Category Archives: People

1933 : Obituary of Mr W.T. Clark, a Pascall director

Leave a reply

From the Mitcham News & Mercury, 6th January, 1933

MR. W. T. CLARK

A WELL-KNOWN DIRECTOR OF PASCALL’S

The death took place at Brixton on Friday, December 23, of Mr, W. Thomas Clark, a director of Messrs. Pascall, who was one of the best known and highly esteemed men in the confectionery business. For some months Mr. Clark had been in indifferent health, which a sea voyage did not improve. In November he was ordered into Guy’s Hospital, and a severe operation was performed. The trouble, however, was too deep-seated, and shortly after his return home to Brixton he died.

The funeral took place on Wednesday of last week, at West Norwood Cemetery and, in addition to the widow, the brother (Mr. H. E. Clark) and other relatives, was attended by Mr. Sydney Pascall (chairman of the Board), Mr L. H Pascall (managing director), Mr. Wilfrid H. Pascall, Mr. S. E. Perkins and Mr. A. P Jones (director of James Pascall, Ltd.), a number of the firm’s representatives, and a large number of managers and heads of departments and others, all working colleagues and personal friends of Mr. Clark, and by many prominent members of the confectionery trade, who, as customers of the firm, were also his friends. Altogether the attendance was a remarkable tribute to the esteem and affection in which Mr. W. Thomas Clark was held by all.

A REMARKABLE CAREER

Mr. Clark’s career, writes a correspondent, was both notable and interesting. It is well over fifty years ago that the late Mr James Pascall (founder of the firm), as the result of an amusing little boyish escapade he had witnessed, took on young Clark as an office boy. A real worker always, the lad soon made himself genuinely useful, and, with the growth of the business, rose step by step until he became sales manager, and later was elected to a seat on the Board of Directors.

Mr. W. Thomas Clark was remarkable for several qualities. Particularly his knowledge of the trade was unique, his memory almost uncanny. He not only knew hundreds, even thousands of the firms customers, but he was familiar also with the special character of their respective businesses. It is doubtful whether any single man in the trade has been so widely known among both wholesalers and retailers; and he was also well known to all the leading manufacturers.
Not only do the entire staff of James Pascall sadly miss their old friend, but the whole industry has lost one who in his time has rendered it yeoman service.

Burnett Bullock

Leave a reply

The King’s Head pub was renamed the Burn Bullock in 1975 by the owners Ind Coope. ‘Burn’ was the shortened name of its licensee, Burnett Bullock, who died in 1954. His widow carried on the pub business until she retired in 1975. The brewery renamed the pub in their honour.

The Burn Bullock pub sign, photo taken July 2017

He and his wife Lilian became licensees of the King’s Head on 20th January, 1941. They had previously been joint licensees of the Regent’s Arms in London’s West End. Her parents, Mr & Mrs Card, owned the baker’s shop across the road from the King’s Head. Burnett’s father was surveyor in the Mitcham Urban District Council.
(Source: EN Montague, pages 38-39 of Mitcham Histories: 1 The Cricket Green.)

From 300 Years of Mitcham Cricket, a historical record by Tom Higgs, published in 1985:

The former Secretary, Burn Bullock Snr. had produced a worthy son and Burn Bullock Jnr was to score his first century on the Green when only fifteen years of age. Two years later he was a regular member of Mitcham’s 1st XI. The War interrupted Burn Bullock’s cricket career but when he returned to Mitcham in 1919 he lopped the Club’s averages and played occasionally for Surrey 11s. Burn joined the Oval staff as a professional in 1921 but those were the vintage days of Surrey batsmen with the likes of Jack Hobbs, Andrew Sandham, Andy Ducat and Tom Shepherd available. Burn Bullock had few opportunities with the County side and had to content himself with Minor Counties cricket. He left the Oval in 1926 to become cricket coach on a Norfolk estate and in his first season there made 1500 runs and took 50 wickets before bringing the Norfolk side down to see his beloved Mitcham Green.

Three years later Burn Bullock returned south, became a licensed victualler, and in due course took over the King’s Head, next door to Mitcham’s pavilion. In addition to playing for Mitcham, Burn also skippered the powerful North and South of the Thames Licensed Victuallers XI and score some fifteen centuries with them. But excellent as was his playing ability it was for his outstanding service off the field that Burn Bullock is remembered in Mitcham. He served as player, committee member, Hon. Secretary and Match Secretary. Each year he brought the county side sown to the Green to play a charity match for the local hospital and raised substantial sums by this means. At the time of his death in 1954 Burn Bullock was one of the Club’s most distinguished Vice-Presidents.

From the Mitcham and Tooting Advertiser, 21st April 1954

Mr B. Bullock leaves £2,591

Mr Burnett Wedlake BULLOCK, licensee of the King’s Head, Mitcham, former Surrey cricketer, who died on 21st December last, left £2,591 gross, £2,134 net value. Probate has been granted to his widow Lilian J. Bullock, of the same address.

Lilian Bullock’s obituary was published in the Mitcham Cricket Club Yearbook for 1977.