Founded 1980
Chair:        
Secretary: 
Treasurer: 

Graham Smith
Jan Thompson
Graham Mumby-Croft


YOUR LETTERS

A very quiet period for correspondence and contact; not helped by the fact that the date of the Re-union/ AGM had to be changed late on to a date I could not manage. So I was deprived of meeting up with colleagues, which I greatly missed as it is always a delight to meet up with old friends.

Reflecting on all this I had to face up to the fact that we are all getting older. My own health is holding up, but it now takes longer to get things done. Two of my closest friends are now in nursing homes, others
are suffering from dementia, my brother has had a mild stroke, two cousins are awaiting further hospital operations, and too many friends have lost partners, as well as so many dear colleagues having left us. Mobility is a problem for others. A number of widows have advised us that they no longer recognise the names of colleagues mentioned in the Newsletter. The younger generation of governors do not en masse appear to have the same spirit of camaraderie that we all enjoyed. So we have to recognise that times are changing.

However, the aim has always been to provide a vehicle whereby retired colleagues can keep in touch, exchange views and share experiences. We know that this remains important and is welcomed and cherished by members. Whilst that remains so, we will strive to offer the service to the best of our ability, but it does need your help if it is to be sustained.

Sadly more colleagues have departed, amongst them, Alf Cox formerly Governor 3, who died at home in Nottingham on the 14th of March 2016. I can still remember Alf, although it is a very long time since I have seen him. He could be a bit irascible at times but was fully committed to the PGA and served on the Executive Committee. Jenny Adams Young comments, ‘Another decent soul gone who was on the PGA NEC at one time.’

We have been informed by Alan Craig that John Baxter, ex-Northern Ireland PGA secretary, died earlier this year. It is difficult to describe the kind of pressure John faced, the troubles in Ireland were at their height, and prison staff were on the extremists’ hit list. At PGA meetings John was always his quietly good
-mannered, modest self, but determined to achieve the best for his colleagues. As Harry points out, he
was also a very good host: ‘John entertained me when I was General Secretary and visited Northern Ireland Prisons, and he also introduced me to the delights Bushmills: a great fellow. ’ Jenny writes, ‘I felt really sad when I read this, I remember him well. He was Governor of the Maze for a while and had a very difficult and stressful time there. Billy Irvine used to come with him to NEC meetings and was highly protective of him. I recall having a conversation with Billy and voicing my concerns about John ’s health, which Billy shared. I hope he managed to have a few decent years of retirement because he had earned them with all the pressures he endured.’

Alan Holman’s son advised via Peter Leonard that Alan died at 3am on31st March whist in Castle Hills Hospital, Hull, from aggressive cancer. The funeral took place on the 8th April at Woodlands Crematorium, Scunthorpe. I remember Alan as a quiet, modest man of great ability and tenacity; he was also possessed of a wry sense of humour. Graham Smith comments, ‘Sad news about a lovely man and a very discerning one too as he gave me my promotion to G5 many years ago.’ (Well we all make mistakes!)(continued
on P29)

Finally, for now, Larry Stones passed away on the 18th June this year at the Pilgrims Hospice, Ashford, from kidney failure: he was 85 so had had a good retirement. I know Larry served as Governor at Dover and Sudbury and was well known to many with his involvement in the Exam Marking Board. Larry was an outgoing, jovial soul who was always good company; he liked a tipple or two and good food. He was as straightforward as they come, and always very honest when giving an opinion.

I have reached the age when each death reported saddens me deeply at the loss of another quality colleague; they also bring back so many happy memories. However, on balance I now feel it is time that I should hand over the reins of this role in the near future. I will have held the role for 17 years and I feel it is probably right for the next generation to take over. It has been a privilege to be contacted by so many, often with additional information just for myself. Malcolm referred to it as eight years being shot at.

On the early death of his father, who was a Prison Officer, Malcolm left the Gordon ’s and came home to
Gloucester and became a Prison Officer himself.’

It is fascinating what we do not know about our colleagues. I was particularly interested as my grandfathers (whom I never knew) were also in the Gordon Highlanders, but they were not as lucky as they were killed in France and are buried there.

Roger Outram remains as busy as ever. Apparently, he was asked to help organize a re-union for Belmarsh staff, which he was pleased to do. Over 200 staff have shown an interest, and when I spoke to Roger, 60 had committed themselves to attend.

It has just been announced and celebrated that Mother Teresa of Calcutta has been made a saint by the Pope. For me, it is still a thrill that working in what the public probably regard as a rather mundane Service, one experienced unexpected and wonderful experiences, one of which was meeting Mother Teresa. On her return from South America to India, she stopped off in London, and whilst there visited Wormwood Scrubs. She addressed a meeting of senior staff and then joined the R C Priest in a mass for the prisoners in the chapel. In her presence, she dominated the room, not just by what she said, but her total aura and personality, which exuded peace and calm and love for everyone, particularly the underprivileged.
She was small in stature but large in personality. Her only ‘luggage’ for that almost worldwide travel was contained in one brown paper bag! That all happened nearly 40 years ago but remains vivid in my memory.

I also met Desmond Tutu of South Africa, but that is another story.

With the August Bank holiday approaching, Malcolm Manning was also in a reflective mood in respect of 40 years earlier and the Hull Riot. He has written a very personal and honest account of the events of that weekend, and the impact had upon all those involved, and clearly the vivid images that remain 40 years on.

I can empathise with Malcolm as the Scrubs ‘mini riot’ also took place on the August Bank Holiday weekend, not that I was there for it, but I joined on the Monday in the immediate aftermath and lived with the ongoing inquiry which dragged on for over a year. Although not involved directly, I was still interviewed twice by the police, which felt more like an interrogation and as if they were trying to prove someone was criminally at fault.

Malcolm’s account is reproduced below:

HULL 1976
Whilst in a reflective mood the other day it occurred to me that it will be forty years since the serious riot
at Hull Prison.

In the May that year I had regraded from Senior Foreman at the Scrubs to A.G.1. and was posted to Hull. The Governor was Arthur Kearns, a taciturn non-smoker who within a month was posted to Stafford and replaced by Harold Parr an ebullient big Hamlet-smoking ex R.A.F. character.

The prison population was typical of the Cat. 'A' Prison at the time. There were, however, a goodly sprinkling of top London villains whom I had run up against before in the P.R.O.P. disturbances 1970/71 at Albany.

The day before the August Bank Holiday Monday, the Dep. Gov. Reg. Withers asked me if I would perform his Evening Duty Governor's duties as he had an external meeting to attend. I agreed to do this for him, so that evening found me on The Centre, the prison being unlocked for association, when at about 19.00 hours I was approached by a small delegation of inmates saying that they had heard that an inmate named Walbanks had been beaten up in the Segregation Unit and they demanded to visit him.

I told them this was a false rumour and their request was denied. What we did not know was that the wife of one of the heavies had been arrested at the train station carrying drugs so the chaps were very unhappy and looking for trouble.

My decision was not accepted and they said they wanted to speak to the No.1. Governor. I said he was not available but I would phone him. When I contacted Harold he said, 'No' to their request, ‘Keep them talking’ as he was coming in, ‘but order the normal lock up at 20.00 hours.’

As you might well imagine, the atmosphere became increasingly tense, the delegation demands more clamorous several of them reminding me of their ability to cause trouble from our previous Albany front - offs. I had by this time called all patrol staff to the Centre not wanting anyone isolated and vulnerable to hostage taking. So at 20.00 hours, I gave the order "All away." There was an immediate rush of the entire population into 'A' Wing adjacent to the Segregation Unit when we followed them in and were met with a bombardment of cell furniture. We withdrew and secured the Centre gate. Unfortunately, the Wing skylight had no security bars and they soon smashed through the Georgian wired glass and thereby gaining access to all the prison roofs. They also smashed their way into the Segregation Unit releasing the occupants.

I was ordered by Harold, who was now in the Control Room, to withdraw to the secure office area attached to the wing with the patrol staff and hold it as a forward observation post, which we did for the next 48 hours whilst mayhem and destruction raged all around.

There is one amusing incident I recall. By the second night without food, we were pretty hungry and I asked if any rations could be got through to us. We were surprised when under the cover of darkness and a quiet period, the Cook & Baker P.O. Denis Freeman bravely galloped up with a wooden tea chest full of fried egg sandwiches. The hot eggs had melted the copious butter causing them to part company with the bread. We spent a considerable amount of time searching the edible debris to reconstruct the sandwiches but believe me an egg banjo has never tasted so good before or since!

My team were relieved from our position on Wednesday morning, returning to duty that evening to take over from staff in the one unaffected wing 'B' Wing and during that night receiving inmates who had started to surrender and ones and twos from the riot area.

It is very hard to describe the feelings one has when faced with the complete loss of control of a prison. With twenty years’ service under my belt confrontation was not something new, especially in those days, but this was something different: a great deal of fear, and the complete collapse of authority. What I did learn was that when it happens, no amount of negotiations will end it, only concluding when burning itself out by the fatigue of the participants.
On the Friday morning, the rioters indicated it was over. I was sent with a team to the sub-centre to receive them as they came out singly and we gave them the initial rubdown search. We breathed a sigh of relief. Our troubles were over! But they were not: there then followed post-riot.

First came a large number of allegations of staff brutality both during and post-riot from the inmates, causing a police enquiry to take place. No-one knew the content of the allegations. The police stated that they would deal with the minor ones first and work their way to the more serious ones. We didn't know if this was police procedure or a mind game. Months were spent waiting to be questioned or not.

When I was taken to Police Headquarters the interviewing officer advised me that when my name was mentioned by an inmate a file was raised. His sergeant then placed a large stack of files on the table. For a moment my heart sank, then I realised that in addition to my initial confrontation I had also received the surrender, so was named by most inmates. There were some spurious allegations against me but the control room log placed me in a different part of the prison where they were supposed to have happened. Other physically and emotionally exhausted members of staff were not so fortunate. Some were charged with assaults against prisoners and convicted.

Then of course followed the Home Office Enquiry carried out so diligently by Gordon Fowler, who handled us considerately in having to relive it all again for which we were grateful.

Now all those years have passed, even so in my memory and I'm sure in those who may still be around, that August Bank Holiday is still very fresh in our minds.


MALCOLM MANNING


As ever always good to hear news of colleagues, I am sure you all agree, so the more who make contact the more impact your Newsletter creates. So it is, as always, down to you all.

Bob Duncan

September 2016


Issue 75 Autumn 2016