Cornhill

I visited various churches on Sundays and became an amateur tenor at St Michael Cornhill for a year. There were some fine voices in the choir. My problem was that Richard Popplewell was a great organist but no choir trainer. I found myself sight reading Mattins settings by Boyce and I was not given copies in advance. I did sing the solo in "In the bleak midwinter" and met the great Dr Harold Darke. He was so fond of the vicar Canon Motley he would sit on his lap. Both happily married! My confidence in solo singing did grow. I have a service sheet for the funeral of Canon Norman Motley 20 Jan 1981. He was 67. 

Bishop Barry of Southwell regularly attended -he was a Canon of Westminster. Joan Cross who sang Gloriana and produced operas also came. 

Bristol

Liz lost no time in apologising  for getting off the coach from Coventry. We soon became friends while others watched the romance slowly progressing. I invited her to come on an away day train trip to Bristol. Her Mum made a picnic and she got on at Paddington and I got on at Ealing. It was a lovely day and we saw the bridge and Clifton Zoo. I said let's go to evensong in the cathedral and we will sit in the choir. She seemed surprised but enjoyed the service. Liz said"ive never been to that. I belong to the opposition". Me "Why? Are you a Methodist?" "No I'm a Catholic" "you're not the opposition!" Rcs were positively discouraged from entering other churches even after Vatican 2 although things were changing. I had assumed English girls would be vaguely C of E. In Joburg you had to accompany the girl home. My encounters with women had consisted of polite conversation. One date had not been a success. I had of course met many people on my travels and the library. But Liz was just special. We were meant for each other. 

King's Cambridge

1972 my first Christmas away from home. Hugh Mathew was an architect who worked with Stephen Dykes Bower on Westminster Abbey and Bury St Edmunds cathedral. His family had Moral rearmament connections and I was fond of his auntie.

 My account in St Mark's magazine

 He arranged for us to go to the Carol service at King's a fantastic moment as we always listened to this at Christmas. Sadly my comments about his far rights connections got back to Hugh and he cut off relations. He ran onto the station in Essex today return some films and said nothing. He always was rather peculiar! 

The Chorus

Michael suggested auditioning for the Philharmonia Chorus and Hagen-Groll said I would be heard again in 6 months. It did not happen as Ron Archer sat next to me. At the first rehearsal Ethel magnificent contralto said you're a new tenor and Liz also said Hello. It was Elijah and we were to sing it in Coventry cathedral with Fruhbeck. Russell Burgess said you can't learn this on one rehearsal but astonishingly I sang and sight read a lot of it!  The concert was mind blowing. On the coach Liz asked about my accent and we established her great aunt lived in Yeoville and I must have walked past her house on the way to school. Liz got out at Baker Street and I stayed on to get the Central line to White City. I thought tubes ran all night! I used the money from the concert to get an illegal cab back to Ealing. 

Friends

With Lyn at Whipsnade

I was very fortunate to have good friends in London. Scott MacRobert from my class had suffered with asthma in Joburg and became a successful architect in London. For a month I stayed with his mother Joan in Roehampton. Scott had published a short history of Putney and arranged for me to meet Mr Smith at West Hill library. Although we was deputy librarian he was without power! I got a job at WHSmith in Sloane Square up until Christmas when we were laid off. The boss's son worked with us and was regarded as a spy. Some assistants were useless and I hated the disordered shelves. I found a b and b in a council flat at Clapham South so went to work on the 137 bus. I left the band b because of cat hairs I my egg. I applied to Tower Hamlets libraries and Michael Goldthorpe told me to shave off the beard. The man who interviewed me had a beard! I got the job and for 6 months worked in Bow, Poplar and Bethnal Green libraries. It was very quiet and  boring not like the new idea stores. Poplar was cut off by roads. It is now closed.
Lynn Stagg a library colleague from JPL said Mrs Clarke had a room at 22 Woodville Gardens Ealing. I could cook there. Lynn was lesbian.


I had a very long commute on the underground but I found I could go to opera and concerts halfway home! Sadly Scott died and by then I had moved at least three times so did not know. Lynn came to our wedding but I also lost touch with her. 

Looking back

There is a huge gap and I have been struggling to find time to write. Also 45 years is a long time. How to capture the excitement of London, the extraordinary first year in the Philharmonia chorus, the joy of first and only true love? We are currently relaxing in Bali and the sea often brings thoughts of the past and the seemingly vast distances I have travelled. The greatest thing our parents gave us was love and encouragement. I never thought that I had courage but actually I did have a lot. Liz was different in that she always hated failure. Exams were a nightmare for her. I did not do music exams as Miss Kadden realised I hated repeating things. I did well in school exams and worked hard at uni. The beach has also brought a sad memory of when Grandma died and Mum wanted me to go and find Dad on the beach and I did not go. What would I have said? I know now that I just needed to be there and say nothing. A regret. There was a similar occasion in my first year in London when I went to Victoria Station to go the funeral in Chatham of Ma Ward and I basically chickened out and did not go. This was odd as I have a strong sense of duty. The Wards had been very kind to Dad and the family.