Andrew Martyn-Clark

Eric Martyn-Clark

Ethel Maud Rodgers

My father was born in 1921 to the youngest sister of the Rodgers clan! Ethel Maud Rodgers. She had married Robert Eric Noel Martyn-Clark in Amritsar in ... My father was the eldest of two children His sister was called Lucy. I did meet her several times during her lifetime and I am still in touch with her son John, my cousin. The whole family has been on holiday at least once to Cornwall. Robert, Andrew's father was always known to the family as Eric was a doctor in Treherbert in South Wales. From the paperwork I still have in the archives Eric and Ethel traveled a lot, but regrettably both died before I met them and I recall my father becoming quite wistful when talking about them. Most of my fathers relatives had died when he was very young and he and his sister were brought up by Ethel's two elder sisters, Tig(Grace) and T'Edith. Both nurses, both born in India, both traveled. Tig seemed to be quite short dedicated and quite strong willed, as in fact was T'Edith. But T'edith had very special gifts. Wonderful painter, observer of life, wrote a maths primer, headmistress of a teaching college in Truro. Both these aunts of Andrew took car of him and Lucy. I have some extraordinary records of the summers in Cornwall. These were the pensive years between the Two World Wars where there was a kind of suspended time. Anyway that's how my father portrayed it.
There is a collection of photographs in the datastore.

My father went to boarding school, how this was funded I am not sure. There was little in his mother's will to suggest that there were funds available to fund a private education. However I have snippets of information from his school years. I did find on the internet from Epson school a request for information. This is reproduced below:

HOLMAN HOUSE: LEAVING YEARS 1931-1940


This is a list of Old Epsomians who left HOLMAN between the years 1931 and 1940 for whom we have no record of address or whereabouts. We would be most grateful if you would cast your eye over the following list, and if there is anyone known to you, please email any information to development@epsomcollege.sch.uk

Thank you for helping us track them down!

Adamson, Donald, Mr

Baeza, Gordon, Mr

Blakeway, Michael, Mr

Burdon, Peter, Dr

Conoley, Oliver, Mr

Darwen, Thomas, Mr

Denton-Cardew, Roger, Mr

Dickinson, James, Dr

Faulkner, Peter, Mr

Galpine, Richard, Mr

Hart, Robert, Dr

Hine, Geoffrey, Dr

Hodgkinson, Arthur, Mr

Holburn, John, Mr

Howard-Jones, Lionel, Mr

Kinmont, Patrick, Dr

MacFie, Colin, Wing Commander

Martyn-Clark, Andrew, Mr

Mathewson, Francis, Mr

McDonald, Charles, Mr

Nixon, Robert, Mr

Phillips, Rex, Mr

Roberts, Arthur, Mr

Roberts, Thomas, Mr

Scott, Walter, Mr

Smith, Ronald, Mr

Sparkes, John, Mr

Stuart, Ian, Mr

Tull, John, Mr

Watts, Harold, Dr

Watts, John, Mr

Weir, Walter, Mr

Wyon, John, Mr

T'ig & Andrew

I believe my father was an outstanding academic and immediately after leaving Epsom, he started at Reading University with a scholarship in Horticulture - this was always his first love. He made an especial effort with alpines and plants from the far east. As far as I am aware he was one of the first people ever to get the Himalayan blue poppy to flower in this country. The coldish Pennine winter was seemingly conducive to growth. Growing sheltered by Rhododendrons and their peaty soil must have helped too.He was noted for his lilies. There were quite a few references in the "Bury Times" together with photographs.

Edith Rodgers

However back to Cornwall. There is a link to the Brucefield page. This was in Truro where the aunts were living. Andrew and his sister Lucy used to meet up in summer holidays. This extended all the way to the early '50's. I went to Cornwall on numerous occasions. I worked for the National Trust at Lanhydrock in the late '60's. 

Both the aunts ere nurses. T'ig and T'Edith were both nurses, both were born in India. Aunt Edith- T'Edith was a headmistress, extensively traveled and published - she will have a page to herself. Aunt Grace - T'ig was a very able nurse too. T'Edith was the tall one, and T'ig was short and dark. Both were unmarried. On reflection they did seem like bookends.
Chance to extend a little further into my fathers career and link to another page about his time as a teacher. He always retained strong views and silent, yet he was able to speak out when he chose. This was an example.