Fighting Spirit
Philip George Raymond (PGR) – A Portrait
In post-war Thirties Britain,
rural Suffolk in fact
there was Mum, one sister Bertha,
and lots of brothers
whose names begin with B * [*Ben, Basil, Brian etc]
Father Wing was a shepherd, looking after his flock
When a ram tragically rammed him; left him unable to work.
With no proper income, and no NHS
Childhood poverty left its mark - on PGR and the rest
Young George left home as soon as he could
To live with his Uncle and Aunt in Oxford
He was good at driving which became his path - to
being ‘on the buses’ in Avon and Somerset,
Northampton and Bath.
Raymond met Poppy and they had four sons
Sid was one of them
but he only lived
until he was 36 – it was terribly sad
Philip was always well dressed with jacket and tie
Crisp ironed shirts; he had a critical eye.
It was important to dress smartly, enjoy a Shandy and good food
Watch Sky Sports; read the paper; put his feet up, or snooze.
But his greatest passion was gardening tenderly nurturing the plants.
He played bowls in Bournemouth, Torquay and Spain
With his posh chums from the police force,
Chief Constables, Councillors with all their fame
On the outside he could be stubborn or proud, prickly or blunt
While inside he was vulnerable, emotional, shy and delicate
From the hospital bed he said (to Andrew – his very last words):
‘Get me out of here now! Get someone in the highest authority to release me!’
Farewell George, and Philip, and Ray.
We’ll miss that fighting spirit, your charm and fey way,
Safe journey; happy landing.
Let’s meet again one day!
By Elizabeth Seale 28th January 2020
Elizabeth Seale:
04/02/2020
