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Elizabeth Henderson's Blog - Memories of an Unremarkable Woman

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Librarian's Assistant
When I started work at the O&CC I was paid £2 pounds and 10 shillings out of which I had to pay my train fare, holidays, clothes and presents. My Mother very sensibly suggested that I should pay something towards my upkeep now that I was a wage earner but it was only a token amount. But I was working and feeling adult at last when something happened to make me more so.

Hilary Lidyard, one of my wartime friends, who had been my constant companion for the last year or so asked me to marry him. It seemed like a good idea at the time and I think I must have thought myself in love with him but I was far too young. My Father must have realised this because when Hilary went to ask his permission to become engaged he offered no objection but pointed out that I might change my mind in which case there were to be no recriminations. How well he knew me. So there I was a fully paid up member of the adult life of a working woman with an engagement ring on my finger.

Life at the Club went on much as usual until the day my librarian, the ladylike Florence moved on to be librarian of Holloway College for Women. A post that suited her much better and where she could use her qualifications in a much more suitable and agreeable environment. My new Librarian took her place and couldn't have been more different.

To begin with he was a man, Carol Nicholas Peter Powell, known as Peter Powell. He was handsome, young and seemed to fill our small office with his physical and bodily presence. He had been wounded in the war at the Normandy Landings and had joined the Italian freedom fighters at the end of the war. He had written a book of his time with the partisans and gave me a signed copy. As far as I know the fact of being an author was his only qualification to be appointed, he knew nothing about being in charge of the library and never seemed to do any work except as directed by the Library Committee. There was a new impetus to repairing some of the damaged books but, as yet, no attempt to re-catalogue or sort out the lack of being assembled under categories. But he got on very well with the members and he was like a breath of fresh air to me. Sometimes he would send me out to buy a carnation for his buttonhole but it had to match his socks. Or I got used to visiting Floris to find just the right toilet water. When he was really bored he shut up the office saying that we were going to the London Library but instead we went to Fortnam and Masons to treat ourselves to an ice cream.

One morning he came in having been to the first night of a musical, he couldn't quite hum the tune of the opening number which was driving him mad. It was only the first night of Oklahoma! There was also a revival of French songs, J'Attendrai was one that took his fancy and I was sent out on a mission to find a recording for him. Recordings of popular music were still difficult to find and you had to get any new copy quickly before they were sold out. Italian Opera was coming back to London and Mr Powell was keen to hear the famous tenor who was singing the role of Scarpia in Tosca and I bought a couple of tickets for Covent Garden one of which I offered him. It was accepted on the condition that he would take me out for dinner afterwards. It must have caused him an agony of embarrassment as I had no idea what to wear and was still managing with the few clothes left to me by Jean and Sunday best as clothes were still rationed but we went to a famous French restaurant. He must have been wishing that none of his friends were there. It was a marvellous performance of Tosca, the lead role was taken by a young soprano with a thrilling voice and commanding stage presence. I found out much later the name of the young artist, Maria Callas.
This entry was posted on August 6, 2011 at 1:47 pm.
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