My Life by Lionel Graves. (Page 31)
During the second year at College, the King, George VI died and Elizabeth was called home from Treetops, Kenya, to become Queen. Everything was cancelled that day and we just hung around the common room listening to the radio. The majority moaned about all the emphasis being given to the event, as many were strong left wing socialists, (being County Durham) and anti-royalists, slightly to the left of Lenin and Stalin.
When the two years were over I went home and applied to join the staff on a school just being built at Birchen Coppice, Kidderminster. At the interviews some woman manager kept asking me, had I thought it was a rural school because of its name and could I managed to control the children. It was a slum clearance estate overlooking the rifle range on the Stourport side of the outskirts of town. I told her I had controlled mining and dockside children, also adults, another interviewing manager said in a for goodness sake tone, “He has been a sergeant in the army!” Apparently about a hundred had applied for the vacancies. At any rate I got the job, but because the school hadn't yet been completed we were all posted to other schools in the area on a temporary basis. I went to Foley Park school and spent a couple of months acting as a supply teacher drifting from class to class to give the regulars time off.
Finally Birchen Coppice was completed and we all moved in. I was given the 4th year class. We were a happy staff and mixed well together, the Head was Walter Blackford and the deputy Mrs Vera Marshall. From the beginning he said there must be no preparation for the 11 + scholarship exam but over the years some had to creep in unofficially as the results were so poor.
I was living in Tenbury and travelling through by diesel train, getting off at Foley Park Halt. I played rugby for Kidderminster 3rd XV, not very well, but was team captain for three seasons, probably the only one who could write! The post match celebrations were great, the headquarters was the Black Horse in Mill St. and literally the bar never closed, I was called Len in those days.
Diana and I got married in Leominster Priory Church, with its ducking stool, on 6th April, 1953, Percy Mallen was best man and its the only time that I ever knew him to be punctual. It was well attended and some of the crowd came down from Durham to see us off. It was the best thing I ever did in my whole life. We honeymooned at the Merton Hotel, St. Helier, Jersey and flew from Southampton in a de Havilland Rapide, a bi-wing plane.
Wedding Day at Leominster Priory on the 6th April 1953.
From left to right: Percy Mallen (Best man), Father, Mother, Self, Diana, Denis Walters (Diana’s brother), Diana’s Mother and Betty Walters (Diana’s sister).
Leominster Priory.
Email: Lionel Graves (lionel@graf-tek.com).
Copyright ©2000-2008 L. Graves. All Rights Reserved.
