Listen in to John Carey on Radio 4 tomorrow, Tuesday 30th November, 2004 at 3.45pm. John was at Shene appx. 1944-50.
The Photo Gallery now includes a cutting from Saturday's Daily Telegraph Radio and Television guide and this explains all
Editor's Note: A lot of people were interested in this and have written to me. A few samples......
Derek Corless................................Thank you for details of the re-union and for the advice of John Carey's talk on language. I was in St Mary's Barnes church choir with him back in 1952-3, he had a way with words even then, I remember some puns that were worse than mine.
Ray Theodoulou.............................. I think John Carey was at Shene rather later than you mention. I recall that he took my year 1952-58 on our first cross country run in the Park. We were small boys...second year perhaps. I remember the occasion well because I came in first but only because he stopped the runners half way round to ensure that nobody had got lost. I suspect that I must have had an advantage when the race restarted because I never came anywhere near winning such a race again. When we were coming out of those dreadful showers Carey asked who had arrived at the winning post first and I proudly raised my hand. Our Latin teacher told me that John was the only pupil he had ever taught who never forgot anything he was told. He also wrote poetry for the school magazine in the style of TS Elliot. Clearly a most remarkable man.
Mike Collett...........................................................Unfortunately, we were out, and I missed it! Carey (John) sat behind me in our last year at Shene and we were all asked to submit a poem or an essay for the school magazine by Mr. Bryant the English Master. Mine and Carey's were selected! I can still remember mine but not his!
I remember him saying to me (obviously highly envious of my undoubted literary talent) that my poem did not 'scan'. I couldn't understand his, because it was blank verse. I like a poem that rhymes, don't you?' It was called 'End of the Drought" and began with:-
"Splashes appear and widen in the pools caused by the pre-descended rain,
while ducks waddle joyfully across the yard"
... and so it went on in the same pulsating, gripping manner. Makes yer weep, dunnit? I only wrote a poem because it was quicker than writing an essay"