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THE GOLDONIAN GOLDINGS PERSONALITIES (11)
Mr. P. F. East was born at Canterbury in the year 1898 and was educated at Holy Cross School. From an early age Mr. East showed a keen interest in choral singing, being a boy chorister at Holy Cross Church. This interest he maintained, being choirmaster to the Hertford Methodist Church for 13 years, just one of a number of offices he has held during his 39 years' membership of the Church. Mr. East was apprenticed to the printing firm of Messrs. Cross and Jackmon of Canterbury. His apprenticeship was interrupted by the First World War, during which Mr. East served with the Second 1st and Second 4th London Regiment Royal Fusiliers, being engaged with the enemy in Belgium and France. Upon demobilization he completed his time and after a short period with the Surrey Fine Arts Press, Reigate, and the Amalgamated Press, London, Mr. East moved to Hertford and was employed at Simson and Co., now known as Simson Shand Ltd. On the 20th January, 1934, he was appointed to the staff of our School printing department. As was usual in those days, Mr. East, as a shop master, was also actively associated with one of the Houses, serving as McCall housemaster for a number of years. As could be expected of a man of Kent, Mr. East was a keen cricketer and a regular member of the School team. The Second World War found Mr. East in uniform again, this time as a member of the Home Guard. Later he transferred to fire-watching duties, dividing his tours of duty between the roof of Goldings and his own residential district. Over the years of his service to the School and to the printer trainees especially, Mr. East has been responsible for passing on the know-how to some hundreds of young Caxtons and there must be Old Boys scattered all over the world who owe their basic training to him. Just at present he has the worry of an impending operation at the County Hospital and I am sure all Old Boys will join the staff and boys at the School to wish him a speedy recovery and a great measure of benefit. Over the years I have come to appreciate his subtle wit, and his sense of humour is a quality most essential when dealing with educational standards concurrently with printing orders from all departments of the Barnardo organization, most of which are marked 'urgent’. He takes everything in his stride and as he is handed another urgent order he can be heard saying, 'Now come on, son, this is wanted in the post yesterday!'
R. S. |
