Letter
Ida Carroll, Geoffrey Griffiths, St James Church Choir at Birch-in-Rusholme
1939

"I often wish I had kept a diary or journal of some kind," starts Geoffrey Griffiths, "so around about 1926 would be the time when you first bowled me over completely - and you have never ceased to do so since." They would have been about 16/17 then.
He is distrustful of people, he admits, due to meeting such a "strange assortment" working in the travel office. After a short cut in of anti-Semitism, he admits that when he first met her father Walter in the travel office years ago, he thought here "is a man with a good heart." Walter invited him to join his choir at Birch Church and he did, meeting Ida, "to my everlasting joy and many incredibly happy times."
He wishes he had left the Stanton agency years ago, "I feel more than ever that I haven't 'arrived' anywhere, and it is high time I had." Little did he know that just after WW2, he would take up the role of Bursar at the Northern School of Music, where Ida was secretary.
He wishes to take her to see "Melody of Youth" at the Capitol Theatre cinema.
He's bouncing between agency offices at the moment, all with different closing times - Ashton, Altrincham, Oldham and Stockport.

Ref: CARROLL/IGC/3 GG
With thanks to the Ida Carroll Trust
Date is unknown.

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.