Club Foyer>Chillout Room>Depositions

Coming to Understand

My late wife, May, and I first met in the same junior school classroom as seven-year-olds with me sitting at the desk immediately behind. Her older brother had died of scarlet fever in an isolation hospital. When May also succumbed likewise her mother refused to allow her to go into hospital, her father was banished to accommodating neighbours, and her mother nursed May at home, fussing over her subsequently with the result that May very frequently wore Wellington boots to school.

Four years later we both started at Grammar Schools - different establishments, hence saw little of each other for the next four years - but came together again for the next two years as a result of combined Sixth Forms and both taking science subjects. I was somewhat surprised that May, by now a quite sophisticated and self-assured young woman, still wore shiny black Wellington boots, without any apparent self-consciousness, almost as often as more normal footwear. Our relationship during this period was no more than cordial.

Graduation from different Universities followed by me being abroad for a few years was responsible for what appeared to be an end to our acquaintanceship but in 1951 I dated the twin sister of an old grammar school friend whose birthdays were in April and in 1952 was invited to their birthday party. I accepted despite my surprise since it was my understanding that girls of that age did not seek to make a fuss of birthdays.

Imagine my surprise when I found that another guest was May, wearing tan Wellington boots to complement her cream outfit - who was a cousin of my hosts, and that she was present largely because my name had arisen during conversation between the two girls.

A shared interest in the forthcoming Music Festival was established and May accepted my offer for us to go together, subject to her father accompanying her mother to use the booking already made and also agreed that I could take her home to clarify that matter. Whilst in the car she asked me if I would be in any way embarrassed or offended if she was dressed for the concert as now. I replied that I would hope that she would be attired exactly as she would be if she had been accompanying her mother. She volunteered the information that that while she had initially worn Wellingtons to please her mother that phase had long ago been replaced by pleasure at wearing them and because she found them so comfortable. However she now felt a desire to extend her wardrobe and had recently been considering purchasing a Mackintosh to complement her Wellingtons. Would I be willing to help her since there appeared to be a very varied choice and she had never had one previously. I replied that I would be happy to accompany her but did not think my advice would have any value since I had never had one. She replied that what she really wanted was approval.

We emerged from an arranged shopping trip to Thorntons the following mid-week with May wearing a soft yellow rubber lined Mackintosh cut down to length and re-taped by the store at her request to just overlap the top of her Wellingtons and then worn, after she had first sought my approval, with what I considered to be remarkable composure on her part at the theatre that night after a pre-theatre meal.

The Festival concert date, with May attired in the soft yellow Mackintosh and tan Wellingtons, was a success, as were many more until we became engaged just one year later and married in August 1953, by which time the yellow Mackintosh had been joined by a similar soft blue one, also rubber-lined, and May's honeymoon trousseau had been arranged to incude a representative selection of her Mackintoshes and Wellingtons, all of which, together with their similar successors, were well-worn during the next few years.

About five years passed. Then about that time she suggested that a holiday in Bournemouth would be appreciated. Arrangements were made accordingly but not until I had been shown the reason - in Vogue magazine.

That was an article about Russell & Bromley having introduced a range of Swedish-manufactured 'Tretorn' Wellingtons in a range of colors, described in the article as being slightly longer and somewhat stiffer in the leg than the more familiar ladies' Dunlop Wellingtons which May wore. Described as indeed ladies' , they had, it was claimed, found some appeal also as menswear - an item which my wife took care had my attention.

Whilst in London shortly before that holiday I had been persuaded by compliments from my wife on my shapely knees to purchase a selection of 'Daks' shorts from Simpsons in grey, blue and cream and on the first morning of our holiday to wear the cream pair with sandals to complement my wife's basically cream outfit.

Our visit to Westover Road soon progressed into my wife responding encouragingly to a salesgirl whilst looking at the range of Tretorn Wellingtons on a stand in Russell & Bromleys as a result of which May was soon walking around the shop floor wearing cream Wellingtons which she said complemented our outfits, in place of the sandals she had been wearing, and asking for my comment which was confined to asking her if the higher leg fitting might not cause her some discomfort behind the knees to which she replied that she was certainly not aware of any discomfort probably due to her deportment being altered because the heel height was lower than that of the Wellingtons she normally wore and that her first impression was that she found them very comfortable. My wife then asked if the range extended to cater for the equivalent of our size 5½ and, having received an affirmative reply, asked if we could see a pair for that size in cream. I visibly cringed at that re-use of the subjective pronoun and was sorely tempted to leave the shop but not having done so later decided that I should abide by the consequences. The assistant returned with a pair of cream Wellingtons which she described as 40's which were quickly on my feet in place of my sandals and I was being invited to take a walk-about. Before I had decided how to respond my wife carried out an examination and declared that she thought I required a smaller size. A size 39 was soon produced and the change quickly effected and declared satisfactory, I was doing my walk-about as instructed whilst still cogitating how to deal with the situation, particularly since I could not find any complaint to make on the grounds of the physical comfort of the Wellingtons. In something of a daze I heard my wife say that we would have both pairs and would wear them now and to wrap our sandals. I soon found myself standing in Westover Road wearing ladies Wellingtons and searching for a refuge to regain my composure, even though I was accompanied by a very composed similarly shod companion.

The programme for the next day was then discussed and we agreed that there would be no repeat of our visit to Westover Road. Iinstead we would go for a walk on the Plain and probably to the Forge later, both wearing our new Wellingtons, and attempt to reconcile my attitude with May's now obvious desire for a different aspect to our relationship.

That day was a great success, I not only achieved a degree of composure in the wearing of my Wellingtons which bore comparison with that which I had come to admire and respect in May but actually came to understand her desire to wear them. We agreed to return to Westover Road the following day with me taking the lead purchasing position.

May's outfit for that visit was based around a large floral printed hn-skirt and mine was grey shorts, the combination of which I knew would provide problems in the choice of Wellingtons of a complementary color so I decided to take the bull by the horns and suggested that the red floral colors in her skirt were well represented in the red Wellingtons. This being agreed her needs were soon satisfied and it came to my turn. I opted for red and we were soon back in Westover Road wearing our new Wellingtons

We had a meal at Beales which I enjoyed much more than I had done the previous day and spent the afternoon with people in the shops which, to my surprise, I now found so unfazing that our next morning's programme was barely a matter of discussion and saw us both again emerging from Russell & Bromleys this time both wearing blue Wellingtons.

That week's holiday was the forerunner of us keeping pace with some ten years of changes in Russell & Bromleys' ranges of Swedish Tretorn Wellingtons through their Drylek range and eventually to platform soled Wellingtons with 5 cm high heels.

Shortly after my conversion to being a Wellingtons wearer I was persuaded to become a Mackintosh wearer. I agreed to do so subject to us being able find something suitable and complementary to whatever my wife was purchasing but I ruled out her early suggestion of SBR type Mackintoshes. This proved difficult but not impossible to achieve, even though I had to accept at least twice buying and wearing Mackintoshes which appealed to May even though they buttoned in what was considered to be the wrong way for me.

Thus over the next few years I became a confirmed, if not enthusiastic, Mackintosh and Wellington Boot wearer when accompanying May similarly attired until in the mid-1970's May saw a magazine article about Italian made 'niagara' (small case initial) Wellingtons and our nearest stockist was in Nottingham, an unfamiliar city to us but one we were quickly destined to visit. We soon found the stockist with their knee length Italian made Wellingtons in a range of colors very reminiscent of our first introduction to the Swedish Tretorn Wellingtons but much more vibrant, probably aided by the much higher gloss of the rubber than the Swedish Wellingtons had ever achieved and, to my astonishment, 10cm. high heels, as measured, at my request, by an assistant. Before any discussion could occur I quickly suggested that we should adjourn for a coffee over which May made clear her interest in what we had seen.

During our repast I asked for May's opinion about what we had seen. She admitted to being very attracted but agreed that she had never worn 10cm high heels far less walked in any footwear with heels more than half that height but that was to a large extent due to lack of opportunity and would like very much to try now. I asked if I came into the picture and she replied that if she could make a success with practice so should I be able if so minded. This reply left me with little choice but to agree and we returned to the shop and May told the assistant that she would like to try two pairs of the Wellingtons in black starting with her size. The assistant produced a pair which May tried, unsteadingly I thought, to do a walk-about in but she appeared to have no doubt as to their suitability. She then asked for a pair suitable for size 5½ which, having produced, the assistant asked if we intended taking those 'on spec'. I replied that I had better try them and she complied, albeit somewhat surprised. I said that they appeared alright and we would have both pairs - having first declined to do my walk-about.

At home that night May declared her intention of having intensive practice in the wearing of her new high heel Wellingtons which she was well aware was necessary but she thought her main problem was to improve her deportment and she might best achieve that by the wearing of a stronger Mackintosh than anything she had. She asked if I might be willing to reconsider my earlier objection to an SBR Mackintosh which she thought best suited her need. I agreed and a week later we were both owners of SBR Mackintoshes from Thorntons and that was the end of our pleasure outings for some months.

May's idea of intensive practice was the wearing of her new Wellingtons almost every waking hour, and certainly everywhere she went, for the next four months. I was expected to devote two days every week end similarly. My practice began with donning my Wellingtons immediately after breakfast followed by my SBR Mackintosh which May saw was fully buttoned, tightly belted and with the neck strap tight - does wonders for your deportment I was told - all of which remained so until bed time. My practice was usually in alternating half-hour sessions in the garden but later extended to being taken in the car by May to a convenient place locally for 'promenading'; so that she could better evaluate my progress from a distance. After four months I qualified and the time was considered suitable for us to live a more normal life, May having by that time become very assured and obviously happy in the wearing of her high-heeled Wellingtons.

First we needed to make another trip to Nottingham where a very surprised shop assistant got a large order for niagara Wellingtons in Red, Blue, Cream and Black in each of our two sizes. Needless to say that they could not supply them from stock but soon did so.

We next arranged a week's holiday at Blackpool agreeing to limit our outerwear luggage to Mackintoshes and the new niagara Wellingtons. During that week we walked the length of the Promenade in both directions from Cleveley to Lytham St.Annes and went to a different show each night. It was a welcome break after our period in purdah.

We next booked for two weeks in Scarborough having agreed to limit our luggage as before. Starting off the first day with a walk on the Foreshore to have coffee in the Spa, booked for Max Jaffa's concert that evening and then for the Northern Symphony Orchestra later in the week and an Opera North orchestral concert the following week. We then sat listening to the Spa Orchestra's morning concert in the outside bandstand where we were glad of the protection from the offshore wind of our SBR Mackintoshes. Returning to the Foreshore for lunch we then walked the length of the Marine Drive for tea and cakes at the Corner Café before arranging ourselves an evening meal before the Spa Concert. We repeated that sort of routine throughout the next two weeks sometimes finishing at concerts at the Futurist Theatre on the Foreshore or the Opera House in the town or the theatre, now replaced by an indoor bowls hall, overlooking the North Bay. Scarborough's rating went up considerably with us after that holiday.

We next had a week in London traveling by rail in our SBR Mackintoshes and h.h.black Wellingtons, having again agreed to limit our luggage. During that week we managed to fit in three shows and visits to the Victoria & Albert and British Museums and Tower of London as well as Kew Gardens and all the Royal Parks.

Our next staged break was the York 1980 Mystery Plays which we thought was worth a full week plus two weekends. We traveled by rail and again imposed the same luggage restrictions on ourselves. We had booked for two plays at the Theatre Royal one of which was on our first night so, having booked in at our hotel, we had a meal at the theatre just as we had arrived in out SBR Mackintoshes and high heeled black Wellingtons, an outfit in which I now felt quite comfortable and which we also wore for the Mystery plays in the Abbey Gardens - the star of which was 'Heriot' in TV's 'All Creatures Great and ---'.

During the week we had evening concert bookings for Marisa Robles' harp concert at the Mansion House and James Galway's flute concert in York Minster and the Theatre Royal play. The daytimes were spent in the Minster precincts and shops wearing matching neutral Mackintoshes with cream or red h.h. Wellingtons. The rest of the week was spent exploring the Snickleways and City Walls but we found the going on the narrower parts of the Walls somewhat hazardous in high heels and abandoned them in favor of a boat trip on the river and walking in the Abbey Gardens. We had a very enjoyable week in York.

The following year we made bookings for 15 concerts at the Ryedale Festival which we had also visited previously as the Helmsley Festival but it had now been extended to holding concerts on York University Campus, the Scarborough coastline and large houses and halls in the old East Riding like Sledmere. That three week period successfully tested our resolve in the fourfold wearing of our full range of high heeled niagara Wellingtons.

The following year we decided that three weeks of concerting - the concerts one is particularly interested in are always spread the throughout the period - was too much so decide to linit ourselves to the Windsor Festival starting and finishing with plays at the Theatre Royal and with Concerts in St.George's Crypt, the Waterloo Hall, Eton College and a tea party in Savile Gardens - but again enough to give our full range of high heeled niagara Wellingtons an airing. In St.George's Crypt we heard Kyung Wha Chung, deputizing for the ailing Yehudi Menuhin calmly stop in mid-play while a low flying Jumbo Jet ceased to drown her playing and resume, quite unfazed, when it had gone.

I doubt if the same sort of interference would have affected the gusto with which John Georgiadis was conducting the Champagne Polka whilst at the same time lowering the contents of the bottle of bubbly in his left hand in the Waterloo Chamber the next night.

We retired in the late 1980's to Scarborough where our high heeled Wellingtons quickly resumed the paths which we had established for them more than ten years earlier, except that the Futurist Theatre was beginning to look decrepit and the Opera House was being converted into a casino, but the Spa Theatre and Spa Grand Hall and Spa Grandstand morning concerts with the Stephen Joseph Theatre, now very much in the ascendancy as a pre-West End show place for Alan Ayckbourn's plays, together with the Spa Theatres at Bridlington and Whitby kept all our high heeled Wellingtons happily 'hot footing' for the next ten years.

I have no doubt that a generation ago Abigail and May would have been 'soulmates' - but would they have met then?
Abigail's letters imply a familiarity with Ireland - in the 1960's we also often rode our ponies from Killarney through the Dunloe Gap, usually wearing our Tretorn Wellingtons, and in the 1950's I was a frequent visitor to the, then productive, Arklow copper mine, fifty years before Arklow became TV's 'Ballykissangel' with an episode showing the priests Jowett motor car being allowed to fall down that mine shaft.

Louis Voittton has a franchise in the Brown Thomas Department store on Grafton Street in Dublin - I would like to fantasise that they might have met and become soul-mates.

I would very much like to know Abigail's views on that hypothesis?

Hugh