DOROTHY WHATELY-SMITH |
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Surname
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Whately-Smith
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Forename
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Dorothy
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Date of recording
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Sep 2009, Oct 2010
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Year of birth
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?
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Place of Birth
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Occupation
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Retired
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Fathers occupation
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Blacksmith
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Present Address
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Aldeburgh
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Location Interview
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Aldeburgh
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Interviewer
Summary |
Doreen Bartlett
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Duration
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87 Mins
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No of tracks: 10
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This recording is in two parts. The first interview is on three tracks. The second is on 7 tracks.
Track 1 [5 mins.01 sec] Mentions she was a founder member of NADFAS in Aldeburgh, in 1979. Mentions she was the first treasurer and took the members on their first trip abroad to Bruges in 1986. Mentions a forum being held when the founder members were interviewed. She remembers when she started NADFAS there was only one other in Suffolk, which was at Ixworth and they had 100 members and that was all that they could accommodate. Remembers starting NADFAS with Margaret Kennedy Scott, (shows the interviewer a card with all the founder members names on). Remembers getting all her friends together and raising money to buy equipment, screens etc. Held meetings in the Jubilee Hall and remembers having to set out all the chairs and cooking if they had a large function on. Talks about organising the trip to Bruges and travelling with Happy Wonderers Coaches. Three days trip was £70 per head. Mentions that she was also chairman of the Women's Section of the British Legion and then became vice chairman of the Men's Section, although these have now ceased to exist. Track 2 [10 mins] Mentions that the East Suffolk NADFAS is about to celebrate their 30th Anniversary. Mentions Mrs. Kennedy-Scott, Mrs. Rochford, Mrs. Camlyn who was the Secretary and is now President of East Suffolk NADFAS, herself as Treasurer, Mrs. Beatty, Mrs. Busy, Mrs. Jellicoe, Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Wood who is related to Elizabeth Garrett Anderson through her husband. Mentions Patricia Fay who started NADFAS off in the beginning. Mentions they have wonderful lectures and outings. Mentions that some of the lecturers used to have to stay over and be guests in their homes. Describes how the meetings were then held at the cinema which held many more people. Describes how the club grew so large that it had to be divided up and there are now other groups in Woodbridge and Sizewell. Mentions elderly people find the lectures fascinating and enjoy the outings, although nowadays they are much more expensive. Mentions that the cinema is now equipped to show live performances from such places as New York and there are often live performances of opera. Mentions the Carnival and her participation in the parade in her buggie and says that this has become an annual event and there are always plenty of people in buggies willing to join in. Last year the all dressed up as Pirates. Mentions Lady Maddocks who is 90 years old and is perhaps the prime mover. Describes how she loves the Carnival especially the lantern parade in the evening which she finds magical. Mentions her involvement with the British Legion and says that it has now ceased to exist in Aldeburgh. Remembers they used to have meetings every month, and had a welfare section. Remembers marching up the hill to the Church on Remembrance Day. Track 3 [10 mins] Mentions the Friday morning markets held at the Church Hall with Mrs. Thompson (now deceased). Mentions that Mrs. Thompson's aunt taught Mrs. Whatley Smith's husband during the First World War at The Laurels in the Aldeburgh which was owned by the Bishop of Rochester. Remembers that they used to collect all sorts of items from people in Aldeburgh and sell it at the market. Mentions that the market joined together with another one run by Mrs. Walton, an ex matron. Mentions that over about 17 years they raised £18,000 for the Church. Thinks that the market will be called Susie Walton's Market in member of Mrs. Walton. Mentions her husband was chairman of the Music Club in Aldeburgh for four years and talks about her connection with Benjamin Britten and the local choir. Mentions that when he retired her husband was presented with a glass jug inscribed "Citizen of Aldeburgh from Peter Grimes". Also mentions that her husband was on the Council for four years and was at one time Mayor. Remembers entertaining a group of people from Switzerland who came to visit Aldeburgh and mentions that only she and her husband spoke French. Remembers meeting the Duke of Kent when he came to name the new Lifeboat. Mentions she has a scrapbook. Second Interview Track 4 [1 min 55 sec] Introduction by Doreen Bartlett. Interview dated 10th October and takes place at the home of Dorothy Whately Smith in Church Walk, Aldeburgh. The interview is about the 'Mayoral year'. Remembers the naming ceremony of the lifeboat in 1982 when her husband was Mayor. Mentions the Duke of Kent. Mentions that there was a local newspaper, not the Aldeburgh Gazette. Track 5 [ 9 mins 38 secs] Describes her husband becoming Mayor in 1982 and the track proceeds with both ladies looking through various scrapbooks, photos and invitations all to do with her husband's year as Mayor. Mentions that her mother-in-law was married on 12th April 1912, the day the Titanic went down. Mentions that her father-in-law was a clergyman and he opened a school in 1926 at Milton on Sea. Remembers the Town Crier, Charlie Spink. Also mentions that 'Granny' lived at Grey Walls. Track 6 [9 mins. 42 secs] Mentions that 'Granny' owned the Cottages along Church Walk and mentions one lady, a Mrs. Potterton (who she believed was something to do with Potterton Boilers) used to pay 15s. 6d. rent. Mentions a Mrs. Ward whose husband had died while on service with the lifeboat and talks about what a character she was. Remembers that Mrs. Ward had a plague of mice and would sit in a chair with a fly swat. Dorothy then mentions that the mice then came to her cottage and ate through all the wiring and they had to have the cottage rewired. Cotiinues to go through the scrapbooks and photos and mentions a lunch with the American Air Force where the lobster tails were flown in from Maine. Continues to look at photos etc. of the naming of the James Cable lifeboat. Remembers Sue McGregor fromWomens Hour coming to Aldeburgh and making a recording. Describes her husband send a telegram to Buckingham Palace on the birth of Prince William and shows a telegram that they received back from Buckingham Palace. Mentions IAPS concerts at Snape Maltings. Track 7 [9 mins. 52 secs] Continues talking about the lifeboat naming ceremony and who was present and the order of the day. Mentions the Duke of Kent came in by helicopter and landed on the golf course. Mentions the Leiston and District Philatelic Society. Describes the changes that have happened in Aldeburgh since her husband was Mayor. Mentions Mrs. Isles who made her a dress for the inauguration of the Mayor and mentions that this lady made costumes for Snape Maltings. The track continues with Mrs. Whately-Smith and Doreen going through photos, letters and invitations. Track 8 [10 mins 02 secs] This track continues again with the two ladies looking through scrap books and letters. Very difficult to summarise. Track 9 [10mins 09 secs] Continues looking at photos and mentions that her husband's grandparents owned Grey Walls. Mentions that this has recently been sold and she believes two houses are to be built in the grounds. Mentions Lady Latimer. Track 10 [ 10 mins 58 secs] Continues talking about Lady Latimer, the Latimer Club and also mentions that Lady Latimer had houses built in Park Lane for the 'poorer people'. Mentions that Lady Latimer was the daughter of Mr. Coots, the banker. Remembers that when Lady Latimer used to go the cinema everyone had to wait for her to go in first. The interview continues with more chat about the photo albums.Dorothy Whately-Smith Date of recording Sep 2009 and Oct 2010 |