Images 1949-1979

My first photographs

Decades ago I assembled assorted photographs of myself that I had accumulated. I put these in an album, but all the sticky tabs failed and the photographs became jumbled. These first polyphoto shots I saw for the first time only a month or two ago, after my mother's funeral. My mother had them taken partly so she could send some photographs to her parents in Milan.

At my great grandmother's birthday celebration

About 1951

This portrait of myself and my sister was taken at the Navana studio in Manchester, and was almost certainly commissioned by my grandmother.

July 1950 when I was one year old

At my grandparents

I spent the first two years of my life living in my grandparents' home in Whalley Range, Manchester.

With the tortoise at my grandparents, and the chickens behind me

On the beach with my uncle Ralph

At my grandparents with my sisters Rina and Valerie

Rina was born after our move to our new home on the Wythenshawe estate, so this photograph must have been taken on a visit to my grandparents. We would travel there on the 102 bus.

6, Painswick Road, Woodhouse Park

1952

2nd June, 1953. Coronation day

May 1954

I think we were dressed up as smartly as possible for the visit of my aunt Luciana on her honeymoon with her husband Sergio.

At Newton's Farm, Langdale End, Scarborough

My grandparents often went for their summer holiday at Langdale End, taking their children with them, and later they took us too. On this occasion my parents came as well, with us three children.

August 1956 in Milan

Our visit to Italy in 1956 and we were all dressed up as smartly as possible to impress our Italian relations.

August 1956

My portrait by Navana, commissioned by my grandmother. It is a hand coloured black and white print.

Mr Leopold Lorant was our next door neighbour at 18, Manley Road. He gave me rhubarb that I planted on our side of the wall, and later he left me his longcase clock that I still have. He died in 1963 when he was 68 years old. I should guess this photograph was taken in 1960.

Prestatyn, June 1961

We had occasional day trips to the seaside after my father acquired his first vehicle, a Ford Thames van. Primarily for his business, it had no seats in the back, but we piled in as best we could.

We had many holidays with my grandparents in Devon, and they gave us regular trips.here I am with my grandparents, my aunt Lyn and her two young daughters, my sisters Rina and Valerie, and Lyn's husband Norman's nephew, I think he was called David Pitts, son of his sister Gladys. He now lives in Crediton.

July 1962

Adolescence was a difficult time. I attended St Bede's College, where i was shy, insecure and totally lacking in self confidence.

1964

December 1966 at Mons Hall

In the kitchen/living room at Manley Road

When a sacristan at the Cenacle Convent

The Cenacle Convent was next door to my grammar school and I passed it each day on my way home. I cannot remember how it happened that I became their handyman, doing odd jobs in the convent after school. I worked with Sister Anne Waite, here in the photograph, and Sister Maud Burns, an older, jolly, plump, short lady of generous spirit. They were based in the sacristy, hence my uniform of white cotta and black cassock, which I wore each day to put out all the candles on their altar. It also gave me a kind of priestly respectability, as it was what I believe is called a semi-enclosed order of nuns, and as a man I was not properly allowed otherwise within the enclosure. Sister Waite and Sister Burns were very kind to me, giving me a lot of appreciation for my help. Often I would be served tea with sandwiches and cake on a tray in the priests' parlour next to the sacristy, as a thank you for my help. The convent with its large grounds has now gone, its chapel and other buildings demolished.

In the Sixth Form at St Bede's

August 1966, Lignano Pineta, on holiday with Sergio and Reine and family

In 1966 I think I got to Italy by accompanying my aunt Silvana back, and whilst there I was taken on holiday by my uncle Sergio and his French wife Reine, together with their children my cousins Giulio and Caterina, and also Reine's nephew and niece, Eric and Sonia, children of Reine's sister Marie-Thérèse. We stayed at Lignano Pineta, but also made a day trip to visit Gorizia to se my grandmother's sister Zia Maria and her husband Zio Nin in via Aprica. Zio Nin had lost his larynx because of cance but was able to talk in a strange monotone with the help of a device hidden in a pipe which he held in his mouth. He gave me my first taste of grappa. We also visited Trieste, driving up past the cathedral.

October 1968 at Exeter University

Going to Exeter University in 1968 was a turning point in my life. For the first year I was still a schoolboy, but with the help of my room mate Pete Mercer in the hall of residence I began to grow up. It was in my second year that I started to make my own clothes, distinctly hippy in style, with bell-bottomed jeans in William Morris 'Blackthorn' furnishing fabric and simulated snakeskin.

Colonie de Vacances at St Pierre en Grandvaux

At the end of my second year at university, as I was studying French as part of my degree I was given the option of working as an animateur in a colonie de vacances. I spent my 21st birthday attending a stage de base at St Jean les Deux Jumeaux, just east of Paris, next to the river Marne where we swam. This was followed by a month working in a colonie in the Jura, in the foothills of the Alps, close to Geneva and Lausanne. The children were boys from the town of Mâcon, to the north of Lyon and not far from the colonie. We spent a night in Mâcon at the home of the priest who was director of the colonie, but he was absent with the death of his mother for the first few days. The stage de base and the colonie were a tremendous experience for me, which really helped me to grow in self confidence. I had great responsibility, probably too much in retrospect, but I cared for the boys to the very best of my abiity.

1970: Olivier Plauchu

With Hazelle Eastman

At university I did not have girlfriends, I was too lacking in self confidence for that, even if it was the late 60s. I did become friends with a fellow student on my course, Hazelle Eastman. I supported Hazelle when she had a breakdown before finals in 1971. Later she taught English in Lecce, and came to join me and my parents at Caorle. They made her very unwelcome, and this finally led to me making a necessary emotional break with them. We did stay friends, and were very close. She married and moved to east Anglia. A few weeks ago whilst on the train I searched for her and found a photograph of her gravestone, showing that she had died in 2001.

1971

September 1973; I had just had my wisdom teeth removed

1973: mock up photo for my MA

I studied for an MA in English Local History at Leicester in 1971-2, did my research for my dissertation that autumn, then started work as a teacher in Okehampton, where I wrote and typed up my dissertation. I went back to Leicester to receive my MA, but this photograph was a fun self-portrait.

January 1974

I think these photographs were taken to accompany my application to join VSO. Fortunately they completely misread me and turned me down. I have never forgiven VSO though. Instead I went to Southampton to study for a PGCE. The course was poor and it was an awful year. I realised though that schools weren't for me, and I applied for a job as a lecturer in general studies at Hertfordshire College of Building in St Albans.

Teaching photography at Hertfordshire College of Building

Although appointed to teach general studies and the history of building, I was also given the task of teaching practical photography, about which I knew next to nothing. I worked hard at this, and in the process acquired several photographs of myself taken by my students.

14th December, 1974

14th December, 1974

1975

1975

1975

March, 1975

April 1975

April 1975

April 1975, Chester

April 1975, Chester

Whitsun 1975

Whitsun 1975

1975

1977

1975

1975

1975

January 1976

January 1976

November 1977

At a Colonie de Vacances, in a sweater knitted by my cousin Muriel Billamboz

1973 or 1974 in Gorizia, with uncle Gino Bettiol and second cousins Arianna and Luisa

After my maxillectomy

With students at Houghton Mill repairing the vandalised houseboat

1976

April 1976

April 1976

Attacking the grass in front of 5, Vernon Close, St Albans - my first home

With my cousin Muriel Billamboz in St Albans

At my sister Dana's wedding, June 1977

With my family in Italy c. 1976

On my motorbike heading to Cassis with Colin in 1977

January 1978 at the Kotel

January 1978 in Jericho

1977 or 1978 or Carole Billamboz's wedding

In the Pyrenees near Prades, in 1979

Piraeus, en route to Haifa, 1979

Hertfordshire College of Building, 1979

September, 1979