Speaker Rotarian Bob Bradman Thursday 15th. December PART 1 (part 2 in next edition)
I PART 1
t is always a pleasure to hear one of our
members speak and today was no exception. William Robert Winston Bradman was born in Purley Cottage Hospital on the 12th. May 1940, two days before Winston Churchill became Prime
Minister. (His dad was a staunch conservative and admirer of the great man). During WWII Bob was evacuated to his mother’s in-laws as Croydon was a prime target for air raids due to the proximity of airfields and the railway. After a very short time his mother had had enough and moved home, preferring to take a chance there rather than live with the in-laws! One of the vey few memories of that period of his life was, on returning home the family found that two adjacent houses had received direct hits and the shards of glass from the broken windows of his house were embedded in walls and doors and one can only imagine what would have happened if they had been in the house at the time.
H
e attended the local Primary School and at eleven he went on to grammar school.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, he was not allowed to attend Croydon Grammar school as he was not living in the town itself and as a result he had to travel across town to attend Wallington Grammar School. It was while he was at this school that an event took place which helped to mould his life in later years. His French teacher always taught in French, something that the young Bob took for granted but which, with hindsight, he came to learn was quite a forward thinking teaching method. Through this teacher he went on an exchange visit to France and in Dunkirk his friendship with the young Francois blossomed and he began to experience a whole new world including many cultural and social differences.
Food was differ- ent, and clothing (Francois wore culottes and a be- ret to school not a school
uniform)
and the attitude to alcohol (he had his first experienc- es of wine at the tender age of 15) to name but a few had a profound influence on the young English student. It was from this point that he became a confirmed ‘Francophile’ and still is. He did well at school and at the age of 19 he gained a schol- arship to attend Southampton University where he studied Chemistry.
T
he fact that Bob had a scholarship meant that he spent his university days in halls
of residence which proved to be a blessing and a curse. The halls offered him an exciting social life but had an effect on his studies and he graduated with a Pass Degree. Another bonus to being in Southampton was that he met Pam, who was to become his wife.
D
ue to editorial
and publication pressures PART 2 of this tale will appear in the next issue of the Bull.
George trying his hand at shorthand making notes to write this story in time for this edition of our
BULL which closes today
Video of the full speech can be seen on our Club website at:-
www.hornchurchrotary.org
57
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70