A couple of points Laurence.
1. The miniature concrete Joeys at Calf Heath. I rather think the late Colonel Ritchie may have acquired some of these, it was just the sort of kitsch that appealed to his sense of humour. He was quite friendly with Ernie Thomas and also Jim Yates. Before the War he had been Adjutant of one of the South Staffordshire Battalions and always had a soft spot for Black Countrymen. After he left Stoke the concrete boats were acquired by John and Anne Crossley, of nb "Linda" fame, and sat outside their cottage at Cosgrove Lock for many years. Both the Crossleys as well as the Ritchies are now dead, so Lord knows what became of the boats. Another ornament at Cosgrove were the chimney pots off Ritchie's house beside Top Lock (where Sister Mary lived), and they were made at the old Stoke Brickworks.
2. One theory about then name "Joey" boats. I agree with you that most native BCN boaters of the old school with whom I have talked didn't refer to them as such, but "foreign" boaters, i.e. ex-GU or FMC people did. I have often wondered if the name did not arise from the policies of Birmingham's famous Lord Mayor, Joseph Chamberlain (father of Neville, later Prime Minister). Joe Chamberlain was a great believer in "Municipal Socialism" and it was during his time as a councillor and alderman of Brum that so many municipal enterprises for which Brum becam famous, originated. Among these were the Salvage Department, the tramways (taken over from private enterprise), the gas works and the power stations. The open boats supplying these may well have been nicknamed Joeys from their association with Chamberlain's policies. As an aside, I have always believed that this was by far the most sensible way of operating public utilities, and it still happens in some foreign countries. All the profits from the enterprises went to the ratepayers, and the utilities themselves were acountable to the voters of the City or County Borough concerned. All this was effectively buggered by the Walker-Heath "reforms" of 1974, which created non-Counties such as West Midlands and ruined the historic ones and the County Boroughs into the bargain. Serves the buggers right that they never got re-elected. Nobody has had the gumption to do anything about it since, because by now the bureaucrats have become too powerful and can't bear to see Joe Public take back the power he has lost.
David.
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