And FOUND!
TWO months ago Terry Lucy was looking for a group of his friends from the Hamlet of Ratcliffe School in Stepney, East London, who won the London Schools’ Under-12s Chess Championships for several years running back in the Sixties.
‘I have the names of all the team members and would love to locate them. Our head, Mr Ronald Brock, was a former Lancaster gunner in World War II, and was shot down over Germany. He spent two years in a PoW camp, where he perfected his chess-playing skills.
‘Mr Brock dedicated his life to us East End kids and was a great character, smoking his pipe all day.
‘He passed on his chess skills to us; he insisted everyone had to play. We were no good at football, but when it came to chess there wasn’t a team in London for three years who could beat us.’
Our excellent volunteer researchers found a number of these chess aces, including Lesley McCarthy (nee Delaney): ‘After being told of your Missing and Found section, I’m writing to say I am the Lesley mentioned earlier, living in Suffolk. Please pass on my email to Terry.
‘I remember a chess tournament we went to in 1967 at Butlins, and how Mr Brock would warm the crates of milk by the fire in the classroom in winter, and the prize days when people like Morecambe and Wise and Harry Secombe would come to give out prizes. Good times.’
IF there is someone you would like to trace, write to Gill Whitley, 1 Newbrook house, New hall Lane, Preston, Pr1 5Pe, enclosing an SAe, or email monica.porter@dailymail.co.uk — including a contact phone number. All communications will be answered as soon as possible. this column is researched with the aid of Peopletracer (www.peopletracer.co.uk). A small donation will be requested for employing Gill Whitley’s services.