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Profile: Gordon Crowson
Gordon Crowson - man of Deeping
Gerald (aka Gordon) Crowson was Deeping St James to his core. He was born in the village in 1903 to stonemason and builder Alfred Arch and Louisa (née Jackson). Both the Crowsons and the Archs were builders and Gordon and his brothers William and Horace went into the firm as well. When business became slack locally William went to work at an aerodrome and older brother Horace joined a Peterborough firm working on a government project near London, working away during the week. The family, which included Gladys (who became a school teacher), were born in Horsegate but later moved to Church Street with their mongrel terrier and pig – it was common for a family to keep a pig in those days.
At the age of five Gordon was sent to the infants’ school (latterly the scout hut) and can remember sharpening his pencil for use on his slate on the wall at the back of the building. His special friend was Sidney Stevens and as his father worked on the railway they would go to Peterborough for a wander round every Saturday. That was when he didn’t go with the carrier, Coton, who had a horse and van and would go into the city to take parcels and run errands for people, Gordon would pay a few coppers for the ride and would meet Sidney at Clumbergate. The boys went on to the Cross School, where the head teacher was strict disciplinarian, Mr Jennings. ‘He was a great believer in the cane,’ remembered Gordon. The school was one big room divided by a partition, the room on the street having been the Workhouse. When it was turned into a school there was a sale and all the utensils and so on were sold. Pupils would wear a Norfolk jacket with a celluloid collar, cold to the touch in the morning. One pair of shoes had to last and came with hobnail heel plates and toe caps. When they showed signs of wear, the cobbler Spendelow would repair them. Lunchtime was a two-hour break in the middle of the day when pupils would go home for their main meal. The ‘lunch children’ from Stowgate would eat their food on the Cross and were allowed inside if it rained. Gordon was given the job of ink monitor, filling the ink wells from a larger bottle. The day would start with Assembly with a prayer and sometimes a hymn in a big room heated by one small stove: ‘It never got hot I can tell you!’. Playtime was in separate boys’ and girls playgrounds; skipping being a favourite game. Last session on a Friday was mental arithmetic with Mr Jennings in front of a large blackboard while the other teachers tidied up.
Gordon married Hilda Bullimore in 1935 in a ceremony at the Holy Trinity Church in Stroud Green; her parents had lived in Eastgate where she was born. On the death of her parents Hilda had gone to live with her Aunt, and Gordon had met her when she was returned for a holiday at her Uncle Bullimores in Deeping Gate. Hilda, wearing a dress of floral crepe de chine and a navy georgette coat, was given away by her aunt, Miss Bullimore. After a reception at the Strand Palace Hotel the couple left for a motor tour of the East Coast. They returned to Deeping St James to a house built by the family firm, with a front door made from reclaimed timber
Gordon Crowson behind the railings
from the deck of HMS Powerful. The door was heard to creak during the first years of their marriage, bringing back ghostly seafaring memories. The couple had one child Timothy (b. 1943) who married Joan Widdop in 1975. The couple lived in the house for their lifetime; Hilda died in 1989 and Gordon four years later.
Gordon proudly remembered receiving his MBE from the Queen; he had been Chairman of the school governors at DSJ County Primary and The Deepings School, a churchwarden at the Priory from 1938-1985, special constable from 1939- 1973, a Parish, District and County Councillor and a Trustee of Deeping St James United Charities. He also served on the East Midlands Joint Industrial Council charged with resolving disputes. He was President of the 49th Scouts & Cubs and of the Pigeon Club – he had been a keen pigeon fancier.
As a result he attended two garden parties at the Palace; on the second occasion the Queen asked Gordon what he was doing now and he replied ‘still working.’ His Last will and Testament was a reflection of his life, remembering his neighbours and the organisations and churches to which he had devoted a life which was truly Deeping St James through and through.
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