Reg Park 1981

The Association's President 1981/82 is Reg. Park who was in the Grammar School from 1936 until 1940, having previously attended the village school in Dymock, Gloucestershire and Grammar School in the nearby little market town of Newent.

A member of Butler House, he played in various teams and had one or two contributions accepted for the school magazine. His last year at school was overshadowed by one military disaster after another, culminating in Dunkirk and the collapse of France. 

He entered his School Certificate examinations to this menacing backdrop, made the more vivid by the participation of his elder brother, Alec, in these stirring events. Alec was on aircrew service in France and on one occasion had to parachute to safety, the other two crew members being killed. His squadron's aircraft being all destroyed, he eventually joined the civilian refugee columns, making. his way to Boulogne and thence to England. He was killed in action on 21st October 1941 attacking German shipping. These events made school exams pale into insignificance. There was certainly no incentive to lay long-term plans for the future as invasion seemed inevitable and we prepared to fight for our very existence. The ambience was of the Dunkirk spirit and the aim of every youngster was to don uniform.

Reg, took a temporary post in local government and in 1941, at the age of seventeen, took the oath of allegiance to serve as a member of aircrew. He completed his training in Canada in 1943, having qualified as Air Navigator/Wireless, a new category of aircrew specially trained for long-distance two-man crews Early in 1944.he was posted to No. 489 Squadron R.N.Z.A.F., a Coastal Command strike squadron briefed to attack shipping wherever it could be found, at sea, in harbour, or hiding in fjords. 

The squadron saw a great deal of action and met with success. In recognition of many sorties and of the part he played as leading navigator, Flight-Lieutenant Park was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in November 1944; the citation mentioned particularly an episode in the previous September.

In the years immediately following the war there was great pressure for all kinds of higher education and it was not until 1947 that Reg. entered the College of St. Mark & St. John, Chelsea, to begin a Teachers' Training Course. He took up his first post with the Barrow Authority in 1950 and has served in local schools ever since.

His present appointment is to North Walney Junior School, where he has been headmaster for ten years. In his early days of teaching he was a committee member of the N.U.T. including a five-year spell as local secretary. In latter years he has been a committee member of the Furness Head Teachers' Association and is this year their immediate past president.

His other interests include golf, bridge, gardening and holidays abroad.