Leon Kitchen
8th November 1927
2nd December 2020
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The front page of the
Order of Service is shown above. Some extracts are
shown in italics below.
Gresford - The miners'
hymn
This is dedicated to Leon's grandfathers and uncles who were
miners. It is also dedicated to the people affected by the
Gresford tragedy and a s a comment about the power of rich
organisations on ordinary people's lives.
Gresford performed by the
Easington Brass Band (includes Blaydon Races)
Gresford performed by the Black
Dyke Band
KEVIN
We are only a small group of people gathered here today which
does not reflect Leon’s reach nor does it reflect the true
number of people who would wish to be here with us to
celebrate his life.
All the
music, readings and some of the words we will hear today were
chosen and written out by Leon a couple of years ago as he
prepared for the end of his life. The explanations about the
music that we will share with you were also provided by him.
It is indicative of Leon’s passionate beliefs about equality
and rights that he has, in part, mapped his life and this
service against major social and political events.
As we came in, we heard Gresford played by Easington
Brass Band [note about link]. Leon chose this music to
commemorate his two grandfathers and an uncle who were miners
and an uncle who was an electrician in the mine - all in the
South Yorkshire coalfields. He also chose it in memory of the
terrible mining disaster in 1934 at Gresford Colliery about
which there was so much controversy. This choice reflects
Leon’s passionate defence of poorer working people against
injustice meted out by the rich and wealthy organisations. He
also said that it was in memory of the Durham Miners Gala and
the attendance at it of Tony Benn and the Labour leaders of
the time.
NICK
1930s: Despite the depression of the 1930s, with his
mother, father and sister June, Leon said that he had a very
happy, warm and cosy life enhanced by extended family in the
urban village of Hoyland Common in South Yorkshire. His life
outside of school was centred on the local Methodist Chapel
and also on two of his passions, Yorkshire cricket and
Sheffield Wednesday nearby.
Dulce et Decorum Est by
Wilfred Owen
This is dedicated to Leon's father who was gassed in the
last battle of the First World W and to reflect his
abhorrence of man's inhumanity to man.
KEVIN for
Leon’s father:
Dulce et Decorum Est, Wilfred Owen
Bent double,
like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime...
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
Deep Harmony
This hymn is dedicated to Leon's mother who was an organist
at the Methodist chapel and who raised her family and ran a
business as a single mother
NICK
Leon’s Mother: Leon chose the hymn Deep Harmony
in memory of his mother Doris. She was a Methodist chapel
organist and LRAM licentiate of the Royal College of Music.
She was the devoted single parent of Leon and his sister June
after Norman’s death and she also took over the running of the
family yeast business. When the colliery brass band came
around the streets, she always requested two verses of Deep
Harmony. Later in his life Leon said that this was a
signature tune of the Newcastle Male Chorus of which he was a
proud member.
Deep Harmony Black Dyke Mills Band
1938
Sweet is the
work, my God, my king,
To praise Thy name, give thanks and sing,
To show Thy love by morning light
And talk of all Thy truth at night.
Sweet is the day of sacred rest,
No mortal cares shall seize my breast.
O may my heart in tune be found,
Like David's harp of solemn sound!
Then shall I see, and hear, and know
All I desired and wished below;
And every power find sweet employ
In that eternal world of joy.
KEVIN
1939-45: The years 1939-45 were the most intense of
Leon’s life, spent at Ecclesfield Grammar School. It was at
Ecclesfield that he made lifelong friends including Oller with
whom he has been in regular touch until his very last week and
his best mate Graham Higgins whom he had already known from
junior school and with whom he was in close contact until
Graham’s death. At Graham’s funeral, Leon was invited to speak
and, without notes, he produced a tour de force
eulogising with deep love and admiration about his lifelong
friend. His talk was so moving that we all burst into
spontaneous applause when he finished - much to the priest’s
consternation!
In 1941 came
the Beveridge Report which in due course changed all our lives
when in 1945 we had a Labour government that started our NHS.
1945-51: The six years from 1945–51 were taken up with
university, military service and teacher training. Such was
Leon’s academic brilliance that in 1945 when he was 17, he
went from a South Yorkshire mining village to Oxford to study
PPE. Oxford was in some ways difficult for him and he was
truly grateful for his friend Graham’s presence there. His
experience in Oxford when he was confronted by the wealth and
entitlement of students from public schools perhaps sowed some
of the seeds of his future socialism. Perhaps this is also why
he was passionate about the iniquity of public schools being
allowed to run at all, let alone to benefit from tax breaks.
Leon was passionate about education and the right of all
people to an equal education and he supported charities around
the world that worked towards this.
KEVIN
1952-1966: After University, Leon’s first job was at Soham
Grammar School in Cambridgeshire teaching history
from 1952 to 1957. Even within the last few months of his life
Leon received cards and phone calls from former pupils who had
clearly been inspired and influenced by him as a teacher. He
has been described by many as “making history come alive”.
This week a
former student emailed to say how Leon had had a great
influence on his life. “I remember the first day in our 4th
year at Soham Grammar school he floated into the classroom
gown billowing and deftly with one foot closed the desk lid of
fellow pupil John Hill. It didn't hurt John his head was hard
enough. I think he was imitating his football hero Stanley
Matthews. He was often seen deftly dribbling along the
corridors” ….
He then went
on to teach politics and history at the City School in Lincoln
from 1957 to 1966. He had been surprised by an advert in the
Times Educational Supplement that specifically asked for a PPE
graduate as this was unusual. These were the years when he and
Barbara had Rachel and Mark. He was also leader of the
Methodist Youth Club at the church for 3 years. To celebrate
Leon’s 90th birthday we went on a driving tour to some places
associated with his earlier life including to Lincoln. This
trip included a surprise party at this very Youth Club
building. Such was Leon’s ability to touch people’s hearts and
lives that some 50 years after he had left, around 20 past
club members gathered to celebrate him. It was a moving
reunion.
In both schools where Leon taught, he coached football and
cricket teams – when Leon left Soham the head teacher said
that he would be remembered for his devotion to Len and Stan -
Len Hutton and Stanley Mathews. In fact, whilst at Soham we
have recently heard that he turned out for Soham United on the
left wing. It is also said that Leon had been a good enough
cricketer to play for Yorkshire, but he always denied this.
The family then moved to Newcastle in 1966 because Leon
secured a job at Northern Counties College of Education where
he taught mainly history as part of the teacher training
course and then when it became a part of Newcastle Polytechnic
he taught on the History of Sports degree – one of his more
famous pupils being Steve Cram.
NICK
About Barbara: We will now listen to a Mozart duet from
The Magic Flute in celebration of Leon’s love and
admiration for Barbara. They were born on adjacent streets in
Hoyland Common. They first met when they were 2 years old. The
lovely story holds that Leon told his Mum and auntie at age 7
that he would marry Barbara Brooke to which they laughed.
They went to
the same schools from age 3 to 18 including Ecclesfield
Grammar School and also went to the same Sunday School.
They married in 1954 and lived together for 66 years. Leon
cherished Barbara’s love and loyalty and her devotion to the
family and her ability to look after people. He quoted some of
the lyrics about love from the duet sung by Papageno and
Pamina for us:
Mozart duet from The Magic
Flute
Papageno and Pamina sing about the quality of live and this
song is dedicated to Barbara and to his love and admiration
for her.
Bei
Männern welche Liebe fühlen
“In men who feel love,
a good heart, too, is never lacking.”
“We want to enjoy love;
it is through love alone that we live”.
“Love sweetens every sorrow”;
“Its high purpose clearly proclaims:
there is nothing nobler than woman and man.
Man and woman, and woman and man,
reach towards the deity.”
Barbara will talk about her
life with Leon: tba
KEVIN
Labour Party: Leon put his beliefs about equality into
action by starting to campaign with the Labour Party in 1966 and
by joining it in 1967. In his words, the high point of his
political career was on 1st May 1990 when Jim Heads won Dene
ward for Labour for the first time!
Newcastle Male Chorus: On his retirement from teaching in
1987, Leon joined Newcastle Male Chorus and sang with them all
around the country and abroad in concerts and competitions. Leon
was librarian and editor of their magazine. Leon had hoped that
the Chorus would sing Like a Bridge over Troubled Waters,
and Troytes Chant from Under Milkwood at this
service but of course this is not possible. We will nonetheless
listen to a recording of Troytes Chant as we leave
later.
As a person:
Would you all recognise how well read and knowledgeable Leon
was?
And I am sure
that you also know that he was continuously generous in his
charitable giving to all sorts of different charities working
with people all around the world.
All those who have reached out to us since Leon’s death have
reflected our own experience of Leon being a deeply principled,
honourable, caring man with tremendous integrity. His views were
always well thought out and backed by intelligent reasons rather
than by cliched soundbites. He had a heartfelt interest in
everyone he met and wanted to know about people and how they
were getting on. One recent example of this is that as a
patient of the NHS he was asking about the welfare of a nurse’s
son at university being genuinely interested and concerned about
him.
He was very
well informed and was an avid listener to political and sports
broadcasts both on radio and on tv and he was a prolific reader
right up to his last week. He followed football and cricket
avidly and was a mine of information about both.
NICK
As a father: As a Dad, Leon was remarkable. Mark,
regrettably, had to live away from the family home yet from when
Mark was aged 6 to 52 Leon travelled every single week of the
year come rain or shine, sometimes twice a week, by public
transport to have trips out with his son. They walked around
Prudhoe, Seaham and later Sunderland. When Mark was 52 he came
to live in High Heaton which thankfully meant that the family
could be united far more regularly. Still Leon went out for
walks with carefully planned routes with Mark to take in shops
and suitable refreshment stops every Saturday until his heart
attack almost 4 years ago.
Rachel also
experienced a deep and supportive relationship with her
Dad. His unconditional love for her has been a corner
stone of her life. Soon after his heart attack she wrote him a
letter because she wanted him to know just how important he was
to her. This is a precis of what was written….
Dearest Dad,
To say that I express my deepest gratitude to you for all you
have done for me as a father feels so inadequate and somehow
superficial. You have been my friend, my mentor, my inspiration
and my life would not have been nearly as rich and happy without
your continued presence.
From what you
have said about your Dad it sounds as if you inherited many of
your qualities from him - fairness, honesty, integrity,
generosity, commitment, modesty and a deep concern for the
welfare of others.
It’s hard to
know what it is that I will miss most about you when you’re no
longer in my life. I remember from a young age that you were
always a very 'hands-on' father – well before anyone had heard
of the concept of a 'new man'. Some of my fondest memories of my
early years were going out on a Sunday morning with you &
Mark around the parks – we must have experienced all the best
swings that Lincoln had to offer.
During the
first few years in Newcastle, you used to take me along to St
James’ Park where we’d stand in the Gallowgate and I can still
recount all the players and their positions so this clearly had
a big impact on me. The opportunity to go out and spend time
with you was always so welcome even such simple pleasures like
throwing and catching a ball against our back wall.
I was always
keen to do well at school to make you proud – at sport and
academically - and I so appreciated the interest you showed in
my school work particularly ‘O’ level History where I certainly
needed the input! It was significant that it was you who
accompanied me to York University for the first time after my
year 'off'. A gap year was much less common in those days and
I’m forever grateful that you always encouraged me to follow my
own interests and aspirations rather than do the same as
everyone else.
After
university I had those couple of years off to travel around the
world for which again I have you & Mum to thank. You helped
me to feel secure enough in myself to have the confidence to
embark on such adventures and you encouraged me despite your
fears and reservations (which I only heard of subsequently).
I was also
inspired by our wonderful family holidays and what has brought
so much pleasure in recent years is the fact that we three (with
Nick’s essential presence) have taken up the chance to have more
foreign holidays together – there are not so many late 80-year
olds who would be up for this challenge and this has been such a
special opportunity to spend more quality time with you.
Like you, my
experience of family life was one of happiness, security and
contentment and you have been the most amazing father to both
Mark and I. Neither of us have the words to express our love and
admiration for you and our gratitude for your presence in our
lives. We are so pleased, proud and privileged to have you as
our Dad….
Leon in
his turn was very ready to express his love & gratitude to
his daughter saying to her “aren’t we lucky Rach to have had 60
years together!” He was particularly appreciative of Rachel’s
presence close by him in the last year of his life and with
Barbara she cared for him which enabled him to stay at
home so that he could die peacefully at home as he hoped.
It was however, a source of his greatest sadness that due to the
Covid restrictions Leon was no longer able to see Mark regularly
before he died.
KEVIN
Thank you for joining us to remember Leon and to celebrate his
life with us.
We are sorry
not to be able to invite you all for the usual drink and a bite
to eat.
But Rachel has
prepared some of Leon’s favourite flapjack and if you feel that
it is safe to do so, do please take a piece and eat it at home
with a cup of tea and think of Leon.
We will leave as we listen to Troytes
Chant sung by the London Welsh Male Voice
Choir because Leon said “it is a beautiful
way to end a concert or a service”.
Rev Eli
Jenkins Prayer (Troyte’s Chant)
Every morning, when I wake,
Dear Lord, a little prayer I make,
O please to keep Thy loving eye
On all poor creatures born to die.
And every
evening at sun-down
I ask a blessing on the town,
For whether we last the night or no
I'm sure is always touch-and-go.
We are not
wholly bad or good
Who live our lives under Milk Wood,
And Thou, I know, wilt be the first
To see our best side, not our worst.
O let us see
another day!
Bless us this holy night, I pray,
And to the sun we all will bow
And say goodbye - but just for now.
Dylan Thomas
Soham Grammarian Autumn 1951
We welcome Mr ACV Foster, Mr L Kitchen and Dr JS Turner, who
take their places on the Staff.
Soham Grammarian Summer 1957
We are sorry to report that Mr Kitchen, Mr
Jones and Mr Atkinson are leaving us this term; we wish them
all happiness and success in the future.
| VALETE
- Mr Kitchen, who takes up a new post at The City
School, Lincoln, next term, came to this school in
1951, when his pupils and colleagues soon
discovered that here was one to whom teaching was
a vocation to be pursued with unflagging zeal and
earnestness.
Mr. Kitchen's unrelenting
seriousness of purpose may at times have made
him easy game for Magazine satirists among
others, making sly digs about his chasing
Sixth-formers down the drive at end of term with
holiday homework or about his "night-shifts"
with them in his house before A level; but it
was always to be seen as a reflection of an
intense love of his subject as the precious
record of human aspirations and ideals.
Think of the resounding fervour of
his speeches in the Freedom Service for Hungary
or on United Nations occasions, and of how he
has been able to build up Civics and the
Discussion Group as explorations of the "eternal
verities"; think, too, how he has made ordinary
lessons illustrate his saying, "History is
Chaps."
Matching this sincerity, which has
made his morning services so memorable, has been
the kindly wit and cheerful smile that seem so
typically North Country. In the sports realm,
Mr. Kitchen will be particularly remembered for
his work with the Under-Fourteen teams and for
his devotion to Stan and Len.
|
from the 1956 School photo |
Mr Kitchen can be seen in many Reunion and School photos
(do a search on Kitchen).
Peter Pryke SG52: Glad to know that
Leon Kitchen is still going strong. A Yorkshireman, I think.
He used to wear a beret. He was a super teacher, and a good
soccer player. He took us for history and civics (tape
recordings of Alistair Cooke's Letter From America).
Even the thickest kids passed history.
He used to write headline notes on the board
left-handed in a good hand. He could coax performance out of
anybody - "what do you know about Henry the Eighth?" -
silence - "Oh come on lad, tha must know sumthing".
If you can add further memories of Mr Kitchen
or provide further photos of him, please contact the editor.
page created 1 Nov 07: last updated 15 Oct 21: 16 Mar 22
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