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Want to see where the present day club came from?
Now the history of Walsall Swimming & Water Polo club is all on the new website from humble beginnings in 1884 right up to the 1990s.
It is taken from ‘The History of Walsall Swimming and Water Polo Club 1884 – 1984’ which the club commissioned for the centenary.
Researched and written by Wilf Morgan, it was intended to be published as a book which sadly proved too expensive. The club also have a lot of ancient photos and log books which are held by Walsall Local History Centre.
Valda Davies also did a lot of research for the (then Prime Minister’s) family of John Major as his father was a local man and a member of the club! His fathers name was Tom Ball – he was a bit of a showman, as were many club members who used to put on displays of ‘trick swimming’ in Victorian times which were attended by packed crowds. Tom Ball adopted the name Major-Ball when he later embarked on a stage career as a music-hall artist. Why Major? Well, one intriguing thought is that Walsall’s swimming instructor in those days was a Sergeant Major Otton and Tom borrowed the name from him. Perhaps he thought Major had just the right ring about it. Although such conjecture has no place in a definitive history it would be nice to think the Prime Minister owed his name to a member of Walsall Swimming Club.
Click on a link below to start reading