Merthyr Office Staff 1936

The Shermans, Cardiff-raised sons of a Jewish tailor from eastern Europe, film in Merthyr, home of one of their betting shops, and feature local solicitor Mr B. Hamilton.

Rags to riches: 4 Cardiff-raised sons of a Jewish tailor originally from eastern Europe established a bookmaking business in Cardiff and Merthyr and 2 of them went on to run a highly successful football pools business – Shermans Pools Ltd. This film shows the Sherman betting shop at 8 Glebeland Street, Merthyr, and local solicitor, Benjamin Hamilton, who is believed to have shared the premises.

The 4 Sherman brothers, raised (and born, according to some sources) in the Riverside area of Cardiff with their 4 sisters, were Isaac, Jack, Abraham [Abe] and Harry (1887-1961). Having set up the bookmaking business, Isaac, Jack and Harry emigrated to America during the First World War. Harry returned and he and Abraham then set up Shermans Pools Ltd. The two businesses made the brothers a fortune, a significant portion of which they passed on to various charities in Britain and Israel via The Sherman Foundation. Harry lived in Cardiff, Abraham in Merthyr at Park Lodge, Thomastown. The pools business was bought by Littlewoods in 1961, the betting business by William Hill.