A Whited Sepulchre
Very soon after I became a Christian, I met Bill. He came to mind soon after I started to think of the theme of this post. I haven’t thought about him for years. I can remember going to his flat but I can’t remember what it was like!
At the time I was very withdrawn, some people called me “Creeping Jesus”. I did not interact easily with people although I had made a few good lifelong friends by then. Bill was not so close and certainly he didn’t set out to mentor me or perhaps he did. Any road, he offered me opportunities and I took them.
Bill was tall, thin and a chain smoker. Good looking, loads of girlfriends, charming, charismatic – you know the type. He was a Quaker and most important at the time, founder of Peace Action Newcastle. PAN was one of the most active peace groups in the country, in the years just before Greenham Common.
I had not been involved in anything like it before. I can’t quite remember how I got involved. I suspect I picked up a leaflet. When I became a Christian, I decided to do something about it, so I joined a peace group. I know you’re supposed to put all your time into church but … well …
Bill blagged use of the cellar in the Quaker Meeting House. We had a Gestetner, so we could design and produce our own leaflets. I remember as we entered the whitewashed room, shaped indeed like a whited sepulchre, the heady sent of alcohol from the machine.
I learned how to hand out leaflets, talk to strangers on the street, perform in street theatre. We were active for 2 – 3 years and I gained Bill’s trust. I organised Peace on Wheels, a Peace Action Caravan in Cumbria in the summer of 1979. Fourteen of us toured for a fortnight, visiting towns to perform street theatre and offer training non-violence. It was Bill’s idea but I organised it, while I was writing my PhD.
We used the Monster Manuel, a guide to organising. I’m sure my copy is still somewhere in my house, I’ll find it if I ever get around to tidying. Bill trusted me to use the Manuel to train others in non-violence. I remember we ran it in a room in Gateshead. I set up the room and Bill, who was not participating arrived and insisted that we should not be sat around a table. We should sit in a circle without a table separating us. I was not happy because I thought people would want to take notes but the table had to go.
Later Bill returned, I was into the second half of the training session and covering aims and objectives. Bill interrupted and insisted I had them the wrong way round (I hadn’t). This turned into a violent row – I knew I was right and would not back down. Why should I?
This was very embarrassing to both of us. We shared the ideals of non-violence but we were not so good at it in practice!
I owe Bill a great deal, he got me out of my shell, maybe to the point where I was a threat to his leadership. Well done, Bill!
Day 3/21 of my writing challenge. Every weekday, I publish a short piece of writing on my subject of solitude. The writings are based on a prompt from Megan Macedo, who leads the challenge. These are all first drafts with minimal revision. Please comment if you find these posts helpful. Previous: Not Washing Up! Next: Teesside Advertiser.