- Contributed by听
- cornwallcsv
- People in story:听
- Enid Lydiatt, Gareth Netherton, Rev. D Graves, John Newton
- Location of story:听
- Biscovey St Blazey Gate
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A4174229
- Contributed on:听
- 10 June 2005
This story was submitted to the People's War website by Sue Sutton on behalf of Enid Lydiatt, the author and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understnads the site's terms and conditions.
What Price Discipline?
The retirement of Gareth Netherton a well known Par figure has raised quite a few memories. It reminds me of my two Youth Lieutenants, Gareth and John Newton who helped me run the Youth Club at Tywardreath during the war, under the supervision of the Rev D Graves - a father figure in the village drawn out of retirement to become the Vicar of St Andrew's.
The youth club (St Frances) had a membership of over 100. Youth came from all the surrounding disricts. Youth of today have no idea how difficult life was socially. No petrol for ordinary cars. no buses after 8pm - complete blackout - no road lights - certainly no light from houses.
The club had a two part evening - the first half was generally a talk or discussion up until 9pm. Then we had a 10 minute prayer led by the Vicar and afterwards organised recreation, table tennis, shove halfpenny etc.
Looking back I am amazed we had no trouble, no vandalism, no fighting, no violence whatever.
One evening I invited some American soldiers stationed at Tregrehan to bring their Glee Choir. The evening was thrown open to the village, afterwards we had an old fashioned social evening which they thoroughly enjoyed! We played such things as musical chairs. Have you ever sat on a bottle put down sideways? Sat on it, crossed your legs and tried to light a candle? The Americans loved it.
What a contrast to today's youth, who have everything! I well remember one sermon the Rev Graves gave from the pulpit. He was a missionary in the Far East and had to visit many islands and some were run by cannibal natives.
He said that he landed on one island to be greeted by the ribal chief. On enquiry about a feast being held, the chief told him that they were 16 year old boys sitting down eating the flesh of another such boy who had broken one of the laws and paid the ultimate price. What an example of discipline!!
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