Inspired by ‘a very full life’, Redditch man Roger Henry Lippett is telling his story which began living on the Batchley Estate. He went on to serve in the Royal Navy and wants to share his story.
He was born on January 30 1939 on the council estate, with his dad’s name Henry, being given to him as his middle name.
Here he sheds light on his life, family and friends as a social record of sorts that may be of interest to his children, grandchildren and the people of Redditch.
In his words: “I now live in the beautiful city of Plymouth in Devon but I will always be a Batchley boy.
“Far have I travelled, and much have I seen and this is my story, serialised in the Redditch Standard.”
Part 3
I failed the 11 plus, which would have given me entry to Redditch County High School, the grammar school my brother Alan and sister Jean attended.
The exam had never been presented to me as anything special, in fact I arrived at school and was simply told we were having a test today.
Who knows how my life would have been different had I passed this exam.
However I took another exam at the age of 13 for entrance to Redditch Technical School and this I passed. This was one of the best things that could have happened for me for I learned so much in the time I was there.
It was while I was at this school in 1953 that the coronation of Queen Elizabeth took place and all school children were given a lovely red booklet telling about the Queen and also the history of our Redditch town.
I still have mine and intend to pass it on to a member of the Lippett family in Redditch to keep and hand on to future generations.
Although it was a good school there were no career advice departments and in the 1950s it was generally accepted that we would simply get a job in a local factory. Redditch was famous throughout the world for the production of needles and fishing tackle and there was many factories producing these products.
Dad worked in the needle industry at one time and breathing in the fine dust contributed to him suffering from emphysema, a serious lung condition.
Working in a factory didn’t interest me, so I took the naval exam. I passed and was to join HMS Fisgard in Cornwall as a part one new entry and for the next 16 months I would be kept so busy that my feet would hardly touch the ground.
You would think that leaving home would be one of those indelible memories that would stay in ones mind forever – like the day you started school – but strangely that’s not the case.
I don’t remember it being a special event and I can’t remember being seen off on the train to Plymouth to join the Navy at Birmingham New Street station, but it would have been my dad that saw me off.
My memories start at Plymouth North Road station. I remember standing forlornly outside the station looking lost when a Petty Officer approached me saying: “You for the Navy lad?”
When I said yes I was rounded up with a few others and told to board a dark blue bus with a large RN on the side.
It sticks in my mind that the seats were made of wooden slats.
It was a short ride through the ruins of bombed out Plymouth to the ferry across to Torpoint in Cornwall. I could smell the ozone in the sea air. It felt as if I was in a foreign country, so far away from my home in Redditch.
We arrived at the gates of HMS Fisgard and directed to our divisions and accommodation huts.
My allocated division was Anson and I was in hut four, so my address was A/A R.H.Lippett. A4 Anson Division, HMS Fisgard, Torpoint, Cornwall.
