Sunday 5 September 1976

Mum’s Diary

Got up late. Went to Drayton for tea. Roy left in aft. Went to St P at night – Ken. Vera Wyatt there & told me Mr Lemmon’s son had been invited to come in 1978 & she thought it wasn’t good. A. Dolly finished my continental quilt. 1T.

Roger’s/My Diary

This morning mum didn’t go to church, due officially to her tiring trip to Epworth yesterday, but I think it was due to the fact that Mr. Ream was preaching as she went this evening to hear Mr. Ellworthy. After lunch and taking the yellow Avenger to the N U car-park dad left for Birmingham in the red Viva. We went to grandma where we had some wood to chop up. This evening watched a very moving film about Oliver Cromwell.

Notes

A Lie-In

Mum noted that she got up late, that is she had a lie-in. She does not explain why but it is likely that she was tired after the trip to Epworth the previous day, when she had made a “pilgrimage” to the birthplace of the Wesleys with my brother Alan and people from various Methodist churches, see Chapter 124.

She also did not mention that she missed the morning service at St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church, something she very rarely did.

Surprisingly perhaps, there was more about this non-attendance in my diary than in mum’s. I noted that the “official” reason she did not go to church in the morning was that she was tired after her trip to Epworth the previous day. However, I suspected that the real reason was the the church’s senior Minister, Rev Ream, was preaching in the morning while the junior Minister, Rev Elworthy, was preaching in the evening.

News cutting with notice of Methodist services on 5 September 1976. This confirms the preachers at St Peter’s Park Lane in the morning and evening. Interestingly perhaps, the morning service at Wroxham Road was taken by local preacher, Charles Lemmon

Rev William (Bill) George Bertram Ream

Rev Ream was born in Stockport in July 1912. He entered the Methodist ministry in 1935 and served in Newcastle-under-Lyme and High Wycombe before coming to Norwich in 1974. During his time at St Peter’s, he was active in Norwich Council of Churches and Amnesty International. Afterwards, he retired but remained in Norwich. He died in Norwich in July 1999.

Rev W G B Ream in 1989 from interview for St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church 50^th anniversary video

Mum had a very difficult relationship with Rev Ream and this is referred to frequently in mum’s diaries, see Chapter 124. As I was not attending church at this time, I thought I was largely unaware of the difficulty of this relationship. Although I recall his name, I do not remember Rev Ream clearly. I have a vague recollection of sometimes going to his house to wash his car, presumably to earn money. I don’t believe I did this very often though. However, from this entry, I clearly was aware of some of the issues between mum and Rev Ream even if I do not recall that now.

Drayton

My grandmother lived in Drayton. It was our usual practice to go there for tea on Sunday afternoons, see Chapter 122. In my diary, I also noted going there and that we had some wood to chop up there. We often did some kind of jobs there, particularly since my grandfather had been ill and then died in November 1975, see Chapter 116.

Tea

Based on my family’s working class background in Nottinghamshire, we tended to refer to our meals as dinner and tea. However, given that we had moved to Norwich in 1960, and possibly because we were becoming more middle class, some of that usage was changing and family members sometimes, and perhaps increasingly, referred to a midday meal as lunch, see Chapter 92. However, we continued to refer to an afternoon or early evening meal as tea.

Starkey comics have produced this really excellent map which shows how people refer to evening meal in different parts of UK and Ireland. It is interesting that “*tea*” is the common form in the north including Kirkby whereas there is no clear majority in Norfolk. This map has been accessed from the Brilliant Maps Facebook page

Dad Went Back to Birmingham

Roy refers to my father Royle Drew. My parents had separated in 1973 and, at this point, dad was living and working in Birmingham, see Chapter 114. He had been visiting us for the weekend. Mum noted that he left in the afternoon (aft), probably when we left to go to grandma’s.

In my diary, I referred to this in a bit more detail. Dad worked, for most of his working life, for the Norwich Union (NU). He did not have a car at this time but could use a work one when he needed it, see Chapter 127. However, there is a bit of a saga behind this car/these cars.

On the previous Sunday, dad and I had come from Birmingham to Norwich in a Norwich Union car but we had broken down in Swaffham. Dad had got a friend to tow us to a garage in Swaffham where he presumably had left the car. This weekend, he had picked the car up from Swaffham and brought it to Norwich. I am not sure why he was responsible for picking the car up but I suspect he had offered so he could come to see us.

Also, I am not sure which of the cars mentioned here it was but I assume it was one of them, possibly the red Viva. I am not sure how the Norwich Union managed its cars at that time but it seems likely that particular vehicles were assigned to specific branches. IF so, one possible scenario was that the red Viva was the car from Birmingham. Dad might have dropped it at the Norwich Union office to get it checked over following the repairs carried out. He may then have had the yellow Avenger from the Norwich pool for the weekend. he then picked up the red Viva to take it back to Birmingham.

Norwich Union Car Park

I am sure the Norwich Union had multiple car parks in Norwich at this time and I don’t know for sure which one it was. However, as dad had previously worked for the Norwich branch office and not head office, I think it was more likely to have been a branch office car park than a head office one. I recall such a car park at the back of the office in Upper King Street with a gate leading onto St Faiths Lane. I remember it because dad used to park there when we went to the football together.

Evening Service at St Peter’s

Mum noted that she went to the evening service at St Peter’s (St P) Park Lane Methodist Church. The service was taken by Rev Ken Elworthy who mum referred to as Ken. He was the junior Minister at the church at that time, see Chapter 124.

Rev Kenneth F Elworthy

Kenneth (Ken) F Elworthy was born in 1943 and he entered the Methodist Ministry in 1966. He was sent to Park Lane by the President of the Methodist Conference and had a specific focus on young people and students, serving as chaplain to the University of East Anglia. One thing he became known for was a “Punch and Judy” show although he only took this up after his time at Park Lane. After leaving Norwich, he went on to serve in Gant’s Hill and the Isle of Man. He appears to have died on the Isle of Man in May 2019 following a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease. He was married to Heather and they had three children Peter, Nicola and Tabitha.

Rev Ken Elworthy in 1989 from interview for St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church 50^th anniversary vid e o

An Invitation to Mr Lemmon’s Son

Vera Wyatt was at the evening service and told mum that Mr Lemmon’s son had been invited to come to be the church’s Minister in 1978. Mum noted that Vera thought this was not good. I don’t know if Vera actually said this nor, if she did, why she thought this.

The Mr Lemmon referred to here was Charles W Lemmon, a well-known Methodist local preacher in Norwich. He had two sons who were MEthodist Ministers. The one referred to here was Peter.

Vera Wyatt

Mum knew Vera Wyatt through St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church. She and her husband John are mentioned often in mum’s diaries. They had been involved there or in other Methodist churches, such as Hethersett from the 1950s. I recall them not least because they lived on College Road like us. The Wyatts organised a range of group holidays including the one mum went on to Scotland in May 1972, see Chapter 106, and the one grandma went on in July 1976, see Chapter 122. Vera was active in various aspects of women’s groups and activities. From at least 1955 to 1965, she was the secretary for the organising committee for the World Day of Prayer in Norwich. Both John and Vera were active in music and amateur dramatics.

Charles W Lemmon

Charles W Lemmon was well-known as a Methodist local preacher. Born in Shouldham, West Norfolk, he worked for the Inland Revenue and moved to Norwich in 1957. In 1986, a news article noted that he was 86 and had been a local preacher for 70 years! He had two sons who were Methodist Ministers, Gordon and Peter who was referred to here.

Left – Charles Lemmon pictured with members of the Boys’ Brigade in a local news cutting in 1986
Right – Charles Lemmon in photo from East Anglia Methodist Heritage Centre

Peter Lemmon

As noted by Vera Wyatt, Rev Peter Lemmon became the church’s Minister in 1978. He was responsible for St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church and was also part-time chaplain at UEA. Born in King’s Lynn, he came from a family with a strong Methodist tradition. His father, Charles Lemmon, was a local preacher as was his brother David. Another brother, Gordon, was a Methodist Minister.

Peter attended Culford School near Bury St Edmunds, obtained a degree in psychology from Durham and an MA in theology from Wesley House, Cambridge. Prior to coming to Norwich, he served in Stamford, Leeds, Manchester and Salford. He had been part-time chaplain at the University of Salford. His wife Christine was a teacher at Hewett School although I suspect she started there just after I had left, see Chapter 118. He was based at St Peter’s Park Lane from the end of 1978 to 1986. He is the Minister I most clearly recall from St Peter’s.

Rev Peter Lemmon in a local press photo at the time of his appointment in 1978

Auntie Dolly

A Dolly refers to Auntie Dolly. Her full name was Dorothy Rose and she was grandma’s first cousin. She lived in Bedford but often visited grandma, see Chapter 122. On this occasion, she had been staying with grandma since 23 August. Mum noted that she had finished her continental quilt. I am not exactly sure what this involved, possibly making a duvet cover.

Continental Quilts

One of the major changes which took place during the late seventies was to the type of bedding we used. Prior to this, beds had been made up with individual sheets, blankets and eiderdowns. In the late seventies, what we now refer to as duvets began to be widely used although, at that time, we referred to them as continental quilts.

1975 Sunday Times Magazine advert for “continental quilt” © Carter Collectables and used with permission

Mum’s Medication

Mum noted the medication she took that day, see Chapter 116. On this occasion, it appears to have just been one tablet of amitriptyline (T for Tryptizol) for depression.

“Cromwell“

I noted that, in the evening, I watched a very moving film about Oliver Cromwell. This was on BBC1 at 8.45pm. It was simply called “Cromwell” and starred Richard Harris. Made in 1970, it was directed by Ken Hughes. It also starred Alec Guinness, Robert Morley, Nigel Stock, Geoffrey Keen and Michael Jayston.