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Born in the same year as Marilyn Monroe, Harold Taylor gives us an insight into what life was like for one of his cousins, Charles Newell. Harold lived in Chichester with his parents and five siblings throughout his school days. His father worked for the local council.
Also at my school (St. Richard's) were my cousins, or more correctly my cousin, Peggy and her half brother, Charles Newell, regarded by all and sundry in later life to be a proper 'Charlie'. Their younger sister, Caroline, was not yet old enough to attend school.
At the time they lived in the Broadway at Summersdale, but soon moved into a council house in Pound Farm Road, and eventually one just along from us at 16 Alexandra Road. Whether my father had any influence in these moves I am not aware, but I suspect he did in the last one. This took place not long before the Second World War, and about this time Charlie started work.
Charlie's stepfather was my uncle, 'Walm' (Walmsley), who was older than my father. He was quite a progressive fellow and I heard my father state that he was a radical, and in the twenties would go to London and speak in rallies. Walm was a postman and as a public servant was restricted from speaking out, so he used Charlie as his voice.
Initially Charlie started work as a cycle delivery boy for Barber's the fishmonger, in South Street. (The shop is still in existence as Brierleys.) Old Mr Barber would walk all over town gathering his orders, going as far as Lavant, and Charlie would deliver them. When he was about 16, Chas (as I knew him) went to work at Shippam's meat paste factory.
Also about this time Walm created the White Rose Cricket Team, which was built around Chas who, up to that time, had not shown any propensity towards sport as far as I am aware. He was regarded, not only by the family but also the neighbours, as a laughing stock and an idiot.
I do not know what influenced my uncle on this scheme; maybe it was to make his stepson popular or to act out his own imagination. Around this time I remember he had from some source acquired a lot of score sheets of the first English touring cricket team to Australia and the test matches, known as the Lilleywhite Tour. Nobody could see anything coming of this, for Charlie was a misfit.
In fact if anything was to go wrong, you could be sure to hear the expression 'That's Charlie'. If the expression 'a proper Charlie' had not already been invented, I am sure he would have been the source for having coined it.
The White Rose Cricket Club took off and did remarkably well. Several neighbours were in the side and a number from nearby roads and places of work. My brothers both played a few times, but although good at school they never 'came off' with this team. Many of the players I believe were good cricketers, who could only get the occasional game with the club to which they belonged.
To support the finances, they would hold jumble sales and I remember travelling round the town of an evening with the hand cart, assisting in the collection of goods for sale.
During the winter months they created themselves into the White Rose Concert Party, which they carried on during the war. Walm was a good alto singer, and my father, who was a very good tenor, also took part. There was an insurance collector from Pound Farm Road by the name of Ralph, a good falsetto, who also performed.
Many of the team, who I am sure never had any aspiration for the stage, proved to be talented performers. They drew in some fine local talent as well, or they might even have been girlfriends of some of the lads. Two who instantly come to mind are Pearl Turner and Joyce Foote. Around the time I also remember Olga Napper, and Petula Clark, but I do not think they performed for them.
Petula Clark was one of local talent. Ron, who worked with me, was constantly relating to me what her next opportunity was, and when she was going to stay with them next, which was frequently. Ron lived in Bognor Road. I presume that Sid Clark, the accountant for Salter's the dry cleaners in Melbourne Road, was his father, as Petula certainly had an Uncle Sid.
Other local talent was Olga Napper, daughter of a tailor, who had a shop in North Street, and may have had the butcher's shop in St. James Road as well. He was a local councillor and at one time, mayor.
Another talented girl was Pearl Turner. She sang exceptionally well and appeared with the White Rose Concert Party. I think it was just after the war that she appeared on a Henry Hall programme on the wireless.
A local AA patrolman based at Fontwell, had written a song, 'The First Rose of Summer', and it was to be performed for the first time by Pearl on this programme. Much was made locally of the publicity, but generally it went down like a damp squib.
Then came the war and some of the lads were called up, thus depleting the cast, but they struggled on. Charlie was called up in the RAF regiment, but not for long. He soon came home with a knee injury, having been shot when coming off guard duty, allegedly by one of his companions whilst unloading his gun. Many, with humour, said he had probably done it himself.
After a long period of convalescence he was taken on by ENSA and served out the rest of wartime with them. His particular act was that of a country yokel telling silly jokes, for which I suppose he needed no training as it fitted him to a 'T'.
After demobilisation, to everyone's surprise, Charlie put up for local election. He was of course acting out the frustrated life of his stepfather, who was his guide and mentor. I suppose his life on the stage had made him quite a good orator with none of the inhibitions that would deter many. So, fed with ideas and other people pulling the strings, you might say he was a natural, the result being that he got in.
This, however, created a minor problem, the Council felt that they could not have an unemployed councillor, and quickly went about finding a job for him. This they created in the War Agricultural Committee at Fernleigh, their offices in North Street opposite the Council Offices. He issued some form of licence as far as I am aware.
He was popular as a councillor and pliable. My father by this time had lost face with his employers, who had changed post war. His wealth of knowledge and dissatisfaction was to provide both Charlie and Billy Brooks the answers to many pertinent questions and activities. Billy was an inspector at the Post Office, who also got on the Council after the war.
Ultimately he was to become mayor twice over and through some influence, created the Newell Centre. He has also given his name to other good works, of which he can be proud, considering his humble and inconsequential beginnings.
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