We chat to a Claverley lady who has given many years service to the Suez Veterans Association and pay tribute to the founder , a Bridgnorth man who has passed away.
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00:00Here in Claverley with Eileen and how are you Eileen?
00:04I'm fine thank you.
00:05Cool and you have been for many years you've you've given a lot of
00:10many of years of your life to the service of the Suez Veterans Association.
00:15Yes.
00:16And the point of me being here today we're paying tribute to the founder of that association.
00:22What was his name?
00:23Jeff Malone.
00:25Tell me a little bit about Jeff.
00:27Well Jeff was a wonderful person.
00:29I knew him from when he was in the band with the children.
00:33My children played with his children and he started the Bridge North Band.
00:38Is that a brass band was it?
00:39Yeah.
00:42So you knew him from then and he was the founder of the Suez Veterans.
00:46So he was a he was a Suez Veteran himself.
00:48He was a Suez Veteran.
00:51And he was going to come home by plane and then they said
00:56oh no you're going home now on the troop ship.
01:00Which was very very good to save his life really.
01:04That happened.
01:05Had he been by plane he would have been no more.
01:09Did he used to speak much about his memories of of being in Suez?
01:13Oh yes and because he had such a sense of humour.
01:17Yeah.
01:18He he would chuckle about a story which was very very sad really.
01:24But there was a point in his stories where the laughter would always come through.
01:29He'd always find some the light at the end of the tunnel.
01:32So he was that sort of a person.
01:34So he lived in Bridge North.
01:36Yes.
01:37Where did he grow up as a young man?
01:38Was he a Shropshire man?
01:39No he came from up the north.
01:41Oh okay.
01:42But there again he came because of work.
01:44He was a school teacher.
01:46Yeah.
01:47I do have that in the kitchen.
01:49So you got to know him via the band that he was involved in and your family members involved in.
01:55And he said I need a nurse.
01:57We're doing this.
01:58We want to do this trip back to the Suez Canal.
02:00That's right.
02:01And you ticked the box didn't you?
02:02You were a nurse.
02:02So he wanted your services.
02:05Yes I was a baby's nurse.
02:07Yeah.
02:07And I was at the Bridge North College sorting all that that lot out.
02:11You know for the girls wanting to be nurses.
02:14Yeah.
02:15So you joined him.
02:16And how many years were you and Geoff working together for the Veterans Association?
02:21Well I was his nurse but always linked into with a doctor.
02:27Yeah.
02:27Because we did desert lands.
02:30Yeah.
02:30And they were deep desert lands.
02:32So when you've got that situation you're traveling in you need on the end of your phone a good doctor.
02:40Yeah yeah.
02:41Because you're in a territory of how can I say that in the desert lands.
02:49Yeah.
02:49You're far from home.
02:51Yeah yeah.
02:52So he founded the Veterans Association in was it 97?
02:56Yes.
02:57Yeah and it was going up until 2020.
03:01Covid.
03:01Covid kind of finished it off.
03:03Yeah.
03:04And 2021 the the standards that you'd had made they were made in Sunderland.
03:10So they've been returned to Sunderland Minster.
03:12Yes yes.
03:13Given a special service there.
03:14A special service and the ladies made cakes with little crowns on.
03:19Yeah.
03:19And the badges of the blazers of the veterans.
03:24Yeah.
03:24Which was magnificent.
03:26So how often did you and Geoff used to take veterans back to Suez?
03:30Oh we'd go back over the period of years either up through this
03:36uh Egypt.
03:38We were always in Egypt for about 12 years.
03:41Yeah.
03:42And then later we went on to Cyprus to the buffer zone.
03:47Because there was a bit of an uprising there.
03:50Yeah.
03:50We were well protected there by um you know military soldiers.
03:56Yeah.
03:57And you used to go a few times a year I believe didn't you?
03:59Oh yes three times a year yes.
04:00How many how many veterans would accompany you each time?
04:04We could afford two full coaches of 56 people.
04:08Wow.
04:08And they came from all over?
04:10They came from all over yes.
04:13Even come from New Zealand and Canada, Australia.
04:17Yeah.
04:18Yes I've got little koala bears from out of a sack full of the one what came from Australia.
04:27So what did it mean?
04:29I mean you know Geoff was the the driving force behind the Veterans Association
04:33that got them got these guys back there.
04:35What did it mean to the veterans to to be taken back?
04:39What could you tell and see on their faces?
04:42Sometimes when you saw them they were so pleased to see their friends.
04:47Yeah as in in as in at the cemetery?
04:50Yeah.
04:51Yes there was.
04:52Yeah.
04:52And they they said about um oh it's lovely that you're still alive you know you know.
04:58Not in the British cemetery yet.
05:00Yeah yeah.
05:01But they joke about it but they had this wonderful time of meeting each other.
05:08Yeah I guess it was that that shared experience wasn't it?
05:11So they could retell those stories.
05:14And you were saying you'd walk with some of the veterans in the cemetery
05:18and um Wayne Cemetery was a particularly nice one.
05:21Yeah.
05:22And um the veterans would you know they'd find names wouldn't they?
05:25And they'd say oh he was my friend and stuff like that.
05:28Can you remember any of those tales?
05:30Oh those guys they the one would say I mean I've got a little list but when we find it
05:37I'll just say they're simple words.
05:39And so I'd say okay oh I found your friend.
05:43And they'd say oh my goodness he put all his arms and legs forward and took the shots for me.
05:51I should be there not him.
05:53Yeah.
05:54And then there was another one that said oh he was 18 and married.
05:59He had a telegram of a beautiful baby boy waiting for him but he got shot.
06:06Yeah and that was their friends.
06:08So I guess for them it was a the trip back to Suez was
06:13as well as just coming to terms with their own life story to pay respect to their friends.
06:18Yes that's what they wanted to do.
06:20Yeah.
06:20Yeah.
06:21So the the association when Geoff passed and with Covid as well it's um it's no longer now is it?
06:29So there are there are still some veterans we understand aren't there still?
06:33Oh yes there is veterans around.
06:36Yeah.
06:36And the lovely thing is he was the main bugler.
06:40Yeah.
06:41He he would of the hotel we stayed he'd hang out the window.
06:46Yeah.
06:46In the morning and play you know.
06:49You know.
06:49Ready that would be your wake-up call.
06:51That would be the wake-up call.
06:54And then they say oh I was having a lovely dream and you you started off with.
07:00And I understand you you and the veterans you took some veterans to Buckingham Palace is that right?
07:06The Queen yes we had a gathering of quite a lot and then nine was chosen to go to the Queen.
07:14Yeah.
07:14And um we I had a lovely card and it was edged in gold my you know my invite.
07:22And then there was nine of us went through the palace gates.
07:27We had to have a Geiger counter searching us to see that was no bombs with us or anything.
07:32We were all in our uniforms and we had a garden party cakes had a crown on.
07:39We had a military possession with all the military that she could get.
07:45I had yeoman of the guard who was protecting me.
07:49Yeah.
07:49Yeah and then the loveliest thing was I bent forward to get a little cream cake.
07:56And I thought oh I've got cream on my sleeve and a man stood by my side he says
08:02madam I've got a silver dish and beautiful towels he says I'm going to tidy that up for you.
08:10And I said how did you know I'd done that he says I've got a wire in my
08:15here he says oh my goodness I said oh you're good I'll take you home.
08:21And there was 87 of them posted around the palace gardens protecting us.
08:27They all giggled.
08:29She wants to take him home.
08:31That must have meant a lot to you and to Jeff to be there.
08:34He must have yeah.
08:35That was that was his oh pride and joy.
08:38Yeah has he as he is he survived by children Jeff does he got children.
08:43Yes he has got three children Jeff has.
08:47Yeah so you also there's the National Arboretum in Ulrich just past Lichfield
08:53and with the Veterans Association you've got a section there haven't you.
08:57Most beautiful section unfortunately that man died and the thing was he had
09:06bricks and slabs and all that building equipment which actually we needed and then
09:16gradually it just grew.
09:19We had the beautiful slab way, palm trees arrived.
09:23Yeah.
09:24And the slabs became blue imitating the Nile of course.
09:28Yeah.
09:29And the others were like sand.
09:32Well I guess we should just touch upon really.
09:35So the Suez Canal it was built by the French and the British.
09:39Yeah.
09:40And um and when Jeff was there as a soldier it was to protect it wasn't it.
09:46Well yes because like today all our stuff's coming down that Suez Canal.
09:53Settees, anything you name your jumpers you're wearing.
09:58It's a huge convoy of what you call those lorries transporting stuff.
10:05Whereas then the Egyptians said it's just our.
10:10Yeah.
10:10And there was a huge in the kitchen there's that police treaty.
10:16Yeah.
10:16You'll have to get the name of that won't you.
10:19Yeah.
10:19That was that was massive.
10:21Yeah.
10:23So they they sent a lot of our lads over including Jeff.
10:28Yes he was just young.
10:31They were mostly 18.
10:32Some lied about their age to get into the force.
10:36Yeah yeah.
10:38So final words on Jeff then.
10:40How do you how would your memory of him.
10:43How are you how are you going to remember Jeff then.
10:45I shall remember him all my life.
10:48Yeah.
10:49Because he was extremely clever and I've got the college where he was the principal of.
10:56He was head principal.
10:58Okay yeah.
10:59I'll show that card.
10:59Yeah.
11:00Which college was that then.
11:02It's in.
11:03Yeah well yeah.
11:05You need this title of it yeah.
11:07So we're paying tribute to Geoffrey Graham Malone and he was a good friend of yours.
11:14Yes yes.
11:15He was it was a shock when he passed wasn't it.
11:18He'd got it.
11:19He was unwell but we didn't think he was going to pass away.
11:23No he had a flu.
11:24Yeah.
11:25Ends of that actually took him.
11:26And you were joking with him weren't you a couple of hours before.
11:30Yeah so we had good spirits up to the end.
11:33But so we're paying tribute to Geoffrey Graham Malone who was the founder of the
11:37former Suez Veterans Association.
11:40Now he did form around him a committee of people.
11:44Yeah.
11:45You know because when the magazines went out those magazines were £10.
11:50So that created Kitty.
11:54Yeah.
11:54And it was growing like that you know.
11:57That's why all of us could have a beautiful plot.
12:00Yeah.
12:00From you know donations and.
12:05Yeah well thank you for your your nice words and.
12:09Telling us some memories of yours and Geoff's exploits.
12:13Thank you Eileen.
12:14All the best now.
12:15Thank you so much.