Sir Cyril Wilson Black 1902-1991

---

The life of Sir Cyril Black as researched and contributed by Dennis Holmes, California, U.S.A. Click the above Photo of Sir Cyril to link to a statement by the British House of Commons.   Cyril was born in England on April 8, 1902 the son of Robert Wilson Black 1871-1951 and Ann Louise nee North. Grandson of Robert Wilson Black 1821-1905 and Sarah Ann nee Wallis 1893 Sydney (uncle) & Robert Black (father) started a soup kitchen in Fulham: greatly influenced Cyril on the lesson on service to other people. The soup kitchen was part of the Fulham Cross Christian Mission. 1906 Cyril catches Scarlet Fever - not expected to live 1915 Influenced by suffragettes, Cyril would later campaign for a better deal for women. 1920 Cyril joins Knight & Co. - paid 1 Pound per week 1924 Met his future wife - Joyce. 1927 Joyce and Cyril are engaged 1930 Cyril W. Black marries Dorothy Joyce Birkett, Church of Christ, Leicester 1933 Cyril was Chairman of Beaumont Properties, Ltd. 1939 Joins the Board of the Temperance Permanent Building Society 1939 Cyril joins Wimbledon Air Training Corps. 1942 Cyril becomes an officer in the Wimbledon Air Training Corps. 1942 In March, appointed Justice of the Peace, County of London 1942 First foray into politics - elected to Wimbledon Burough Council in June. He will serve for 23 years! 1943 Also elected to Surrey County Council in March: eventually becomes it’s chairman. 1943 Elected to the Committee of Wimbledon Football Club. He later became President until 1972. His brother Sydney had a spell as Chairman. In 1968 when the Football Club was in dire straits he lent them 20,000 Pounds interest free. 1945 Elected as Wimbledon’s youngest Mayor. His wife became Mayoress! 1946 -1967 Cyril is listed as Chairman of the Wimbledon Choral Society 1946 Cyril would put on "free concerts for old people virtually every month" between 1946 and when the Civic Hall was torn down. 1948 Gave "considerable support to the Wimbledon Marriage Guidance Council" 1948 Became President of the Wimbledon Y M C A 1949 Visited the United States as representative of Building Societies of Great Britain 1949 Starting in 1949 in association with Bognor Regis Council and the Wimbledon Guild of Social Welfare, he arranged to send parties of pensioners off to the Coast for a vacation. Every year he would visit them at one time, and he took all 52 to the theater! He did this for years 1950 Elected Conservative Member of Parliament for Wimbledon - he served until 1970, when he retired to spend more time with family. 1953 Sir Cyril "instrumental in the formulation of the Wimbledon Athletic club" 1955 Participant in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's 1955 All-Scotland and London Crusades and the 1966 London Crusade 1956 Became Chairman of Surrey County Council - he stepped down in 1959 1958 He won first prize at Wimbledon Horticultural Society for his culinary pears 1958 He took a public stand against homosexuality. He fought against legalization until he was out voted eight years later. 1959 Knighted: he was honored for ‘political and publics services in Surrey’. 1960 He purchased 317 acres and presented it to Surrey County Council to celebrate his three years there. 1960 He joined with 13 other M.P’s to try and reimpose a ban on Lady Chatterly’s Lover as a pornographic book 1964 He assisted with the Clean Up Television Campaign 1966 Sir Cyril brought a successful private law suit against a published book for its ‘pornographic’ content 1966 He was openly, and consistently, a supporter for Capital Punishment 1966 Again elected Mayor of the new (combined) Borough of Merton 1967 To support his anti-abortion stand, he donated funds to a Catholic anti-abortion service. 1967 to 1991 President of the Wimbledon Choral Society 1967 He resigned from the Wimbledon Theater "over plans to stage the musical Hair! 1971 When the supply of free school milk to Merson was threatened, Sir Cyril offered to pay for it out of his own pocket!1971 He tried to amend a new (alcohol) licensing bill by proposing that strip clubs, or displays of nudity or near-nudity clubs be illegal. 1972 (?) Hospitalized for a pancreas operation 1972 He gave over 7,000 Pounds to local charities, declaring: ‘Giving money gives me a lot of happiness. Besides, you can’t take it with you.’ 1976 to 1981 Sir Cyril Black participated in a committee to rewrite ( revise? Or update?) The King James Version of the Bible 1978 He retired as Alderman 1981 Resigns from M.F. North Ltd. after they vote to sell liquor at their previously unlicensed hotel properties October 29, 1991 Sir Cyril died, he had arterial sclerosis, and four kinds of cancer. His memorial service was held in Wimbledon Theater -capacity 1500, it was full. 1992 A street named after him in Wimbledon - "Sir Cyril Black Way"