| Description | Percy Barton, who was born on 3 January 1904 and died on 18 June 1989, was a life-long resident of Fulham and active in local politics and public life. In 1965 he was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire for his political and public service.
As a young man, working as an apprentice carpenter, Percy Barton was already a committed member of the local Labour party and an enthusiastic supporter of the trade union movement. He eventually became East Fulham Labour Party General Secretary and won a seat at the 1934 Borough Council Elections. Between 1934 and 1978 he served the borough as councillor, Alderman and, in 1942/3, as Mayor. Percy Barton chaired the Public Works Committee, the Works and Highways Committee, the War Damage Repairs Committee and, for 21 years, the Housing Committee. He was Leader of the Council between 1962 and 1965, and was made a Freeman of the borough in 1955.
In addition to his political activities, Percy Barton served the community in a number of other ways. In 1959 he became a Justice of the Peace for the County of London. He was a Deputy Chairman of the West London Petty Sessions and for several years Chairman of the West London Divisional Licensing Committee. He served as a visiting magistrate to
H M Prison Wandsworth and on the Local Parole Committee. His concern for improvement in social conditions was also reflected in his involvement with Chelsea United Boys' Club, the Peterborough Benevolent Society and the Waste Land and Lygon Almshouses. He served as Trustee, Honorary Secretary and Life President of Dr Edwards' and Bishop King's Fulham Charity.
Percy Barton worked as a carpenter and joiner for a number of firms, and in 1944 he was appointed to the post of instructor in carpentry and joinery at South West Essex Technical College and School of Art, eventually progressing to a lectureship in 1962. He was a Fellow and Vice-President of the Institute of Carpenters, and was appointed to serve on the Examination Board of the Worshipful Company of Carpenters. In 1981 he became a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Carpenters and of the City of London, in appreciation for his service to the guild.
Percy Barton's interest in rearing cage birds was his main pastime. He was involved with the Fulham and Putney Cage Bird Society for over fifty years since its inception in 1924, and won many prizes at numerous shows. His other recreation was his allotment, for which he also won prizes. He was an active member of the Fulham Horticultural Society.
Percy Barton never married. He lived with his sister Winifred until she died in 1964. |