Oxford Student Memories
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
OXFORD STUDENT MEMORIES Year three: 1962-3 Alan Macfarlane 1 Table of contents 1962 Winter Term – October 3 Winter Term – November 14 Winter – December 32 1963 Spring Term – January and February 47 Spring Term and Vacation – March and April 61 Summer Term 74 Summer Vacation – July & August 90 Summer Vacation – September & October 105 Some reflections on Oxford: five themes 114 Appendices Personal writings 122 Academic Work - Winter 1962 130 Academic Work – Spring 1963 150 Academic Work – Summer holidays 1963 158 Parental finances during my time at Oxford 170 2 1962 Winter Term 1962 - October EPHEMERA FOR WINTER TERM Looking at the ephemera for this term, several changes are striking. Firstly, the religious cards are absent. Where are all the OICCU and other cards of previous terms? It will be interesting to see what happens in the following two term. Secondly, the amount of entertainment is much reduced – probably reflecting my intense concentration on work in my last year. There is hardly any indication of sport, except for a note from a Hugh to the effect: Dear Alan, Rugger v Hewell Dec 8th. What position would you like? Full back booked!’ This was a match against the Borstal boys whom we had visited in the summer. I do not remember playing. There are only two play programmes: one for Misalliance by Bernard Shaw at the Playhouse for October and the other for a ballet on Saturday November 24th – La Fille Mal Gardée. There is also the film programme for the Scala cinema though I don’t remember going to any in particular. There is also programme for a concert in Worcester College Chapel on Sunday December 9th, which has a religious and Christmas carol feel about it. There is also a card for the Oxford Union, though I have no recollection of going to any of them. There is also a card for the folk and guitar society, the Heritage Society, and my International Student Identity Card for 1962–3 One other event is the Worcester College Christmas Dance on Friday 7 December. I have the Double ticket. It was the dance to which I took Penny. (On the back are noted a number of religious notes, perhaps to hymn numbers such as ‘In my heart. Jesus, Jesus’). There are also two illustrated cards for my 21st Birthday [20th December 1962]. One is a humorous one from Robert & Angela (and Lucy and Emma. ‘We’ll bring our present up with us’] The other is a rather delightful hand drawn and painted one from Jane & Dusty [Jane Buckmaster] The other change is that I started to keep scraps of paper with the cost of various foods and other items. This was probably largely prompted by the fact that, for 3 the first time, I was living in outside the College, in College digs. The fact that almost all are dated suggests that I was trying to preserve them either as a record or as an account. Since they give a rather different small insight into my humble life in digs, I shall insert them here. Firstly there is a sheet headed Stores – Winter ’62 Oct. 10 Cornflakes 2 pkt; Salt 1 pkt; Sardines 2 tins; Coffee 1 large (Maxwell Hse), 1 small (Nescafe); Soup 2 tins (large) Heinz, 1 tin conc’ Oxtail, 3 pkts knorr. [The oxtail soup is odd, as I thought I was a vegetarian at this time]; Baked beans 1 large tin; Tea 1 pkt; Sugar 2 ½ lbs; cheese 1 lb (4/-); Tomatoes ½ lb; Apples ½ lb; Carrots 2 lb [1/4]; Onions 2 lb [1/6]; Eggs ½ doz [1/9]; Potatoes 5 lb [2/3]; Milk (1 pt a day); Bread 1 small [10d]; Butter ½ lb; Marge; Bisc’s 1 pk choc [1/7 ½ ], 1 ginger nuts; Beverage(!), 1 drinking choc & 1 milo; Ryvita 1 pkt; Beer 6x ½ Guinness [1/3 ½ each without bottle] ; Wine 1 sherry (16/-) & ½ wine (4/-); Ribena 1 btle (2/3); Dextrasol. [On a separate bill on the same date are some of the items above with their prices. I have combined these in the above list, where available, in square brackets.] This seems to have been my initial stock, which was replenished from time to time as follows. 18th October. Ryvita 1s 2d; Biscuits (plain) 1s 3d; Chocolate 1/7 ½; Bournvita 3/-; ½ lb Marge 10 ½ 26th October Cheese, 2 guinness, Marge – 6/10 ½ ; Vegamin; Paper h’chiefs; Asprin; Friar’s balsam; Vitamin C tab; Cod liver oil; Beecham’s powder. [Clearly I had a bad cold, which my mother alludes to in a letter.] There is also written at the bottom in a red crayon ‘Refugees’. There are two sums of money in pencil at the bottom 5/- and £1/5/10 – which items they refer to is not certain.] 28 October. 1 pkt ryvita 1s 2d; 2 fish & chips 1/9; 1 Guinness 1/3 ½; ¼ lb cheese 11d. 29 October 4/ ½ guinness; 1 lb sugar; 1 pkt soup – 7/8 ½ 8/11/62 Ankle Support [suggesting I was still playing football]; Butter ½ lb; Ryvita 1 pkt; Sardines 2 tins’ Sugar 2 lbs; 3 x ½ beer: total 10/10 ½ 13/11/62 Bournvita, crumpets etc 5/- 14/11/62 2 lbs carrots; 2 lbs onions; 2 lbs apples – 6/4. Stamps 2/6 [Note: my Guinness regime had clearly started – and there is no meat and not much protein – Ryvita is an important part of my diet] 4 24/11 Books 4/10; Pills etc 12/-; 4 beer; ½ lb butter; Ryvita; 1 pkt choc bisc’s; 10 senior service 2/3 [I am sure I did not smoke – must have been for friends]; 1 bournvita 3/-; Brook Bond tea 1/9 28/11/62 Butter; Crumpets x 2; Cake 2.6; Biscuits 1 choc; Beer 4; Shrimp paste 1/6 – 13/11 ½ Probably overlapping with the above, is another list of about the same date. Cheque (ticked); Crumpets; Cake; Air-mail forms, Stamps etc 4/- ; Ordinance survey maps x2; History Maps; ; Shampoo; Box file; Coldrex 3/- ; Sugar; Ball; Ryvita; Eggs, Sardines; Beer; Typing paper 10/-; File 16/8; Maps 24/- & 9/-; [Note, stationary was expensive…] As regards going out for meals, I kept a note of the following: 16/10/62 3/4 dinner, 2/6 play 18/10/62 Film (paid for Eric) 4.6 27/10/62 2 meals 9/- 7/11/62 Supper & Lunch – Tuesday 6/- 12/11/62 1 meal 8/6 13/11/62 2 meals (lunch and supper) 6/- 18/11.62 Lunch 3/6 25/11/62 2 meals 7/- [Going out for meals was quite expensive. Otherwise I seem to have lived simply. What is not certain here is how much I eat in College, which was only five minutes away.] (Undated) Dick – 4/3d (drinks) War on want 4/- Graph paper 1/- One other indication of my costs is to be found in my cheque stubs, which indicated the following for this period (the bare sums are for cash for myself). 10 Oct £6 15 Oct £6 26 Oct £3 27 Oct Battels £6 28 Oct Dr Bruno Faust £7-7-0 28 Oct Gamages tapes £5-12-6 29 Oct £5 29 Oct Winter Ball £2-2-0 29 Oct Father Borelli £1 30 Oct Digs (Miss Norridge) £21-5-0 2 Nov £5 9 Nov For Refugees (J. Munks) £2-12-6 5 13 Nov Blackwell’s £2-2-0 14 Nov £5 23 Nov Paperback Book Shop £2-6-0 26 Nov £5 30 Nov £5 7 Dec £5 14 Dec £7 (three stubs without any details) * Towards the end of the summer vacation I met a girl called Heather at a party. She may have lived at Carnforth and was going on to Bristol University. She wrote to me in a letter post-marked 7th October. She wrote asking for help, and I include this small correspondence because the letter I wrote in reply is quite revealing. Sunday [7th October] My dear Alan, Forgive me for writing, but somehow I feel sure you won’t mind. How are you? How’s Oxford? I’m feeling intensely miserable. Why can’t people be as open as you are? T. & I have, as you might say parted on bad terms… Alan you seem to be the only person upon whom I cant rely. You’re so tolerant, & kind to me I feel a heel, but somehow I had to write to you. Why oh why didn’t you ask me to dance at that first party of the holidays? …Please drop me a line & tell me you don’t hate me. It seems everyone else does… [gives phone nos] … Please keep this letter, & the fact that I’ve written private. I mean, its not exactly done for a girl to write first, but somehow Alan, you’re the only person I can turn to with the confidence of knowing that I don’t have to “act” in front of you, & that I won’t be mocked or laughed at. Take care of yourself – you’re a very precious person. Please write & say you forgive me for encroaching upon you kindness. My love always, Heather There is a carbon copy of my reply, written a few days later. For some reason I wanted to keep my advice. Wednesday [10th October] Worcester College Dearest Heather, Please forgive this paper, I can’t stand being cramped! Thank you very much for your letter, it was very sweet of you to write and even sweeter that you were so complimentary – it’s lucky you don’t know the real me! Your letter was especially welcome as it helped me to forget the bitterness of parting with my parents who have just returned to India for another 20 months.