Obituary: William (Bill) Walter Dean- Myatt (QM 1941-50)

Bill passed away on 7th January 2021 aged 87 years.

He attended Queen Mary’s from September 1941 in the junior section of the School which was a large house situated at Moss Close. His first teacher, Mrs Foers, replaced her husband who had been called up into the Forces. Bill enjoyed junior school life and recalled playing cricket on what was left of the lawn of the house and played in the ‘dell’, an area that was once a little limestone quarry which was also used as the rifle range for the army cadet force and the training ground for the Wolf Cubs and Boy Scouts. He alo remembered the air-raid shelter which had been built in the grounds of the school and the regular air-raid drill and being led down to them in crocodiles, all the boys carrying their own gas masks.

At the age of 12 Bill progressed to ‘Big School’ in Lichfield Street. He enjoyed most of his time there. The ethos was much the same as Moss Close, everyone had to wear uniform, and everyone had to wear a School cap until they entered the sixth form.. He joined the Army Cadet Force but not long after joining he was found to have a heart murmur so had to resign. Following his resignation from the cadets Bill joined the Dramatic Society and several roles followed for Bill which had a long-term effect on him. He enjoyed all Shakespeare’s plays and saw them all, some several times. One teacher, David Fink, provided inspiration and a lifelong love of hisory for Bill and later in life they were to meet again as they were both members of the same Probus Club.

A period of ill health when he was sixteen saw him in bed for three months and then an unfortunate accident meant months on crutches, but Bill endured all this with good grace.

After he left School he joined the family tobacconist, B. Dean & Co. in Wisemore. Working his way up, he proved himself to be a natural businessman, facilitating the expansion of the company. Later he ran the Post Office in Ablewell Street.

Bill’s main passion, however, was music which was ignited by an early love for jazz. He gained an international reputation as a meticulous discographical researcher and a highly respected scholar, who won many prestigious awards. In his seventies he gained his MPhil, focusing on Scottish music. His donation of thousands of recordings and research material is now housed in the National Library of Scotland, entitled the Dean-Myatt Collection.

He was also known for doing his duty for the local community in Walsall, serving as a Borough Councillor, continuing a family tradition that included two Mayors.

Bill is sadly missed by his daughters Fiona and Georgina, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.