From a small unofficial club in 1908 to the Amery Unionist Club of today, our history is rooted in the people, community and traditions of Short Heath and Willenhall.
It is believed that in 1908, four men formed an unofficial club in a terraced house at the junction of Coppice Lane and Wesley Road, what was then Willenhall Road.
Willenhall Road was later renamed Cannock Road when Short Heath was amalgamated into Willenhall Town.
The membership began to grow when a bowling green was created in 1911 by workers from the coal wharf, situated just off Wesley Road, when they had little work.
It is believed that four men formed an unofficial club in a terraced house at the junction of Coppice Lane and Wesley Road, what was then Willenhall Road.
This small beginning would eventually develop into the Amery Unionist Club that exists today.
The membership began to grow when a bowling green was created by workers from the nearby coal wharf.
On 22nd September 1911, the club became official when it joined the Association of Conservative Clubs. The name Amery Unionist Club was chosen.
The bowling green was still not owned by the club. On 12th June 1918, the club rented it for five years at a cost of £5 from Samuel Thornley of Pool Hayes Farm, a major landowner in the area at the time.
On 20th January 1921, the club purchased the bowling green and additional land outright for £375.
This marked an important step in establishing a permanent home for the club and its members.
In the late 1920s or early 1930s, a two-storey wooden clubhouse was erected to the east of the bowling green, on the site where the main front car park is located today.
As membership continued to grow, the club would eventually need a much larger and more permanent building.
By the mid-1950s, club membership had grown considerably and plans were drawn up for a new building.
The new club building was finally completed at a cost of £4,500 and opened for business on 15th November 1956.
The official opening took place on 2nd March 1957 and was performed by the Minister of Aviation, Julian Amery, son of Leopold Amery.
Julian Amery's wife Catherine also attended, as did Lady Dorothy Macmillan, daughter of the then Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
The Right Honourable Enoch Powell M.P. was also in attendance at the official opening of the club.
In 1965, the club purchased additional land and a bungalow for £5,500.
The bungalow has served as the club steward's accommodation since 1966.
The club was named after Leopold Charles Maurice Stennett Amery, who was the Unionist (Conservative) parliamentary candidate for East Wolverhampton, which included the Willenhall area.
He was a very popular man and was known as 'Little Amery' because of his lack of height.
Amery loved the rough and tumble of elections and was reported to have come to blows, more than once, with his opponents on top of Portobello Bridge.
On one occasion, a local man called him a liar. After being refused an apology, Amery assaulted the man. The man subsequently summonsed him for assault.
The incident resulted in Leopold being fined £2 with £6 costs.
Amery never became M.P. for Wolverhampton, coming closest when he lost by just eight votes.
After moving to Birmingham, he became M.P. for Sparkbrook, serving from 1911 to 1945.
He was a prominent and controversial British Conservative politician and classical scholar.
He served as a Member of Parliament and minister during the mid-20th century.
He is best known for his 1968 "Rivers of Blood" speech regarding immigration.
Lady Dorothy was the third daughter of the 9th Duke of Devonshire. Harold met her in Canada while serving as an aide to her father, the Governor General.
Dorothy acted as a political wife throughout Harold's career, including his tenure as British Prime Minister from 1957 to 1963.
The couple raised four children together: Maurice, Caroline, Catherine, and Sarah.
Leopold Amery was a no-nonsense and pugnacious political figure. His family also became associated with significant events in British history.
One of his sons, John Amery, made pro-Nazi broadcasts from Berlin during the Second World War, urging British prisoners of war to serve under the Nazis on the Eastern Front.
After the war, John Amery was tried for treason and was hanged.
On 22nd September 2011, the Amery Unionist Club marked one hundred years since its official formation.
From four men meeting in a terraced house to a club with generations of members, the history of the Amery Unionist Club is a history of people, sport, friendship and community.