My Life by Lionel Graves. (Page 36)
Snippets about Marston:
We had a wide range of easily reachable shopping areas, Southam, Leamington, Rugby, Northampton, Banbury, where we took the children to the Cross and Stratford, even Coventry.
Richard got lost in a thicket on a corner outside the house, strayed again with a friend and was found walking to Hardwick on their own. Jane took her cycling proficiency test after being very well coached by excellent instructor – me, stuck out her left hand and turned right. Richard climbed a very tall cherry tree in our garden, at great risk to life and limb, frightening us both to death because we couldn't get up there after him, but got down alright.
Diana learned to drive after lessons from an excellent lady instructor and passed first time. I had tried to give her lessons myself but they involved double de-clutching and usually ended with her walking off up the road ahead of the car saying, “You go on home, Ill find my own way back!” But we survived.
I helped ring the church bells at the wedding of Josh Gifford's daughter. He had been a well known jockey and was now a trainer. There was a Dr Macdonald, retired, living in the village who had been at a practice in Glasgow when I was born.
Dad came to stay a short time with us and was impressed by the village, two very old pubs, the school and Mrs Aylmer, the caretaker who gave him several cuttings to take back to Eldoret or Longfield. He would have stayed longer but Mum fell and broker an arm and he had to return home.
Our garden was too big and too long and I never reached the end to get it under control, I hate gardening, it flooded at the the bottom in wet spells and the children could almost launch boats there.
I was secretary of Priors United Football Club which I started first as a youth club and sent round circulars to everyone in the village asking for funds for jerseys and kit, later on it changed to an adult side and I was their fixture secretary. I was on the Hall Committee helping to organise fund raising events, dances and quizzes, etc. At one dance a gang of drunks tried to get into the dance at 10.30 when the pubs were closing, they were led by an amateur welterweight boxer from Leamington who boxed for Britain in the next Olympics. I found myself right at the front with the other committee members’ right behind me, literally, pushing me forward until I was nose to nose with the pugilist barring the way, like Horatio at the bridge. “Are you trying to touch me?” he asked, “No way,” I reassured him, or words to that effect. After a stand off lasting about ten minutes, but seeming more like an hour, with no one budging the intruders finally departed. All I can remember about him was that he had a neck like a bull.
Also living in Marston was Lofty England, the Managing Director of Jaguar cars, Coventry, nice chap, helped football club. Brigette Forsythe the actress who played the wife in the Likely Lads had a cousin Andrew who came to the school.
We moved into the house in Southam, a very nice one with a lovely garden because I didnt want to be teaching our own children. Jane went to Southam High School and Richard to the Primary, where I can remember him calling his teacher, 'Basher' Bates, a doughty lady.
I went to Southam church bell tower to get some extra tuition in ringing from their bell master who was well known throughout the Midlands. A few years later after we had left Southam we heard he had been showing some novices what not to do, looping the end of the sally round the wrist, when the stay broke and the rope pulled him 20 or 30 feet up to the roof beams at the top and killed him.
The stay was a short piece of springy wood which the bell rests against when upside down before beginning its downward swing. I had had a stay break on me at Marston but the rope or sally just shot through my hands at great speed and disappeared up through the hole at the top.
42 Beech Close. Southam. Picture taken in 2001, extension added after we left in 1969.
Email: Lionel Graves (lionel@graf-tek.com).
Copyright ©2000-2008 L. Graves. All Rights Reserved.
