Issue No. 14 Spring 1999
"THE
DORKINIAN” 
NEWSLETTER OF THE ASHCOMBE DORKINIAN
ASSOCIATION
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Contents
Membership Secretary, Rosemary Dale
Hebe & Doc say "Cheers to all the old dears, 1939‑1947!"
Bruce Andrews is not a recent school leaver!
Candid camera at the October 1998 Reunion/AGM
Claire Taylor, our first ADA Bursary winner in 1995, gets a First
Dominic Jewel, our second Bursary winner in 1996, leads a busy life!
Magistrates' Court Mock Trial Competition ‑ The
Ashcombe go further
Monica Everest writes about Miss Macaulay, and thanks Doctor Morgan
In memory of Pamela van Carrapiett (Birkin) ‑ from her sister, Janet
John Finn, a personal tribute by John Woodman
The 1954 Cricket 1st Xl ‑ including John Finn and John Woodman
Colin Burgess contributes an 'unpotted' history
Another Dorking, by Shunpiker David (Smiler)
Smith
Robert Miller reporting on Mole Valley today
Rosemary Hook sends us a funny photo
Old Dorkinian Cricket Club celebrates 50 years!
Fantasy Teams ‑ Mike Dobson's challenge
EDITOR'S ODDS & ENDS
Having just spoken to Norman
Bradshaw, I can confirm that he has
made a good recovery from a nasty fall in January, and is being very well
cared for, in his own home, by three lovely ladies! He was delighted and
flattered to receive so many cards and good wishes ‑ but, of course, we
are not surprised that he should be so well appreciated!
Welcome to one recent new member who does not appear in the
updated list ‑ Geoffrey Quantrell ‑and to the other new members mentioned
by Rosemary. Does anyone know the whereabouts of Ian G Dawson who went to DCGS in 1952?
The Old Mallian Association is trying to trace him,
we hope for his benefit!
Our congratulations go to Shane
and Diane Murray on the arrival of Patrick Francis in October last, just
over 25 years since he left DCGS, for the first time! (see
Newsletter 13). Congratulations also to Claire Taylor, our first Bursary winner
on her First at Lancaster, and to Dominic Jewel, our second Bursary winner on
his very well received concert at the Dorking Halls in January. Dominic has
given us an interesting and thoughtful report on the past three years in his
busy life.
In Newsletter 13 I referred to the eccentric Philip 0'Connor who attended the
Dorking High School (probably 1926‑31). Recently there was a letter in
the Dorking & Leatherhead Advertiser from Andrew Barrow (not one of our
members), who is writing a book about him, inviting anyone who remembers
O'Connor to write to him at 18 Eldon Road, London W8 5PT. We certainly have
some members who were there around that time, so how good are their memories?
Thanks again to Robert
Miller for trawling the local papers ‑ but how come Robert that you
didn't mention the proposal to erect a giant statue on Box Hill, equivalent to
the Angel of the North, and probably to be known as the Angel of the South? Surely quite a controversial idea?
We are sorry that there will not be a Strawberry Tea this
year, owing to lack of interest. However there will be an enjoyable occasion at
Meadowbank on 25th July, 2pm, when the OD Cricket Club stages Past versus
Present, with spectators very welcome. Please let Dave Wilcockson know if you
wish to attend. I certainly intend to be there, but am not offering to play for
the Past!
David
Mountain April
1999
65
Broadhurst, Ashtead
Surrey KT21
1QD
Tel: 01372
273227 Email:
David.H.Mountain@BTIntemet.com
DIARY
ADA Golf ‑ Thursday 27th May (entries closed)
OD Cricket
Club Past v Present Sunday
25th July at Meadowbank 2pm
REUNION/AGM ‑
Saturday 9th October 1999
COPY for next Newsletter to the editor by 1st August
1999, please.
From
the Membership Secretary
As the new Membership List goes out, this
seems a good time to welcome 12 new members who have joined since the last list
was published:
Derek Burgess
Ruth Chappell
Peter Drysdale
Margaret Elsey
(Offer)
Peter George
Mary McTigue (Browning)
Wendy Ozamiz (Chalcraft)
Ray Smith
Jo Taylor (Secretan)
Keith Verran
Tom and Molly (Gilmour) Walker
We sadly record the death of John Finn.
There are a number of changes to people's
addresses. Please do watch out ‑some of them only involve a postcode or
some other minor change. One change of name: Sheila Shephard is now Sheila Walker.
Until now, school leavers have been entitled
to one year's free membership of the Association, and then a reduced membership
fee as long as they are in full‑time education. The committee has now
decided to extend the free membership throughout the period of full‑time
education. I have written to all those I think
fall into this category (and one or two who don't!), but I could have
missed you. If you are eligible for this privilege and have not heard from me,
please write with details of your course and when you expect it to finish.
A word of explanation
about membership numbers. The four‑figure number printed on the
Membership List is the correct one; when the new database was set up, the old
three‑figure numbers were laid to rest. It is a great help if you quote
your number when you write ‑ but don't let this stop you writing if you
can't find (or be bothered to find) your number!
Membership currently stands at 327, but I give
notice now that there is likely to be a PURGE soon ‑ a sizeable number of
people are seriously behind with their subscriptions. Watch this space!
Rosemary
Rosemary's Trip Down
Under
My trip down under was a great success. I spent
two months, mostly with Hebe and Derry, but a few days each with Paddy (far
north ‑ in the tropics) and
Fiona (south, near Bunbury). Yes, I have indeed
been Bunburying ‑ a long unfulfilled ambition.
Right in the middle of the holiday was The Golden Wedding, at which a group
photo was taken of about 24 family members, and I assisted Hebe and Derry to
renew their marriage vows; closely followed by Christmas ‑ I understand
you didn't have a White one, either! I have a formidable arsenal of video tapes
as a result, ready to fire at any foolhardy soul who comes within range. Most
of this you will be spared ‑ but we are investigating the possibility of
showing a few snippets at some point during this year's Reunion. So, if you
want to see what Hebe and Doc look (and sound) like at 70 (well, almost) and
83, make sure you book the second Saturday in October. If you can't wait that
long, Hebe has a website at http://www.scis.net.au/Ignpress/
with a photo and (currently) two of her short stories, as well as
information about her published and unpublished novels.
PS We actually attempted to sing through 'Phaudrig
Crohore' one evening!!
Hebe (Blake 1939‑47)
and Doc Morgan (1945‑74) write (well in advance of the AGM)
Dear Mike and all Committee Members
Rosemary tells me the AGM is about to take place, so Doc and I
want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your good wishes in December
when we celebrated our Golden Wedding. Your kind thoughts meant a great deal to
us, and the renewal, through cards and letters, of so many old friendships has
been a delight to both of us. Rosemary will fill you in on the details. It was
a very happy party on December 19, the day after our anniversary, and many
members of our far‑flung family took the trouble to cross (in some cases)
a good many miles to be present. We decided to sign on for the next 50 years!
It's been a time for celebrations. Yesterday (i.e. March 4) I (as they say)
'turned' 70! This seems to me rather remarkable, as I don't feet I have yet
earned the honour. But it does give me food for thought. All those guys and
dolls I went through the DGS mincer with must now be dear old things too. That
makes me feel slightly better. Cheers then to all the old dears, 1939‑1947!
"
Bruce Andrews (1940‑45)
Rosemary wrote to Bruce assuming that he was a recent school
leaver, and received the following reply!
“I was touched and flattered to receive your letter. Alas, I don't
think it was meant for me, but I will do my best to reply. I attended Dorking
County School, as it was then, from 1940 to 1945. My most vivid school memory
is of cheering wounded soldiers as the trains bringing them back from Dunkirk
passed the school. I used always to hope there would be an air raid warning on
Fridays since we would then have to go into the shelters and I would not have
to submit my maths homework. I left school when I was seventeen, in 1945, and
spent three years in the army. Then I spent nine years in the City, having
qualified as a chartered secretary In 1957 I went to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)
where, after two years, I made a sudden switch in career and became a
journalist, discovering that journalism beats work for those with a bent for
it. I then spent 15 very exciting and interesting years as a journalist in
Southern Africa before joining the staff of the Financial Times in London in
1975. I retired from the Financial Times in 1993 so am now very busy. I am not
in full‑time education at the moment since I am trying to decide what to
do when I grow up. When I do I will let you know.
I have been married for 47 years and have a wonderful wife,
three wonderful children and two wonderful grandchildren.”
The School before it was extended circa 1980s.
From the Chairman
Welcome to
the first Newsletter of the penultimate year of the second millennium, although
the media hype would suggest that the new millennium begins on 1 January 2000
which, of course, is nonsense! Let me start by saying that the new committee
with its re‑arrangement of officers has settled down to the various tasks
demanded of it and I have to say that the Association is fortunate to have such
dedicated group of people. A
criticism must be that we are all somewhat of the same vintage
so, come on you younger members, let us hear a bit more from you! Colin Burgess
[of similar vintage] has been co‑opted as an eleventh member to deal with
PR [public relations] aspects, so if any of you have news[paper] worthy items
which will at the same time spread the ADA cause, please let Colin or any
Committee member know.
May I take the opportunity to
welcome Stanley Bruinvels, Derek Burgess, Ruth Chappell, Peter Drysdale,
Margaret Elsie, Peter George, Rev. Ralph Mann, Jo Taylor, Mary McTigue, Dr
Shane Murray, Wendy Ozamiz, Ray Smith, Keith Verran, and The Venerable Tom and
Molly Walker as new members of the Association and express the wish that they
find their membership worthwhile and rewarding. It is
good to see such a number of new names appearing on our lists. A further
pleasant duty is to record that Maureen Farley, Dorothy Keenor, “Doc" D
Moore Morgan, Barbara Redwood and Jo Taylor, all long serving ex‑members
of Staff, have graciously accepted Honorary Life Membership of the Association.
Finally on the subject of membership, it is with sorrow that I report the death
of John Finn, a pupil notable for his mathematical and athletic prowess. John
was still but a young man and our sympathy goes to his family.
To change from membership matters,
those of you who were at the last AGM may perhaps recall my proposals to set up
an "Old Dorkinian" archive. I am sure many of us have various
artefacts which will eventually, I fear, fall by the wayside unless some
"positive action" is taken and hence, my concern. The Committee has
pursued this but as yet, has not been able to find anybody to take the job on.
We do not have to be too rigorous about it, but I see the broad
"qualifications" for the task as being:
‑ an enthusiasm for
all things "OD"
‑ an ability to store, preserve, record and
generally look after artefacts which, for the most part, will presumably
be small e.g. photographs, documents, hats, ties etc.
‑ residence in the
Dorking area
‑ an ability to
liaise with people and, by appointment and occasionally, allow people to visit
the archive
‑ an ability to
assist with the display of artefacts at ADA functions
ANY
VOLUNTEERS FOR THE JOB? I would be
pleased to hear from you!
Finally, a
comment on the health of the Association. Presently we have around 300
members and this number has not varied greatly over the past few years. Thus,
we might be regarded as being reasonably healthy. However, recognising the many
thousands of pupils who have passed through the hallowed portals over the last
67 years, the figure does not justify the word "Prosperous". I hope
you will all consider yourselves ambassadors of the Association and seek to
swell numbers at every opportunity. Also, it would be nice to see more of you
attending the Annual Reunion Lunch [average attendees 35] and the AGM [average
attendees 30], both of which take place on the second Saturday in October. This year; 11.00 a.m. at the School, Saturday 9 October.
Look forward to seeing you there!
Claire Taylor, our first
ADA Bursary winner in 1995, gets a First
Just a few
words to let you know what I am up to at the moment.
I graduated last summer with a first
class honours degree in Applied Social Science and Criminology. Having been
lucky enough to secure funding, I decided to stay on in the department at
Lancaster, and am now about six months into a PhD. My research is about the
experiences of young offenders who have been in local authority care. At the
moment I am also doing some casual work with an Outreach team in Lancaster, that seeks to integrate children with learning
disabilities into various community groups. Next year I will be doing a small
amount of teaching and lecturing at the university on the criminology degree
scheme. In the spare time that I do have, I am a keen walker. I enjoy frequent
trips to the nearby Lake District, and have recently returned from a week of
walking and climbing in the Scottish Highlands.
Dominic Jewel, our second Bursary
winner in 1996, leads a busy life!
Well it has been three years now
since I left The Ashcombe, and for one reason or another I have not made it
into the newsletter yet. What follows is therefore a three year long report so
I hope it makes up for the delay!
On leaving school I was lucky enough
to go straight to the Royal College of Music in South Kensington, where I am
now in the third year of a four‑year degree course. The Royal College was
a huge change from the comfortable atmosphere of the sixth‑form and
initially quite a daunting experience. Living in London itself
was also quite a culture shock to begin with and certainly my first year was
largely spent adjusting to a new way of life. The last tube home on a Friday
night, sharing a carriage with frolicsome folk from all over the world, is
rather different to the bus in Dorking!
London however is a wonderful, if
expensive, place to be. To live, work and play in the historic centre of the
British Empire, surrounded by all the most important cultural and artistic
landmarks the country has to offer, is something that every day makes me glad
to be there. This is without even mentioning the parks, pubs, cafes and bars‑
and of course, Ronnie Scott's!
During these three years I have been
able to take advantage of musical opportunities which I would not have thought
possible before. The Royal College brings me into contact with some of the best
international musicians of my own age, and there are numbers of future Nigel
Kennedy's with whom I regularly share an orchestral desk. (Actually perhaps
there are more future Yo‑yo Ma's!)
At the College I am now leading the
College Sinfonietta, their second orchestra, conducted by Neil Thomson and
tutored by leading professionals from London orchestras. There are regular
performances at the College and gradually I am learning some of the orchestral
repertoire I will play when I (hopefully) get a professional position myself.
One of the most exiting projects I
have been involved in recently was a newly commissioned concerto by a friend,
the composer Sam Becker. This concerto was jointly commissioned by Stoneleigh
Youth Orchestra and a Harrow orchestra, both conducted by Adrian Brown; someone
I met some years ago when he conducted the National Youth Orchestra. It was
very rewarding to work with a contemporary composer on music which I was able
to make entirely my own, since obviously I had no previous performance from
which to judge how it should be done.
I have had other concerto
opportunities of late‑ the Mozart A major with the Bromley Symphony Orchestra, the Bach E Major with
the Dartford Symphony Orchestra, and notably the Sibelius with the London
Philharmonic Orchestra. This Dorking concert was really well supported by local
friends and colleagues and I was extremely grateful to be able to give this
concert for the Dorking Concertgoers Society. It is always encouraging to see
so many familiar faces in an audience, especially with an illustrious band such
as the LPO‑ where as you can imagine I was lightly terrified!
As a music student I am lucky to be
able to earn money by doing work I enjoy, while most students are working in
supermarkets I can play music! To this end I have a string quartet with whom I
play for weddings, barmitzvahs, ……… Many weekends will find me playing with choral societies in and around London, and one of my favourite dates is playing with a Jazz orchestra for dinner dances in the Royal Garden Hotel on Kensington High Street.
I think many of us at the College
worry about the future, since we are often told that Classical music is a
contracting profession. It seems that today it is almost impossible to avoid
the charge of elitism simply for being involved in any branch of art which really
has something to say, rather than the watered‑down version which seems to
be increasingly popular. It is also a great shame that if I were to re‑enter
the system as a 10‑year old today, I would not have the financial support
that in the event I did receive. Without that support I would not have been
able to afford the tuition which enabled me to enter the Royal College and
would never have got this far. I hope that the government will assign some real
money to the arts, especially in education, rather than simply re‑diverting
the same funds in a dressed‑up package. The Ashcombe Dorkinian
Association, the Dorking Concertgoers, Surrey Youth Music‑ all these have
enabled me to do what I have done and will hopefully go on to do, and I know
that I have been far luckier than many other talented people. Sorry to be all
political but it really does matter!
I think that more‑or‑less
concludes my ramblings, so I hope they are of interest. I am always keen to
keep in touch with events at The Ashcombe and pop up there every now and again,
‑so should keep bumping into everyone for a while yet!
MAGISTRATES' COURT MOCK
TRIAL COMPETITION
The first heat of this year’s competition, aimed to demystify the law and to encourage young
people to learn more about the criminal justice system, was held at Redhill
Magistrates Court in March with six
schools from South East Surrey taking part. Each team consisted of thirteen
youngsters, aged between 12 and 14 years, to act as magistrates, court clerks,
prosecutors, solicitors, ushers, defendants, witnesses and Court reporters.
Prior to the heat, each school had been visited by a magistrate to explain that
each team would take part in two trials during the morning with a serving
magistrate taking the Chair being flanked on one side by three pupils from one
school and on the other by three pupils from an opposing school. Three groups
of three 'judges' assessed the performance of the pupils based on guidelines
sent to the schools by the Citizens Foundation, the competitions organisers.
The 'verdict' was considered irrelevant in assessing performance and the
adjudicators (consisting of court clerks, solicitors and serving magistrates),
had a difficult task before awarding the first prize of Ł50 and the winner's
certificate to Ashcombe School who were closely followed by the Beacon School
(Ł30), and St. Teresa's (Ł25).
In thanking all the court clerks,
the ushers and all who helped make this event such a success, the Surrey
Magistrates Society would like to wish Ashcombe School every success in the
Regional heats to be held at Guildford later this year. "Mille Grazie!"
Contributed by Maureen Meier
Monica Everest (Lawrence, 1942‑47)
wrote to Rosemary
last September:
"It
is always a joy to receive the magazines and be transported back 50 years
seeing familiar names and reading about what they have made of their lives and
how far Old Dorkinians have fanned out over the world, though some have stayed
close to home; some, I know, still five in the same house as when they were at
school. I was sad to read of the passing of Miss Macaulay and Miss Rigby this
year. Miss Macaulay was my last Form Mistress in UVA in 1947, and I have an
ancient snap of her surrounded by some of us on the girls' playing field. It
seemed so strange to read of her babysitting for Hebe and Doctor Morgan when
their children were young. I was always so in awe of her, and most of the other
staff too, being a rather quiet and shy child. At the age of 67, I can say I'm
neither nowadays! (This year I learned to swim!) "Speaking of Dr Morgan,
its always good to hear he's well and I guess recently celebrated his and
Hebe's Golden Wedding.¶ (Ours isn't until 2009!) I owe him so much for the marvellous
grounding in music he gave us particularly choral music. I was in the Choir
from its earliest days, and have continued singing all over the years,
culminating in singing a memorable Haydn's Creation a few years ago when it was
sung all over the country simultaneously in aid of the Hospice movement. My
love of the Requiems (Brahms, Mozart), Elijah, Messiah, etc all began in Choir
and I can even remember still, all the words of a wonderful Irish ballad by C V
Stanford (words by Sheridan Le Fanu) called Phaudrig Crohoore ‑ which
I've never heard since. I'd love to ask the BBC R3 ♪
if
they've ever heard of it! Please give him my enduring love and gratitude ‑we were so fortunate to have him. Thousands of cases of a 'schoolgirl crush' bearing lasting fruit, I'd say! Well, at least one, anyway.
With best regards, Monica “
¶ Not till 18/12/98 ‑
Rosemary
♪ Perhaps we should all write to
Classic FM Requests? I remember the piece well, but not all the words.
I fancy
Sheila Bowers still has the music; there was a suggestion we should do a repeat
performance at the Reunion!
Any takers? ‑
Rosemary
In memoriam Pamela
Elizabeth van Carrapiett (nee Birkin)
1942‑1998
To the great
sorrow of her family and friends, my sister Pamela passed away on September
12th last year. She was taken ill at her son's home in Norwich, and diagnosed
with secondary cancer of the liver. She died in Norwich & Norfolk General
Hospital only a week later. She had suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for many
years, which she bore very bravely even though she was no longer able to paint.
As the arthritis took over, she returned to her old love of literature, and
wrote poetry and prose. Although she was not a member of the Ashcombe Dorkinian,
she did attend one or two reunion dinners organized for her year by Anna Cooper
(nee Wardle). Those of you who met her there will confirm that her sense of
humour was unimpaired. She was also very much loved in her husband's parish of
St. Barnabas in Bexhill‑on‑Sea. Pamela is survived by her husband,
son and daughter and three grandchildren, the third of whom, a bonny little
girl, was born just eight weeks after her death.
Janet Roodbol
(nee Birkin)
Piet Heijnstraat 12
4671 AM
Dinteloord
The Netherlands
John Finn (1947‑54)
a Personal Tribute by John Woodman
It was with great sadness that I learnt
of John's death. It was not a surprise as he had been very ill for many months
and had lived longer than his carers thought possible. I first met John in Form
2 when I moved to Dorking in 1948. From then on we were in the same form until
we left to go to University.
It was obvious from the beginning
that he was particularly bright. This was somewhat galling for the rest of us
as we slogged though revision for examinations which was for John quite
unnecessary. John and I were in the School Scout Troop for which the highlight
for both of us was the annual camps. It was from this that sprung our lifelong
love of the wilder parts of Great Britain and of the Lake District in
particular. The memories of these camps on Dartmoor, North Wales and the Lake
District come flooding back as I think of John. As a result in later life John
bought a house in Keswick from which he could make the most of this wonderful
part of the country.
John was always keen on games. We
were in the School's cricket 1st XI for two years and we both played for the
Old Dorkinian Football Club for a number of years. But his chief interest was
in athletics at which he excelled.
We both left school to go to King's
College, London where he took mathematics and I engineering. It was here that
he met Daphne who was on the same course. They both got first class honours
degrees. On leaving college they married and he embarked on a brilliant career
in computers, working his way up with spells at companies including Sainsburys
before joining a firm of consultants where he rose to the top.
Janet and I saw John and Daphne from
time to time when our children were young. It was clear that they had all
inherited their parents' abilities in mathematics but for all four of them to
go to Oxford and obtain honours in the subject must be a record. It was in the
mid eighties, just when life for them should have been at its most fulfilling
that Daphne became seriously ill with a brain tumour and died. It was a
traumatic time for John and the family which he coped with courage and the help
of his friends.
In 1994 John remarried. Carole was a
friend of his King's College associate Derek Schartau.
So Derek, who had been John's best man at his first wedding, was best man at
his second. It was Derek who gave a very moving and detailed tribute to John at
the funeral service which was a fitting celebration of his life. It was held at
the United Reformed Church in Fordingbridge where John was an Elder.
John was always ready to help others
and to play his part in society. He became a magistrate and was very active
with the charity Ataxia. He provided and fitted out a respite home close to
their home just outside Fordingbridge.
John was a strong, straight forward,
caring and above all extremely modest person who will be greatly missed. Our
thoughts and sympathies are with Carole and the children as they mourn their
great loss.
Below the
1954 Cricket 1st XI with the two Johns seated at the right hand end.
1954 DCGS Cricket 1st XI
Colin Burgess (1933‑40), our new PR officer, writes an 'unpotted' history:
Colin Burgess
was born in a house in Howard Road, Dorking in March, 1923, which makes him an
Aries. In due course he found himself the eldest of four brothers, the others
being Derek who lives with his partner in Barrow on Soar, Brian who died in
1993 and Gerald who lives with his second wife in Ontario, Canada ‑ all
of whom also attended Dorking County School. All the boys began their schooling
at Powell Corderoy Infants and then Elementary School
in Norfolk Road, Dorking. In those days, the late twenties, a detached house on
the corner of Norfolk Road and Vincents Lane was the "Labour
Exchange" (Department of Employment Office) and during that time a pupil
could look down from the upper classrooms and see the patiently waiting queue
of unemployed men moving slowly into the building to register and/or to draw
the dole. No females appeared in the queue. By the late twenties various County
Councils were set to build a new type of High School ‑ mixed 'County
Schools' ‑ although some single sex such schools were built. In Surrey
Dorking County School was built off Ashcombe Road, Dorking and opened in 1931
to which Colin gained entrance via the Scholarship Exam ‑ a kind of 11‑plus
at the age of 10˝. He remembers there was a written test at
school followed by an oral assessment in Guildford where he passed round four
examiners in turn. As a choirboy at St. Martin's Church, Dorking the choir‑master
and Organist was Doctor William Cole and so, finding the same man at his new
school as the Music Master was interesting and took a little of the raw edge
off being a new boy. One or two other pupils shared this situation, one being
Francis Collins, young brother of Colin's mother and therefore his uncle ‑
by four months. Francis progressed up the School a year ahead of Colin. At the
beginning of World War II Francis volunteered for the Royal Air Force and
trained as a pilot. He was lost having been shot down over the Bay of Biscay in
1942. Colin had been a Wolf Cub in lst Dorking Scout
Group and on reaching the age of 12 decided to stay with that Group rather than
join the School Troop ‑ 19th Dorking led by Brute Bradshaw, of course.
However, some years later brother Gerald did join the
19th. The Second World War was looming and by 1938 Air
Raid Precautions, later known as Civil Defence, began to be set up. At first,
Colin with other older Dorking Scouts found themselves acting as patients for
first aid and ambulance trainees. He remembers being tied to a wire mesh
stretcher and being lowered down the 60 foot high sandstone cliff in the
sandpit off the Reigate Road beyond the Barley Mow pub (now The Harvester).
Soon he found himself, on Saturday mornings, on an A.R.P. training course,
examining Poison Gas samples and learning the mysteries of the Stirrup Pump,
eventually being passed out as a fully fledged A.R.P. Warden aged sixteen! He
can recall meeting schoolboy friends in the grounds of rations.
At first Colin found himself filling these bags but later was part of a
billeting officer's team. Two double deck buses were
filled with evacuee children, each clutching a bag or case of personal
possessions, their gas mask, in its cardboard box and the carrier bag in which
was a tin of bully beef, condensed milk, biscuits and slab of chocolate and
crisps. On the rear step of bus number one rode a uniformed policeman and the
local government billeting officer; on the step of the second bus rode 16˝ year old Colin in Scout uniform
together with a clerk assisting the billeting officer. They went in teams of
two up to the front doors of houses in Fairfield Drive, billeting children in
twos and threes ‑ the presence of the policeman giving firm
authority to the billeting officer and Colin's persona and scout uniform doing
the same for the clerk! Today he suspects there would have been calls for
training, proper 'adult' authority and no doubt counselling afterwards! On
Sunday September 3rd word came that Sydenham County School for Girls was due to
arrive ‑ it did, of course; once having been processed through the
reception centre the girls were billeted round the town and the School squeezed
up and took them in. Later, having left school, some scholars from each school
married each other. School broke up in July 1940 with the Battle of Britain
going on overhead. More than once during the "School Certificate"
exams in June the whole examination set were led from the school hall out onto
the girls playing field and down into the shelters and Colin was one of these. In August Colin joined 'Messrs W.T.Henley's
Telegraph Works Co. Ltd' who had re‑located for the duration in the
country mansion 'Milton Court'. For a few months he was a “mailing clerk"
or office boy ‑ then in May 1941, having become 18 in March, he
volunteered for the R.A.F. although he was found unfit for flying training and
had to be content with doing his bit in Orderly Rooms during his war service.
From the outbreak of war until joining the R.A.F. Colin had been a Scout
Messenger outside school hours. He was based at Dorking's Civil Defence H.Q.
under the offices at Pippbrook. Recalling one particular night he remembers
everyone hearing the whistle and explosion of four five hundred pound bombs apparently
tracking across the Town but a fifth whistle did not end with an explosion. By
the morning it was found that by a lucky chance the bombs had fallen into soft ground and caused
minor damage and no casualties ‑ and the fifth had struck the sheer sandpit
cliff off Vincents Lane, bounced down and buried itself without going off ‑
one of many unexploded bombs in the area. One of Colin's last war time memories
of Dorking before going off to war himself was of the time of the Dunkirk
evacuation in late May and early June, 1940 with the School Certificate exams
about to start. Then, as now the school playing fields are bounded by the
railway. On his way home he noticed there seemed to be many more trains than
the usual one an hour or so and went up to the road overbridge just to the east
of the Town Station where he spent a little time, taking in the scene. One has
to remember that unlike today when real‑time shots of cruise missiles
turning corners above the main streets of big cities are seen by all on their
TV screens as it happens, in those days wartime "news" was usually
delayed, sometimes for years! However, the defeat of the Allies and the
subsequent seaborne rescue of around one third of a million British, French,
Belgian and other soldiers from Dunkirk was released, if Colin remembers
aright, within a couple of days of the start ‑ but to begin with shorn of
detail. The 'little ships' and bigger ones were bringing all these troops back
to the Channel Ports ‑ mainly Dover ‑ and the first task was to get
the troops inland to recover and be re‑equipped. At the outbreak of war
the Government had formed the Railway Executive, a body through which it could
require trains for the movement of both troops and freight to be provided by
one of the big four companies: the Southern Railway with green coaches; London
Midland & Scottish, maroon coaches; London & North Eastern, teak
coaches and Great Western whose coaches had the top half yellow and the rest
brown. What Colin saw coming to a halt at the signal controlling the line
leaving the Town
Pippbrook on
Saturday mornings in the summer and discussing how any war might go
based on the numbers of aircraft the main protagonists were thought to have.
Then it was slimmer 1939. Colin, Derek & Brian went off to summer camp in
the Isle of Wight with lst Dorking Scouts. Two weeks
later, camp having been struck, the Scouts returned home by train from
Portsmouth Harbour but Colin and his brothers left the train at Havant to join
their parents and Gerald at a Holiday Camp on Hayling Island. There, at each
meal time tannoy announcements became ever more numerous, asking individuals to
"report to the office". These were school teachers, local government
officers and others all recalled from holiday to return to duty. Colin's family
returned home on Saturday, September 2nd. They were not on the phone - relatively
few were in those days ‑ but a message came by hand asking Colin to
report to Scout District Commissioner Mr Redwood at Dorking Halls. At the Halls
were scenes of great activity. It had become a reception centre for evacuees
from London. Some were mothers with small children but most were unaccompanied
children. They came to Dorking North Station by the trainload and were then
bussed up to the Halls. There they were recorded, medically inspected and given
a paper carrier bag of emergency Station was a succession of these trains. The
signal would drop, the train would steam off and up
would go the signal. Within a few minutes along would come another train in a
different livery ‑ and so it went on. Many years later he was to learn
that an unlooked for problem at Dover station was the great heaps of coal ash
cluttering up all the space between the rails arising from the huge number of
steam locomotives having their fires drawn, turned, re‑coaled and watered
during that dramatic week. From the second day onwards these trains were
returning full of troops of all kinds, some of whom would 'discard' items of
kit via the train windows. Within a short time Police were watching the
embankments to collect any rifles etc. so discarded! Such were Colin's latter
school days. In the Air Force he found himself in Durban for a week where he
saw and heard "the woman in white" singing to the troops as their
troopships arrived in Point Docks; Then he spent seven weeks in a transit camp
beside the Great Bitter Lakes at the southern end of the Suez Canal in Egypt
before clambering up the companion‑way of the "S.S. Strathallen" which zig‑zagged
across the Indian Ocean to Colombo, Ceylon. Arriving there to great activity he
was soon attached to a Royal Australian Air Force Squadron Leader tasked with
the job of setting up 'Fighter Operations, Colombo'. However,
while feverish activity went on apace to complete the Ops. Room and post
in the staff, the aircrew of a Catalina flying boat warned of a Japanese
invasion fleet off‑shore and from midnight on Easter Saturday Colin found
himself on duty with another airman combining with other pairs in patrolling
the perimeter of Colombo Racecourse Airfield. The Japanese aircraft arrived
overhead at 0800 on Easter Sunday, getting a bloody nose for the first time
since Pearl Harbour. On Easter Monday the task force attacked Trincomalee, the
Naval Base on the east coast of Ceylon where they were again opposed and then
withdrew. Colin served on various R.A.F. Stations in Ceylon (and took his wife,
Elizabeth to re‑visit the Island 50 years later) until being posted to
Rangoon, Burma just as the Japanese were at last being overcome. He was in
Rangoon when the Japanese Generals flew in to give the initial surrender to
Lord Mountbatten in what had been the British Governor's Official Residence.
Many years later as a holder of the Burma Star, Colin was proud to march down
The Mall with many other Far East Veterans in front of the Queen. After the Second
World War Colin was a Civil Servant in the Ministry of Works and its
successors. He served for a number of years in the Press and Information
Office. While there he did his first duty as a Press Steward at a State
function ‑ the Coronation and continued to act as such from time to time
later including the ill‑fated
Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. A stint as a 'Staff
Inspector' stood him in good stead soon after the Civil Service retired him
aged 60 and he then spent two and a half years on the staff of Mr Speaker
Bernard (now Lord) Weatherill, endeavouring to get to grips with the
vicissitudes of the 1000 staff of the House of Commons Refreshment Department.
Once that employment ended it seemed that the only way to get rid of the
mortgage was to move house and so he and wife Elizabeth left Horley, where they
had spent about thirty years and moved to Verwood in Dorset, where Colin
eventually became Town Mayor. He and his wife had been drawn back eastwards
during most of the twelve years they had been away and last August made the
successful move to a bungalow in Plumpton Green, between Lewes and Burgess
Hill. Prior to that, in March last year they celebrated their Golden Wedding
with a large family gathering in Ardingly. Colin has been associated with the
Scouting Movement since the age of nine and held a number of Leader Warrants,
first in Dorking then in Horley, where he ultimately became Horley Scout
District P.R.O. and was the County of Surrey Scouts' Press Officer. This
experience proved useful in that Town Councillor Colin acted as Verwood Town
Council's Press and P.R. Officer for his ten years of service there.
ANOTHER DORKING, by Shunpiker David (Smiler) Smith (1943‑51)
Shunpiker, a word described in the dictionary
as "a person who takes secondary roads to avoid expressways and
turnpikes," those ribbons of concrete that radiate across the countryside
leaving many towns and villages as backwaters to the main flow of life. I am a shunpiker, and it was during a shunpiking
trip to explore the backroads of Ontario that I came
upon a signpost for Dorking. What would I find?
Would I find a town overlooked by tree covered hills, would I
find a town watched over by a stately church spire, would I find a town with a wide main street edged by cobble stones, would the
town offer everything from food and clothing to Hotels and, in particular, a King's Arms, would a meandering river
brush by the town before heading north through a gap in the chalk hills and
would the school be built adjacent to a railway line where puffing steam
engines, struggling up the grade, provided a distraction for students as many
trains did, some fifty years ago, for a young student struggling with his
French verbs and Latin declensions.
The Dorking, I found, has no tree covered hills. It is a small
settlement set in a flat landscape of fields dotted throughout with farm houses,
woodlots rich in maple trees and criss-crossed in a rectangular pattern with
gravel and paved roads. There is no meandering river only a small rippling creek, coincidentally named Smith creek, that veer., away
from the village and heads toward the vast expanse of Lake Huron. The wide main
street is edged with gravel and had but one shop, a general store offering
groceries, hardware and with a pair of gas (petrol) pumps that had been
installed when the Dorking garage closed in 1970. But, alas, there is no White
Horse Hotel or King's Arms. There had been a Dorking Hotel in busier days that
had been the centre of village life but it has long gone. There had been a
church that served the residents in more affluent days but it no longer exists.
There had been a school for the village children but that is now a private
residence and even though there is a train station to be seen, it like the
school is now a private residence ‑ the last train had rolled through
Dorking in 1938.
Dorking has a
unique location in that it is found at
the junction of three counties ‑ Perth, Wellington and appropriately
Waterloo counties. The settlement is 30 kilometres north of Stratford (on the
Avon) which itself is about 60 kilometres north of London (on the Thames) in
South Western Ontario. For those readers familiar with Toronto, this Dorking is
110 kilometres (as the crow flies ) east of the CN
Tower.
The first
recorded history of Dorking, Canada appears in 1843 when the area was surveyed and
the land settled by pioneers, hardy pioneers who carved their settlement out of
a vast expanse of hardwoods. The first settlers in the area were Blacks who had
followed the Underground Railroad to escape the slavery in the southern United
States. As the Blacks moved on, Scottish settlers arrived and
built a wooden church for their Methodist services. By 1874, Dorking
could boast of having two blacksmith shops, a post office, a church adjacent to
a school, a hotel, a general store, a feed mill and some log homes in the village.
Modern
amenities started to appear in 1908 when a railroad was built through Dorking,
when in 1911 telephone service came to the village and when electricity finally
lit up the village in 1948.
By 1903 the
church had fallen into disrepair, was no longer used and finally burnt down. Only
recently, during the renovation of die school house into a private residence
were the charcoal remains removed. By 1910 Irish settlers had moved into the area but, with a Catholic church in the
nearby settlement of Hesson, they had no need to build another church in Dorking. As the farms in the area came
up for sale in the 1950's and 1960's the farms were purchased by Menonites, the
farmers children preferring the city life. The presence of the Menonites adds a uniqueness to the Dorking area as their horse drawn buggies
are to be seen travelling on the gravel shoulders of the roads in and out of
Dorking.
DORKING SCHOOL 1906
The original log cabin school was
built in 1849. A new school was built in 1874 and was known as USS 20
Mornington. Mornington, the township in which this new school was located, was named after Lord Mornington, eldest brother of
the Duke of Wellington and a member of the
British Government in the early 1800s The school was
remodelled in 1921 with the inclusion of a basement, a furnace and a brick
exterior. As in many villages this was a one room school covering eight years
of education. Eight rows of desks faced a chalk board stretching the width of
the room, a board divided into eight sections to direct up to fifty students in
their studies. The school continued to meet the
needs of the children until 1971 at which time a centralization occurred and the
children were bussed to a new
modern central school. The school has
survived. It is now a private residence known as "Pumpkin Tree
House". The house, which is owned by Susan Jones Richards who came originally from Horsham
Sussex, is surrounded by a ring of stately mature maple trees planted back in
the 1880's by the students at that time.
Pumpkin Tree House
Was one of
the original pioneers an emigrant from Dorking, Surrey - hence the name of the
settlement? Nobody seems to know. What is known though is that the first house was built in 1863 by a Mr Edmonison, could he have had Dorking connections?
(If any reader of this article is aware of an Edmonison
family associated with Dorking I would be interested in hearing from you). A further possibility can
be found in a letter written by an emigrant from Dorking (Surrey) who sailed to
a new future in 1832 and settled in York, Ontario. A Mr Wright writes to his
father that his brother has become apprenticed to a blacksmith. When the last
blacksmith shop closed down in Dorking (Ontario) the retiring smithy was a Leslie
Wright. Could this be the link?
Today, with a
population of about 50, Dorking is but a "blink" on Ontario Highway
86 that carries travellers to the extensive sandy beaches of Lake Huron, but to
the traveller who stops he will find a friendship and hospitality that will
make him return.
David (Smiler) Smith '51 e‑mail: mdevine@julian.uwo.ca
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE
DORKING AREA NOW? Robert Miller reports
Another old Dorking shop closed down.
Eveleighs,
mens' and boys' outfitters, in the High Street, closed down at the end of
January. It was renowned for supplying uniforms to most of the schools in
Dorking, including The Ashcombe. Opened by Messrs. Large & Pool in 1910 it was
taken over by Mr. Eveleigh in 1936; from 1956 it was
owned by Mr. Laflin, then by his son David who now
says "the trade is not what it used to be' ‑ he and his (Irish) wife
are moving to Ireland.
Turtons of Leatherhead
Sadly another mens' outfitters closed down recently after many
years because young Mr Michael and young Mr Peter have decided to retire! The
premises are now occupied by a flourishing antiques business.
Bulldozers eradicate old
Dorking cinema
The old Pavilion Cinema building which stood along South
Street has now been demolished to make way for private flats to be built later
this year. This purpose‑built cinema operated from 1925 to 1963 when it
became the famous Strawberry recording studio. Coombes, the builders
merchants then moved in and the pictures illustrate the march of time.
Home of John Evelyn to
become a Hotel
Wotton House, the 17th
century mansion just off the A25, was the home of the diarist John Evelyn. It
has been used since World War Two as a training college firstly for the Fire
Service, and then for British Telecom. However it has been vacant since 1986,
and is on a national register of listed buildings at risk. Plans for an
extensive facelift which will turn it into a 132 bedroom hotel and conference
centre have been approved by Mole Valley District Council.
Thorndike Theatre faces
final curtain
Many residents in this part of Surrey were saddened recently
to learn from the local press that the thirty year old Thorndike Theatre, which
has been shut for just over a year, is subject to a planning application by its
owners, Hague Investments (nothing to do with the leader of the Opposition!)
for permission to demolish the present building to make way for a large leisure
complex to include a six‑screen cinema and youth theatre. The Theatres'
Trust which advises Council's when there are plans to change the use of
theatres may have something to say, and there are also moves to have the
building listed!
The Angel of the South
(see Editor's Odds & Ends)
The reason Robert failed to mention this may have been that it
appeared in the local paper on April 1st.
Rosemary Hook (Fyffe, 1952‑57) sends us a photo of Prefects in 1957. Names please!
ASHCOMBE DORKINIAN GOLF Harold
Child, calling
all golfers
The next meeting is at Milford Golf Club on Thursday 27th May ‑
but I am sorry to say that it is too late for any further entrants to join us
on this occasion. However if you wish to be included in future invitations
please write to me at ‘Marama’, Roman Road, Dorking,
Surrey RH4 3ET, or telephone 01306 885831.
OLD DORKINIAN CRICKET
As the club is now 50 years old a special Past v
Present match is being arranged for Sunday 25th July at Meadowbank. Also this
year's tour is to Holland at the end of June. A booklet tracing the club's
history will be issued later in the year. A list of fixtures is set out below:
SATURDAYS SUNDAYS
May 1 Nutfield H May 2 Westcott H
8 West Ewell H 9 Churt A
15 Frensham H 16 Bookham H
22 Reigate
Priory A 23 t.b.a. A
29 Burgh
Heath A 30 TheBourne H
Jun 5 Blindley Hth. H Jun 6 Holmbury St.M. A
12 t.b.a. A 13 Whyteleafe A
19 Oakwood Hill A 20 Chadwick A
26 (Tour) 27 (Tour)
Jul 3 Wimbledon
U. A Jul 4 Ockley A
10 Woldingham H 11 Newdigate H
17 Old Cats. H 18 N.Holmwood A
24 Aussie
XI H 25 Past v Present H
31 Reigate
Priory H Aug 1 Woodmansterne A
Aug 7 Old
Cats. A 8 Bookham A
14 Woldingham A 15 Carshalton A
21 Burgh Heath H 22 Chadwick H
28 Wimbledon U. H 29 Guildford City A
Sep 4 Blindley Hth. A 5 Westcott A
11 Warnham A 12 The Bourne A
18 West Ewell A 19 Southwater A
25 S.Nutfield A 26 Chiddingfold A
OLD DORKINAN FOOTBALL CLUB - Peter Mills, Hon. Secretary.
Following their championship winning performance in Senior
Division 2 of the Old Boys' League last season, the ODs' Senior XI have
completed their fixtures in Senior 1 in the current season to finish in a
comfortable mid‑table position. The Reserve XI, promoted to Senior 3 at
the end of last season as champions of Intermediate (South), have
found the transition a rather testing experience. With four teams being
relegated from this division, the ODs will need to win four of their last
remaining five fixtures to avoid the threat of relegation.
On the Cup front the Reserves have been the most successful of
the Club's sides. They reached the quarter finals of the AFA Intermediate Cup
before losing 3‑0 to Carshalton Reserves of the Southern Amateur League,
and wait to hear who their opponents will be in the semi‑final of the
Dorking Charity Cup (having beaten Holmbury St. Mary 8‑2 and Capel 8‑0).
The Third XI, following two promotions in successive seasons, seem destined to finish comfortably placed in Division
2(South). The Fourth XI presently occupy second place in Division 6 (South),
needing two points from two matches to be assured of promotion. They have in
their side Tony Pankhurst, the
Club's leading goalscorer with 33 to date. The Fifth XI have had a successful season with all
thoughts of relegation banished with a likely 5th position finish in Division 8
(South).
The Veterans' XI led by Paul
Etheridge have had an enjoyable season playing a
record ten fixtures. Their most outstanding result was the 3‑0 victory over
Crystal Palace FC Veterans XI containing several ex‑professional players
including Steve Kember and Jim Cannon.
David
Williams has established himself as first choice 'keeper for the Old
Boys' League representative side, with caps against London University (1‑0),
Cambridge University (2‑1), Southern Amateur League (0‑1), and
shortly against Yorkshire Old Boys. David also gained his first cap for the AFA
against the Army (1‑3).
FANTASY TEAMS ‑
Mike Dobson (1942‑50)
There has been discussion and even
[excellent] rivalry in "The Dorkinian" concerning the "best
ever" sports teams with various "years” claiming the honour! Why
don't we try, by proposing specific individuals, to construct fantasy teams
[boys and girls] which would represent the 20th Century School in mythical
future inter‑century competitions.
May I kick this off with one
football and one cricket nominee.
My football nominee is Nobby Craze
who was in the 1949‑50 team [he only attended the School for a short
time]. Nobby was a dazzling centre forward [striker] who not only exhibited
superb ball control and was an excellent shot but he was the first person in my
experience at the School, to really know how to use his head to direct the
ball. I do not remember how many goals his head flicked past opposing keepers
but I know they were a joy to watch. He was an outstanding all round player and
I would propose him as a striker in the C21 School Football XI.
Turning to Cricket, I would offer
the late Ted Allsop from the 1st XI, circa 1950. In a team sporting some good
cricketers ‑ David Smith, Mike Pearson ‑ Ted was outstanding. His
forte was as a batsman and his stroke play was superb. It was seemingly effortless
and smooth and particularly, I remember, countless late cuts being directed
through the slips and third man to the boundary. Without claiming to be an
expert, I would propose to bat Ted at first wicket down in the C21 School
Cricket XI.