Roy Spalding - Eulogy

ROY SPALDING Born 16th October 1937, Died 21st August 2009

Funeral ,27th August 2009, ‘All Angels Anglican Church’ Dalgety Rd, Beaumaris, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Eulogy read by Ken Pittman

My name is Ken Pittman from Perth Western Australia formerly Wandsworth Common London. Like Roy a former member of Emanuel School, Battersea, South West London.

Roy attended Emanuel between 1949 and 1956 and I am privileged to represent the Old Emanuel Association here today. Especially Roy’s many Old Emanuel friends in the UK, Australia, Canada and elsewhere in the world.

Like Roy I am a member of the OE’s, the old boys of Emanuel School, a school established in 1594 by Queen Elizabeth the 1st and Lady Dacre.

The School Motto being, ‘Pour Bien Desire’, ‘The Noble Aim’.

Lady Dacre’s aim in establishing the school was: ‘For the bringing up of children in virtue and good laudable arts so they might better live in time to come by their honest behaviour’

To my knowledge the boys and especially Roy have without fail lived up to Lady Dacre’s wishes!

There are many distinguished OE’s who have made their marks upon our society. Sportsmen, Academics, Leaders of the Medical Profession, of the Business World and Lawyers. For example Michael Aspinall of the Antique Road Show was a contempory of Roy. The founder of the World Wide Web, Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee being the most famous.

The OE association was formed in 1893 “For the purpose of Personal Friendship and for the Maintenance of the Spirit of Loyalty to the school’. Roy, Peter Lewis, myself and literally hundreds of other OE’s maintain that friendship and will continue to do so. Only last month a group of us got together in Sydney to celebrate the 90th Birthday of an OE, a former Navigator on WW11 Lancaster’s.

Roy was born to Nellie and Arthur Spalding in Wandsworth London SW18 in 1937. Growing up in nearby Streatham initially during the years of the WW11 London ‘Blitz’. Like many kids of his generation he was evacuated from London for the safety of the country. He was sent to a farm in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. A time Roy used to reminisce with pleasant memories. Emanuel School itself was evacuated to avoid the carnage of WW11.

Roy was at Emanuel from 1949 to 1956. He was one of the stars of the school. I arrived as Roy was leaving. He was in the upper sixth I was in first year. He was a 17 year old Prefect. I was an11year old new boy. He probably sentenced me to detention, he might even have given me a canning, prefects could in those days.

Emanuel was a Public School, which meant it was a very private school. One had to pass and pass well the infamous 11 plus exam to be offered a scholarship to Emanuel. The 11 plus exam was one every child in the UK before they reached the age of 11 had to sit to decide what standard of secondary school you went to.

As Senior Boys we wore Boaters in the summer some wore Trilby’s in the winter. We had to purchase our school uniform from the exclusive Harrods in Knightsbridge. The prefects on duty by the school entrance would check everyone arriving at school every morning to make sure our caps were not bashed ie the peaks were not curled, our ties were straight, and that our shoes were clean. If they were not we were given detention the following Saturday Morning. More than 3 hours detention meant the cane from one of the prefects. Hence my comments earlier Roy may have caned me!

Roy was a very good athlete. He held the record for the fastest mile, a record that stood for many years after he left. He excelled also at Rugby and Cricket. After school he continued his athletic achievements with the then famous Hern Hill Harriers. I am sure they were more athletic than the Hash House Harriers I am involved with. They are a bunch of geriatric runners who go drinking or a bunch of geriatric drinkers who go running we are not sure which. Roy continued his Rugby and Cricket skills by joining the OE’s. Which is where my relationship with Roy started. I do not think Roy was too impressed with our first encounter as it was in a rugby game between the School and the Old Boys. I was in the sixth form at school in our first XV and he was an OE in their first XV. It was the first time ever and possibly the only time ever that the school beat the OE’s. I was subsequently invited to join the OE team. From then on we played many games together.

Roy enjoyed his beer like all of us, especially he enjoyed a pint of ‘Worthington E’ after the game. He was very much into the social, into the camaraderie and into the team spirit of the OE’s. We OE’s formed strong friendships then, that are still with us today 50 years later.

It is difficult to understate the comaraderie that exists between the old boys of that and later periods. Wherever you go in the world you can be sure of a warm welcome, whether you were exact contemporise or not, and Roy together with Jacquey, have been congenial hosts on many occasions to old boys from here and overseas who were visiting Melbourne.

Roy will be missed but always remembered as is shown by the numerous messages of support for his family from not only here in Australia but from OE’s all over the world. Many stories of Roy’s activities will continue to be told and all those who knew him will treasure the time spent in his company.

He was a true friend.

KEN PITTMAN 27th August 2009

k.cp@iinet.net.au