About Stan

 

Stan was born in 1919 in South Elmsall.  He was a talented boy treble, singing in St. Mary’s Church Choir and winning many prizes in regional music competitions, which give him an early love of classical music.  At 11, Stan passed “the scholarship” (11+ exam) and attended Hemsworth Grammar School, where he learned many things that would serve him well later – including basic French. 

Stan’s twin brother and sister, Janet and John, were born in 1930 and in 1934, when Stan was 15, his parents decided that it was time he left school and started work, so he never got to take his School Certificate exams.  

A job was found for him as a trainee journalist with Arthur Moseley, who ran the South Elmsall office of the South Yorkshire Times, a weekly newspaper with its base in Mexborough.   The photo above shows Stan on holiday, aged about 15.

When Stan was 16, the family moved to 19 Burntwood Road, Grimethorpe as his father, George, was offered the job of Screens Manager at Grimethorpe Colliery. 

By 1939 Stan was a reporter on the Doncaster edition of the Yorkshire Evening News, but in the autumn of 1939, when conscription began, he received call-up papers.  He was conscripted into the Army in November, 1939. 

The photo on the left is from a newspaper article Stan wrote on his experience of going through the conscription process.

 After basic training in Harrogate, Stan was drafted into 10 Corps, Royal Signals (his poor eyesight meant that he was not destined for a front-line role).  He worked in office-based roles in the UK, although censorship rules make it impossible to know exactly where he was based for most of the time. 

Stan was promoted to Corporal in November, 1940, and this was his rank when he met Grace on 6 February, 1942.