Mum – Got up 10.30. Typed GTE letters in am. Went to Drayton for tea. Hot. Went to B Rd at night – communion – felt very depressed during & after service. Rang Malcolm later. Rang FR at night.
Roger – From what they say Alan & Mum got in about ¼ past 2 this morning. Went swimming did 40 widths. It was very hot and I spent sometime at grandmas sun-bathing. Auntie Dolly was there but goes back tomorrow. This evening watched a film about D Day which took place 32 years ago today. Also listened to the charts.
↑ (2) 1 No Charge by J J Barrie
↑ (3) 2 Combine Harvester by The Wurzels
↑ (4) 3 My Resistance is Low by Robin Sarstedt
↓ (1) 4 Fernando by Abba**
↑ (7) 5 Silly Love Songs by Wings***
↑ (8) 6 Fool to Cry by The Rolling Stones**
↑ (9) 7 Let Your Love Flow by The Bellamy Brothers***
↓ (6) 8 The Arms of Mary by The Sutherland Brothers & Quiver****
↑ (-) 9 Devil Woman by Cliff Richard*
↑ (-) 19 Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight & the Pips
Of course no play in test match today as it is Sunday.
Notes
Morning Service
Unusually, mum did not go to the morning service at St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church. She noted getting up late, at 10.30 am presumably because she and Alan had only got back from London in the early hours having been to see “Ride! Ride!“, see Chapter 124. I noted that I thought, from what I’d been told, that they got in about 2.15 am. This might have been correct as mum noted getting back to Norwich at 1.45 am.
Another factor in mum not attending the morning service may have been that it was being taken by the church’s senior Minister, Rev Ream. He and mum did not get on and she was often very critical of services he led.
Work for Rev Eddy
GTE refers to Rev G T Eddy who was the Chairman of the Methodist District. Based on her CV, see Chapter 105, mum did some part-time secretarial work for him between 1973 and 1977, see Chapter 121. On this occasion, mum typed his letters in the morning (am).
Sunday Afternoon Tea
Mum noted going to Drayton, where grandma, lived for tea. This was our usual practice on Sunday afternoons, see Chapter 122. I also noted that we went and that I spent some of the time there sun-bathing.
Note on Weather
Mum noted that it was hot. I noted that it was very hot and that I spent time at grandma’s sun-bathing. That year, 1976, is well-known for having had a very hot and dry summer, see Chapter 129.
Bowthorpe Road Methodist Church
At night, mum did not go to the service at St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church even though this was being led by the church’s junior Minister, REv Ken Elworthy. Instead, she went to Bowthorpe Road (B Road) Methodist Church where there was a communion service, see Chapter 124.
Very Depressed
Mum struggled with depression and anxiety during this period, see Chapter 116. She noted that she felt very depressed during and after the evening service at Bowthorpe Road Methodist Church.
Malcolm Carter
Malcolm refers to Rev Malcolm Carter. He was a Methodist Minister who became mum’s friend and confidant, see Chapter 114. From Merseyside, he served in the ministry there and in Darlington and East Anglia. He was Minister at Court Hey Methodist Church from 1978 to 1986. He was the Methodist chaplain to Walton Prison, now HM Prison Liverpool, for 20 years. I found a YouTube video of him taking a service at Wonford Methodist Church in Exeter in July 2024. When he was in Norwich, he was mainly based at Bowthorpe Road Methodist Church. On this occasion, mum phoned him after she attended the communion service at Bowthorpe Road Methodist Church.
Rev Dowson
FR refers to Rev F R Dowson. Frederick Rodham Dowson entered the Methodist ministry in 1936. He was born in Haxby, York on 5 August 1912 and he died in Selsey on 4 September 2011, aged 99. I believe he was superintendent Minister for the Park Lane Circuit from 1968 to 1974. He and mum were close and they spoke and corresponded frequently, see Chapter 114. On this occasion, she phoned him at night.
Swimming
As I often did on Sunday mornings, I went swimming presumably at St Augustine’s. I noted swimming 40 widths. I tended to swim widths rather than lengths because of non-swimmers in the shallow end, see Chapter 122. .
St Augustine’s
This swimming pool opened in 1961 and was closed in 1997, see Chapter 92. The building was later demolished. For some more great photos of St Augustine’s see here.
Auntie Dolly
Auntie Dolly refers to Dorothy Rose who was actually grandma’s first cousin. She lived in Bedford and she often visited grandma, see Chapter 122. She always came by bus. On this occasion, I noted that she was at grandma’s but that she would be going home the next day.
Film About D-Day
In the evening, I noted watching a film about D-Day which had taken place 32 years ago to the day. Based on a local TV Guide, this was the 1956 film “D Day the Sixth of June” which was on BBC1 at 8.15 pm. It starred Robert Taylor, Dana Wynter, Richard Todd and Edmond O’Brien.
Charts
I noted listening to the chart show on the radio which was our usual practice at that time, see Chapter 122. Also, I noted the top ten for that week, noting each record’s position this week as compared to last week. I also gave 1-5 stars/asterisks to songs I liked which gives some insight to my musical taste at the time!!
I very much recall “The Arms of Mary”, including trying to learn to play it on guitar. Two weeks earlier, I had ranked this lower than the Rolling Stones song but I had gradually reduced the number of stars I gave to the Rolling Stones! I am a bit surprised I gave the Cliff Richard song one star. I think it is fair to say that I did not like the songs that scored no stars!
No Play in the Test Match
I had been following the first test match between England and the West Indies, see Chapter 123. I noted that ‘of course’ there was no play in the test match because it was Sunday. While this might seem odd now, Sunday rest days were only abolished in England test matches from 1997 although there had been instances of Sunday test cricket in England from 1981.
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