Papers of Frank B. Yates and his son, H. Bertram Yates

This collection comprises both personal and business papers and includes:

personal correspondence from Bert Yates to his father, Frank Yates of Kings Norton and typescript copies of letters of his father's replies, 25 March 1927- 28 April 1928. These letters, with the occasional postcard, are written during Bert's tour of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and India as a representative for J. B. Brooks, luggage and cycle saddle manufacturers of Birmingham. Father and son wrote frequently and regularly despite the vagaries of the postal services and changes to travel arrangements. The letters from Frank contain detailed information about family matters and social activities including holidays, outings and events, such as horse and greyhound racing, tennis and golf tournaments and bell ringing. There are also references to his business interests, including poor trade and foreign competition, church activities such as the arrangement of a bazaar and the acquisition of the Saracen's Head for Kings Norton Church, and attendance at committee meetings in connection with, for example, with the Kings Norton Rugby Club and the Conservative Club. Frank also provides information about friends and acquaintances and about local events including, for example, of floods in Kings Norton and a description of bursting of Ellis's Pool in July 1927. Frank also includes details of his own and his son's investments. Bert's letters provide details of his journeys - by boat and rail, travelling arrangements, accommodation, the people he met and his social activities, the places he visited, and his experiences. He also refers to other manufacturers' representatives he meets and whom his father knows. Although he does not write about his business activities, Bert does express comments about the people he meets.

Extensive business correspondence and papers of H. B. Yates relating to his employment with J. B. Brooks, luggage and cycle saddle manufacturers of Birmingham 1926-29 and principally relating to his overseas business tour, 1927-28. The papers include correspondence between Yates and J. B. Brooks relating to orders, availability and supplies, reports by Yates of trade in the countries he visited, correspondence with the firms he visited and some notes of meetings, and contracts

Personal papers, mostly relating to investments and other financial matters of H. B. Yates, to which his father attended while he was abroad, 1926-28

Frank Bertram Yates (1877-1957) was, until his retirement in 1928, the managing director of John Yates & Co, edge tool manufacturers of Birmingham. He lived for many years in Kings Norton and was heavily involved in church affairs where he was churchwarden and also ringing master from 1924-29. He also gave two bells to St Nicholas's Church and was responsible for raising nearly £2000 for the restoration of the church and renovation of the bells. He was a member of St Martin's Guild of Bell Ringers and in 1948 gave two bells to St Philip's Cathedral in Birmingham. In addition to his interest in campanology, he was also a keen sportsman and in his younger days was a noted amateur cyclist, winning races as a member of the Speedwell Bicycle Club and the Midland Cycle and Athletic Club. In later years he was the first President of the Kings Norton Rugby Football Club. He was also a long term member of the Birmingham Conservative Club and was chairman of its management committee for several years. He was married and had two sons, Douglas and (Henry) Bertram and a daughter, Margaret.
Source: Obituary in the 'Birmingham Mail', 6 March 1957

(Henry) Bertram Yates (1904-1993), known as Bert, son of Frank B. Yates was educated at Uppingham School. He married Barbara Wenham (d 1984) in 1933 and had two sons and one daughter. He was director of the luggage and cycle saddle manufacturers, J. B. Brooks, of Great Charles Street, Birmingham. He joined the company, founded by his grandfather, when he left school in 1922 and became a director eight years later. In 1941 he was appointed managing director of the company and 18 years later was appointed a director of Raleigh Industries. He travelled extensively on behalf of both companies, visiting Australia, New Zealand, the Far East, Canada and the United States. He was also prominent in Birmingham public life: President of the Birmingham Savings Bank, a member of the Council of the University of Birmingham, warden of the Birmingham Assay Office and a Birmingham magistrate, serving for 23 years between 1951 and 1974. He was awarded an OBE in 1946.
Sources: Obituary published in the 'Birmingham Post, 12 August 1993; 'The Birmingham Post and Mail Year Book and Who's Who'

Open, access to all registered researchers.

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Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

Presented by the son of H. Bertram Yates, November 2009

Special Collections holds papers of another branch of the Yates family of Birmingham, principally papers of R. Cyril Yates and of Robert Perks Yates (see MS90)