridge in The Birmingham League before taking up residence in the Bournemouth area.