The wedding

The bride. Liz when a guide and  at engagement party

 I had made life difficult for myself by becoming a Catholic as I had to produce more documents! Simon received communion whch made me very happy. Down the aisle to Karg-Elert Nun danket. Beforehand Rhosymedre to calm me down! Photos - Our Lady of Victories has since been transformed!Car to De Vere hotel and then reception and speeches. Dad recorded piano music for it. It all went so quickly and so many people we knew were there from all over the country - Lana (in hat) Ron, Betty and Stan standing in for Mum and Dad, Newcastle in strength but no Nellie, Pauline Clarke from Norwich. We left to "Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye" taxi to Rubens hotel. Got to room and suit full of confetti. Promptly burst into tears because I was so happy and I really missed Ann and Mum and Dad. Dinner sent champagne back - not cold enough. So to bed after many months of waiting!
Next day Mass at Westminster cathedral and to the airport to go to Munich. Coach to Austria dropping off people at grand hotels. Our hotel at Traunkirchen was small and goat's cheese was served. Oh well nothing else have to eat it! An idyllic time - it was where Brahms composed the second symphony and Wolf loved it - that was good enough for me! Trips to salt mine, Salzburg and wonderful Vienna and the musical instrument museum. On the last night everyone came on our balcony which was the biggest for the fireworks over the lake and somebody mixed my drinks. I was sick! Liz swam in the cold lake I didn't! At that stage I had not had lessons - only when at school.

Engagement

We made two trips to Newcastle for 2 weddings Barbara and Den where Shirley met Jim and so they also got married! I recall Dad's comments on the pub on the night before Den's wedding for Newcastle Brown ale - he was very unimpressed having worked in pubs in Ladbroke Grove. The Newcastle family were all so welcoming. Before the wedding we went to Orange to sing with Guilini and Simon and Francis burst into the bedroom only to find us chatting!

Jean, Elaine, Liz and me at the pool.

Display at Liz's school St Anthony's East Dulwich

The wedding

Signing the register with Fr Eldridge (in fact a registrar had to be present)

page 102 Dad gets the engagement month wrong. Aug 3rd 1974 happiest day of my life. I went to stay at Simon and Jenny's in Kew on the night before and had forgotten pyjamas. Result I nearly lost my voice for the big day. We had been for drinks at the Windmill after the choir rehearsal. Dad's anthem went well but the Byrd 4 part mass was more tricky for chorus singers. John East conducted and David Bevan played. Francis had the service sheets and decided not to sing so he left the sheets on the piano downstairs at church but we did not know where they were so we went ahead without them. My hair and beard had been done by Toni and I had a lovely 3 piece grey pinstripe suit with grey cravat chosen by Simon who looked immaculate. It was so lovely that so many people came from all over the country including Stan and Betty standing in for Mum and Dad (who recorded piano music for the reception) Newcastle relatives came in strength but Nellie refused. Pauline Clarke from Norwich, Ron Richardson.
There was a delay at the start as they were waiting for Fr Benedict who did not come. Bliss Fanfares twice! And there she was - so lovely like an English rose in white and simple veil. I was so happy. The night before I was worried but how could I be worried!  I had met the love of my life! The rest was a dream. Fr Eldridge very tall - Is he one of us? he asked Liz. After all the preparation! Simon receiving communion. Taxi to the hotel De Vere opposite Kensington gardens. All too soon the tea was over and the toasts done and we were off to "Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye" in a taxi to the Rubens hotel near Victoria. When we got to the room I had confetti everywhere and I burst into tears because I was so happy and because Ann, Mum and Dad were not there but all our friends were! To dinner and sent the champagne back because it was not cold enough. And so the long awaited moment! The next morning to Mass at the cathedral and off to get the plane to Munich. From there coaches to Austria and our hotel seemed very small after the others! Meal of goats cheese - oh well if there's nothing else! 

Harold Darke

I resigned from St Michael's but I did sing the solo in In the bleak midwinter and was complimented on it. (Dec 17th lunchtime carols). Jim was an American repetiteur in the chorus and he was a marvellous pianist. He went to Germany. The 1973 diary is fascinating as it is a whirlwind of going to operas, concerts, rehearsals, galleries. 1974 was equally exciting and a month before we married I started at Balham music library as an assistant. At the end of my career I left as the boss! In those days vinyl was big. Alas a lot of nonsense was going on with me banished to the basement so Francis could entertain his many gay Black friends upstairs. There was talk of scams as well. Mr Goring had built his own empire of music libraries all of which eventually shut. The one person I really liked from those days was Gill Mason married to Chris. Jane Allen and Una disliked me and thought me cheeky! 

Engaged

My diary shows that the date was fixed very quickly by October 15th. Father Eldridge, Simon and Carole were informed. We had an engagement party on Nov 17. The first 6 months of 1973 I worked in Tower Hamlets libraries which was often extremely dull. I took every opportunity to visit galleries and operas. St Michael's Cornhill went well and I seem to have recorded items according to my diary. Liz gets mentioned a lot. So I was very busy (what's news) plus commuting from Ealing having left the flat in Clapham South after finding a cat hair in my breakfast egg. She probably was not allowed to have a lodger in a council flat! The move to the BBC library Brentford meant an easy coach commute from Ealing and cooked lunches in the Ealing canteen chatting about the chorus every day with oone of the altos.Simon and Jenny Moore are much in evidence.  Of couse I had to commute but by then I was at 99 Oxford Gardens chastely in the living room on a put you up. 2 buses every day. Late nights were not fun getting home. 

Liz's aunts K and Sheila in South Africa

Lyn had been a good friend to me at Ealing making sure I got a bedsit in the house.

These are 2 spoof cards of films as we used to catalogue them at the BBC. One reason I left was that a man in our office was promoted who did no work at all! Most people were there just get into the BBC. One compensation was being able to watch films of concerts like Giulini conducting the War requiem at the Albert Hall.

Paris

On 10th October 1973 Liz and I were in Paris with Giulini singing Verdi requiem. We sat in the gardens of the Musee Rodin and chatted. She said "Are saying what I think you are saying?" I never actually asked her or got on one knee! Of course we were deliriously happy and the ladies of the chorus who had been watching progress were delighted. On the charter plane back free champagne! We rang Oxford Gardens and announced we were engaged. Dad said "Oh!" Never asked him either! They must have seen it coming a mile off! I recall asking Liz if I had to walk her home which was de rigeur in Africa! She longed for me to kiss her. I was shy and obsessed with music and religion. Mum and Dad were delighted. Later on I announced I would become a Catholic. Dad said "You don't need to do that" but I was determined not to be split at the altar. Liz got permission to come to C of E services (!) at St Mary Abbots and I went to Our Lady of Victories Masses where she sang in the choir. So I started preparation at Ealing Abbey with Brother Benedict the abbot. He was so kind and said "Never abandon where you came from - it's how you got to this point". n our 25th we tried to contact him - he had left and married a widow with 6 kids! I was receieved on a miserable evening in a side chapel - no Easter Vigil for me. Liz's Mum had also been through this when she became RC soon after marrying Dad. In those days their wedding had been a quiet affair so they wanted the best for their daughter. At one meeting I got annoyed and said it was our wedding but it was smoothed over. We bought a lovely engagement ring and the date was set. The programme from the Verdi requiem with the Orchestre de Paris is interesting as Charles Spencer is given as President of the chorus but chorus members are  not listed. The soloists were Scotto, Cossotto, Bergonzi and Arie.

First love

 Grumpy

Here I am in Ghent note the long beard and the cine camera also the Johannian blazer! In his book "Sweet sorrow" David Nicholls comments that first love is boring. Well at the time it was anything but! What a mixture of emotions! Gradually Liz and I grew closer. We spent a lot of time together on chorus trips that year - Spain, Belgium, Orange. In fact it was a bumper year for tours. No sooner had I started than Ron Archer was asking "You going to Spain?". It was Belshazzar with Fruhbeck de Burgos and we sang 3 times in Madrid. The Sunday audience clapped us off the stage! I gave Liz my red carnation and that became our flower! In Barcelona I nipped off to Montserrat retuning by scary cable car (woman I can't look it's fantastic I can't look). Ron saw me dash into the hotel on the Ramblas and there was just enough time but it was madness and you needed to be fresh to sing! 2 years ago we visited Madrid and Barcelona and the wonderful Montserrat (Liz had sung there with the chorus impromptu on a previous trip). There is a photo of me in Ghent with beard looking very grumpy. I was not impressed at being asked to pay for a kneeler at Mass! There was a similar occasion when I walked out of Mass at St Charles square over the priest's homily - no idea what he said! Liz was very concerned. But I am jumping ahead! We went to the Proms because Dad was a steward and always sat in the left hand box first tier. When Liz went away I really missed her and she knitted a yellow waistcoat for me (Dad Is that for loverboy?) I must have looked a sight when I first visited Oxford Gardens Bible under arm and a deerstalker to keep my ears warm! We were at the concert by Maria Callas and Giuseppi di Stefano with Ivor Newton at the Festival Hall which was televised. She got a standing ovation at the start but listening again to it they were both awful, But what  a stage presence! I was also at the last appearance by Jacqueline du Pre playing the Elgar at the Festival Hall, Liz could not watch her but I think her performance was wonderful.