John Edward Cooper’s Notes
David Charles Jones
I have the impression of mornings in my first year at Fleetwood Grammar School, of a crowd of pupils waiting outside to be let in to start the day’s lessons. There are groups of boys and groups of girls standing together chattering; and there, standing or ambling slowly — apart, aloof — is a tall boy, who, I quickly get to know, is Jones.[more] Jones, I would later know, had recently moved from Manchester, to live in a chalet-style bungalow in Victoria Road, Thornton. This information was probably imparted when both of us were excused Games at school one afternoon, and were talking as we strolled together near the rugby-football pitch that the rest of the boys of our year were toiling on. That was perhaps the first time I had spoken to Jones.[more] On another occasion — it was lunch-time — we were again strolling on the field. The day before, we had been talking about the space ships we each had in our fantasy-worlds, and at Jones’s request I brought a drawing of one of mine for him to look at. But after the merest glance at it, he shook his head disdainfully and affected a haughty laugh: “Ha– ha– ha– ha!” Though I was hurt by this reaction, that didn’t stop me from meeting with Jones on a number of occasions afterwards to play an ongoing game with him involving a merged version of our fantasies.[more] At such times, when I arrived at Jones’s house to play, there would often be a boy already there, who happened to be “just about to go” as I came. This was Chris Woodhead. It almost seems as if Jones had a policy of keeping his friends apart — perhaps to avoid their getting to know each other and conspiring against him![more] Although Chris and I passed on Jones’s doorstep, and although on one occasion Jones admitted Chris onto a session of our “game”[more] (this was a bad error of judgment on Jones’s part, for Chris just scoffed at the whole affair), I didn’t really get to know Chris till perhaps a year later. I knew that he lived in Ascot Road, Thornton; and one day I just decided to go round there and look him up.[more] I also met Peter Gooding through Jones.[more] See also: David Jones |
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DC Jones was captain of the successful Chess Club in 1967 when I arrived at FGS. Met DC Jones much later (around 1975-6) at Durham University , Van Mildert College where he was a postgraduate. He invited me to his home, by then a house overlooking the tram tracks near Thornton Gate. He had a full size snooker table at that time. DCJ was quite a character.
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SimeonT, John, Your description of DC Jones (David Charles?) and I knew it was him immediately from your drawing. I met him first in the Chess Club on arrival at FGS in 1967 as a shy 1st year. Much : 31 December 2022 at 10:59
SimeonT, John, Your description of DC Jones (David Charles?) and I knew it was him immediately from your drawing. I met him first in the Chess Club on arrival at FGS in 1967 as a shy 1st year. Much : 31 December 2022 at 10:59
Feel free to edit my name to SimeonT, John. By mistake the first part of my comment on DCJones in your excellent blog ended up as part of my name!!!!
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# posted by SimeonT, John, Your description of DC Jones (David Charles?) and I knew it was him immediately from your drawing. I met him first in the Chess Club on arrival at FGS in 1967 as a shy 1st year. Much : 31 December 2022 at 11:04
SimeonT, John, Your description of DC Jones (David Charles?) and I knew it was him immediately from your drawing. I met him first in the Chess Club on arrival at FGS in 1967 as a shy 1st year. Much : 31 December 2022 at 11:04Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
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