Mum – Work all day. V cold at night. V tired. YW went tour of Norwich Heritage Area with Mrs Miller. V interesting but cold. Had coffee at Maids Head afterwards. P had 2 exams. R none. 1S.
Roger – Didn’t go to school today as I hadn’t an exam on. Went to the bank to get some money to buy some trousers which I got from C&A for £7.95. Alan bought a watch strap and a bag. Tricia went canoeing & mum went to a meeting. The Trade Unions have decided to agree to the pay policy by a vote of 17-1. There has been a riot with at least 7 killed in Sth Africa. The American Ambassador in Lebanon has been killed. The trials of the Angolan mercenaries and the Black Panther Donald Nielson who allegedly kidnapped & murdered Lesley Whittle both continue today.
Notes
Mum Worked for Mr Ashken and Mr Stephens
During this period, mum worked as part-time medical secretary for the private practice of two surgeons, Mr Ashken and Mr Stephens, see Chapter 121. This practice was based at 41 Newmarket Road. She worked all day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and half day on Fridays. On this occasion, as it was Wednesday, she worked all day.
Note on the Weather
Mum noted that it was very cold at night. This is a little surprising as 1976, is well-known for having had a very hot and dry summer, see Chapter 129.
Tired
Mum noted she was very tired. She often complained of tiredness at this time. Partly, this was just a reflection of a busy schedule. However, it also reflected the interaction between her mental and physical health, see Chapter 116.
Young Wives’ Tour of Norwich
YW refers to Young Wives, a women’s group mum was involved with based at St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church, see Chapter 124. Mum had been involved with Young Wives at least since we first moved to Norwich in 1960, see Chapter 79, albeit initially at Mile Cross Methodist Church. The name had become a bit of a misnomer by this time as most members, like mum, were in their forties at this point.
On this occasion, the Young Wives went on a tour of Norwich Heritage Area with Mrs Miller who had spoken to them in April 1975 about being a city guide. Mum thought it was very interesting but cold. They had coffee at the Maid’s Head afterwards. In my diary, I noted that mum had gone to a meeting which seems not to have been the case!
I am not completely sure where Norwich Heritage area is or was. There are now apparently 17 conservation areas in the city. As of 1976, four of these were in place. The first three had been designated in 1970. They were the city centre, Bracondale and Newmarket Road. Heigham Grove was designated in 1973. On balance, it seems most likely that the area mum toured in 1976 was the city centre.
Barbara Miller
Based on mum’s diary alone, the name looks like Mrs Mills. However, in a newspaper archive, I found records of a Mrs Barbara Miller from the Tourist Board who spoke about her experiences of being a city guide to many groups including the Wensum Evening Townswomen’s Guild in October 1975, to the Brundall Evening WI in October 1976, to the Poringland Women’s Institute in January 1977 and to the Women’s Section of Hellesdon Royal British Legion in July 1978. It seems likely that this was the same person,
There were also some reports of her guided tours, for example for the St George’s Ladies’ Guild in June 1975 and the Costessey Jerningham Townswomen’s Guild in August 1977. Apparently, she was secretary at Norwich High School.
The Maid’s Head
The Maid’s Head is a well-known, historic hotel in the centre of Norwich close to the Cathedral. The hotel dates from the 13th century and is an amalgamation of at least six buildings.
A Levels
P refers to my older sister Tricia (Patricia). She was taking her A levels, see Chapter 118. On this occasion, she had two exams.
O Levels
R refers to me Roger. I was taking my O levels, see Chapter 118. However, on this occasion, I had no exams. I noted that this meant I did not go into school as we only had to go when we had exams.
Senokot
Mum took one Senokot (S) presumably for constipation, see Chapter 116. Senokot is a senna-containing medicine for the treatment of constipation.
New Trousers
I bought new trousers from C&A for £7.95, see Chapter 125. To do this, I first had to go to the bank to withdraw cash as we did not have cards as we do now.
C&A
C&A is a major Dutch multinational clothing company. It was active in the UK from 1922 until it withdrew in 2001. Apparently, it suffered from a perception of being unfashionable and its strategy of selling budget clothes in city centre retail stores. For me, C&A was one of the iconic stores in Norwich during my childhood. It occupied the space on Hay Hill where Next is now. It was also known for the fountains in front of it which were regularly sabotaged by putting foam in.
A Watch Strap and Bag
Alan refers to my younger brother. He bought a watch strap and bag, see Chapter 125. While I do not say so explicitly, the implication seems to be that we went shopping together. I am not sure how that would have worked as, although I did not have to go into school that day, he would have had to go. Perhaps we went into the city after he had finished school.
Canoeing
Tricia refers to my older sister Patricia. She went canoosing, see Chapter 122. I do not say explicitly but this was probably with Guides although it could have been with the church youth club.
Pay Policy
I noted that the Trade Unions had agreed the pay policy by a vote of 17 to 1. This referred to the pay policy proposed by the then Labour government to try to limit pay rises to 4½% as a way of curbing inflation, see Chapter 129. There had been a special TUC congress that day.
The way the unions voted allowed them to cast votes according to their size. This resulted in a vote of 9,262,000 to 531,000 which is a ratio of over 17 to 1. However, the unions commented that this would be the last such deal. Three large unions voted against the deal, namely the Civil and Public Services Association (CPSA), the Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers (AUEW-TASS) and the National Union of Public Employees (NUPE). Other unions, such as the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) voted en bloc for the deal despite almost half of its members bitterly opposing the deal.
Soweto Uprising
I noted that there had been a riot in South (Sth) Africa with at least seven people killed, see Chapter 129, This reflected how the news was reported in the local press at that time. While it recognised that the issue that sparked the riots was enforced teaching of Afrikaans in school, the tone appeared to lay the blame on the “rioters“. Among the dead were said to include “two black schoolchildren and three white men dragged from their cars and stabbed to death by rioters“.
These events triggered the start of what became known as the Soweto uprising. This was brutally suppressed by the apartheid regime with an estimated 176 pupils killed on 16 June alone. The date is now celebrated as The Day of the African Child.
US Ambassador to Lebanon
I noted that the US Ambassador to Lebanon had been killed, see Chapter 129. News coverage at the time reported that he had been murdered because he had crossed the “no mans land” between Moslem West Beirut and the Christian quarter. The name of the Ambassador was Francis Meloy and he had been in Lebanon for a month. He was 59. Economic counsellor, Robert Waring and their Lebanese driver, Zuhair Mohammed Moghrabi, were also killed. These deaths occurred during the Lebanese Civil War which was fought between 1975 and 1990.
Trial of British Mercenaries
I noted that the trial continued of British mercenaries captured in Angola, see Chapter 129. This is now referred to as the Luanda trial involving 14 Western mercenaries, of whom nine were British, four American and one Irish. They had been fighting for the US-backed National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA). They were captured by forces of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and were charged with acting as mercenaries, war crimes and crimes against peace. The trial lasted from 11 to 16 June. All were found guilty with sentences delivered on 28 June 1976. Four were given death sentences while the remainder received prison sentences of between 16 and 30 years.
The four who were given death sentences, Britons Costas Georgiou (Tony Callan), Andrew Gordon McKenzie and John Derek Baker, and American Daniel Francis Gearhart, were executed on 10 July 1976. Following negotiations by the respective governments, the remaining prisoners were released between 1982 and 1984.
Lesley Whittle’s Murder
I also noted that another trial was continuing and that related to the kidnap and murder of Lesley Whittle. The person on trial was Donald Neilson who had earned the nickname “The Black Panther“, see Chapter 129.
A news report in the local press recounted the testimony of Ronald Whittle, the brother of Lesley Whittle. He recounted how he heard of her kidnap and how he arranged to pay the ransom of £50,000. However, he had difficulties following the instructions for the delivery of the ransom and thought that this delay may have contributed to his sister’s death. While Donald Neilson admitted kidnapping Lesley Whittle, he denied murdering her. However, he was found guilty of both offences and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Three weeks later, he was convicted of three further murders related to earlier post office robberies. It was for these that he gained the nickname because of his speed and dark attire. He died in prison in 2011.
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