'The issue of 5 April dove into the experiences of Leslie Baily, whose play The Trial of William Penn was due to be broadcast on BBC radio the following month.'
Eye - 05 April 2024
From Glimmers to 200 years of choccies
Glimmers
Eye’s invitation to share the glimmers of light and love in your life (15 March) has prompted some Friends to share their experiences. I’m so moved that my article resonated with you Friends, thank you!
Dorothy Jerrome, of Nailsworth Meeting, shared: ‘I have recently moved to live near my son, having lost my daughter (his sister) eighteen months ago. I had a brief conversation with a new neighbour who had herself just moved, and my bereavement came up.
‘A few days later, on Mothers’ Day, her husband and one of the children appeared bearing a plate with a large slice of cake. I was very touched. The warming memory of such thoughtfulness will always stay with me. It was great cake too!’
On this day
In 1933 the Friend featured accounts of Friends’ unexpected jobs, including a documentary filmmaker, a port doctor on a small island, and one who worked in a gramophone factory!
The issue of 5 April dove into the experiences of Leslie Baily, whose play The Trial of William Penn was due to be broadcast on BBC radio the following month. A former pupil at Sibford School, his career as a journalist had led him to work with the BBC, writing radio plays like his adaptation of pacifist drama The Fantastic Battle by CR Burns, and several series of ‘Scrapbooks’, which brought scenes from the past back to life for listeners.
Asked by the Friend as to what led him to take up this work, Leslie Baily replied: ‘I think I owe a good deal to the habit of thirsting after accurate knowledge, which was imparted to me first at Sibford and then as a newspaper reporter…
‘This play I have compiled from the original records at Friends House… The trial of Penn and Mead at the Old Bailey in 1670 ran through four days, and was heard before a bench of ten justices in a court filled with jurymen, witnesses, constables, and excited spectators of this astonishing prosecution.’
Due to limited knowledge about William Penn and Quakerism in the general population, ‘the presentation of the trial by radio has necessitated some simplification and explanation’.
‘In writing [the] prologue I have taken a dramatists’ license in condensing into one brief scene occurrences which were actually spread over several months. In the trial itself I have kept scrupulously to the original records. Truth again shows itself to be stranger than fiction…’
Leslie went on to reflect on his work in broadcasting in general, saying: ‘Those who prefer freedom of the broadcast word must not object if sometimes the words they hear are distasteful to themselves. I have from time to time during the broadcasting of my “Scrapbook” programmes received mild admonishments from Friends who objected to items which may have appeared to them frivolous, or jingoist, or otherwise undesirable; my defence is that my job as compiler of these programmes, which reflect British life in past years, is not to see history through a distorting mirror. Arranging radio programmes teaches one tolerance.’
200 years of choccies
Friends may have spotted media coverage last month of the 200th birthday of Cadbury’s.
The company’s Quaker connections were highlighted in articles, such as https://bit.ly/Cadbury200, highlighting key milestones in its history.
The family’s Quaker values were particularly emphasised in the description of the building of Bournville: ‘The first homes… were spacious, had big gardens, and were a real departure from the slum housing prevalent at the time. The Cadbury brothers, strict Quakers, wanted a different kind of industrial site, one where workers could live healthily alongside the factory.’
Although Cadbury has not been a Quaker company since 2010 it was surprising to Eye to discover that no mention is made of Quakerism in the anniversary material on the Cadbury website.
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