Betts and the World Wars - heritage worth remembering

Remembrance Day is here, and to mark this important date in the calendar, we are sharing some of the fascinating history surrounding Betts and the two World Wars.

Established in 1760, Betts had already been trading in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter for over 150 years by the time the First World War broke out in 1914. The war brought with it difficult times for many businesses, but the Betts factory was prevented from closing as its services and furnaces helped contribute to the war effort. After the end of the First World War a longer period of stability ensued for the business.

However, the direct line of descendants has sometimes hung by a thread, and this was particularly true during the Second World War. John Francis Betts was a captain when he was shot and reported missing in action, presumed dead, after being surrounded and cut off whilst fighting to defend the retreat from Dunkirk, for which he received a Military Cross. He was eventually discovered in a hospital in Belgium where he recovered from a bullet wound which went straight through his mouth. An inch higher and the Betts line would have died out.

John Francis Betts had two sons and despite many difficulties during the 1970s, including the theft of over £1 million of silver, the company survived and continued under Stephen. Charles Betts, Stephen’s youngest son, is the current Group Managing Director, representing the ninth consecutive generation of the Betts family to manage the business. The Jewellery Quarter is still home to the Betts head office to this day, and the Betts family grave can be found in St Paul’s Square. There are also war graves and war memorials in Key Hill and Warstone Lane cemeteries in the heart of the quarter.

Learn more about the 260-year history of Betts here.