Prophetic Writing From 1949

[JennyMorgan]

Written by J Wentworth-Day, paragraphs 3 & 4 are especially worth noting. 

[Heron]

Prophetic in deed! All the signs are contained in the 2 paragraphs you hightlght.

[MauriceMynah]

"It's a National Park. I know it's a national park cos I said it was, and If I say it is, then it is cos I'm the boss and don't you forget it. So, It's a national park.. What is it?" 

A quote directly attributed to a certain Dr, who shall remain nameless for legal reasons. Suffice to say, his interview to the top reporters of Viz magazine (under licence to or from Private Eye  (Other satirical magazines are available)) can be verified by referring to the Encyclopaedia  Britannica (under the heading "Bull"). 

[marshman]

Cannot disagree with a lot of that but I am not convinced that the landed gentry bit holds very true though!

Perhaps the children of those erstwhile gentlemen are a little less caring than their parents were - or so it would seem to me!!!!!

[JennyMorgan]

8 minutes ago, marshman said:

I am not convinced that the landed gentry bit holds very true though!

Same thought crossed my mind! Mind you they are not all bad. I do have great faith in one particular individual who shall remain nameless. 

I also note Mr Wentworth-Day's comments regarding bureaucracy, how apt. 

[floydraser]

Reading that without the benefit of rose tinted spectacles it reminds me very much of Wainwright; publish a book (and get paid for doing so) telling the World how marvelous a place is, then moan about how it's getting spoilt by the amount of people going there. So it's a lovely place but there's clearly a problem with sanitary arrangements and maintenance which he suggests should be addressed by councils and interested businesses? 

So who should have been looking after the place? 

He's basically saying get your house in order or it WILL be a national Park. What happened?

 

[Hylander]

Thank you for posting.   I read the whole thing and it is so true and could be written today (apart from the names mentioned)  and that was written in 1949.

[JennyMorgan]

9 hours ago, floydraser said:

He's basically saying get your house in order or it WILL be a national Park. What happened?

Having  read the book, and several others by that writer, I'm not convinced that that is actually what he is saying but there we go. However, I do agree with the comparison with Wainwright, one that can also apply to G Christopher Davies, writer of Broads books. In Mr Wentworth-Day's case he is not widely admired by many Broadland old timers. Apparently the bloke was reputed to a bit of a bull-s****** and in today's terminology something of a troll. Nevertheless I enjoy his books which i do return to now and again. He writes of a time when my father was an active Broadlander and he mentions a number of characters that I either knew or knew off. He was perhaps a bit of a journalist, digging for a story which might then be embellished. My father met him on several occasions, always spoke well of him, but I never did although I rather think that I would have liked him. Perhaps that is because we seemingly share the same opinion of local bureaucracy. In my opinion he certainly wrote well of the Southern Rivers and a time when I was a mere tiddler.

[floydraser]

 

1 hour ago, JennyMorgan said:

Having  read the book, and several others by that writer, I'm not convinced that that is actually what he is saying but there we go. However, I do agree with the comparison with Wainwright, one that can also apply to G Christopher Davies, writer of Broads books. In Mr Wentworth-Day's case he is not widely admired by many Broadland old timers. Apparently the bloke was reputed to a bit of a bull-s****** and in today's terminology something of a troll. Nevertheless I enjoy his books which i do return to now and again. He writes of a time when my father was an active Broadlander and he mentions a number of characters that I either knew or knew off. He was perhaps a bit of a journalist, digging for a story which might then be embellished. My father met him on several occasions, always spoke well of him, but I never did although I rather think that I would have liked him. Perhaps that is because we seemingly share the same opinion of local bureaucracy. In my opinion he certainly wrote well of the Southern Rivers and a time when I was a mere tiddler.

Having googled him, I can believe all that. His politics may suggest he would be on the side of the landed gentry.

One thing it highlights though is one of the few positives of modern social media; in 1949 a well connected author could voice his opinion virtually unopposed and may even have influence. Today he would find it more difficult to make money writing about his holidays and would soon find constructive and robust opposition to his views.

That said, I'm sure there's also great value in his recording of a time in history.

[marshman]

Not sure I would cast Wentworth Day with Christopher Davies - not only were they 70 year or so apart, the former was pretty opinionated in some ways whereas Christopher Davies was more of a traditional writer. Although I think I have a couple of the formers books, I find them pretty uninteresting whereas Davies's books are of the Broads as they were at the turn of the last century. I can easily pick up his books and read them for pleasure recounting as he does, the nascent Broads and the hiring industry as we know it today, or perhaps a trifle earlier!

[Paul]

"I am Rome, and where I walk is Rome", Aulus Plautius, AD 43 (possible)

"I am National Park, and where I walk is National Park", Dr John Packman, AD 2020 (probable)

[JennyMorgan]

3 hours ago, Paul said:

"I am National Park, and where I walk is National Park", Dr John Packman, AD 2020 (probable)

I often see him walking well outside the BA's executive area, he live near one of my daughter's. Does this mean that my daughter now lives within the BNP? 

[JennyMorgan]

8 hours ago, floydraser said:

That said, I'm sure there's also great value in his recording of a time in history.

He was a product of that time, some of his values have certainly failed the test of time. 

 

4 hours ago, marshman said:

Not sure I would cast Wentworth Day with Christopher Davies

Davies famously recommended administering a dose of dust-shot upon local youths who's antics he disapproved of. Wentworth Day, on the other hand, recommended hanging in one particular instance.