Mary Davies

We were saddened to hear of the recent passing of Mary Davies who was the school Secretary to five Headmasters and made a massive contribution to Emanuel over 41 years, spanning 1954 to Easter 1995. When Mary eventually retired it was noted “she came in at the top” as the Headmaster’s Secretary and remained in that same position for her entire career, eventually managing the ‘General Office’ as secretarial support expanded. Over the years, when I occasionally tapped Mary’s extensive knowledge and incredible memory of the school, she always chuckled heartily at the extent to which the support staff had grown, as in her early years she ran the school’s entire administration system almost singlehandedly.

The School Archive will be forever in Mary’s debt for the incredibly thorough documentation and annotated card indexes she left behind, with added notes and meticulous pupil updates added as achievements or career progressions. If it were not for her keen eye for detail and realisation that preservation of information was important, we might not have any class registers for the entire fifties, sixties or seventies. Whenever a document has ‘MAID’ (her school initials) one can guarantee it is 100% accurate as oversights were not part of her makeup. Last December was the 35^th anniversary of the Clapham Rail Disaster with many visitors viewing our archive collection of the crash, which was greatly bolstered by the fact that Mary had kept everything, from notes of telephone calls from VIPs to boys who were involved in the rescue efforts and other key documents which passed through the hands of the Headmaster Mr Peter Thomson, which we were able to share at the event.

Over her long retirement Mary enjoyed hearing news of the school, with one of her former colleagues, Debra Shuttleworth, often sending her the school calendar, occasional newsletters, and catching up over the telephone. She also stayed in touch with many teaching colleagues, including David Dufour with whom she struck up a great friendship. Mary did not suffer fools gladly and was more than happy to put pushy teachers in their place and on one occasion had a disagreement with David which is affectionately referred to in the archive: “it was like a clash between a tyrannosaurus rex and a triceratops, squabbling for supremacy. Both have quick tempers, but they remain the best of friends many years after the original sparring.”

Although she had a history degree Mary never wished to become a teacher and the boys always loved the smart, speedy sport cars she often drove and at great speed down the Drive (sometimes even racing her dogs). Mary was a life-long dog-lover who often brought her canine friends into school to spend the day under her desk. Due to her longevity she was often referred to with great affection in Old Emanuel Association (OEA) newsletters and warmly welcomed alumni, many of whom were surprised she was still there, when they returned to the school. Mary always greeted them fondly and updated them on how the school had changed since their day. Although Mary was far from an easy touch, the pupils had great respect for her and she enjoyed keeping in contact with many after they had left and appreciated news of their progress.

Mary skilfully developed a reputation as teachers quickly realised she was not one to trifle with. This is particularly notable as these were eras in which there were virtually no women on staff. Newbie teachers would timidly knock on her door when they required assistance and long-serving German teacher Harry Jackson recalled being put in his place when having the cheek to seek assistance in finding accommodation when moving to London. When the office staff expanded, Mary greatly enjoyed working with and mentoring new recruits, including Jackie Bedding, Pam Plumtree and Debra Shuttleworth with the office occasionally being affectionately referred to as “the Dragon’s Lair”.

Mary worked under five Headmasters, including Dr Jack Grundy, who appointed her, and Mr Charles Kuper, whose long-term health problems coincided with the school’s long fight to preserve its grammar school status. This meant that many of the practicalities at this time fell to Mary. She was known to be discreet and loyal to her bosses, able to manage and maintain friendships in the Common Room with those who were at loggerheads with the Headmaster and yet at the same time remain loyal to him. Even when she had been retired for many years she maintained this loyalty. When professional historian Nigel Watson was at the research stages of the book Emanuel School: an Illustrated History, he interviewed Mary and if he expected any revelations, he was sorely disappointed and she remained loyal to all five Headmasters, even those who were long since dead.

In his eloquent retirement valete in the 1996 Portcullis, David Dufour noted Mary should be remembered as an “Emanuel Feminist” who dared to enter the entirely male dominated Common Room of the early 1960s which in those days support staff did not use. She even had the cheek to read the newspaper whilst eating her sandwiches to the shock of the rest of the room! How times have changed and Mary helped tremendously in that shift.

Legendary English master Mr J. A. Cuddon, who worked with Mary for most of her 41 years at Emanuel, spoke fondly of her in his ‘Forward to the Past: Some random reminiscences’, the last piece he wrote before his own retirement. A successful novelist and master craftsman of the written word, staff used to look forward to the incredible valetes he often wrote of departing colleagues but lamented the fact he would not be able to write one of his wonderful eulogies on Mary as she retired slightly before him “So I have at any rate had the opportunity of paying some tribute to a hundred or so of my colleagues. Unhappily, I shall not now have the chance of doing this for the perennially youthful and stunningly efficient Miss Mary Davies who has also been at Emanuel a long time.” The late Headmaster and long-serving Head of English, Mr Peter Hendry, was one of many others who was full of praise in a reflective piece when Mary reached the forty year milestone: “Having now served for 40 years with devotion, genial acerbity and a rod of iron; it is difficult to imagine the school without her.”

The Headmaster’s Office section of the 1991 Yearbook even went as far as to say: “Everyone knows she runs the school and that chaos would reign, if she were ever to be absent.” At that particular time, Mary was aided by Lara, a Hungarian Vizla, one of many dogs to accompany her to school. When Mary reached her eighties, and was increasingly housebound, she was particularly sad about her inability to take her dogs out for regular walks. In her working life she also enjoyed exercising the dogs of friends and neighbours and after she retired she often helped German teacher, Harry Jackson, by looking after his dogs whilst he had events at school. She had a deep affection for horses, also enjoying riding, and for animals in general. Mary was also an avid reader, enjoyed a good party and hosted many in her Kensington flat. She was known for her style and elegance and for a love of champagne. Before she became increasingly housebound, she enjoyed meeting up with old colleagues, including David Dufour, Michael Stewart, Clive Smith, Stuart Thomson, and the late Mike Kaye. Michael recalled these catchups with great fondness: “Mary was always lively, youthful, quick-witted, and great fun. There was much laughter and she remained mentally very sharp.”

Losing Mary Davies is a great loss, but few at Emanuel School have made such a large and telling impact as she did. Mary is survived by her nephew, Mark, and other relatives to whom we send our sympathies.

Tony Jones, Archivist