MY HEELS 1958
It's 1958, I am 10. I started to to get pains in my heels. Dr Crean (son of the Arctic explorer with Scott) referred me to Stratford upon Avon Hospital, where an X-Ray showed little boney teeth growing out of my heel bones (I saw the X-Ray). I was prescribed foam pads under my heels in my shoes, and excused games at school - I think perhaps the diagnosis was “He will grow out of it”; it appears this was 'Osteochondritis' which just means bone inflammation.
Consequently, when we did Country Dancing at St James' with Mrs Glover (apparently a part of the curriculum at that date; I remember 'Circassian Circle' particularly), it was I that operated the gramophone (and it probably was a wind up gramophone with a horn). It was also suggested I could score for Class 4 cricket matches. These were held a 15 minute walk away on the Vicarage lawn. I was duly installed on the boundary with a score book and pencil, and play commenced. But I had two problems that the cricket-mad games master and pupils had not thought through; clearly it never occurred to them it was possible I knew absolutely nothing about cricket. Having no interest in sport I had no idea how cricket was scored or what the aim was, and because they were a year above me I didn't know the names of the team members. I made a confused effort to fill the book in, but at the close of the match when they all crowded round me to find out the final score it was discarded in disgust and the master declared it a draw. I was never asked to score again. I expect they thought I did it deliberately.
Then of course I took and passed the 11+ and was due to attend King Edward VI grammar school, Stratford upon Avon. 'Pont' was provided (who by?) with a doctor's note that I was excused games – and I duly was. So for the first four years I did no PE in the gym (though for the first session I did sit through ‘British Bulldog’ - it was Tidbury Green all over again), and no rugby, cricket or cross country running, and I didn't joint the Cadets. Which was fine by me, and a relief, but I now realise it must have irritated my form-mates and helped to 'other' me - and by then the osteochondritis had presumably resolved long ago. The PE master Barnsley, bless him, dutifully wrote in each terms' report (and in everyone else's) “Progress has been satisfactory” - he may even have had a rubber stamp made. But he retired, and a new, young, fit, track-suited, enthusiastic PE teacher Mr Evans arrived for my 5th year, and about half way through I was called into the headmaster's office (by now 'Nolly' Pratt) and asked to explain why I wasn't doing games. I never found out who had welched on me; it could have been a fellow pupil, a staff member or the PE teacher.
Difficult; very difficult - but a bit late. I think he contacted my doctor in Henley in Arden Dr. Gunn, who presumably had no knowledge of seven years earlier in Shirley, and so in effect I got away with it. I did have to score for that summer's cricket season, which actually I quite enjoyed; and made up for my disaster at St James'.