In the years immediately after World War 2, I was a pupil at Bishop Wordsworth's and William 'Scruff' Golding was my English teacher. I remember him for wearing tweed jackets and corduroy trousers plus that unkempt beard at a time when 'Fuzz' Richards, Dr. Happold and the others set a good standard for dress and ensured that we followed suit.
I was a natural for journalism, and joined the Salisbury Times in Dews Road as a cub reporter, complete with bicycle, in 1950. The Editor was Edward Waite, a small, gentle Pickwickian sort of man who reminded us on more than one occasion that the Salisbury Times was a 'record' of local events and it mattered not if 'news' was held over for one week as long as it eventually appeared.
One Christmas Teddy' Waite clambered gingerly down the steep flight of well-worn wooden stairs that led to his office above the linotype machines, and with enormous generosity gave each one of us, as a present for Christmas, one of the books that had been sent to him for review. Well, I thought, another year rushing round to village fetes, magistrates courts, council meetings in the evenings, local society dinners, Mayoral events and all I get for thanks is a free review book!
I have it to this day. It was a first edition of Lord of the Flies.
Click here to go back to Sir William Golding's page.
Click here to go back to Salisbury Plaques Home Page.
Click here to go to the Salisbury Civic Society's Home Page.
Click here to check validation.