Joseph Tonks (1855–1891), in whose memory the structure was created, was born in Willenhall on 5 May 1855 to Silas (21 December 1827-1888) and Lucy Tonks (née Pritchard; 12 April 1829-1896) and graduated in medicine at Queen's College, Birmingham in 1879, becoming a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (MRCSE).

In August 1888 during a balloon ascent, an event of the annual show of the Willenhall Horticultural Society, Tonks was injured when the pilot lost control and the balloon hit nearby chimneys.

Never fully recovering from his injuries, his health deteriorated and he died on 2 April 1891 aged 35, leaving his wife Clara and two young children, Reginald Ernest Tonks and Herbert Joe Tonks.

It was made in Hollington and Bath stone, and the clock was supplied by Smith of Derby.

[3] The inscription, on the east side, reads: "Erected by the Friendly Societies of Willenhall and his fellow townsmen May 10th 1892, in memory of Joseph Tonks MRCSE LAH whose generous and unsparing devotion to the cause of the alleviation of human suffering has been deemed worthy of this public record.