My attention was drawn today to a blog set up by some of the Duncroft 70s women - most of it the usual silly crap about Roedean, etc., but then I saw an entry that was both troubling and sooooo typical of these false accusers. This post concerns the popular 60s movie actor, James Robertson Justice.
I'm reproducing this nonsense but will not backlink. If you find it, you find it, but you'll get no help from me! Here we go ...
Was Sir Lancelot Spratt a dirty old pratt ?
Could the tittle tattle be true? Did JRJ visit Duncroft and behave inappropriatley. We all know that he visited in the 60's and he was apparently introduced by Pamela Masons husband who worked at the Sheperton studios. Did he do wrong?, is that why the 70's girls are being called liars, so the attention foucuses on them to detract away from what may have happened to the 60's girls. May be an explanation of why some people are hell bent on slagging off the girls from the 70's. Now is that a face above of a nice man who is by all accounts a gentleman or is he a sheep in wolfs clothing? there may well be some very naughty skeletons in peoples closets that are just waiting to get out. Mmmmmmmmmmmn now theres a thought to ponder over.
Mmmmmmm - here's something to ponder yourselves, ladies. James Robertson Justice was a friend of my mother's from the 1940s about whom she spoke fondly. I met him, not at Duncroft, but at my prep school in Walton when I was about 10 or so. He came for some fete or other as the guest of honor. In those days he was a famous movie actor of course, with the Carry On film series doing very well with the movie-going public in the UK. I walked up and introduced myself as my mother's daughter, and he looked around to see if she was there - which she wasn't - and was charming to me - I don't think he even shook my hand. I was thrilled that he remembered my mother and, as he requested, gave his best wishes to her when I got home.
Fast forward to Duncroft in the 60s. James was not a frequent visitor but he did attend a couple of times. The photo is used with permission of the copyright holder.
Otherwise, he would have the girls, suitably escorted, visit him at Shepperton studios for a tour, sometimes for lunch, usually with Margaret Jones in attendance. I was not there on his visiting days - usually on home leave - but those who were have nothing but nice things to say about him.
The 70sDuncroft bloggers have it wrong (again) - he was not introduced to the school by the attending psychiatrist's husband, but by Pamela Mason herself. Dr. Mason's husband was a movie producer at Shepperton, and of course they knew James (and John Gregson) socially, but Dr. Mason was the person who approved James and Gregson visiting. Both James and John Gregson died in the early 70s.
So back to the main point here. When the ramp-up for Savile was occurring, I got wind that Bebe Roberts was attempting to involve James. I personally contacted her and asked her wtf she was doing, and she assured me that she was not casting aspersions about James and blustered a bit. At this time in her history, she was claiming to have been at Duncroft for seven years, which is impossible, so as to place her there during the Savile days as well as James.
As she had not, at that point, run to the Mail with her fantasy about Savile in 1965, I let things slide, at least to the extent that I didn't pursue it further with her. However, I did contact Mark Williams-Thomas, with whom I had already spoken to at length on the phone, and informed him by email that the rumor mill was grinding out that James was about to be involved in the investigation, and told him that James was nothing but a gentleman when he visited the school or had the girls visit him at the studios, and that he was a family friend. Mark did take the time to respond. It was brief and to the point, i.e. "I am not interested in James Robertson Justice." I still have the email. So, put that in your beef biryani, ladies.
See how these things get started? This is more than likely what happened with Savile. Once the internet was there, with Friends Reunited leading the charge, they could get on with colluding. I did once ask Friends Reunited why they allowed institutions like prisons, remand homes, approved schools, borstals, etc. to sign up, they figuratively shrugged as if it was of no interest. As long as it sells advertising, I guess anything goes, including England, straight to hell in a handcart.
Nice to know that they are not going to roll over and play dead. Good luck to Ellen and the Trust. Like you said, unfortunate that charities can't benefit, but the truth needs to come out in a court proceeding, whatever that truth might be.
Posted by: Sally Stevens | 04/12/2013 at 11:22 AM
Just wanted to be sure. Thanks. Ellen seems to have some association with the family/Trust Fund. As I understand what has been posted they are legally contesting the claims being made against Savile's money left to his Trust; and they are very serious as it is said they have already committed around £300k to preparatory court proceedings.
Jimmy's money may protect his reputation after all, but I would guess he'd have preferred the paralysed patients to have had the benefit.
Ciao
Posted by: Moor Larkin | 04/12/2013 at 11:11 AM
Yes, Moor, that is me. Btw, the 70sDuncroft persona is a little bent out of shape about this latest post, and are now threatening to blow this gossip up into another witch-hunt. I think the required link is available at the Raccoon site. I really think this is just Fiona talking to herself.
Posted by: Sally Stevens | 04/12/2013 at 10:55 AM
Did you know you are visiting my blog and leaving comments on that particular blog-post just now?
As someone called Moor Laine... ;-)
Posted by: Moor Larkin | 04/12/2013 at 10:45 AM
It's a small world.... ;-)
http://jimcannotfixthis.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/searching-for-justice.html
Posted by: Moor Larkin | 04/12/2013 at 12:18 AM