MEMOIRS OF A THIRTIES DISSIDENT

by

Nares Craig

For Family and Friends

 

 

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Background

The Millionaire PatriarchThe FamilyThe Family HomeThe Name Nares Life at Tanera MoreThe Remarkable Great Aunt EmilyEdwin's Famous ClockYachtingLaughing Water

Chapter 2

Schooldays

St. Edmund's Preparatory SchoolThe Sadistic HeadmasterBoy ScoutsCharterhouseWeekitesTraditionsTeachers and Friends

Chapter 3

Climbing

Wilfred NoyceTraining on rockSevere ClimbsDoctor Edwards: a very brave manWilfred's FallMount Victoria: Rocky MountainsCambridge University Mountaineering Club

Chapter 4

Canada

The Atlantic CrossingIcebergsTwo Great RailwaysViews from the TrainsKicking Horse Pass on the FootplateMail Steamer to Skagway

Chapter 5

European Cities

ParisMunichSalzburg and InnsbruckViennaBudapestPragueDresdenBerlinVeniceFlorence

Chapter 6

University

Guy Fawkes Night, 1936The Night Climbers of Cambridge A dummy coronation over Kings College Chapel. Aftermath of climbing activitiesThe C. P. R. E. and the C. U. R. B. Final undergraduate daysClough Williams-Ellis, a remarkable personality

Chapter 7

Sensing The Real World

A Powerful Childhood InfluenceQuestions of classEdwin's Politics:

Chapter 8

Pre War And Early War Years

CambridgeGeoffrey PykeProfessor John Desmond BernalJohn Platts-Mills Q. C.

Chapter 9

Thora Silverthorne: My Future Wife

Getting TogetherThora's Family - the Silverthorne 'clan'

Chapter 10

Two "war-Effort" Jobs (1942-43)

Ordnance FactoriesAir Transport Auxiliary Trials of the extra high-powered Napier "merlin" engine; and a happy coincidence.The Disappearing V.I.Ps

Chapter 11

Conscientious Objection To Conscription: The Outcome

Chapter 12

From Civilian To Soldier Overnight

Chapter 13

Army: Basic And Sapper Training

"facts of life" in "the ranks"

Chapter 14

Army: officer training

The Surprising AccoladeWithin a whisker of dismissalThe Unforgettable 'Death-Rattle' A very lonely mine-clearing duty

Chapter 15

Finally: To The First Assault Brigade

The origin of 79th Armoured Division"my tank for D-Day"Tank training: CatterickOrganisation of an Assault Squadron: Men and MachinesMajor 'dodger' Smith ('the shit') a painfully bad leader

Chapter 16

France!

Panic Stations!Footnote 'an ill-timed telegram'

Chapter 17

Six Actions: Normandy To The Rhine

i) The Hell of Falaise: The Worst German Defeat Since Stalingradii) Boulogne & a Mad Mission Abortediii) The Hostile Scheldt Estuary iv) "Craig's Bridges"v) Siegfried Linevi) Crossing The Rhine

Chapter 18

Life in "the Line"

"comforts for the troops"

Chapter 19

A Visit To The Red Army

Chapter 20

Eersel: A Welcome Winter "harbour"

Chapter 21

"clearing Up" In Germany

Chapter 22

Back To 'Civvie Street' (1946)

Chapter 23

Post War Homes and other 'bases'

30 Gordon Mansions, Torrington Place, London, WC1

Wedding Reception Nov '46

Revel Cottage, Wooburn Moor

The Bus('53-'60)

The phantom nuclear weapons factoryA loose dinghy on the run

Oak Hill Lodge, Hampstead

Yacht Revella

77 Quickswood, Primrose Hill

A "daylight robbery"

"Lletyreos", Llanfyllin, Wales (1971-'95)

My electric sliding gate The remarkable local environmentLletyreos: The house and gardenDisasterThe all-but drowned cow A Temporary Financial Crisis

2 Yewtree Close, Muswell Hill, London

Entering old age, alone, at 2 Yew Tree Close

Chapter 24

Our family

Tina

Lucy

Gordon BestLucy's politicsA & E at the Whittington

Jonathan

Visits by myself and Jonathan to Romania and TurkeyJonathan's life in London

Stella Fournier/Aillaud

Georges FournierA chance meeting in NormandyA cottage in ScotlandThe Scottish cottage: The outcome

Liam Craig-Best

Seran Craig-Best

Ben, Jessica and Charles Hodson

The very remarkable capacity of Puss for 'mothering' a large and unusual family.

James and Jessica Craig

Shon, Sarah Silverthorne, Myfanwy Silverthorne

John and Lloyd Silverthorne

Business interests

1. Sliced Bread2 The Marlow Cafe3 The Laundromat

Chapter 25

The Communist Party

Family reactions to my support for the left - Edwin's invasion of my privacyPossible reactions of non-family readers of these Memoirs in the year 2007 (or later)

Joining the Communist Party

My CP Membership and my Army career

My First Close Experience With Tanks and 79th Armoured DivisionMI5's Spying on Harry PollittConcluding months in the CP

Chapter 26

Association of Building Technicians (1945-50 )

Chapter 27

Sheffield/Warsaw Peace Congress (1950)

Chapter 28

Architects Delegation to USSR (1955)

LeningradOur routine site-seeing drill Interpreting problems

Chapter 29

The Cold War (1954/55)

Chapter 30

Vienna Peace Congress (1952)

Chapter 31

BUILDING RESEARCH STATION (BRS 1954-1980)

Introduction(1) B.R.S. HQ Garston - The premises:(2) Advantages of Public Sector Employment (3) BRS and Scientists Cartoon by Ralph White R.I.B.A(5) My Research Brief (6) Preliminary Site Visits To Flats Projects, Both Complete And Under Construction(7) My Two Main Reports(8) T.A.Wilkinson, Charles Belcher(9) Designing the Angel Road Flats(9a) A new and exceptional colleague; David Webb(9b)The first Angel Road mock up at Garston(10) Pre-Casting Terminology used for both the BRS Battery Casting and Brecast systems:(11) The Advantages of On-Site Battery Casting:(12) Angel Road Edmonton: Site-Casting of Panels: Erection of the 18 Storey Block.(13) Visits by builders and others to the building site at Angel Road Edmonton under construction(14) Lectures Given(15) Nomination of myself for promotion from Principal Scientific Officer to Senior Principal Scientific Officer(16) An unfortunate disagreement with a physicist colleague(17) Sale of the Brecast System for £25,000 to a private contractor.(18) Sad conclusion of: the baseless J.B.Dick grudge against me; and of my service time at BRS.

Chapter 32

BRECAST - A New Way of Building

Chapter 33:

Peru/Chile

March 1969: PeruChile 1973

Chapter 34

Guildford School Of Art Dispute (1967/8)

Chapter 35

Global Warming

Thora's assistance with my book: Alternative World .Alternative World on the Internet

Chapter 36

90th Birthday Party: 3rd November 2008

Chapter 37

Conclusion: Some Afterthoughts

Some Further Afterthoughts

Conclusion