OSAmag78

T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 7 8
Yes indeed my brother was a contemporary
of Chas Cruden and Frank Abbott (and
many others who fortunately are still with
us). So he was 1953-1958 though his
attendances in the last term of that last
year were very few and far between! Gus
was his form master in that last year and I
was regularly summoned to his form room
to explain my brother's absence. I always
managed to give an explanation which
exculpated myself but didn't put my
brother in it! Good practice for my later
career! He was actually spending his time
at a musical instrument shop in Charing
Cross Road managed by our maternal
uncle Keith (Butchart) who was a
thoroughly bad influence according to our
Mum! Fortunately our Dad found him a
proper job with a film producer from
which he gravitated to record producing
with Pye then went to Polydor where he
ran their German operation in Hamburg
for many years.
He moved into music publishing some
time in the late seventies or early eighties
spending a decade with Chrysalis. He is
still very active in the business – he is one
of only 3 people who has attended the
MIDEM Festival [qv] every year since its
inception 51 years ago!
Dave Vicary (a recent new member) and I
do indeed meet two or three times a year
in company with my oldest friend, that
other Professor - Mike Heath – who has
been retired from his Chair in 16th
Century French Literature at King's
College for a decade and he has never
looked back!
The youngest of Mike's three sons (or
perhaps more accurately his daughter in
law) has just produced his first grandchild.
Mine – the first of seven and counting
came 16 years ago this August 14th – 9
months before my darling Sonya died. At
least she got to see one of them.
With best wishes and kindest regards
Keith Knight
July 6th 2013
Kraismandd@aol.com
I joined the school in 1939/40 and was
among the Wisbech evacuees. I well
remember the emotional parent's farewell
at Harringay Station. We were met at
Harecroft Road railway station, Wisbech
by a thin man with a florid complexion.
He was pushing a cycle and was in charge
of billeting. He introduced himself as Mr
Galleymore and said I was very fortunate
because my billet was located in
Leverington, a pleasant village within
cycling distance of Wisbech. I would be
staying with two other boys in a large
house owned by a leading member of the
community.
I cannot remember the names of the other
Stationers – perhaps they can help!
I phoned my parents after a couple of
weeks because I disliked the housekeeper
and as a result, was transferred to the
home of Shell petrol lorry driver Baden
Thurston and his wife Florence in
Clarence Road, Wisbech. This wonderful
couple came to regard me as an adopted
son. Their humble home was spotless and
meal time was plentiful and mouthwatering.
They became honorary members
of my family – Uncle Ben and Auntie Flo.
A few weeks ago I returned to Wisbech
with my son, Mark and granddaughter,
Talia because I wanted them to see where
I spent some of the happiest years of my
childhood. I pointed out my bedroom
window and showed them the outhouse
where the tin bath was located. Baths were
pretty cold in winter.
After the fish and chip lunch at a
restaurant on the Nene quay, which was
called Fitt's in our day, we walked to St.
Peters Church Hall where I had appeared
in school plays. I recall singing a duet with
Ken Williams...the song, Oh No John,
went something like this: “On yonder hill
there stands a maiden...” I believe Ken was
dressed as the maiden!
Last stop on our tour of the town was
Wisbech Grammar School . I informed
my son that it was at this school that a
Maths master called Taffy Hemstead used
to give me numerous detentions. I was a
rubbish mathematician.
After leaving this great school, I worked
on a local newspaper and later served in
the RAF at Air Headquarters British Air
Forces of Occupation in Germany. I was
later posted to RAF Fighter Command, a
few minutes from the home my wife and
I have occupied for 53 years.
I owe a great debt to my old school and
the Worshipful Company of Stationers
and Newspaper Makers because I took
account of their history when embarking
on a career in journalism. My first Fleet
Street post was at Reuters news agency
and I went on to become news editor of
the Sunday People.
I was asked to retire when I reached 68,
but newspapers still publish my work 16
years later.
Maurice Krais Caxton House
Hi Geraint
2nd August 2013
perring32@btinternet.com
Last Sunday we came home from spending
a week at our favourite hotel just outside
Hawes to find the latest O.S. Mag. waiting
for us on the door mat. Very interested to
read your latest 'Far as you Roam' as only
as recently as last Saturday we had spent a
fair part of the morrning on a seat under a
tree on Bainbridge Green only a few yards
from the cafe. Marvellous spot to watch
the traffic coming over the bridge into the
village whilst enjoying freshly baked cakes
and coffee. Of special interest were
hundreds of cyclists out to ride the route
of next year's Tour de France.
You also mentioned Piece Hall in Halifax.
I first heard of the Piece Hall in a
television series in 1970 made by the late
Ian Nairn. Nairn was a journalist with
special interest in architecture and one of
the angry young men of the 1950s.
Although little known today to the general
public his writing has influenced many of
today's architectural writers and critics.
He passionately believed that modern
architectural design, especially in the
expanding suburbs, was leading to a
uniform blandness and a loss of spirit of
place which was being hastened by the
urge of the post war planners to tear down
old buildings and destroy town centres so
as to 'modernise'. He made a series of TV
programmes - 'Nairn's Travels' in which
he highlighted much of the destruction
that was taking place. In particular he
went to the Piece Hall which the pictures
showed as derelict with the centre area
piled high with rubbish much of which
was being burnt.
His programme brought to national
attention that the building was listed for
demolition in the near future and through
this programme gave impetus to the
campaign then being waged to save it. We
paid our first visit to the building shortly
after it was restored and reopened when
there was a large Saturday market,
complete with local brass band, and the
place was full of life.
Trust you are still in good health as are we.
I am hoping to get up to London in
December to attend the Christmas Lunch
at the Hall. From Hereford we just get
two trains each way a day that use the
Cotswold Line. It means leaving home at
7.00am and catching a train from Ledbury,
changing at Worcester, which is the only
direct service that will get me down before
midday. If I miss that it means taking a
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