Founded 1980
Chair:        
Secretary: 
Treasurer: 

Graham Smith
Jan Thompson
Graham Mumby-Croft


Below is this months letter from Bob Duncan to who I am eternally grateful not just for his wonderful correspondence but for his enduring friendship. (R.O.)

Several of you will know how deeply I was saddened by the death of Derek Twiner. We had joined the Service together on the 24 Staff Course at Love Lane in September 1964. We were of the same age and shared many other tributes. He had retired to Canterbury and I had made contact by phone and we had talked about our shared experiences and had planned to meet up in Canterbury; the virus had delayed making any arrangements, so it never took place.
I was both moved and cheered by the kindness of fellow Independent Monitoring Board member, (Leicester in his case) and ardent supporter of the RPGA, John Berry OBE, who wrote a poem in honour of Derek. He has graciously agreed that I can share it.
For Derek
Do you remember the seniority list?
And Governors who kept one on their desk?
Striking off names as colleagues departed,
Some, smiled even though they were’ broken hearted’
Well, that’s a loss, what another three.

Bad news, yet suddenly some vacancies
Shall I apply, it certainly feels odd
But one cannot argue with God
So off we go to Portland place
And join again in the promotion race
We all want to sit in the ‘big chair’
Not thinking of what we will find when we sat there
We never had an easy time not like those we left behind
And in retrospect we see, a
Golden Age of prison history
We are part of that, we changed the way
that prisons are operated today.
We may not think we were a winner
But certainly had one in Derek Twiner

I am also grateful to Francis Masserick for getting in touch reference the funeral details and an update on Derek, saying he was sorry to hear of Derek’s death. He was never ill in his memory and never smoked nor carried excess weight. Francis is now residing on the Isle of Man, and explained it was not possible for him to attend the funeral as he would need to quarantine for 21 days on return to the Isle. I had considered Derek as a confirmed bachelor; I was both surprised and delighted to discover that in the later years there was a young lady who enhanced his life.

21st Staff course 1964

























​Back: Barry Smith, George Shore, Bob Duncan, Dave Sherwood, Derek Twiner, Kit Jarman
Steve Pryor, Paul Clairmont, Dave Alderson, Norman Lewington, Joe Witty, Kelvin Wyatt, Bob Mole, E Dunton,
Hamilton Smith, J Miller, John Williams, Kate Warburton, Howard Jones, Teg Davies, Colin Scott,
Ted Williams, Wilf Booth, David Hewlings, Brian Emes, Bill Driscoll,


​I attended Derek’s funeral at Barham Crematorium in April, the only other Governor grade there was David Chapman from Leeds. We were able to have a chat prior to the Service, and it was clear how much he both respected and admired Derek as a friend. He gave a formal tribute:

Derek, our friend of 45 years was firstly a man of utter integrity and loyalty. His quiet manner belied his strong principles and he was never afraid to stand up what he knew to be right. He first came into our lives in 1976 when I was the most Junior Governor grade at Leeds. We soon discovered that he was a man for whom possessions and comfort seemed of very low priority. Even his hobby of collecting postcards, then just a £ or so each, reinforced this perception. His eye for ephemera was remarkable; he saw design and significance in the most humble of items.

Derek and worked together on alternate weekends and, amongst other things, I discovered his appetite for theology and religious practice was as prodigious as his appreciation for fruit cake. It was these discussions that occupied us for many hours whilst Kay was waiting outside in the car park with our three children who were desperate for their tea. For the sake of domestic harmony I invited him home. It was on the very first visit, whilst Kay was carrying a tray of food, Derek simply asked Kay "how would you define redemption by grace". This began years of debate between us all. He knew much about many religions. There were many, many, subsequent Saturday discussions.

Our children grew to love Uncle Derek as he revelled in playing board games with them, although his babysitting skills weren't up to much. As they have grown up, he has been at all their weddings, christenings, and the wedding of one of our grandchildren. My daughter remarked that Derek was a lovely men, and she was so glad he had been in her fife. He never rushed or could be rushed. He was just there being interested in us.

After retirement we enjoyed many holidays together. He spent six weeks with us while I was studying in Jerusalem for a year, three weeks in Mexico with its gruesome iconography. As three middle aged backpackers, we spent six weeks off the tourist trail in India, fascinated by its many religions. Derek and I also completed the 500 mile El Camino de Santiago with its sun, snow and sore feet for our 70th birthdays. Each location raising new theological discussions.
Of all the people that Derek made friends with, none gave us more joy then when Patricia came into his life. Their mutual love of Art, Music and especially opera supported a relationship that was so loving and caring.
Derek, we miss you.

Video Tribute-Francis Masserick (Not available)

People who have never come across Prison Governors might be forgiven for imagining that they are perhaps very similar to each other in the way that senior Army Officers or Bishops in the Church of England or Consultant Surgeons often seem to be almost clones.
In fact, Governors were very different to each other; some very liberal, some academic, some hands on practical, some bearded leftists and some highly authoritarian.

But even accounting for this range one can only say, *and then there was Derek".
In my 35 years in the Prison service, I never came across anybody like him. His capacity to be (or seek to be) fully conversant with every item of paper issuing from Headquarters, his need to understand every point raised in discussion, his capacity to work late to clear papers. and his irritation with himself if he failed to achieve these ends was, in my experience, unique.

I briefly knew Derek at Prison Service College in the early 70's (I was a new Assistant Governor he was the tutorial staff,) but I got to know him much more working as his Deputy in Castington Young Offenders Institution in Northumberland. He transferred therefrom New Hall Detention Centre in West Yorkshire which had been designated as one of the establishments to trial a programme for young offenders (when Willie Whitelaw was Home Secretary) entitled "The Short, Sharp; Shock". I have sometimes wondered whether was deliberate policy to have Derek in charge of something so entirely opposite to his own outlook so as to guarantee its doom. I can imagine Derek's cross examination of the authors of the policy on exactly how sharp the shock should be and how it should be applied.
I subsequently worked with Derek in Prison Service Headquarters dealing with what was then quaintly called Manpower Planning. At the head of the Division was a Senior Civil Servant with a total lack of interpersonal skills. Derek however spoke in his favour, "He's the only person I ever met who makes feel like a wild extrovert.

The Service was composed with the family’s approval by Susan Flipping MICF- Life Celebrant. It was beautifully put together and very moving, and every word was clear. She was personable and I am grateful for her kindness in providing some of the information.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

A missive from the far east from John Ship, he has recently had cataracts dealt with, so it is limiting his reading and computer use. He states all is well here in Hua Hin where the Covid bug isn't proving too problematic, apart from many restaurants closing and a lack of tourists. Looking at the number of photos he posts of the delicious meals he consumes, that does not seem to be too much of a problem.
He enquires after Paul Wailen's funeral, and hoped it went as well as could be expected in these difficult times. He was far too young to be taken, but it was a release from the pain. He asked after Max Morrison and Ivor Ward, as he had believed they passed away several years ago. I re-assured him that was not the case.

John Ship spent his first 14 years in Thailand never missing his traditional Sunday Roast. He was then asked why he ate that every week, 'because it is an English tradition' he said, Somebody then said, 'you not like Thai food I cook,no good! From that day gave up my traditional roast. That made someone very happy. From the
many photos of meals John has sent over time he would appear to have taken to Thai cuisine with a vengeance.
I must say they look very appetising.

John also asked , 'who on earth chose the time of the European Football Cup matches?' They were of course broadcast live in Thailand at 2am.

I've lived in Thailand for fourteen years, so I'm out of touch with the cost of living in the UK, so as we enter another period of lockdown and curfew here, I thought I'd try and compare prices between the two countries, at least from my own perspective. We don't have Council Tax as such, but we pay a monthly fee to the managers of our gated estate of about E49.70 per month, that covers the security guards, maintenance, gardening and lighting of the common areas, trash collection and upkeep of and running the communal pool. Our monthly water bill this month was E 7.85 and the electricity €80.00.

We pay €43.60 for our pool to be cleaned twice a week and f-32.70 for the gardener. Food prices are very cheap when Ice goes to the local fresh market. but the cost of Western Foods is quite high, yesterdays Supermarket monthly spend was 8,645 Baht, El 90, higher than usual but because of the lockdown I was allowed some treats, a pack of Crunchie Bars and a Bounty Bar at €7, with a tad over 25% of the spend on wine and beer. Petrol is about 50p a litre, MOT three quid and annual car tax about the same_ Fibre Internet is E 16,50 a month, and access to LIK TV channels is E 38 per annum. So probably there's little between us cost wise, but it's usually warmer here, though I do have to pay for my own healthcare.

I do not have health insurance as it is not available of somebody of my age at realistic price. I see a heart specialist in Bangkok every four months that costs about El 3, the most expensive thing I've had was having my cataracts removed and prescription fitted, that cost a tad under 52,900. For anything else I use the VIP section of the public hospital which costs El l, plus the cost of treatment. If I need treatment at a NHS Hospital when visiting the UK 2 1 would be charged 150% of the actual cost, despite the fact I'm still a UK taxpayer, and paid NI for forty years. My State Pension is frozen, but there is no clawback on my CSP, so I get full increase.

Red Cross Parcels are always welcome!.

Colleagues will be sad to hear that Ice lost her brother, he had been ill with diabetes for some time. His demise was very sudden and we certainly did not see it coming. I think he’d just had enough and gave up on life. The thing that hit Ice hardest was that she could not be with him at the end, or with her family.

An insight into the differences faced in taking up retirement in another country, as always there are pluses and minuses, but healthcare is always a dominant concern.

  • ​Now for something different:
  • Phil Wheatley was recently sent a 1982 documentary about prisons yesterday. To his surprise he found a picture of the gate at Leeds Prison with his first proper car, a bright yellow 2CV parked outside. It was an unexpected reminder of the past.
  • Asked if he was the Governor, he responded : “No it was the Governor’s designated parking place but on a weekend when I was Governor in charge I got to use it. My 2CV wasn’t really grand enough for such an exalted parking space, particularly as it had a large decorative dragon transfer on the boot and flames on the rear wheel arches”.Image
  • Oh happy days when common sense prevailed, it could not happen now!
  • Phil appears very fit and well and enjoys travel, and is a keen photographer, and he shares some very intriguing and clever photos.
  • Colleagues were curious to know when the photo was taken, Phil felt it was probably 1979 or 1980. Out of interest I include a list of the senior staff at Leeds Prison for 1980. It is an interesting mix of colleagues who will be well know to most of you.  


Senior Staff Leeds Prison 1980






































•














  • As lockdown deepened Phil Wheatley decided he would try something different, and he baked                                              

  • Walter McGowan responded, Welcome to the bakery. I have baked all our bread now for around                                                    5 5 years. Peter Earnshaw is the master baker though. He has been at it for 40 years.
  • •Jane used to bake her own bread and it created a beautiful ambiance whilst baking and that first 
  • warm slice was delicious. I should have taken more interest than I could have joined the bakery 
  • group. It was a bit of a shock to revert to shop bread! Do share your own pursuits with your 
  • colleagues.
  • Bill Abbott still enjoys living in Liverpool; he was delighted when it was awarded a ‘city of culture’ status that has now been taken away, I understand due to all the luxury flats developed along the old docks. Bill lives in one of those! You might remember when it was awarded, Bill quipped, ‘Criminals in Liverpool no longer steal cars, they steal ‘books’. I wonder what he might quip now.
  • Congratulations to Brodie Clark who has recently been appointed Chair of Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust.
  • I have not been quite so well of late, but keep plodding along and have more than enough to fill each day. News of colleagues always cheers me up, especially as I do not travel as much now, I hope it is the same for many of you.
  • Perhaps of no interest to anyone except me, it was reported in today's newspaper that in Kibworth Beauchamp in Leicestershire, hailstones the size of golf balls damaged cars and smashed windows. One families 2 cars had to be written off after being covered in large dents by the hailstorm. When I was at Gartree we lived in Kibworth Beauchamp, as did my wife’s elderly parents as we bought them a bungalow there, so Jane could be on hand. At least retirement meant I missed all that!


Bob Duncan

September 2021

  • Alan Scott has been visiting Scotland including the Isle of Arran where he happened to  visit 2 whiskey Distilleries. He admitted he could not resist the free sample. He made a  purchase, but hopefully it was not all the barrels in his photo.

  • I can recall when my children were younger that we decided to visit Scotland. We  based ourselves in Edinburgh but drove to Glasgow for the day. It was a wet and windy day, so after visiting all the traditional attraction we rather cold and wet. I am not much of a spirit   drinker, but when we spotted the sign at a distillery of a free tour, decided to enter to get dry.   It was  nice and warm in in there and looking at the bubbling vats was intriguing, but most of   all it was the warm, balmy exquisite smell emanating from vats; it almost enticed me to   purchase a bottle. I even turned down the free sample! Well I did have to drive back to   Edinburg with 2 children!
Issue 85 Autumn 2021 
Members Letters - Edited by Roger Outram.

My thanks to all contributors and as ever please take time to write something that will be of interest to all your retired friends and colleagues and send them to me. Nice short chatty letters will be published in this section of the newsletter longer with more specific content will be considered for a separate entry in the Newsletter.
Address to use is roger@rsoutram.co.uk or Roger Outram, 12 Grove Park, Magazine Lane, Wisbech, PE13 1LF.
Roger O
An e-mail from Calvin Hart to Graham Smith.

Hello Graham,

Thanks for the condolences, I tried to contact some ex colleagues of my fathers using phone numbers he had given me, but nearly all had either moved or were unreachable, as my father was 88 its not surprising

I will try to give a brief history of my father’s career as I remember it, you will have to forgive as it may time wise slightly inaccurate and much of it are the memories of a young child

Growing up I had quite of bit of time spent living in prison estates from Leyhill in Gloucestershire and Standford Hill on the isle of Sheppey, and finishing at Grendon and Springhill prisons in Buckinghamshire.
OK, so my father born in 1932 came from Cornwall, he was part of the family businesses in the Cambourne and Redruth area, the family businesses were quite diverse, they were the local building firm, undertakers and pig farmers, my grandfather also the local policeman.

My father decided after a spell in the army based in Benghazi mostly he returned to England and joined the prison service. From Wakefield training I believe his first posting was Parkhurst, after this he moved to London to work in Wormwood Scrubs, Brixton and Wandsworth, during court duty he met my mother and they married.

I was born while they lived at Thornton Heath and I think he was working at Wansdworth. We moved to West London while my father was at scrubs, where I think he was promoted to chief officer and during this time he studied for a degree in sociology with the open university.

After moving around London we moved to Grendon Underwood in approximately 1980 and after a spell as acting governor he was promoted to Governor, around 1984 we moved to the Isle of Sheppey in Kent to Standford Hill prison, this has memories for me, I was 16 at the time, and my father would on Christmas eve visit the night shift and take a small drink and snack for all of them and that year (rightly or wrongly ) I accompanied him.

From there he returned to Grendon and Springhill where he took charge in a siege situation in Grendon prison, one of only a few instances where this type of situation was successfully ended with the use of force. After this he transferred to Midland Region, helping to oversee several prisons. He retired around 1990.

He returned to Cornwall not long after this where he fulfilled a lifelong desire to have shire horses, but in 2008 he followed me and my family to Cumbria where we lived on the edge of the lake district, mainly to be close to his two grandsons Aaron and Kai who he doted on and spoiled shamelessly right up to his passing on the 1st October I’ve attached two pictures one from Wakefield but the other I’m not sure where or when this was taken, my father in the Wakefield picture is the furthest to the left standing back row, also is a picture with his two grandsons taken not long ago The prison service was for me a huge part of my life also as growing up around the prison officers clubs and on occasions arranging and playing rugby against some of the prison sides

I hope this gives some insight into my father’s life, he loved his time in the prison service and the many friends he had there, there were countless stories that he would tell, my friends would love listening to these and sit late into the evening, my father protesting “that’s enough now I don’t want to bore you all” mostly told with some single malt
Can I ask if this is in the magazine if its possible I can get a copy? I can supply an address in the UK if it is possible, as I live in the middle east


Thank you Graham for your interest and kind words.

Calvin Hart

Letter from Luke Serjeant

Dear Roger,

I am prompted to write having read Bob Duncan’s contribution to the Spring 2021 edition of the Newsletter, in which he suggests that having retired, I am now a keen and successful gardener. My wife wanted me to make it clear that I am just a labourer in ‘her’ garden, and that I do not know my delphiniums from my hollyhocks!

I was interested to read that Bob has written a book and I very much look forward to reading some more extracts from this in future editions. There is one story which I doubt he has included however.  

In 1983, I was looking for my first job after four years at Manchester University studying Town Planning. I came across a pamphlet advertising opportunities for Assistant Prison Governors. I recall Trevor Williams was the ‘poster boy’ on this pamphlet describing his role as a borstal house master. This did not put me off however and I applied.

I was not surprised when I received a rejection letter (which I still have to this day). The letter informed me that although I came up to the required standard others came higher in order of preference. I was surprised however, when a few weeks later I received a telephone call from the Civil Service Commissioners. They told me that there had been one or two ‘drop-outs’ from the interview process and they were inviting me to ‘make up the numbers’.

I accepted the invitation and two days later I made my way to the College in Wakefield, to take part in the ‘country house tests’. This is where Bob comes in as he was an assessor on these interviews. We were duly split into our groups of six candidates, and we met each other and the three people who would be grilling us over the next couple of days. Bob was one of those three and at our initial settling in meeting we all chatted and got to know each other over a cup of tea. I found myself looking up at Bob (I always seemed to be looking up to people during my time in the service – except Nick Pascoe of course).

I was terrified. It was my first ever job interview and here I was in a room alongside naval officers experienced teachers, and people that knew something of life. My teacup rattled on its saucer. I started speaking gibberish about roundabouts in Milton Keynes, my hand circling dangerously close to the teacup as I did so. Then disaster! My finger clipped the teaspoon on the saucer. It flipped off, span through the air and hit Bob in his midriff before falling to the floor.

‘Sorry!’ I exclaimed, my face turning scarlet. ‘Don’t worry about it!’ Bob replied. I bent down to pick up the spoon, he bent down to pick up the spoon and our heads banged together on the way down.
My prison career was over. I didn’t care how the rest of the interview process went I just wanted to go home. How strange therefore, that I was successful!  

When I spoke to Bob about this many years later, he claimed to have no recollection of the incident. I expect he had no recollection of the next couple of days as concussion could be the only explanation for why anyone would have appointed me.

I am pleased to report that I am fit and happy. I have three grandchildren, two boys in Hong Kong, and a granddaughter in London.

Luke Serjeant



























This is a photograph of the late John Dring together with John Cann and me at John Cann's retirement from HMP Bullingdon in 2000.
John Dring was the Midlands Area Manager and I succeeded John Cann as Governor at Bullingdon. John mentored me for a number of years. I remember him with fondness and admiration.

Please send Letters to: Roger Outram, 12 Grove Park, Magazine Lane, Wisbech, PE13 1LF

E-mail: roger@rsoutram.co.uk

Other contact: Telephone 01945 582624