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Bruce Watson
The real author of this book, written more than fifty years ago, is my grandfather Edward Henry Gooch (1885-1961) whose faded type-written notes ended up on one of my bookshelves where they gathere...view moreThe real author of this book, written more than fifty years ago, is my grandfather Edward Henry Gooch (1885-1961) whose faded type-written notes ended up on one of my bookshelves where they gathered dust for years.
His passion for tradition and recalling the past had already led him to write “A History of Spalding” and “Place Names of Holland, Lincolnshire” and on reading through his memoirs I realised just how interesting they might be to Spaldonians, historians and other adventurers.
His notes were too faint and old-fashioned to be scanned so it was up to me to transcribe them in a labour of love; and how fascinating I found the task!
He paints a vivid picture of a forgotten way of life, a life of ease, of loss, of heartbreak, and of adventure; though, strangely enough, he rarely speaks of his personal feelings; it wasn’t the done thing.
Who was E.H. Gooch ?
Edward Henry Gooch, “Harry” or “Skipper” to his friends, was a Spaldonian gentleman-adventurer and fifth generation fellmonger (dealing in wool and skins.) Born in 1885, he lived through the reign of four monarchs and during the height, and fall, of the British Empire. He was a fervent patriot and his greatest pride was that of being a Lincolnshire man.
He was a soldier, fighting in the trenches of the First World War, struggling to get some sleep on the piled up corpses of his fellows with only the rats to keep him warm. He was gassed and returned to civilian life where he had many an adventure as an amateur sailor. He was shipwrecked a number of times. In WWII he did his bit in the Home Guard and then in the “little ships” before returning to fellmongering.
He partook fully in municipal affairs. Probably one of the most outspoken men in the district, he was a member of the County Council from 1919 and an alderman from 1935. In 1919, he became a member of Spalding Urban Council and sat until 1927. After an interval of 11 years, he again returned to the Urban Council and, until he retired from that body in 1950, occupied several chairmanships and committees. He was Worshipful Master at the Hundred of Elloe Lodge of Freemasons.
A largely self-taught scholar, Ald. Gooch was well-known as the local historian and writer.
His memoirs are presented here by his grandson, Bruce Watson who lives with his French wife and family in the South of France, where he has published a book of short stories about the French Way of Life called “Life’s not all Wine and Roses” published by Iuniverse and available through W.H.Smiths or Amazon.co.uk (ISBN 0-595-27703-9)
It is based on his experiences living in the Tarn, where he first came to work in the wool industry (like Harry Gooch) during the 1968 revolution. For the last 30 years he has been teaching and interpreting for industry and the police.view less