Letter: Anne Richardson "Ricky" (Wall).

November 24th, 2011

Dear Mr. Nash,

Dietmar Esser taking burrs out of my hair. (Note blazer and badge!). (Foto taken by Walter Alsbach)

Thank you for giving your postal address to my friend David Goodwin the otherday. I had been sent the article out of the Redditch Standard by another friend who was at Redditch County High School with me, and e-mailed David to see if he could contact you.
I was taught every year of my seven at RAHS by your old friend, Martin Deutschkron, who was always referred to affectionately by his pupils as “The Dok”. He taught me German, French (briefly) and, in the 6th form, Spanisch. Sadly I have to confess that I did not pass my A-level German exam. (Not Doc’s fault, I am sure.) But I did obtain O-level Spanish after two years.
Doc took me twice to Lorbach – in the summer of 1953 when I was only just 14, an again in 1955. I had exchange girls staying with me at my home at Rowney Green when the group from Cologne came over to Redditch. Regrettably I am no longer in touch with any of the Germans who were then my friends.
Enclosed is a typed up account of the end of holiday party we had at Lorbach in 1955 – I rather think I must have been asked to compile this, perhaps for publication in the school magazine, but I don’t remember. I found the pencil version amongst a lot of my RCHS memorabilia earlier this year. I hope it will be interest to you.

Fotos siehe..: In the two large photos I have copied for you, you will see The Doc and a mix of German and English pupils during the Easter-time visits of Herr Alsbach and his group. In the larger one, taken in the School Hall, Doc is in the foreground left corner and Herr Alsbach stands behind his son Walter, who is wearing a check jersey under his jacket. Our Headmaster, Rev.A. Dalton Murray, is in the extreme Right. For some reason I am not in this group – again, I cannot recall why! I think this one was taken in 1954.
In the smaller picture, 1955, we are in one of the Science Labs and the Dok is fifth from the right, back row. I was in England this year, on holiday, and met up with several of the people in that photo. I am in the back row, in front of the blackboard, 7th from the Left.

One of the smaller photos shows the bread and jam we were given at Lorbach hostel – it seemed very plain fare to us, from the UK, but it was wholesome and filled our stomachs … bright red jam of unknown derivation, and large thick oval slices of white bread! David Goodwin is the lad on the left, with raised eyebrows, and in the Dorm picture, he is on the upper bunk on the left – again, looking rather surprised!!
The tree photos taken in 1953 show my friend Janet and I wearing our school blazers with the badge very prominent. The boys in those photos are all Germans.
Finally, I am enclosing a copy of a lovely little “snap” taken with my 1950s box “brownie” camera, of dear Dok together with two of my contemporaries, the late Maureen Treadgold on the left, and Margaret Freeman on the right. This was by our school tennis courts as you can see.
I was not a very good pupil, being a regular Chatterbox (as you can probably tell, things haven’t improved much over the years …) and Doc sent me out of the class many times. He used to wag a finger at us and say “You get out of here in no time at all” and his other favourite admonition was “I give you THREE detentions” – meaning that we would then be called into the Headmaster’s office for a severe reprimand.
Looking back on the Lorbach adventure, we were very fortunate indeed to have those opportunities, not only to travel to a foreign country at such a young age, but to meet up with youngsters of our own age who, like us, had gone through the War with all its hardships on both sides. There was no animosity between us all, just an enjoyment of the holiday time together and sharing songs, dances, language and friendship. I seem to recall it only cost my parents £ 13 to send me, and most of THAT was pocket-money. We took gifts for the families we stayed within Köln, such as small quantities of tea and / or coffee (instant Nescafé) – but the amount was restricted by customs.
I haven’t realized until I read the article that Doc had stayed at RCHS, teaching, until 1969. We always thought of him as “old” even in the 50s, but then zhat is how we thought of most staff. They were just “teachers” – not really normal human beings!!!
I must tell you that in the 1970s, when driving through Germany with my late husband, Robert Goode, I persuaded him to take me to find Lorbach. I have a photo taken of me then sitting on a piece of concrete, which was, I think an old bunker or fortification, just up the hill from the Jugendheim. It was where I had sat with “boy friends” during the two visits in the fifties, and didn’t seem to have changed much in the intervening years.
I have a longer transcript of a hand-written “diary” made during the 1953 visit, and if you are interested to see this, I will print it out for you. Meanwhile, I think the contents of this envelope will be sufficient an hope that my letter will be some use to you in collecting your data about “the dear Doc” to pass on to Herr Schmitz.
Whith every good wish, and, if you like, I could come and visit you in 2013 when I plan staying in a rental cottage at Wilmcote during the summer.
Sincerely
Anne Wall
PS. I am now Anne Wall, as I married a Kiwi in 1993 after Robert died, but John also passed away in 1997!! I have been living in NZ since 1975 but visit UK often.

 In a Letter Sept.2014 Anne Wall wrote:

 I refer to a "local" met in the Gasthaus who had be a PoW in the UK town / Country of Derby.... He may not have been much older than us - perhaps in his 20s.
Walter Alsbach, who took the potographs, was the son of Herr [Willi] Alsbach, a teacher from the school in Köln we did our exchange with. I don't know if he is still alive, where he lives or what his career was, but he had, at 14/15, an excellent mastery of Englisch. ...

Ricky, Hans(?), Janet and Karl. (Foto taken by Walter Alsbach)	Ricky, Karl and Janet. (Foto taken by Walter Alsbach)
Country-dancing in the Eifel.- Ricky, Pat Cunningham, Jane Clifton and German partners.(Foto taken by Walter Alsbach)	Singing on the hillside, near Lorbach. Easily spottetd: Angela Hayes, Rob Harris, Dave Goodwin, Pat Cunningham. (Foto taken by Walter Alsbach)
Remember the bread and red jam? David Goodwin with two German boys. (Foto taken by Walter Alsbach)	Dave and Klaus (and Clouson) - "Dance of the seven Towels" in boy's dormitory. (Foto taken by Walter Alsbach)
"Dear Dok together with two of my contemporaries, the late Maureen Treadgold on the left, and Margaret Freeman on the right." (Foto taken by Ricky / Anne Richardson / WAll)

Übersicht aller Briefe und Veröffentlichungen:
Index

Index