Since my initial posting, in which I simply attempted to clarify my own experiences at Duncroft, this thing has blown up big time. So a little more to add to the noxious brew.
I would be remiss if I didn't note that I got wind of the Newsnight investigation almost immediately after Savile breathed his last. It wasn't a direct contact- second-hand from an ex-Duncroftian from my days in the 60s, who had no idea what was going on. I wasn't on the dreaded database in the hands of unauthorized individuals and was out of the loop, not understanding such phrases as "this is our last chance." But the allegations were pretty intriguing, so I went looking for someone rejoicing in the acronym MWT. Mark Williams-Thomas.
I called him and we had a longish, cordial but guarded conversation. This was just before the proposed/aborted Newsnight airing of 2011. I expressed my doubts about all of it, but he obviously was better informed than me at the time. I asked him if he could perhaps refer to the school by some other name, as I didn't see why it was necessary to have the women be protected if not the school. He made no committment, and obviously he chose to exploit Duncroft because it was what it was in public perception; i.e. a school of bad girls, ripe for exploitation with the aid of the wicked headmistress, Cruella Jones, and her evil staff.
For nearly a year after that conversation, I frequented sites such as Friends Reunited (I had signed up there in 2002 - about five members), and Careleavers Reunited.
The women from the 60s, and the women from the 70s were all there suddenly. Sometimes it was a difficult environment for the administrators of both sites, so a thank you to Nicky Doran of Friends Reunited and David Graham of Careleavers Reunited, who attempted to referee the ongong fray.
So, on Friday last, November 2, 2012, Miss Jones was bushwhacked by Claire Ellicot, the same unscrupulous hack from the Daily Mail, who had also written a story about a girl being molested in 1965 Bebe Roberts, 62, claimed the 'sleazy' presenter sneaked into bedrooms at a girls boarding school and once assaulted her when she was 15 Which is where I had to jump in, of course, along with Anna Raccoon. We were both there in those days, and would likely have noticed some odd man prowling about the dormitories. I was astounded that Bebe, who I had met on line and seemed okay to me, would lie like this.
Back to Mail Interview One. Being Miss Jones, she was a bit more frank than she should have been with Ellicot. She did, however, spot the recorder and threw Ellicot out of her house. But, the damage was done. "They were no angels."
Ellicot had obviously been given Margaret Jones' whereabouts by a woman we shall refer to as "Fiona." She appeared on the Expose ITV show by that name, though she has several other identities, enough to make Sybil envious. I know her real identity, but no need to reveal it for these purposes, just to note that the inconvenient truth always comes out, when you least expect it.
Fiona then jumped on her broomstick and flew over the Raccoon blog where, commenting as Schizophrenic,she blustered and threatened and finally put Margaret Jones' address out in public. You will see this in the comments section of the latest episode of Past Lives and Present Misgivings, Part 7.
Unfortunately for Fiona, she was swiftly reported to the Metropolitan Police for her activities, by various parties, including Anna Raccoon who was coincidentally right on the spot to do so.
As luck and karma would have it, the Sunday Mail had been professionally requesting an interview for a few days, because of the suspicions that the forged letter had raised. Visits to Fiona's house seem to have revealed more forged documents, adorning her walls. Fake letter that allegedly halted the Newsnight show. Fortunately, Margaret Jones spoke at length with the Sunday Mail on Saturday, with the story running today. "He gave me the creeps."
As a result of my years at Duncroft, I moved to Hollywood in 1969, and got to realize my dreams. I was a successful press agent, singer/songwriter, and now am enjoying my return to art. Fine Art Gallery. And without the support of Margaret Jones and her staff at the time, that wouldn't have happened.
The Duncroft story is the microcosm of what Jimmy Savile and his possible cohorts have wrought on the British public at large for far too many years. People liked and trusted Jimmy. They thought he was genuine and caring. In his sick mind, being 'genuine and caring' demanded a reward from his Maker, i.e. the right to exploit the helpless and vulnerable for his sexual pleasure, and to exploit those empowered to protect them.
All the investigation in the world likely won't do much more than cost the taxpayers a lot of money, but may dispose of the BBC as a corrupt organization, that turned a blind eye to Savile because he churned out money for them, and perhaps salve the public outrage against Savile.
I sincerely hope this is now over as to Duncroft and strongly encourage former pupils to obtain their records from Barnardo's, who are prioritizing Duncroft requests and possess the archives. Get your records. They will provide a social worker to discuss your records with you, on an ongoing basis.
Edit to add that the photo is of a 1963 visit to the school by a crew from the Home Office, who were there to shoot "a day in the life," and no, of course this footage no longer exists, for those who wanted to know. Thanks, Digital Spy, for all the traffic! I posted this a couple of days back, very little interest. Once the link was posted to Anna Raccoon, my visits went from 38 to nearly 400, just today!
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