Mum’s Diary
Hair set, then to GTE – all Archives work. Went to Sainsbury & M&S. Then home, v busy at work tho no one in. V V depressed afterwards v irritable with children. Worrying about money. Christine came round in evening after I’d rung to talk to Malcolm. Wish he’d come instead he helps she just chats. 1D 1L 2S.
Roger’s/My Diary
Bonfire Night tonight and although we didn’t have any fireworks we could hear other peoples. This lunch-time I played my guitar with Spick. He’s got a new one 12 string. After school we listened to the group Gary’s in practicing for the review. They’re quite good. In the three by-elections the Conservatives
took Walsall North and Workington but Labour retained Newcastle Central.
Notes
Hair Set
Mum had her hair set in the morning.
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 noted that everything she did there was “archives work“. I am not exactly sure what this was but perhaps it involved retaining documents of potential historical significance for inclusion in an archive. Alternatively, it might have just involved archiving non-current documents.
Rev Geoffrey Thackeray Eddy
Rev Geoffrey Thackeray Eddy was born in Prestwich, Lancashire in 1915 and entered the Ministry in 1936. It appears he became Chairman of the East Anglia District in 1972 having previously held the same post in Lincoln. He died in Stratford-on-Avon in 2014.
Sainsbury’s
Mum noted going to Sainsbury’s, see Chapter 125. Sainsbury’s was and is a very well-known supermarket chain. At that time, Sainsbury’s had two stores in Norwich, one in St Stephens Street and the other in Anglia Square, where I worked from April 1977 until June 1978, see Chapter 119. I believe that mum mainly went to the Sainsbury’s in St Stephens Street.
Marks and Spencer
Mum also went to MArks and Spencer (M&S). Marks and Spencer was established in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in Leeds, Marks and Spencer (M&S) has grown into one of the UK’s most well-known chains of department stores, see Chapter 108. The Norwich store on the corner of Rampant Horse Street and St Stephens Street has been there for as long as I can remember. When Woolworths closed, Marks and Spencer expanded to occupy their former store too.
Marks and Spencer was definitely a feature of the main shopping area I knew as a child and teenager, marking for me the mid-point between the Co-op at St Stephens roundabout and Jarrolds at the start of Exchange Street. However, while I might have occasionally bought things there, it was more of a shop favoured by mum than one I would use regularly at that time.
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 Friday, she worked in the afternoon. Mum noted that it was very busy at work despite the fact that neither Mr Ashken nor Mr Stephens came in.
Depressed
Throughout the late seventies, and at other times, mum struggled with depression and anxiety, see Chapter 116. On this occasion, she noted that she was very, very depressed after work. She often felt better at work probably because she was busy and also she was highly-valued in the role she played.
Irritable
It is interesting that mum here links her feelings of depression with irritability. This was not something she did often in her diaries. However, my recollection is that the main way mum’s depression affected me directly was that she always seemed to be irritable with me, in particular, and I felt she was always on my case! As a result, our relationship was extremely difficult at this time. Interestingly, I did not note her irritability in my diary. This may have been because it was normal and part of everyday background “noise“.
Worried About Money
Mum had high levels of anxiety and worried about many different things, particularly money. My parents had separated in 1973 and, at this time, my father was living and working in Birmingham, see Chapter 114. Things had come to a head recently when my older sister Tricia (Patricia) had gone to university, see Chapter 120. Dad had decided that, because the number of children living at home had reduced from four to three, he would reduce the monthly amount he gave mum from £120 to £90. Like so many things, they did not discuss this. Rather, at the end of one visit to Norwich, he left her a note and a cheque for the reduced amount. I am sure this decision contributed greatly to her money worries and she was seeking to address this by looking for a second part-time job.
Christine Carter
Christine refers to Christine Carter the wife of Rev Malcolm Carter. Mum was friendly with both of them, particularly Malcolm, who had become a trusted confidant. I think Christine may also have been a medical secretary. However, despite having this in common, mum preferred to talk to Malcolm as she thought he really helped whereas Christine just chatted. I don’t know what exactly mum meant by this but I note that she seemed more comfortable discussing herself, her problems and her challenges with men as confidants than with women. So, I think on this occasion she was disappointed. She had phoned to speak to Malcolm but Christine had come round instead.
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.
Mum’s Medication
At the end of her diary entries, mum tended to note the tablets she had taken that day, particularly at night, see Chapter 116. On this occasion, she noted that she took one flurazepam (D for Dalmane) tablet to help her sleep, one long-acting amitriptyline (L for Lentizol) tablet for depression and two senna-containing tablets (S for Senokot) for constipation. She had been trying to wean herself off both antidepressants and sleeping tablets but had been advised by her GP to increase them once again because of her current feelings of severe depression.
Relatively recently, she had changed sleeping tablets from nitrazepam to flurazepam. She had started taking two tablets of flurazepam at night but had then varied the dose between one and two. She also varied the dose of the long-acting amitriptyline between one and two tablets. Very recently, the GP had offered her a higher dosage of flurazepam tablets (30mg) but mum had not accepted these.
Bonfire Night
I noted that, as it was 5 November, it was Bonfire Night, see Chapter 122. I noted that we did not have any fireworks but we could hear other people’s. While, when we were younger and dad was still living with us, we had celebrated 5 November with fireworks in our own garden, we increasingly went to organised fireworks displays in the late seventies, for example at the High School in 1975.
Playing Guitar
I tried to learn to play the guitar during this period but not very successfully, see Chapter 122. Nevertheless, I often noted spending time playing or practising my guitar and sometimes took my guitar into school as I did here. I noted playing my guitar with my friend Michael Grey who had a new 12-string guitar.
Michael Grey
Michael Grey was another friend of mine at Hewett, particularly in sixth form, see Chapter 118. I recall that he and Chris Gray spelled their surnames differently. I believe he was part of the school football team. In 1978, he passed A levels in applied maths, economics and history. He went on to study business studies at the City of London Polytechnic.
For some reason, at school, he was known by the nickname “Spick” and that is how I referred to him in my diaries. I confess that that name makes me uncomfortable now as I am aware of its connotations. However, I don’t believe I was aware of them then and I don’t believe there was any malice behind the name.
Michael Grey is second from right front row
Lunch-time
Based on my family’s working class background in Nottinghamshire, we had 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 although we continued to refer to an afternoon or early evening meal as tea. Here, I referred to lunch-time at school.
Music Group in the School Review
I noted that, after school, we listened to a group my friend Gary Wood was in. He was practising for the school review, see Chapter 118. I am not exactly sure what this was but it took place on 11 November 1976.
Gary Wood
Gary Wood was one of my closest friends at school, see Chapter 118. He and I had a lot in common. In addition to both playing, or trying to play, the guitar, we both later had motorbikes and we both worked at Sainsbury’s in Anglia Square, see Chapter 119. Gary went on both the camping trips I went on to France in 1975 and 1976. He worked at “Le Paradis” in the summer of 1977.
In 1976, Gary won an endeavour prize and, in 1978, the Sheriff’s Prize for Art. In 1978, he passed A levels in pure maths, physics, chemistry and art. He went on to study physics in York. He is a member of the Hewett Facebook group but uses the name Robert Wood. Apparently, Robert is his first name but he used Gary as Robert was also his father’s name. His Facebook page notes that he studied architecture in Rome, Cambridge, Harvard and London, that he has his own architecture studio and lives in France.
By-Elections
There had been three by-elections the previous day, see Chapter 129. I noted that the Conservatives won the two seats in Walsall North and Workington while Labour held on to Newcastle Central. The by-election results reduced Labour’s majority to one seat only.
Walsall North
The Walsall North by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP John Stonehouse who gained noteriety for faking his own death. In August 1976, I had noted that he had been sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
The Conservative candidate Robin Hodgson won with 16,212 votes, a majority of 4.379 over Labour candidate David Winnick who gained 11,833 votes. There were seven other candidates with Independent Sidney Wright coming third with 4,374 votes.
Workington
The Workington by-election was triggered when the longstanding Labour MP Fred Peart was elevated to the House of Lords to serve as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal. Surprisingly, the Conservative candidate Richard Page won with 13,396 votes, a majority of 1,065 over Labour candidate Dale Campbell-Savours who gained 18,331 votes. There was only one other candidate Liberal Bernard Wates who gained 2.480 votes.
Newcastle Central
The Newcastle Central by-election was triggered when the Labour MP Edward Short resigned to become Chairman of Cable & Wireless. The Labour candidate Harry Cowans won with 4,692 votes, a majority of 1,838 over Liberal candidate Andrew Ellis who gained 2,854 votes. There were three other candidates with Conservative Richard Sowler coming third with 1,945 votes.
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