Spotlight - "A Sporting Baby Boomer" Andy Morris
Photo - Youth Hostelling Days
I am from the 'baby boomer' generation, part of the demographic bulge
arising from the population explosion at the end of the second world war.
Recollections of rationing, granny keeping chickens in her back garden, and
the Queen's Coronation in 1953 are still clear. We lived in Julian Hill
Lodge at St George's Hill in Weybridge, but that was rented, not part of the
family estate (there wasn't one!). My father was in a preferred occupation,
and needed to be located near Brooklands, used during the war for aircraft
manufacture. We did not aspire to a motor car, but I do recall mum and dad
on a bicycle made for two, and being aware of the Surrey countryside from my
vantage point in the sidecar. Poking a stick in the back wheel was fun, but
I only did it once! First book: 'Bertie the Barrage Balloon' - does anybody
remember that? He left Thomas the Tank Engine standing!
Most of my childhood was spent near Twickenham Green, where my father's
family lived for several generations. He was one of eight children living in
a 'three up, two down'. My first Church attendance was at the local Baptist
Sunday School. I confess to playing truant more often than not, and
transferred to Twickenham United Reform (ex Congregational) Church with my
pal John, which had a youth club (and the girls were prettier!). John (now
Cllr Cole) and I went to the same schools; we remain great friends, and meet
regularly; he went on to St Andrews University, settled in Yorkshire, and
taught at Salt Grammar School. By coincidence, a certain Pam Taylor also
attended these august institutions!
Photo - Andy on the ball!
Enduring memories are of living in a small terraced house, complete with
obligatory scullery, coal shed and outside privy, four doors from the
railway line. The house shook every time the trains went by! It seemed to be
held together by metal rods bolted to a large 'X' on the outside wall, a
characteristic of many Victorian buildings. I was always amused by watching
early black and white editions of 'Coronation Street', and thinking the
programme depicted just the same scenario as outside our front door; much
gossip in the corner shop and the local pub - it was just that the accent
was cockney, not Lancashire! We took in a young German refugee called Wally,
not a popular move with the neighbours! My parents evidently took a liberal
view, and he showed me how to make paper aeroplanes ('make sure those are
RAF roundels on the wings' stated my father in no uncertain terms!). But
Wally committed the heinous crime of shaking the tomato ketchup bottle when
the top was loose, most of the contents flying up the wall and ruining the
wallpaper, so he had to go! Family outings by Trolley bus to Hampton Court,
and catching the train to Waterloo to see the Festival of Britain on the
South Bank in 1951 are very special memories.
Football dominated in those days, and when the factory hooter sounded at the
South Eastern Electricity Board works, it was a signal for me to hop over
the back garden wall for a kick about with dad and his mates, whilst mum
cooked dinner. The school of hard knocks I experienced then, and a trusty
left foot, stood me in good stead on the football field later, being
selected for the school team a year early, appointed house captain of soccer
when I was fortunate enough to pass the scholarship to Hampton (then a
grammar school), subsequently playing representative matches abroad with
budding and ex professional footballers, and aspiring to a career with
Fulham - my pal Steve Earle did, I didn't! I particularly remember playing
against the American servicemen in front of a large crowd at their camp in
Bushy Park, which remained long after the war, complete with marching band
and cheerleaders. Their knowledge of the rules was limited, but their
enthusiasm unbounded.
Sadly, my father died in a drowning accident when I was 14, which suddenly
catapulted me to head of household, and put paid to plans to go on to
University. I remember my aunt bought me a dog as a consolation, and I have
had canine companions throughout my life, until my large and beloved Chow
Chow 'Simba' had to be put to sleep a couple of years ago. Auntie Edie also
mentioned 'your great grandfather played cricket for England, you know',
which I took to be an attempt to relieve the anguish of so suddenly losing
my hero, my dad, a fine all round sportsman. Subsequent research at Lord's
revealed Edward Pooley was a renowned and long serving wicket keeper for
Surrey, toured Australia and New Zealand in 1877 in the party which played
the first official 'Test Match', and was contemporary with the likes of WG
Grace. The record of the greatest number of wickets taken in a first class
match (8 caught, 4 stumped, for the benefit of any cricket fans) stood to
his credit for over a hundred years. I later realized mum took the view 'you
don't need to go into all that' was probably influenced by the fact that my
great grandfather fathered ten children, eight out of wedlock (including my
grandmother, Alice Minnie), and died penniless in the Lambeth Infirmary. His
obituary in Wisden states 'even to the last he had a geniality and sense of
humour that to a certain extent condoned his weaknesses'.
Photo - Andy with CLLR Cole and PAm
Anyway, enough of him! My teenage years were spent under the threat of
eviction (the house went with dad's job), but mum sweated it out at the
local laundry. I took articles in accountancy after leaving school,
initially earning the princely sum of £4.50 per week, rising by one pound
per annum for each of five years service! We just about survived, although
I'll never know how. Mum was widowed for much of her life, doted on her
grandchildren, and lived until she was 88, still sporting a head of red
hair; not quite as long lived as her own mother, who received the telegram
from the Queen on scoring a century. When not on the football field, much of
my youth was mis-spent in the pubs and snooker halls of Twickenham, watching
Brigitte Bardot films, on Eel Pie Island following the early careers of Rod
Stewart and the Rolling Stones, and late nights in London jazz and folk
clubs. But we also indulged in healthier activities, fishing the River
Thames and, particularly, cycling. Lands End and back via Youth Hostels en
route was our biggest challenge, and Exeter to Winchester, 111 miles and
five counties in a day, the record. I was also a dab hand at shove halfpenny
- dad had a board made from the bar of his local when the pub was
refurbished! Sporting activities continued for me after I left school, at
Old Hamptonians Football and Cricket Clubs (ten years as Treasurer may have
influenced selection!), and as captain of the Golf Society. Most of this
time in my life was spent disguised behind a large bushy red beard, and I
hung up my bat after forty years at the crease!
Despite these distractions, which included England winning the 1966 World
Cup at the time I took my finals, and the fact that my pal John had three
beautiful Brazilian sisters living next door, I managed to study, qualify,
update the accounts department of an advertising agency, get married, raise
two children and set up my own accountancy practice, which I ran in Richmond
for 25 years. A working highlight was acting for the directors and producers
of most of the BBC comedies of the time - Only Fools & Horses, Some Mothers
do have 'em, Yes Minister/Prime Minister etc. This led to a specialization
which has stood me in good stead to this day, and means frequent contact
with the world of media and entertainment. Continuing Professional Education
requirements take me on a residential course at Queen's College, Cambridge
each year, so I didn't miss out on the university experience altogether.
Photo - Harlequins Supporters Club
I have a son and daughter, both in their thirties. They grew up in
Teddington, where we had a traditional 'Three Men in a Boat' Edwardian skiff
moored, so spent time 'messing about on the river' and, occasionally,
falling in! Family membership with Middlesex County Cricket Club meant many
a happy hour was spent together at Lord's. Memorable holidays in France,
Cyprus, Tunisia, St Lucia and Disneyworld all come to mind. Anna, my
daughter, worked in Italy for many years after graduating, variously in Rome
and Sicily, so we needed no excuse to visit. She now teaches near me in
South London, and is expecting her first baby in the summer. Her swarthy
partner, Giuseppe, is a musician from Palermo, who has played at the
Edinburgh Festival. My son, Ed (yes, named after his great great cricketing
grandfather) has recently been to New Zealand and South Africa with Chris
Hoy, the Olympic gold medal winning cyclist, to make ads for Kellog's, and
recently worked on the government anti drug driving campaign. He and his
wife, Deb, have blessed me with two lovely blonde grandsons, Tom & Finnie.
My current activities include concert & theatre going, gardening (good with
roses), local history and, of course, enjoying the grandchildren. I am a
great rugby fan these days, having changed codes from 'a game for gentlemen,
played by hooligans' to 'a game for hooligans, played by gentlemen'! I am a
member at Harlequins, a passion going back to my Twickenham days, which I
now share with Pam Taylor's daughter (and fellow season ticket holder) Emmy,
together with my son & elder grandson - we all sport the multi coloured kit!
I live on the South London/Kent border near Down House where Charles Darwin
evolved his famous theory, and Dulwich Picture Gallery, which is a source of
endless interest by way of exhibitions and lectures. I enjoy the work of the
contemporary philosopher, AC Grayling, who is a regular speaker there. The
current lecture series is entitled 'That Was The Sixties That Was'; I was
there, and remember it well!
I'll conclude with one of my favourite quotes, from a plaque on a bench in
my local park: "Fill your days with smiles not tears; count your life by
friends not years"