HM BORSTAL ROCHESTER

FROM ESTATE HAND TO HOSPITAL PRISON OFFICER TO GOVERNOR - 1960 TO 1997 MY TIME ON THIS SIDE OF THE BARS.

I was still pretty young myself, having joined up at the minimum age, so was keen to work full time in young offender establishments and was lucky enough to get myself posted to HM Borstal Rochester in March,1966. I enjoyed my almost four years at Rochester. Cross country running and rugby were the only two activities I took away from my school days at St Bedes College in Manchester and I was able to employ both at Rochester Borstal.

It was here that the Tutor Organiser, Peter Antwiss, asked whether I might be interested in taking part in the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race. If I'd of known then what I know now, I would certainly have declined. As it is, I took up the challenge that went on to provide me with an abiding interest and involvement in kayaking that has lasted to the present day. But this is another story all together.

There were five Hospital Officers at Rochester Borstal, one of whom was a Hospital Principal Officer who was also our pharmacist. We had a full time doctor and part time dentist. The hospital consisted of a large ward and several single rooms. We had a part time psychiatrist and he was kept busy. Rochester was a secure Borstal, well, as secure as any other establishment was in those days which does not amount to being very secure by todays standards, though, as I write (Nov. 2016) two have just escaped from Pentonville Prison. As such we cared for a proportionally large number of mentally ill young men. I doubt very much has changed today but at least our present society is starting to understand the extent and the complexity of mental illness; certainly with a long way still to go. Whilst touching on the issue of security I am reminded about one New years Day. I'd been on duty for an hour to help with the 'sick parade' and with seeing inpatients received breakfast and medication and completed their ablutions. I was back in my ground floor flat just outside the Borstal cooking breakfast when a borstal boy ran past my window followed by another and another; five in all. Turning off the gas cooker I chased after them and by chance got them cornered in the back of the woods where the local gamekeeper had erected some high galvanised sheeting to keep his pheasants from escaping. Faced by five lads intent on escaping I had two choices, viz .let them go or face them up. If I'd had the chance to think it through I'd have taken the former action but instead I persuaded them that escaping was an offence but assaulting an officer whilst so doing magnified the offence a hundred fold. The ring leader understood this and they capitulated and I walked them back to the road where we were met by a stampede of officers out to recapture them. I handed them over and went back to finish cooking my breakfast. Now I didn't want a fuss but I did expect someone in authority to at least say thanks for my risking life and limb. Not a word was ever mentioned, not a mutter of commendation, not a 'kiss your backside.' 'Well,'I thought, 'should this event ever repeat itself I would just keep cooking breakfast, nay, I'd probably offer the the escapees their bus fare!!