BACK IN DEVON TO WORK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER 1972.
Arriving in Exeter in March 1972 ,we were as brown as berries and ready, willing and able to resume life back in Exeter, buying a house again in Exmouth within a short time.There were no problems with the new job as Clinical Epidemiologist at the University. I was greeted and welcomed as the returned chum ‘from down under’ and my colleagues eased me into my new post, assisted the family in meet and greets all over the place, and, compared to the speeds at which I had previously worked, my daily KPI expectations were positively pedestrian. I started playing rugby again for Withycombe, Cricket for the University Staff Erratics and Tennis for the Cranford Club in the Devon Men’s League. My general fitness levels rose significantly.
CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGIST, UNIVERSITY OF EXETER,1972-1976
The new Institute of Biometry and Community Medicine. had been created and funded by Central Government at a time when computers were beginning to appear in business. A brand new multipurpose computer had been built, costing one million pounds, on land occupying approximately 1/2 an acre. Special systems analysts, data processors and various other computer characters were employed, plus day to day administrative staff, to run the whole show. In 2020 a much higher work output would be available on a single laptop operated by a couple of Tech trained staff.
The main objective of the installation was to act as a data processing centre ostensibly for NHS data emanating from throughout the UK. A number of important National medical research projects, of particular interest to Central Government, were delegated to funded teams at the Postgraduate Institute as a result of Government tendering processes.
My medical colleagues Norman and Dilwyn obtained contracts, for us, to analyse a Regional multi-centred Hospitals double blind randomised control trial into the outcomes of heart attack patients who were either treated at home or in Hospital. The methodology was complex, and agreed upon after multi -centred cardio-logical, administrative discussions and government approval. The results and recommendations were adopted as protocols for myocardial infarction management throughout the UK for a number of years.
These recommendations were at a time when Intensive Care Units in hospitals were only gradually being introduced, and evidence based data was needed to consider their widespread introduction. The flowery and very acceptable ”Effectiveness and Efficiency” phrase was first used as one parameter in Evidence based Medicine by our own Archie Cochrane.This sounds very BBC ”Yes Minister”,which it is,and it is thought to have contributed to,and accelerated, a whole new confusing bureaucratisation of the English language, particularly amongst British public servants, especially those in Whitehall and top tier posts.
PROFESSOR ARCHIE COCHRANE.MY MENTOR AT EXETER UNI 1972.
My overall Mentor was the vertically challenged Professor Archie Cochrane[1909-1988], a cheroot smoking, middle class, Scottish bachelor,who became famous initially for his clinical and widely published research work concerning the health of coal miners and the dangers that coal particles cause to the lungs of miners.He was one of the first knowledgeable Occupational Health Specialists who turned the coal mining industry in Wales upside down by pointing out the reality of the problem and initiating methods ,through Government regulation to protect miners.
An all purpose Health service for miners, based on prevention,early detection,treatment, regular inspection,reporting,and follow up, significantly reduced the morbidity and mortality amongst this great workforce and Cochrane’s ascent in Public health took off.He became the President of the Faculty of Community Medicine of the UK.He contributed greatly to the development of Epidemiology, emphasised the necessity for randomised controlled trials in medical studies and was a pioneer in evidenced -based medicine.His ideas and financing led to the creating of The International Cochrane Collaboration and Library. The Collaboration tracks, evaluates and synthesises the results of clinical trials and other studies in all areas of clinical medicine.
Archie was a kind, honest,fairly dogmatic character who fiercely supported his staff .He was wealthy, through landownership,but frugal by choice, and generously funded his International Foundation so that it became the long term success that it still enjoys.He was a most valued mentor to me for three years. He encouraged and supported each and every project that I undertook,and, as President , awarded me Membership of the Faculty of Community Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians UK.
I MADE A BEE-LINE FOR THE HONEY CUPBOARD, HONEY, AND GOT INTO A REALLY STICKY MESS!
This sounds like a mellifluous confession and of course, it was.
Honey has been part of our family diet for donkey’s years and we have recognised and used it’s properties as an antibacterial, anti-fungal preparation, sore throat soother, digestive helper, haematoma reducer, oral mucositis and wound treater, because it contains natural plant chemicals that act as anti-oxidants. Beeswax helps rosacea and acts as a healing moisturiser for eczema.
There is good evidence that, if mixed correctly with lemon and water, honey can assist weight loss by reducing belly fat first. We know that it has a high sugar content (64 calories per tablespoon, compared with refined sugar’s 49 calories per tablespoon) so there are reasonable limits to how much you should or should not consume.
On this particular morning, like most other mornings, everyone at home was in a rush to eat breakfast and dash off to school. The mob had been fed. I was wearing only my nicely ironed shirt and underpants, and all I needed before racing off to a meeting in Exeter, was a thick toasted honey sandwich and a double strength coffee.
The new 4 litre tin of honey was three feet above my height and positioned at the rear of the cupboard. To reach it required patience, a long handled broom and gymnastic skills. With encouragement, it would detach itself from the back of the cupboard, move to the front of the cupboard and be coaxed to slide down the broom handle and into my open arms. Well that’s the theory, but geometrically, I stuffed up, not having realised that the cover of the large tin had not been replaced by the former user…me!
The tin, full of sticky Devon honey, descended with uncontrollable speed and impaled itself on the end of the broom, dumping it’s whole runny load down my arm , shirt, underpants and finally onto my leg before splashing all over Anita’s recently cleaned kitchen floor.
Fortunately the children were ‘in absentia’ and missed the rare outburst of expletive utterances emerging from my oral orifice. After the initial shock, we both roared with uncontrollable laughter.
The honey industry is filled with commercial and mongrel opportunity.
Manuka is a flowering shrub occurring only in New Zealand. The honey from Manuka has a commercial reputation, without solid evidence-based provenance. of being medically more therapeutic that other honeys. Turkey produces the most expensive honey in the world, Elvish Honey, at about $6000 per kilo. There are plenty of people who are stupid enough to pay through their ears, nose and throat for that gastronomical extravaganza.
I love Tasmanian honey. Try some and notice how beneficial it is for all of those conditions that I’ve listed.
WHAT DID THE HISTORIANS FEEL ABOUT BEES AND HONEY
The habits of the common bee, it’s relationship to the hive, the queen bee, it’s protection of the home and children, it’s production of honey and
maintenance of the hive, have drawn many similes and metaphors from poets and authors throughout history.
Virgil (70 BC-19 BC), wrote about the Golden Age of The Roman Empire and how the Foundation of Rome came as a result of building it up from the ashes of Troy after their wars. He compared how the building up of Rome was like the building up of beehives and how the bees spend their whole time, after damage to their hive and home, rebuilding until every thing is perfect again, provided that the Queen is still alive. Thus, like the bees, this is how the Romans rebuilt their Empire gradually and purposefully.
Tolstoy, author of ”War and Peace”, uses the metaphor of the bee to describe how Russia’s Mother Moscow was destroyed and abandoned following it’s loss to the French enemy.
He likened it to a Queen-less beehive with no life left in it. There would have been only superficial evidence that there was any form of life in it. The point was that in a Queen-less beehive, all of the other protective, working, honey-producing, building, noisy guarding activities, were gone, and only some weak drones and sick bees remained. Therefore, rebuilding Russia could only be done purposefully like the bees do it over a very long period of time.”Quad erat demonstrandum”.
THE DEPT SENT ME TO AMERICA TO RESEARCH AND REPORT ON THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PROVISIONS OF MEDICAL SERVICES FOR PEOPLE IN THE U.S.A. WITH HEARING PROBLEMS
The Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act was passed in the UK in 1972. As with so many other hot political potatoes, scores of interested groups began demanding that services commence immediately. As soon as these demands arose, there was a flurry of defensive political reasons as to why things were being held up. Clearly, this was a sop to the public, and Central Government bureaucrats realised that this was simply an impossible task unless there was evidence that the best systems were adopted to cover every conceivable angle for every conceivable disability.
America was way ahead of the eight ball and Central Government had noted my long term interest in Hearing and Communication disorders.
In 2016, an Australian bipartisan report on National Disability Services was hurriedly steamrollered through, pre-election, and both political parties were caught with their financial pants down as far as beneficiaries and costings ,going forward,applied.The result of these misjudgements has been a festering sore and a seemingly endless battle of ignorance as to what exactly a Disability is! This is still not clearly, legally, defined and has caused chaos and confusion among applicants seeking the exact modus operandi and the various benefits,rules and regulations that apply to themselves.Scammers have arrived, like rats, to financially disadvantage the already disadvantaged ever further.This is a disappointing and appalling state of things.
I travelled to the USA,in April 1973,and visited many well known Organisations and Institutions who were able to provide me with the answers to all of the major areas that were of interest to the UK Government at that time.In 2020 this information would have been available on line, in great detail,and without the incurred costs and time constraints.
The following were very generous and helpful.
The Alexander Graham Bell Association,Georgia University, The Washington State Institute,and Gallaudet University all in Washington DC.
Gallaudet University is the only university, in the world, specifically designed to be barrier -free for accommodating Deaf and Hearing students from birth through to Graduate and Postgraduate degree levels in the Art’s field. The only hearing students are those who are bilingual and committed to learning in a ‘signing environment’.
The Alexander Graham Bell Institute has massive financial support from Public and Philanthropic sectors, and ,technically, was to the fore in scientific matters such as TTY and Video use by Severely and Profoundly deaf persons,enabling them to communicate with each other across various States of the USA. Again, in the 2020’s, this simplistic view of uses of communication has become, immensely, superseded by tech progress.
Onward to The University of New York ,then Boston and, finally, The Rochester Institute of Technology.
The latter was way ahead of everyone else in areas such as Speech Synthesis. So, where did my visit fit in with the UK interests?
The NHS used to provide a hearing aid ,worn in front of, or behind, a shirt or woollen chest garment. It was really the poor man’s hearing aid and had many faults even though it was free.
Not the least of these faults was the constant rubbing of the Aid against the garments and the sound distortion and recruitment problems that the user experienced.Additionally, the inability of the Aid to prevent and discriminate against unwanted background noise, irritated and confused the users.The NHS had long applied for a more suitable Hearing Aid Unit, which, though available on the Commercial market, could only be purchased at a considerable cost.
The evidence brought from the USA facilitated a complete turnaround in Hearing Aid recommendations and the Post- Aural Hearing Aid was made available for use within the NHS Regulations and without any additional cost to the purchaser. Thus, the lives of Hearing impaired and Deaf persons were enhanced personally, socially ,educationally and financially.
ALI, A SPECIAL CHARACTER FROM KHARTOUM, NEEDED TO PASS HIS SPECIALIST PAEDIATRIC EXAMS. DID IT COME TO PASS FOR ALI?
Ali was a Doctor from Khartoum, in his mid-thirties and190 cm tall. He had been seconded from the University of Khartoum to Exeter for an extended period so that he could, hopefully, pass the UK Physicians Specialist Exams. The Exam was a specific requirement to enable him to secure an important Senior position in Khartoum.
His close family association with the President of Sudan, added a touch of Imperial imperative to the exercise.
Hundreds of local, and International wannabees, sat the exam annually, but, with a pass rate of only 15% of candidates, there were no low hanging fruit up for grabs.
Ali wore a smile as wide as a watermelon . Socially, he had quickly slotted into the Hospital routine and everyone did their bit to help him to achieve his needs .
The Postgraduate Institute in Exeter was well regarded as a Centre which provided lots of relevant courses for overseas Postgrad students, and Ali was a regular attender.
Ali took and failed the Exams three times. There was a limit of four attempts and then, if you failed, it was …”Goodbye Mr Chips.”
I had also applied to take the same exam as Ali but in about 15 months down the track.
I befriended Ali. He was a very ebullient, generous guy and my young children immediately took to him. He missed his Khartoum family life and my kids were age 9,7 and 3 years old. Ali would entertain them, when he came around to our house, as our most important guest “evening sitter.”
We often discussed Ali’s Exam techniques.
I passed on lots of “Tricks of the Trade” that I had picked up whilst floating around the traps with other wannabees and Ali was able to apply these to his advantage.
I found out, from a regular Examiner, that some candidates, (no names mentioned), found it very difficult to cope with a face to face Oral exam situation with two examiners .Their answers were, at times clearly wrong, yet they insisted that someone had told them that their answers were correct.
This became a communication sticking point, and the Candidate would engage in a fruitless , time consuming, argument rather than scoring more and more positive marks.
Ali applied all of the tips and was successful at his fourth and final attempt…”Good onya Ali!”
ALI NEARLY GOT ARRESTED! WHATEVER HAPPENED?
In the mid 1970’s various parts of the world were suffering from Terrorist attacks, especially involving blowing up aeroplanes. I would look at the TV and yet another plane would have been blown up. The papers were full of warnings!
Dr Ali was working at an Exeter Hospital and had been provided with an ”on call” bleeper so that he could be reached ,if needed urgently, provided that he was within a reasonable distance from the Hospital.
He had not actually fielded ”a call ” yet but carried his phone every where he went.
It was Friday afternoon and Dr Ali went to the local Barclay’s Bank to transfer and withdraw some money.
He joined the busy teller queue, and, I guess, realised that that was the conforming English thing to do!
Dr Ali was Sudanese,190cm tall, and agitated, because he was on a limited lunch break. Suddenly his ”Bleeper ” bleeped and bleeped and bleeped and bleeped, just as it was his turn to face the teller.
Ali had no idea how to turn his bleeper off. He got more and more agitated, blurted out a few misunderstood words and thrust the phone in front of the teller, hoping that she would understand the situation ,turn it off, and smile.
There then seemed to have been an immediate collective red flag warning flashing in the brains of all of the Barclay’s Bank queuing customers.
Ali was a big, African, agitated man ,wearing dark, gold- rimmed sunglasses. He had a noisy activated weapon in his hand which could possibly be a pre-primed bomb, just like the ones that blow up aeroplanes!! OMG!!!
It was not a good time to flash his watermelon smile.
The customers raced out of the door, the tellers ducked behind their benches and the Bank alarms screamed out.
Ali called out ”It’s ok, it’s ok, it’s ok . I’m a doctor from the Hospital. It’s only my bleeper phone!”
Dr Ali was lucky that he wasn’t in a Teller queue at The Bank of America in Chicago.
THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT DR ALI BECAME A MUCH ADMIRED PAEDIATRICIAN, AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KHARTOUM , AND ENJOYED A DISTINGUISHED CLINICAL, TEACHING AND RESEARCH CAREER.
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I WAS PREPARING FOR MY MRCP (UK)?
Over the next 15 months, after Ali passed his exams,I had to prepare especially hard for my MRCP (UK) Exams.
The Dept was very kind and allowed me to go to Pre- Exam courses. Everything melded well. All of the research work seemed to fit in well, with The Central Government’s Policy, and they were always happy if an employee was advancing themselves and not rocking any boats.
Two written exams,multiple choice of 300 Q’s, required special technique preparation and I went to Bristol University to “sit them” with good results .
The Clinical and Oral exams were held in Glasgow, some 12 hours travel from Exeter by train. I arrived, in Glasgow, on the day of Scotland’s biggest Soccer day…Glasgow Celtic versus Glasgow Rangers.This match is basically the Catholics against the Protestants and virtually the whole of Glasgow takes part in a drunken,often violent, weekend.
It looks as though i’m trying to find an excuse for failing one small part of the Clinical exam ,which I did.
On the night of the exam the results are published at the Royal College of Physicians Glasgow, on a special board, and you are invited to look for your exam number, not your name, on this important board.
Those candidates, whose number is not on the board, simply go back to your Hotel,and have a few lonely beers. The successful ones are invited to climb the long staircase leading to the President’s Quarters and are invited to ”take Sherry” with the President and his wife after the traditional congratulatory handshake.
The following morning, I caught the Glasgow to Exeter train, at 7.00 am. I purchased a First Class ticket. I had ironed my shirt and trousers and polished my black brogues, so that ,even though I wasn’t physically or mentally in the greatest shape, at least I would look like a First Class traveller.
I sat down, clutching a bunch of the local and National newspapers, hoping to have a quiet reflective couple of hours, thinking about yesterday, and working out where I had ”stuffed up”.
An equally well dressed, tall, 60 something year old pleasant gentleman, hopped into my carriage, sat opposite me and proffered a hearty Scottish “‘Good day to you!” to which I ,reluctantly replied ,”Good day to you Sir!” He then mumbled, as he thrust a huge hand towards me saying ”Fergus Anderson”.
Sometimes the brain clicks and says to you ..”I know this guy, it’s not Professor Sir Fergus Anderson, The Glasgow College Examiner and famous Geriatrician is it?”
Of course it was !
“So what are you doing up in Glasgow, Doctor?” He asked.It was then a moment of honesty versus hope and I think that I bowed my head , in shame,and blurted out ..” Well Sir, I took the MRCP(UK) Clinical and Oral Final exam yesterday, and, your College found it necessary to fail me, because I made a couple of mistakes at a particularly important stage of the exam .
Sir Fergus,empathically, asked me, whether the College was fair in the failure approach. I had to be honest and blame my own ignorance rather than dump the reasons back with them.This was, of course true !
There followed an interesting chat, about many things. We actually got on very well indeed and he eventually asked me to have dinner on the train with him,which I did.
During the course of dinner, he suddenly said…”I do hope that, when you retake the exam in three months, that you come back to Glasgow, Alan, because I will be President of the Royal College of Physicians of Glasgow and we would welcome you back again.
After 3 months, I took the long train trip from Exeter to Glasgow again.
I confess that I was so much better prepared, and certainly more confident.
The exams were a breeze and all of the examiners were incredibly helpful.There seemed to be no areas in which the examiners were,other than kind, and even the patients were on my side.
I peered at the Results Board ,saw my Exam number had a solid PASS against it and proudly climbed the stairs up to the Presidents Quarters.
That evening, I was met with a Presidential handshake and an introduction to the President’s wife.
He commented, to his wife, that I was the Candidate with whom he had spent a delightful train journey with, a few months earlier ,when he was travelling to Wales and I was travelling back to Exeter. He even reminded her that they had talked about that meeting shortly after his arrival back home in Glasgow .She nodded approvingly.
The long trip back to Exeter, on the following morning, was so much more comfortable and exciting than the previous one.
WHERE WERE ALL THE OTHER RELATIVES IN DEVON AND ELSEWHERE
WHEN WE ARRIVED BACK ”HOME” IN EXETER IN 1972?
Mum and Dad had returned from Jersey because they were missing some of the family and could travel around , if that is what was on their menu because they enjoyed good health.
Brother Ian was about to be married to Lorna Eastman ( his forever sweetheart ) . Ian’s house was 1 km from Warkleigh Barton.
Mum and Dad moved into his Granny Flat and were very comfortable until Mum passed away, in her sleep in 1988.Dad died a week before his 98th birthday in 2000.Both were buried in Landkey Methodist Chapel graveyard among lifelong family and friends. Much more about Mum and Dad ‘s travels in the 1980’s and 1990’s in later stories.
Ian’s son Stephen,age 20 in 1979 suffered a severe motor cycle accident which left him with his lower limbs paralysed despite excellent treatment at Stoke Mandeville Neurosurgical Rehab Centre. He was an amazingly positive person with an adoring wife Sue. They developed a Motor cycle repair business, called “Hedgehog”. in Barnstaple near South Molton and travelled, despite his disabilities, to various parts of the world on specially adapted Tri, and Quad Motor bikes. Steve became an incredible icon in the West of England among ”Bike Lovers”. He died, in August 2019,age 60.
He was escorted by over 100 of his Motor Bike colleagues from his home to his funeral in the Barnstaple Crematorium. Ian and Shirley would have been incredible proud of Steve’s mastering of his disabilities.The North Devon County Gazette published details of Steve’s life in it’s August 19th edition and Sue aptly described Steve as her soulmate, an understatement, whom she married in 2010. Full details of the article are available ,on line,and are a “must ”for all family Tucker associates.
Marion, Ian’s eldest daughter, from his first wife, Shirley, married Robin Loudon , an International Accountant. They spent several years in the Middle East (UAE,OMAN,QATAR, SAUDI ARABIA(JEDDAH) and their lovely multi-talented kids were educated at International Schools. They settled, back in England, in Bath, and my sibs still keep in contact with them from time to time and feed back info to me.
Jackie, Ian’s second daughter with Shirley, was a confident, happy lass, blessed with beauty to match her endearing personality.
Jackie married Gary, a London East Ender whose family came to North Devon in the 1970’s .
Gary quickly set himself up in business and became pretty much an instant success with cars , garages and an International Debtor Vehicle Retrieval Business. Gary had contacts, big contacts, perspicacity and a business drive that was hitherto, unknown among the Tucker family. I salute his drive, and success and admire the adoring way that he worshipped Jackie and looked after his whole family.
Lorna and Ian were blessed when Jo was born .She was the epitome, of a love match come true, and has remained so ever since. Looking back, it could have presented glitches ,but never did, and Jo certainly took every opportunity to take life by the scruff of it’s neck and make the very best outcome of those opportunities.
We met many times but I think that I failed in my understanding of generational gaps and distances and my inability to help further her career.
Jo is now a very successful, highly qualified, highly respected, Oncological Senior Charge Nurse in North Devon. With her partner, and family, they live in the same area of North Devon as other family members, and have close social media ties to my daughters in Hobart, Tasmania.
My Dad , Edwin, had two brothers, Frank and Leonard. Frank married Emmy and they had sons Richard(Dick) and Joe Fredrick,both of whom were married and had kids. Dick died age 50, from Motor Neurone Disease and suffered enormously physically and psychologically for some years having been an active sportsman and farmer.Joe became a much admired businessman and retired in around 2018 when he was still the Chairman of the North Devon County Council.
Frank had looked after Bradnich farm when Dad(age 17) and Leonard(age 19) went off to Australia for 2 years (Dad)and 8 years (Leonard).Their best mate, Jimmy Hancock, went with them but settled in Australia and never returned.
Dad married May Elizabeth Heywood,Leonard married Lucy and had John(1936),Norman(1938) and Agnes(? 1934) all of whom had families of their own.Basically all of the Tucker “mob” lived within about 20 miles of each other.
My Dad’s parents ,Grandad Richard and Grandma Louise, lived with Frank on their farm, until Dad and Mum were married and then they all lived initially in Lapford and then at Warkleigh Barton and both died there in their late 70’s.
Mum’s mother was Helen Lillian Cockwell. Her family originally came from South Wales but she was born in Okehampton in mid-west Devon.She married Mark Heywood, a trainee butcher/farmer from Highhampton ,Mid-Devon and for 5 years they house shared in South Molton with Sarah Curtis and Fred Smith.
Mark Heywood(1872-1909).His father was Bartholomew Heywood and mother Elizabeth Goss from Winkleigh.His brothers were Bartholomew( b 1855) and William S Heywood and sisters Betty and Mary+2 other siblings.
His brother,Will, married Elizabeth Ann Cockwell (b 1859) and were blessed with one daughter Gertrude Annie Heywood(See importance of her later!),and one other child.
Mark Heywood,my mother’s father,died from Tuberculosis in 1909 when Mum was only 4 years old.Now, because Mark had died young and had no house or money tucked away,his wife Helen(Nellie) had to go out to work and Mum had to be “fostered out ” for about 7 years with members of Mark’s family,in particular,brother Will and sister in law Elizabeth Ann and daughter Gertrude (in her age 14-21 years).
Grandma Nellie, almost immediately,in 1909, became Housekeeper to Archibald Parkhouse a widower farmer who had two preteen-age sons Stanley and James and whose wife Louisa Ann Dayman(Parkhouse ) had died 2 years previously(1861-1906)
Nellie and Archibald were married in Barnstaple in January 1914.He died in Stoke Rivers (1870 -1955) Age 85 years,Nellie died (1874-1956) age 82 years,Stanley,a Batchelor (1902-1985) age 83 years and James (1900-1987) at 87 years.
Archibald,first wife Louisa,sons James(and wife Olive Veronica Pugsley) and Stanley were all buried in Stoke Rivers graveyard as were Archibald’s father James(77 years), mother Leah Squance Parkhouse (81 years), sister Louisa Squance(78 years), and brother Charles(23 years).
Gertrude Annie,daughter of Uncle Will and Elizabeth, married Tom Fry.They lived near Filleigh, at Marwood , for years and retired to Bratton Fleming ,near Stoke Rivers.Tom (1880-14th of April 1959) died 4 days before Gertrude(1891 -18th April 1959).
Tom’s funeral was on a freezing windy day. “Gertie” was walking alone behind his coffin at Stoke Rivers when she collapsed and died immediately.
They had been forever devoted to each other. In the absence of other known medical problems,we believe she died from “The Broken Heart Syndrome.”(see www.)
Grandma Nellie was buried at Filleigh Church beside husband Mark.I was taking Clinical Exams, at Charing Cross Hospital London,and sadly and regrettably was unable to be at her funeral.
The Heywood family were all gentle,”Chapel going”, caring, reserved people (like my Mum) and were all farming folk.
Frank Tucker died age 94,Leonard age 87 and Dad a week before his 98th birthday. Mum was 83,Emmy 87 and Lucy “nearly or just 100”.
Leonard, Lucy,Agnes,John and Norman lived on the Landkey farm Westacott,worked hard for years and had had a few modest financial years .
In about 1960 the British government decided to extend the London to Taunton Motorway all the way to Barnstaple.
The proposed Motorway went straight through the middle of Westacott farm and each of Leonard’s family were compensated one million pounds Sterling!
They readjusted their life plans and, as wonderful people that they always were, followed interesting and exciting pathways whilst maintaining close family ties.I say “Good on ya Guys!”
Norman and Jill retained some acres of farmland ,adjacent their Landkey family house.In the year 2000 Norman and Jill,with the Landkey community firmly in mind, donated the site of the Millennium Green to the nearly 2000 residents as a special multi- purpose recreational and relaxation area.The project was carefully crafted with full Council and populous approval and will remain a kind,thoughtful and generous gesture in an age where such philanthropic deeds at a local level are becoming a rarity.
Anita and I, perforce and perchance, have retained our relative frugality but have still upheld some of the Tucker “stick-ability” by attaining over 60 fulsome years of marriage, just like farming brothers Edwin, Frank and Leonard .
WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN AND AROUND 10 CRANFORD CLOSE IN EXMOUTH WITH ANITA ,THE KIDS AND FAMILY FRIENDS?
We met the “INGYONS”,the only people with that name in England.There was David,Sheila,Sarah, brother?and adopted brother Stephen.
David was the epitome of an educated Englishmen,the accent, the clothes, the deservedness,the educational background,the kindness, the generosity, the hunting ,shooting ,fishing expertise,the contacts,the contacts and the contacts in almost every place and clime.
David, at first burst of spring, seemed almost too good to be true but he wasn’t .He was a classic Wysiwyg and a never failing friend. I cannot think of a more genuine friend and we ticked all the boxes as really good mates.
We both mimicked accents well and appreciated each others jokes and embellished tales.We enjoyed the same wines and champagnes.
David had a complex work background which every one was not supposed to be absolutely privy to!
He had worked in the USA, and in London, was some sort of special Aircraft Engineer, and, when a bit pissed, would mention bombs and mysterious special departments in the Government to which he had special access and contacts.
David was incredibly talented.He could fix any household damage problem,build a house from the planning stage to the final article,diagnose and repair almost any problem with almost any vehicle, cook great meals and manage a host of other minor or major tasks.
I can cook good meals but am unskilled in all the other tasks mentioned.Come to think of it, though,David could not play the piano and did not really understand most things medical! He really enjoyed me playing ‘The Sting” (so he said).
His wife,Sheila was gushing and so,so,so,soooo,English.She had that ”Je ne sais quoi” that so many people wish they had but never quite made it.That feeling that you really are the most important person in the room at this point in time.Sheila had it off to a tee.
David and Sheila bought a huge Victorian Folly house in Exmouth in the 1970’s. No body else wanted it and property prices were reasonable at the time.
If you looked at the property from the air you would have seen the shape of a butterfly with four chimneys, each with a cannon ball stuffed on the top. There were a number of bedrooms, an outdoor swimming pool ,of unusual dimensions, lots of quasi lounge and dining areas and plenty of land.
David, and Sheila,took it upon themselves to convert the whole thing into an up market hotel,bearing in mind the unusual position overlooking the Exmouth beaches.
Prior to the opening, Anita and I spent some evenings at the Hotel bar testing the waters to assess Q A for potential real customers.
In typical, Basil and Sybil Fawlty fashion, we agreed to act as professional waiter and waitress roles because none other were available.
Sheila made a serious culinary error of judgement when she removed some best quality steaks from the freezer and cooked them whilst they were still deep frozen.
Some Exmouth locals,who owned competing Hotels, had deliberately booked some tables on opening night.
Despite David and Sheila’s usual ability to keep them happy verbally, and as ”pissed as possible” with free grog, the “frozen steak ” was what they really wanted to have served to them…not!. Anita and I did not feature in the ”Tips” stakes that night, and, if I recall correctly, were rarely invited for employment on, other than, perhaps one rare casual occasion.
We did,however remain firm friends and our kids looked forward to playing with the Ingyon kids forever thereafter.
Their business ,gradually thrived, and Stephen,some twelve years older than Sarah, became the Manager of the Hotel.
Stephen,an adopted stepson,was the son of a local Exmouth mother, who had gone through hard times.The legal relationship, with Stephens family and the Ingyons has always remained a guarded mystery to us and in future years became more complex for many other intrafamily and unexplained reasons.
Eventually David and Sheila sold the hotel and bought “The Fox and Hounds ” Hotel at Eggesford.
They did a magnificent job renovating the Heritage building and developing the adjacent land.
Stephen Hills-Ingyon, acted as manager for a few years, and Sarah and Stephen lived in the renovated Cottage,situated within the complex, and had a couple of kids.There was a family dispute, with regard Stephen’s business role, which resulted in him leaving and taking a lesser position, elsewhere, in another industry.
Sarah had a rare talent in the art of florestry, a delightful personality and a dedication to go with it .She opened a well patronised Florestry shop in Exmouth. At the same time Sarah was a Senior Lecturer at Bicton College, South Devon.
Sarah become the youngest Chelsea Flower Show Judge and her talents, over the years, were rewarded with numerous awards and, in 2019, was elected ChairPerson of the UK Florist Judges after serving as an elected member,and Deputy Chairperson for 3 years.
After the eventual sale, of ”The Fox and Hounds”, David and Sheila retired to Crediton, in Mid- Devon. Sarah and Stephen took on the massive project of turning ”The Sid Valley Hotel ” into a fabulous Boutique Hotel in 15 acres of amazing Devonian Valley country. A great job well done in the face of much adversity.
Their children are very talented personally and “business wise” and are now well known in their own right.
Sarah,in addition to her own UK Florestry talents, branched out into other Design areas,( Jewellery etc).She continues to surprise admirers of her multiple talents.(see all details of interest on www.)
Stephen suffered a major Life threatening heart attack, a few years ago, but, in 2020 seemed to be travelling ok.
I understand that Sheila and David,in their mid 80’s, live close by to their family in the Sidford area.
WHAT WERE THE REST OF US DOING AT THIS TIME?
Dan, Zoe and Tara were at school or preschool. We were gifted with Tabitha on the 13th May 1973 at the Exeter Obstetric Hospital.
Anita worked casually some evenings at The Old People’s Home in Exmouth to earn pocket money which would allow us to graduate from eating ”Scrag end of neck” beef to Porky Downes “best Original Pork sausages”.Rarely, we would afford,a large local Fish and Chips dish with extra ”gribbles”(fatty, greasy delicious,cholesterol laden free bits that had sunk to the bottom of the pan and were normally thrown away).
Such a change from 2020 in Hobart where fresh salmon,smoked salmon,scallops,oysters,mussels and calamari and Fish Chowder are constantly in family demand (but never those gorgeous fatty cholesterol laden gribbles!)”
For the 1975 summer I was Captain of the Exeter University Staff “Erratics” cricket team .This opened up a whole new set of friends for the whole family. Most weekends we played on pictureque village cricket grounds all over Mid,West and South Devon.The team represented twelve different disciplines from the Uni Staff. I was privileged to be Captain in their 25th year of their existence.
The “Erratics” were a popular team with visiting clubs. Homes games were played at the tailored Exeter Uni Cricket field, Devonshire cream teas were a mid- match specialty, and the local 17th Century thatched cottage pub was our post- match celebration venue. The three essential ingredients for a player were to play the game in the true spirit of sportsmanship, make sure that the families were well looked after during, and after, the game and to leave your academic grumbles behind your Department door.
Country and Village cricket are spreadeagled across the world and Grades vary enormously.
I neither claim, or deserve, to appear in any kind of cricket history which has rocked any village,town, County, let alone Country, in which I have lived.
In Cricketing terms “I know my place.”
I do not even suggest that Wisden’s Annual cricket Book has failed to consider any feat that I may have achieved,even in the fantasy of my dreamworld, to be included in their “Statistics from everywhere ”section.
My brother’s fishing friend in Instow,North Devon was David Shepherd,the head boy of Barnstaple Grammar school,who excelled in Rugby and Cricket in the 1950’s.
.His father owned the local Post Office and for some years after his schooling, David( or ‘Shep’ as he was known as) helped out in the shop.I played Rugby with Shep and Ian ,for South Molton Rugby Club, and their record was excellent . Another player, with the Club ,was the little known David Vine,a local newspaper sports reporter.Dave escalated to the top of the tree and became the Head of TV Channel 9 Sports in the UK. Dave’s career pushed through Europe and Internationally. There was scarcely a reputable World Wide sporting event that was not headed by Dave.
He was a seriously good friend that I met from time to time over many years.
Dave Vine wrote the match reports for our Rugby Club, when he was a very junior reporter, and would respond to bribes of free beer after the match ,if you wanted to be ,deservedly,considered for a headline, photograph or paragraph in the North Devon local papers the following week.
When Dave was, clearly the best player on the ground , he would carefully invent a bogus name to highlight, because ,officially he was not allowed to play in Rugby matches for which he was reporting.
His incredible career is Wikipedia splattered.
I played cricket against David Shepherd’s Raleigh Club Team,whilst on tour in Devon.It would be a gross understatement to report that he scored more runs and took more wickets than me , in fact he took more wickets with the ball than I scored runs with my bat.
That probably explains why ‘Shep’ became another Wikipedia wonder.
Dave Shepherd (1940-2009) played County Cricket for Devon 1959-64, Cricket for Gloucestershire 1965-79 and Umpired 92 Test matches and 172 One Day Internationals worldwide.The Cricket world regarded ”Shep” as one of the best known,respected and most popular Umpires in the world.
After his retirement,and before his death from lung cancer,in 2009,Shep occasionally helped his brother in the family Post Office and found leisure time to fish for bass with his long time friend Ian at Instow and Saunton Sands. Vale “Shep.”
In the late 1950’s, when the Charing Cross Hospital Cricket Team toured Devonshire, I made sure that I was the first cab off the rank. Each team we played had a well known, up and coming, professional who was paid a retainer and a bonus if he took 5 wickets in a match or scored 50 or more runs in his innings.
We played Paignton, on the South Devon coast, and their Resident Pro was Harold ”Dicky ”Bird ,an all rounder.
For a change, I was seeing the ball like a football and scored 88 not out, including five sixes..four from ”Dicky”.We did lose the match, (not badly), and ,after spending a fairly fluid evening with the Pro and his colleagues ,I never really saw him again.That is ,until Harold “Dicky ” Bird became a much loved ,eccentric ,International Cricket Umpire.He was born in 1933 ,and played Cricket for Yorkshire and Leicester shire.He umpired 66 Test Matches and 69 One Day Internationals and,in 2020, is ,at present quarantined at his home (COVID 19).He is a fit ,agile, bachelor, and 87 years old, waiting for the days in 2020 when he can resume his daily attendance at Cricket and League Soccer matches.Another incredible character indelibly written into Wikipedia.
One thing you never forget in sport, is that when you are going really well,the Captain ,or the coach, makes a decision which really ‘pisses’ you off.
We were playing at the beautiful Dartington Hall, a venue steeped in history of some 500 years and possibly on the prettiest ground in Devon. After I had been asked to open the bowling, Dartington were struggling to reply quickly to our score of 168 for 7 wickets.
I took the first 8 wickets for 2 runs, possibly due to some slight slope which was clearly assisting me outside of the off stump.
At that point, Bill Parks,our captain de jour,called upon a less regular bowler to take the next over from my end!!
This decision ruined my chances of ever taking a gift 10 wickets for 3 or 4 runs at the most.My colleagues were dumb struck but divided into those who felt we should blast them off the field, and those who felt that a little fairness and decency should prevail.
Despite the personal humiliation, I did juggle with thoughts of fairness and decency, dismissing them immediately…in keeping with what other “greater” bowlers,Botham, Willy, Cummings, Thompson,Dennis Lilley,Colin Croft,Malcolm Marshall and Younis would have done in similar circumstances!
AFTER THE SUMMER OF 1975 I RESPONDED TO AN ADVERT.
The University of Tasmania advertised in the Australian and British Medical Journals for a 3 year Tenured Senior Lecturer in Community Health and General Practice to commence in 4 months in Hobart.
This was as tempting as chicken feed to a turkey. A visiting Professor was at Oxford at the time. I managed to forward all the necessary CV requirements, in time, to be provisionally interviewed in Somerset a few weeks before the Prof returned to Tasmania.
Well, Glory be!
With all processing arrangements, signed and sealed , we left England, and a very cold Winter weather spell, and arrived to some splendid mid -summer weather in Hobart in January 1976.
Settling in seemed a doddle when you’ve been there, and done that, before!
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