New beginnings

Paul’s entrance came through and he left the chemical factory and, after spending a week in Ireland on holiday, he started his college life, taking an honours course in Physics.

Paul’s B.Sc. degree

A whole new life opened up for him then, and indeed for all of us, for often the whole gang that he mixed with at college would hold a coffee party in our house and there were often as many as twenty five sitting down on the floor in our small front room. They sat on the floor because they liked to remove all the furniture and spread cushions all round. These parties did not cost very much, for all they drank was coffee and the eats were bought with the results of a quick whip round.

The girls of the party would arrive early with all the eats and milk and coffee powder and I would let them take over the kitchen completely and they would make all the preparations. They would buy a few loaves of French bread and cut them into thickish slices to make Swedish open sandwiches which, when laid out on my largest trays, would look most attractive for the fillings were colourful; sardines, tomatoes, shrimps, cheese and cucumber, being used with an odd bit of lettuce for background colour. Sometimes they would fill the oven with potatoes and when the gang arrived hungry, they would serve baked potatoes in their jackets, each wrapped in a paper serviette and a plastic teaspoon was presented to each student to eat with. These parties were great fun and everyone seemed to enjoy them.

Down in the forest

Our girls enjoyed lots of good times through Paul being at college, for as they learned to dance, they were included automatically in the parties got together to attend dances held by the different student associations in the College. The girls were always in a minority at these functions, with the result that they would have to dance practically every dance without a break and have a wonderful time.

Gradually, as the terms began to roll on and many of these boys and girls began to pair off, Paul started to bring Wendy home regularly. We all liked her and were thankful that she fitted in so well with the family. The girls have had lots of dates and evenings out in connection with Queen Mary’s College and still enjoy going to the dances even though Paul and Wendy are now married and have been away from it for quite a time.

The Wedding was a highlight in our life. Wendy made her dress here in the evenings during the months preceding the great day and it turned out beautifully. It made her look very grand on Boxing Day in a lovely little church in Herne Bay. The two girls attended her, along with her own two sisters, two being dressed in turquoise and two in flame colour satin. Paul’s friend Ray was the Best Man and carried out all his duties splendidly and was a staunch support for Paul. Paul and Wendy managed to get a council flat at Harlow because Wendy is teaching there and they have made it very comfortable with all the gifts they received as wedding presents.

The wedding day: 26th December 1964

John has been away three years now and we have enjoyed welcoming him home for a three month holiday this year. He wrote to us each week and his letters were always full of interest and all the family like to read his news as soon as the post brings it here. He has done very well out there in Rome, for he has passed his exams and is now a Bachelor of Arts and is hoping for a degree this year.

John’s B.A. degree

Pope Paul at the English College

Anne is working in Local Government as a trainee Youth Employment Officer and likes her job, which involves quite a lot of work that has to be done outside the office, visiting factories and workshops and other premises where young school leavers are placed in employment. These visits are made periodically to ensure that conditions are right for the young workers and that the pay they receive will be up to standard. She is an ardent member of the Young Socialists and this also helps her with her exams, for the people who make up her friends there mostly work in Local Government jobs and are studying the processes of the Government of the Country and finding faults with the system and then trying to find out what brought these systems into being and arguing whether or not they suit the circumstances that prevail today.

Margaret is now in her last few months at school and has gained an entrance to two colleges, both a long way from home and she is fervently hoping that she will be successful in the coming exams to enable her to take up one of the places in October of this year. She has been a cub master’s assistant for the last eighteen months and thoroughly enjoys her evenings with the pack of little boys, training them up and taking them on various outings and I know that Akela finds her a great help in running the pack.