Born: 11 August 1894

Birth Certificate:

Father: William John Stanier

Mother: Lizzie Shaw

5-generation pedigree

Siblings: (For dates, etc, see the extended family)

1.   William Edwin Stanier
2. Lilian May Stanier
3. Elsie Florence Stanier

With Lilian May Stanier, circa 1900

The Stanier Family, 1921

Married: Mabel Eleanor Read 7 April 1917

Marriage Certificate:

WW1 Service:

7678 William Stanier enlisted in the 5th Battalion, South Stafford Regiment (Territorial Force) 15 February 1911, training at Aberystwyth 4 - 18 August 1912. He entered embodied service 5 August 1914, and was promoted to Corporal 1 May 1815. He was attached to the 28th Provisional Battalion 18 June 1815, and transferred to civil employment with the Engineering Department of HM Dockyards Pembroke 8 February 1916. He was discharged at the termination of his engagement 25 March 1916.

With Mabel Eleanor Read

Children:

1. John Howard Stanier
2. Marguerite Ruth 'Peggy' Stanier
3. Roger William Stanier

with his children and grandchildren

Died: 19 September 1967, 25 Farlow Rd Northfield

Death Certificate:

Will:

Probate:

Street Directories:

Addresses:

Biographical Details, as recalled by his son John:

"Father was apprenticed, probably at thirteen or fourteen years of age, to the silversmiths firm of Elkingtons, which had pioneered the technique of electroplating silver on to base metals, so rendering Sheffield plate obsolete. Sheffield Plate was a sandwich of a thin sheet of silver soldered on either face of a thick base metal substrate, which was then rolled out for making up into silver plate articles. One of his contempories at Elkingtons, and a lifelong friend, was Bert Salt (or Sault) who married one Eva Pepper. The two copper wall plates (one of which has appeared mysteriously on Linda's wall) and which used to be "oxydized silver" finish were made by Elkingtons by electroplating copper onto a wax master. Father moved to the silver and goldsmiths firm of Adie Brothers in Hockley, Birmingham, probably after demobilisation in 1919, and remained there until he retired. He was one of the team of craftsmen who made a number of notable gold and silver articles, including a gold tea service for King Farouk as a wedding present to Queen Farida (now in the Cairo Museum), an outrageous wine cooler in the form of a fullsized beer barrel in solid silver, also for Farouk and also believed to be in the Cairo museum, another gold tea service for the Maharajah of Baroda, now in a museum in Delhi, a magnificent silver chandelier for a London synagogue, innumerable gold cups for famous horse races and the silver tea service given by Birmingham Corporation to Princess Elizabeth on her wedding to Prince Phillip. I refrain from mentioning the use made of Farida's tea service by the artisans before it was packed for dispatch."

(The broad outline of these recollections is confirmed - and the detail to some extent contradicted - by the recollections of Eileen Luker written in May 1994.

"Herewith the newscutting of the tray & teaset your grandfather made for the present Queen when she was - as Princess Elizabeth, married.

... I did have the photo of the gold dinner set made for ex-King Farouk of Egypt. Your grandfather also made that when he worked for Adies (later Elkingtons) goldsmiths, & the whole staff had a fish & chip dinner off it (it was made with 40 place settings) before it went to Egypt. But it didn't bring Farouk any luck as the Egyptian monarchy was thrown out shortly afterwards. Likewise Uncle Billy made a set of gold & enamel coffee cups for the Indian Maharajah of Baroda who never paid for them!"

The claim that the dinner set "didn't bring Farouk any luck as the Egyptian monarchy was thrown out shortly afterwards" raises a problem. Farouk divorced Farida in 1948, and had married Narriman Sadek in 1951 before being overthrown in 1952. This might suggest the dinner set was a present to Narriman rather than Farida.)

Father was mobilised into the Territorial Army in 1914. In those far off days, the Territorial Army was just that, confined to the U.K. and father eventually went to Shoeburyness, near Southend on Sea where he was billeted with the Read family at 32 Park Road, Thorpe Bay, where he met, and married the youngest daughter, Mabel in 1917. At some stage during the war, father volunteered to transfer to Pembroke Docks, South Wales, making or repairing copper piping in submarines, but actually spending most of the time turning mussel shells into snuff boxes for the naval staff. I appeared in September 1918 and moved to Birmingham in 1919 when Father was demobilised."
[John Howard Stanier]

Newspaper: Birmingham Daily Mail, Monday 10 November 1947

City's Royal Wedding Gift
Craftsmanship in Silver
Designs Chosen by the Princess

The silver tea set which is to be Birmingham's gift to Princess Elizabeth and Lieut. Philip Mountbatten

With justifiable pride in the skill and artistry of the craftsmen who produced it, the firm of Adie Brothers, Ltd, to-day handed over to the city the silver tea set which is Birmingham's wedding present to Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten.

When the set was chosen by Princess Elizabeth from designs submitted by Birmingham silversmiths, at the invitation of the City Council, she did not know that the same firm made the silver porringer which was one of the presents at her christening 21 years ago, and that the same designer, M. Fernand Piret, who had been with the firm 32 years, and several other employees would be engaged on it.

The gift is a cushion-shaped fluted tea-set, richly hand-chased, the kettle, tea pot and hot water jug having hand-carved ivory handles. It was designed by M. Piret after the style of the ancient French silversmith Paul de Lamerie, an 18th century master, and in the workshops of the Soho Hill firm, modern craftsmen used tools of the type which have been in use from early days.

Labour of Love

With 70 per cent of the firm's production for export, particular pride has been shown by the workmen throughout the whole intricate operation. Young apprentices have been under the wings of the old craftsmen, for whom this particular occasion was something of a labour of love.

Mr W.E.Stanier, a silversmith for nearly 40 years, was the first to turn his skill to the exclusive design, and, as he shaped the set with his expert hands, he explained as he went along the finer points for the benefit of the youths who are learning the trade.

Further along the bench, Mr Arthur Hudson, with 45 years of hand chasing behind him, used one or another of the 200 small tools which he himself had made.

His part in the final exquisite finish of the tea set was there for everyone to see. Mr George Whitehouse, another old employee of the firm, was busy to-day polishing some pieces designed for America.

Two other pieces he made at Adie Brothers.

Notes:

A Photograph album was found in his house after his death. There is no direct proof that it belonged to him, but names on the pages include A Florry, who could be his paternal aunt Florence Martha Stanier or his maternal aunt Florence Amelia Shaw; and U Jim, who is shown in military uniform with solar topee, and could be his uncle, James Stanier, who served in South Africa. Other names in the album are Dolly, W Franklin? and Emma Powles(?)

Several items made by him remain in the possession of the family:-

Two views of a figurine of an owl.

There are also some examples of the snuff-boxes he made from mussel shells while working in Pembroke Docks.

top

© Alan M Stanier (contact details)