Hamonds Grammar in 1950s

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Hamonds Grammar in 1950s

Michael Moore 04/02/2005, 11:33 AM
Hamonds Grammar Scholars of 1950s

I am the son of Mrs Moore the Biology teacher. Chance made me look at the EDP web site and the result was the letter below.

-------------Forwarded Message-----------------

From: Moore, 113504.726
To: edp, INTERNET:EDPLetters@archant.co.uk

Date: 02/02/2005 12:28

RE: Crane Fruehauf

Eastern Daily Press

Dear Editor

For those of us who are students of the early twentieth century, we see in Dereham the effects of what Harold Macmillan, Earl Stockton, called the "Passchendaele" of industrial (and agricultural) wasteland of the 1920s and 30s returning. We have the return of an overpriced currency called a "gold standard" and a Chancellor of the Exchequer claiming his miserliness is justified by a "golden rule". Nobody has told us where this golden rule comes from: perhaps its from God but we have not been informed of the contents of this dialogue!

One of the great differences between the 1914-18 generals and Nelson and Churchill, was that they did not throw away the lives of their men for pointless ends as in the trenches of Belgium and Verdun. However Nelson and Wellington had the advantage of the healthiest manpower in Europe, the healthiest economy, the best ships and the best weapons, all provided with wealth by those who worked the land. This was all in spite of, or perhaps because of, losing the American Colonies.

Against the advice of Willam Pitt "the Elder", Earl of Chatham, Lord North tried to tax the colonists in order to "balance the budget" just as Gordon Brown is doing today. It led of course to far larger loss of money, which appears to matter to some governments much more than loss of lives. Later, trade with the USA more than compensated for the cost of the war.

The industrial revolution grew out of the wealth of farming enhanced by the reforms of "Turnip" Townsend, Coke of Holkham Hall and other "improvers", which were so admired and copied on the continent. In fact most manufacturing was and still is either in the service of agriculture or defence.

After 1815, Britain's leadership was squandered in another bout of monetarism, so that by the end of the century our industry and our army and our health were overtaken by Germany and Japan. Fortunately, the United States' were not.

Michael Moore
formerly of Glasmas, Ashill, Thetford
58 The Ridge, Marple, Stockport SK6 7ER

"History Today" has an article saying that school children today see nothing funny in "1066 And All That" because they do not know anything about English history. So what I wrote probably means nothing to them. Do even Norfolk schools today teach about Townsend? Mrs Moore was always talking about Townsend and Coke which she pronounced 'cook of hookem hall'. Was she right?

What interests me is what of the bits of history Mr Dimock (is that right?) taught. My guess is that the only one who attacked the nonsense of balanced budgets was Albert Hunt. We still keep in touch at Christmas with Albert and Dorothy in Huddersfield.

Michael