Mum – Went to Coeliac helpers mtg in London. 7.58 train, got back 7.30. V good meeting. P went to babysit for Andrew & Caroline. R went to party. Gerald (Cooke) rang me to say Harveys may request to “cease to meet” – very depressed about church still, should I do more for Coeliac & less for church? 1T 1S. Put clocks on.
Roger – Vivien was playing Netball (I think that she lost). Terry was working at May & Bakers so there was only me, Mr Peake & Ross. At lunch-time I collected my shoes from Manfields. This evening I went to Spick’s party and went with Helen. I have borrowed one of his Beatles’ records to tape record.
Notes
Coeliac Helpers Meeting
Mum went to what she called a “Coeliac helpers mtg” in London, see Chapter 116. I assume this was a national-level Coeliac Society meeting. It could have been for volunteers, that is those who were helping the Society or perhaps for parents/guardians who helped children who had coeliac disease. She thought it was a very good meeting. She went by train, leaving at 7.58 am and getting home at 7.30pm.
Babysitting
P refers to my older sister Tricia (Patricia). She was 17 and quite often babysat for church friends, see Chapter 122. On this occasion, she babysat for Andrew and Caroline Wright.
Party
R referred to me (Roger). Mum noted that I went to a party, see Chapter 122. I noted that this was Michael Grey’s party. I recall that Michael Grey was known at school by the nickname “Spick“, I don’t know why and as far as I know there was no negative intention behind it. He was a very popular pupil. I am aware of its negative connotations now and its use makes me uncomfortable!
At this party, I noted pairing up with Helen, possibly Helen Dendy, see Chapter 122.
I also borrowed a Beatles’ record from Michael so that I could copy this to tape. While not strictly legal, we all did this as records, particularly LPs, were considered very expensive, see Chapter 122
“Cease to Meet” Request
Gerald Cooke phoned mum and told her that the Harveys might request to “cease to meet“. This related to St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church which they all attended, see Chapter 124.
That month, the circuit invitation committee had decided to invite Rev Ream to stay at St Peter’s until 1979. There was considerable opposition to this within the church and this request appears to be linked to that. My understanding is that requesting to “cease to meet” is a very specific term used in Methodism when a church is to be closed. While it seems likely that most such closures would be due to declining numbers, this clearly was not the case at St Peter’s at that stage. However, I understand such requests have been used as a dramatic final act of protest or “voting with one’s feet” when local wishes were overruled by central, including circuit, systems. As far as I know, this request was never made.
Depressed about Church
Mum had severe struggles with her mental health, suffering with depression and anxiety, see Chapter 116. Sometimes, she noted specific things that triggered feeling of depression. In this case, she noted feeling very depressed about church and wondered if she should do more for the Coeliac Society and less for St Peter’s.
Antidepressants
From time to time, mum took antidepressants, see Chapter 116. At this point, she was not taking them every day and was trying to come off them. However, on this occasion, she took one tablet of amitriptyline (Tryptizol, T) presumably because she was feeling very depressed linked to the situation at church.
Senokot
Mum noted taking one Senokot (S) presumably for constipation, see Chapter 116. Senokot is a senna-containing medicine for the treatment of constipation.
Daylight Saving
Mum noted putting the clocks on as we moved from Greenwich Mean Time to British Summer Time. While we now change the clocks on the last Sunday of March, from 1972 to 2002, they were changed on the third Sunday of March.
Work at the Scientific Anglian
At this point, I had a Saturday job working at the Scientific Anglian, see Chapter 119. I was at work and started my diary by saying who else was and was not at work.
Vivien Gamble
Vivien Gamble worked at the Scientific Anglian, see Chapter 119 and was also in my year at school, She was not at work as she was playing netball. I noted that I thought she had lost but did not say how I knew!
Terry Tidd
Terry Tidd also worked at the Scientific Anglian, see Chapter 119. He was older than most of us who worked there and, I think, was probably a friend of Mr Peake’s. His main job was at May & Bakers and Mr Peake had worked there previously. So, if he was working there on a particular Saturday, he could not be at work at the Scientific Anglian.
May and Baker
May and Baker were a well-known chemical company with a base in Norwich. Founded in 1839, since 1990, they have been subject to various mergers and splits.
Norman Berry Peake
Norman Berry Peake was the owner of the Scientific Anglian and I always referred to him as Mr Peake, see Chapter 119.
There is an excellent biography/obituary of Norman Berry Peake in the Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association in which he is described as a chalk revolutionary. Born in 1921, in Southend-on-Sea, he became interested in geology at school. On leaving school, he worked as an assistant chemist for May and Baker and then for Cellon. In 1944, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemists. He left Cellon when it was taken over by an American company.
He was an active member of CND and the British Communist Party. Sadly, he developed dementia in later life. In 2003, he was admitted to a care home in Sidestrand and he died there, on 24 January 2010, aged 89.
On this occasion, I noted that he was only one of three people at work that day.
Ross
I noted that Ross was at work, see Chapter 119. Although I recall him, I do not remember his surname. I believe he attended King Edward school. I think he was maybe two years older than me. By October 1976, he had left to go to university. However, he worked in some holidays after that, for example, on 22 December 1976.
Collecting Shoes
At lunch-time, I went and collected my shoes from Manfields, see Chapter 125. I am not sure if they were new or if they had been repaired. From the wording, the latter seems more likely but I am not sure if Manfields did repairs.
Manfields
I came across Manfield in my diary research related to the late fifties, see Chapter 72, as they were one of several shops in a property that was being offered for sale. I recall their shoe shop from this period. Apparently, Manfield and Sons were a Northampton shoemaker founded in 1844. By 1950, they had 93 shops in the UK with shops also in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. In 1956 Manfield was acquired by Sears and became part of its British Shoe Corporation. In 1995 Manfield was handed over to Fascia, which went into administration in 1997. The Manfield brand continues to operate in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
In the 1960s, Manfield and Sons were located at 48 London Street, now Greggs. However, by 1970-71, they were located at 23 Gentleman’s Walk, now The White Company.