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Read the Birmingham Mail article: "Cluedo founder Anthony Pratt has a pavement plaque dedicated to him in the B14 postcode of King's Heath"
 Anthony Pratt, who created the Cluedo boardgame while working in a wartime tank factory in Birmingham, is to be honoured in King's Heath, where he was living at the time. Largely ignored and forgotten when he died aged 90 in 1994 he is to have his life celebrated in three different ways in the Autumn.
Firstly, a pavement plaque commemorating the civil servant is planned for York Road in September as part of the ‘King's Heath Walk of Fame’. Secondly, a presitigious Blue Plaque is to be placed on the wall of 9 Stanley Road where he and his wife were living during the second world war when he invented the hugely popular boardgame. And thirdly, author Jonathan Foster's book (featured here) on one of King's Heath's most famous residents will be published entitled: "The Cluedo Story; How Anthony Pratt invented the game of Murder Mystery"
Anthoy Pratt invented the famous boardgame, with the help of wife Elva, during the war years – a time he spent making tank components in a Birmingham factory. Originally titled ‘Murder’, Pratt had it patented in 1944. Waddingtons bought the overseas rights nine years later, paying Pratt only £5,000.
“Once you start looking,” said Ken Whittaker and Bob Prew who came up with the idea of creating King's Heath's very own Walk of Fame, “it is amazing how many famous people have links to King's Heath. We hope to honour at least 20 of them. The project is going from strength to strength and we have more and more names. 1948 Olympic cycling Bronze medalist Tommy Godwin lived and owned a shop here, Frank Skinner and UB40 started their careers here...There is so much more. We can’t just let the memories fade away.”
Picture of Bob Prew and Ken Whittaker, and article - both courtesy of Mike Lockley at the Birmingham Mail
For more on Anthony Pratt, click here |
