Wilfrid Lockwood

by Bert Moniz  6/12/2024

This is the story of Wilfrid Lockwood from the Zoom meeting series True Confessions, where former students enter a virtual confessional to share their life stories and seek absolution.

                                                                                                                               Coming to St Mary’s
Note: his Christian name is Wilfrid. The spelling “Wilfred” seems to have been invented by the Oxford Movement in the 19th century. The older form “Wilfrid” is commoner in the North of England, where he grew up.

Wilfrid joined St Mary’s in 1949 at the age of ten. It was the first year of local authority scholarships with about 50% of the students on them. The fee was nine guineas per term. He remembers a friend’s mother who could only scrape together nine pounds for her son’s term. Father Gannon, a kind man, accepted the sum. The student body was diverse and widely scattered, one as far away as Gillingham. Some of the older students were quite disruptive.

Wilfrid himself came from Barnehurst, a 50-minute commute, and hopped a bus and a train daily. It was especially hard during rehearsals for the school play which required an additional hour at the facility. The dormitory town of Sidcup was noted for having a number of private schools, such as Joseph’s Convent and Pernovena. Perhaps teaching was the principal local employment.

He mentioned the school’s struggle to establish itself and the lack of funding. He noted that one could get away with a lot if since it was essentially a failing school, although he managed to achieve decent academic results in public examinations.

                                                                                                                                School Plays and Spirit
Wilfrid discussed the impact of St Mary’s school plays. A large number of pupils became involved in the annual effort, whether acting or supporting. The plays brought together students from different backgrounds and years. They were the very definition of St Mary’s, more so than sports or academic achievement. They provided opportunities for personal growth, such as public speaking and technical skills.

He mentioned Dr Faustus, in which he took the leading role, and had to kiss a young Richard Gregorian who had the role of Helen of Troy. That was no fun. For either of them.

Wilfrid was not into sports, apart from a short stint as a bookie taking bets on an annual sports day mile race. His interests were more into the classics (Latin and Greek). St Mary’s had no Greek program. He made contact with the Greek master at Eltham College who offered to supervise his work and provide books and became Wilfrid’s most important mentor.

                                                                                          Student Life – London University and Cambridge University

After school, Wilfrid decided to attend London University because he wanted to concentrate on language and literature. Also, it was cheaper because he could commute from home.

He went on to Cambridge University to broaden his studies in History and Philosophy, but found he’d tired of universities and in any case, he wanted to start earning a living (his parents were not wealthy and had patiently supported him for too long).

                                                                                                                                  CGHQ Cheltenham
After graduation he went to work in GCHQ (government communications Headquarters) as an Assistant Departmental Specialist in Cheltenham. At the time GCHQ was described as a branch of the Foreign Office that provided intelligence. He spent about five years working there. Wilfrid discussed the history of outstations, mentioning Kuwait, Cyprus, Malta, and Libya.

The move to Cheltenham also got him involved in the Cheltenham Croquet Club, a game he continued to enjoy after retirement and his move to the Fens.

                                                                                                                         Cambridge University Library
After five years, when it seemed GCHQ was heading for contraction due to closing of outstations, Wilfrid moved to the Cambridge University Library and spent fourteen years in charge of oriental books and manuscripts. He shared a story about catching a Persian man who had been selling off a collection. The man was sentenced to four years.

                                                                                                                          Chester Beatty Library, Dublin
Later he moved to Chester Beatty library in Dublin and spent seven years there as director. His thief-catching exploits stood him in good stead when it came to applying for the job at Chester Beatty. However, he described dissatisfaction with work in libraries due to the atmosphere of personal infighting.

                                                                                                                                    Rejoining GCHQ
He rejoined GCHQ, and worked for eight years and then part-time as a consultant for 18 months before retiring. He taught Arabic & Turkish part-time to soldiers and civil servants.
Wilfrid discussed the Bravo Two Zero incident. Bravo Two Zero was the call sign of an eight-man British Army Special Air Service (SAS) patrol, deployed into Iraq during the First Gulf War in January 1991, in which one member of the contingent was caught and tortured to death.

The incident convinced the authorities that soldiers sent into a country must be competent in the local language. He taught four or five courses and found the students to be very motivated, much more than any at university. After all, their lives were on the line.

                                                                                                                                       Personal Life
Wilfrid mentioned his wife’s long battle with a serious illness, which lasted for 22 years.
He has two daughters with whom he is in constant contact. At the time of the Covid epidemic he moved to March, in Cambridgeshire.