Raymond Smout

Raymond Smout was born and brought up in Roseville, Coseley and spent the first 26 years of his life there.  He moved south to join the Hampshire Constabulary where he served for 31 years until retirement.  He kept in touch with his native Black Country however through friends, relatives, and frequent visits.  Proud that his great grandfather was one of Coseley’s founding councillors he has always had an interest in the town and its history, amassing a wealth of photos, articles, maps, books and clippings over the years.  Before her death in 2001 at the age of 95, Raymond’s mother encouraged him to write a family history.  Having achieved that, his unofficial history of Coseley seemed a logical progression. This was published as part of the Pocketful of Memories series in 2007.  A Pocketful of Memories – Roseville was published later in the same year.