On 18th Mar 2024 7:53pm, Annewiggy said:
There seems to be a lot of tailors round at that time, all trying to say they made the cheapest suits. There is a Fred Burn, tailor in Birmingham, so I don't know if that is the same man. I did find an ad that said Fred had 2 other shops but I will have to find that again. The cinema was going to be built by Capital and Provincial news theatres Ltd and was to seat 400 people with a shop in front, so not too small. They pulled out of the project, saying they could not carry it out.
I think it's more than likely that the Birmingham Fred Burn is the same as the Coventry namesake. it would be too much of a coincidence to have 2 tailors of the same name in adjoining towns. There were a number of firms pre-war who had branches in several Midland towns such as Whitfield's (Wolverhampton) Ltd ladies wear in Broadgate, T A Collins Ltd, boots and shoes, and A D Wimbush and Son Ltd bakers who had branches all over the West Midlands.