Roy Albert James Savin was born on 3rd November 1927, at his parent's home, when they were living at 2 Holland Road, Kensal Rise, north-west London1. This was not unusual, as at that time more than 80% of births took place at home.
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| Roy a few weeks old |
Roy started his first school at Braintcroft Primary School in Warren Road, which was just a third of a mile away as the crow flies, a relatively new school which had been only built in 1928.
One day whilst at home Roy asked why the bird cage was in the garden, however it was not2. This led to his eye sight being tested and as a result it was deemed that he would have to attend a blind school. This was the School for the Blind, at Swiss Cottage, N.W. London. It is known he was there in July 1935 as he was awarded Gold Stripes for Physical Training at the annual school prize distribution when he was aged 7 by Lady Rankin3. Amongst other subjects he started to learn Braille, a system of reading by touching raised dots on a page.
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| Aged 5 in school uniform |
After a time his eyesight was then declared sufficient for him to return to Braintcroft school. From the age of four photos show him wearing spectacles and for the rest of his life he always wore thick glasses with a strong prescription and he was also red/green colour blind.
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| Roy aged 7 years 9 months |
Roy was bright enough to pass the scholarship exams, thereby qualifying him to attend a grammar school. On the 12th September 1939 he was admitted to Kilburn Grammar School4, in class IIB, however war against Germany had just been declared. The evacuation of school children from parts of the country deemed to be in danger from German bombing was already under way. A majority of Kilburn Grammar pupils were sent to the town of Northampton. Roy and nine other pupils moved as the "Home School" to nearby Willesden County school4. By the end of month however Roy and his younger brother Denis were evacuated to Kettering. For their shared story click here.
After returning to London
in the middle of 1940, Roy stayed at home in Ashcombe Park for the rest of the war, and continued his education at Kilburn Grammar. This was despite an upsurge in the bombing, known as the "Blitz" (September 1940 - May 1941), when a nearby house in his road was hit by a high explosive bomb5.
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| Kilburn Grammar staff 1939 |
At school he was a member of Saxby House for internal competitions6. His sporting abilities came to prominence when in 1943 he came third in the Spring term school cross country event and second in the senior Summer term high jump competition despite competing against older boys6. He wrote an article which was published in the 1944 Spring Term school magazine "The Kilburnian" in which he opposed the suggestion to alter the rules of cricket to speed up the game6. The school had an Air Training Corp attached to it and Roy became one of its cadets. The ATC was set up to provide precursory physical fitness and academic training to join the Royal Air Force. In spring 1944 he passed Part A of the ATC Proficiency Certificate6 and in August flew in an Anson aircraft from RAF Benson to Birmingham7, by which time he had become a leading cadet.
The war had a dramatic personal impact when in June 1944 a large German bomb hit the school the night before Roy was to sit his all important school leaving examinations. The gymnasium, library, a laboratory and three classrooms were completely lost and much of the rest of the school buildings were rendered temporarily useless. The pupils had to be dispersed to nearby schools and a church. Roy took the General School Examination in seven subjects and gained sufficient pass marks in five key ones to qualify for a Matriculation certificate8.
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| Roy's matriculation certificate |
It was suggested that he should apply for a job at the Westminster Bank and having passed his Matriculation exam Roy was exempt from the bank's own entrance exam9. He started at their West Hampstead branch on 10th July 194410. As the war was still continuing, and so some of the bank's staff were serving in the armed forces, he was therefore taken on as a temporary war time member of staff10, on a probationary basis. As a clerk it was his job was to write out the customers' bank statements. He passed his probation on his 17th birthday9,10, slightly earlier than the normal six month period. Despite the war ending in September 1944 conscription into the armed forces continued because of Britain's large military commitments all over the world. So in October 1945, just before his 18th birthday which was the qualifying age, Roy attended a medical at Edgware11. He was classified as grade four11 and therefore considered unfit for military service, presumably because of his poor eyesight.
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| Roy and West Hampstead branch 1948 |
Roy attended evening classes in order to gain his professional banking qualifications and in 1948 having passed all his exams he became an Associate of the Institute of Bankers12. On the 19th January of the same year he became a permanent member of staff.
As an adult Roy was 5 foot 9½ inches tall, taking after his grand dad Savin, much taller than his parents, brother and marginally even his sons. He had a medium build and average weight of 10 stone plus. His personality was quiet and he was an early riser.
In 1950 Roy took his first journey abroad which started his life long passion for overseas travel. His grandfather Albert Edward Savin wanted to see his sister Elizabeth who had married a Dane and lived most of her life in Denmark. Roy accompanied his grandfather who by now was in his mid seventies. It is known they arrived at the Danish port of Esbjerg on 3rd September 195013. Then they travelled across Denmark to Copenhagen where Elizabeth lived. Two weeks were spent in and around the city seeing her family, friends and the famous sights of the city, before returning through Esbjerg on 16th September13.
As an adult Roy was 5 foot 9½ inches tall, taking after his grand dad Savin, much taller than his parents, brother and marginally even his sons. He had a medium build and average weight of 10 stone plus. His personality was quiet and he was an early riser.
In 1950 Roy took his first journey abroad which started his life long passion for overseas travel. His grandfather Albert Edward Savin wanted to see his sister Elizabeth who had married a Dane and lived most of her life in Denmark. Roy accompanied his grandfather who by now was in his mid seventies. It is known they arrived at the Danish port of Esbjerg on 3rd September 195013. Then they travelled across Denmark to Copenhagen where Elizabeth lived. Two weeks were spent in and around the city seeing her family, friends and the famous sights of the city, before returning through Esbjerg on 16th September13.
It was at the bank that he met his wife Sylvia. They particularly got to know each other when he escorted her to the post office with the bank's out going mail. On the 13th October 1951 they married and moved into a rented maisonette in Braemar Avenue, Wembley. This gave them the opportunity to develop their DIY skills with this and all their subsequent properties by doing all the painting, decorating and minor building works. The bank then transferred Roy to Harlesden branch10 on 25th August 1952 and then to Cavendish Square10 3rd December 1956.
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| The Wedding 1951 |
Sylvia and Roy wanted to own their own home but to be to afford a new house they had to look further afield than London. They found out that Davis Estates Ltd of Kilburn were building a new estate on the outskirts of Maidenhead in Berkshire a town that had good train services to London. At first the builders did not consider that Roy earned enough to buy the property until he produced a letter from the bank. One of the perks of the job was that staff mortgages were at a cheap interest rate. On 9th September 1957 they bought a newly built detached bungalow at 7 Bannard Road, Maidenhead for £2975. It came with a long back garden of about a quarter of an acre where Roy grew a wide range of vegetables and fruits. The flower gardens were the province of Sylvia which won awards from the local council.
As a young boy Roy had an interest in radios as a hobby. This was kindled by his neighbour at Ashcombe Park, Herbert Mickelwright who worked in radio telecommunications at the Post Office Research Station, Dollis Hill. At school Roy passed his wireless operator test when he was in the ATC and as a young man he built radios. Nearing his retirement he came back to the hobby by passing his Amateur Radio Exam15 in September 1981. He received his first call sign of G6CIM and after passing his Morse test in May 1984 he received his full licence with a new call sign of G4XYN. This allowed him to transmit worldwide on the amateur radio bands. He joined the Maidenhead and District Amateur Radio Club and for many years was its treasurer. Additionally he was the treasurer of the McMichael Rally, a local amateur radio event.
Aged 60 Roy retired from the bank, as was the term of his employment, which give him the time to travel abroad more than once a year. He visited more than 60 countries with his wife, including all 50 states of the USA, as portrayed below
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| Sylvia and Roy at Bannard Road in the 1960s |
On the 7th May 1960 they had their first son Alan. Each working day Roy used to cycle one and a half miles to the railway station but in 1962 he purchased his first car a Ford Popular so he could now drive to work. Part of the reason for buying a car is that their second son was on his way and on 31st January 1963 Neil was born. Roy was then transferred to Hayes, Middlesex branch10 on 29th July 1963. This was a new, hence small branch with only four staff, with Roy being second in command. Over the years the business at the branch grew considerably, with the premises having to be enlarged twice and it ended up having about 50 staff.
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| Roy, Bert, Sylvia, Doris with baby Neil and boy Alan in 1963 |
Roy was working at Teddington branch14 by 1977 as a Sub-Manger. His last branch was Isleworth14 from 1981 to 1987 in the same role, but now termed an Administration Manger, a title perhaps better describing the job of organizing and running the branch.
As a young boy Roy had an interest in radios as a hobby. This was kindled by his neighbour at Ashcombe Park, Herbert Mickelwright who worked in radio telecommunications at the Post Office Research Station, Dollis Hill. At school Roy passed his wireless operator test when he was in the ATC and as a young man he built radios. Nearing his retirement he came back to the hobby by passing his Amateur Radio Exam15 in September 1981. He received his first call sign of G6CIM and after passing his Morse test in May 1984 he received his full licence with a new call sign of G4XYN. This allowed him to transmit worldwide on the amateur radio bands. He joined the Maidenhead and District Amateur Radio Club and for many years was its treasurer. Additionally he was the treasurer of the McMichael Rally, a local amateur radio event.
Aged 60 Roy retired from the bank, as was the term of his employment, which give him the time to travel abroad more than once a year. He visited more than 60 countries with his wife, including all 50 states of the USA, as portrayed below
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| Countries visited by Roy (Click once or twice to enlarge) |
In 2006 the large garden at Bannard Road became too much to look after so they moved to a smaller bungalow and garden half a mile away at 68 Farmers Way. Roy's health gradually declined over the next 10 years. On the 9th June 2016 he died at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading.
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| Sylvia and Roy's 60th wedding anniversary in 2011 |
Also see from the side bar "My father's generation 1927-2016"
2. This recollection was given by his mother Doris in the late 1960s and is recalled by Roy's son Alan went he asked at this time about his father going to the Blind School.
3. Event programme for the School for the Blind, Swiss Cottage, annual prize distribution, at the Embassy Theatre, dated 17th July 1935. Copy held by his wife Sylvia.
4. Kilburn Grammar School admissions register 1938-1940, held at Brent Archives, London.
5. Bomb census surveys 1940-45, held at The National Archives.
6. The Kilburnian, the Kilburn Grammar School magazine, 1943 and 1944, held by Alan Parish, Hon Registrar of the Kilburn grammar School Old Boys Association.
7. A.T.C. Cadet's Gliding and Flying Log of R.A.J. Savin, dated 25/2/1944. held by his wife Sylvia.
8. Matriculation certificate dated September 1944, held by his wife Sylvia.
9. "A Career in the Westminster Bank" bank publication circa 1944
10. Staff Registers of Westminster Bank 1944 onwards, held at RBS Archives, Edinburgh.
11. National Service Act grade card, dated 12/10/1945, held by his wife Sylvia.
12. Records of the Institute of financial services, 36 Monument Street, London
13. Passport of Roy issued 5/8/1950 containing ink entry and exit stamps from the Danish national police.
14. NatWest internal directories from April 1977 onwards, held at RBS Archives, Edinburgh
15. City and Guilds Radio Amateur Certificate, May-June 1981, held by his wife Sylvia
