Introduction to My Strange Pathways.
I was born in wartime England, in November 1940, and brought up in a strict religious Christian sect known as The Exclusive Brethren. My home was Redhill Surrey. I ran away from home and travelled to London aged 12 with my twin brother Charles Gurr to witness the Coronation of H.M. Queen Elizabeth 2nd. Always being a rebellious child who would not conform to a strict upbringing I ran away from home several times and finally made a complete break from my family just before my 16th birthday.
I knew this decision would cause a permanent separation from my family and they would have nothing more to do with me, this proved to be the case.
Leaving School at 15 years of age with no qualifications I started work on the railways as a cleaner later as a stoker, often moving around with no permanent home and sometimes sleeping rough in railway carriages, waiting rooms, even on the footplate of steam locomotives in Redhill Shed.
Later I worked in various hospitals which helped with living in accommodation provided. At one time caring for 70 disturbed patients in a remote country house, this was on night duty; and on my own. Later I gained experience at a general hospital working in the Operating Theatres, Casualty, and occasionally the Mortuary when required. I joined the Bedfordshire retained Fire Service in 1969 and became a professional fireman in 1971 and retired in 1993.
I married Josephine Housden in April 1965. There are three children, Ruth Jason and Lydia.
When I was a child I had the good fortune to visit the Festival of Britain this was in London in 1951. I remember so well seeing a magician performing amazing magic, and that memory has always been with me.
When I retired from the Fire service in 1993 I managed to develop a few of my own pieces of Magic and on Monday 20th May 2002 passed the examination to become a full member of Magic Circle. I am so pleased to belong to that famous society; their headquarters are situated in London. I was for four years the club night host. I have been most fortunate to entertain in many countries abroad including Switzerland and Japan.
The rest of the Gurr family are still in the Brethren and residing in the Redhill and Horley area of Surrey U.K. That is except for one niece who is extremely happy being out of the brethren system and we are very good friends.
I have performed several times in front of my peers at The Magic Circle, during one performance one member exclaimed, “Well that’s Spooky Mick”. This was complement and a remark I quite enjoyed.
From goat herding in the mountains of Switzerland.
Being arrested at gunpoint in Israel.
Present at the downing of the Berlin Wall.
Winner of a camel race, and rode a circus horse.
Fire-Fighting 1969 to 1993, awarded the Fire Service Medal in 1989 for “Exemplary Fire Service”
On Monday 10th January 2011 I was awarded the Presidents Certificate for services to Magic.
On the 3rd August 2012 I was awarded the golden Key for loyalty to the Town of Interlaken Switzerland.
On the 6th September 2012 I was made an Associate Member of The Inner Magic Circle
On Tuesday 25th June 2013 at the Guildhall London I was so pleased to be installed as a Freeman of the City of London by redemption.
On Sunday 29th September 2013 I drove Sheep across London Bridge.
It was to me a great Honour to be made member of the Family Holz of Boppard in Deutschland, we have been best friends for 45 years
Life has been so interesting and rewarding for me.
Sorry about the spelling and grammar, but that’s me.
Michael Gurr
In The Beginning
0750 Saturday 2nd November 1940
Tetbury Gloucestershire
My Mother and Father decided it would be best to move away from Redhill for the confinement and birth of their first child to South Cerney in Glostershire which was the home of her Mother, but the birth was eventually to be in Tetbury Maternity Hospital. And so it was, I was born into wartime England on the 2nd November 1940 at 0750, a few minutes later my brother Charles was born. I understand this event of twins arriving was quite unexpected. My Mother before her marriage was a midwife. I remember when we were older she told us how happy she was about twins arriving.
Very soon we were on our way back to our house situated at 54 Wimbourne Avenue Redhill in Surrey. First by Train from Kembel to Paddington on the Great Western Region and then from London Victoria, traveling south to Redhill.
The Blitz
The Blitz was in full swing and we lived 20 miles south of London
The Blitz was the sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941 in the Second World War. While the Blitz hit many towns and cities across the country, it began with the bombing of London for 57 consecutive nights. By the end of May 1941, over 43,000 civilians, half of them in London, had been killed by bombing and more than a million houses were destroyed or damaged in London alone.
London was not the only city to suffer Luftwaffe bombing during the Blitz. Other important military and industrial centers, such as Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Clydebank, Coventry, Exeter, Greenock, Sheffield, Swansea, Liverpool, Hull (the most heavily bombed city outside of London), Manchester, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Nottingham, Brighton, Eastbourne, Sunderland and Southampton, suffered heavy air raids and high numbers of casualties. Adolf Hitler’s aim was to destroy British civilian and governmental moral its intended goal of demoralizing the British into Surrender the Blitz did little to facilitate potential of a
German invasion.
By May 1941, the imminent threat of an invasion of Britain had passed and Hitler’s attention was focused on the east. While the Germans never again managed to bomb Britain on such a large scale, they carried out smaller attacks throughout the war, taking the civilian death toll to 51,509 from bombing. In 1944, the development of pilotless V-1 flying bombs and V-2 rockets briefly enabled Germany to again attack London with weapons launched from the European continent. In total, the V weapons killed 8,938 civilians in London and the south east.
August 20th. 1940. Winston Churchill had made one of his most famous speeches “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” The above is one sentence of a much longer speech, the last paragraph of the same speech looks to the future. Our future, my future. “For my own part, looking out upon the future, I do not view the process with any misgivings. I could not stop it if I wished; No one can stop it. Like the Mississippi, it just keeps rolling along. Let it roll. Let it roll on full flood, inexorable, irresistible, and benignant, to broader lands and better days.”
We were not very old and the bombing was still in progress, I well remember the haunting sound of the air raid siren and my Mother screaming for us to come indoors and get under the table.
These memories also include watching steam hauled trains racing north towards London; they were probably from Newhaven in Sussex. Mother told us they were Hospital Trains bringing wounded solders back from France. This must have been soon after D. Day. I do not ever remember seeing a Doodle Bug flying bomb but I have memories of my parents talking about them. At this time we slept downstairs and behind a sofa which was up against a wall, a bomb dropped nearby. I slept through it all and woke in the morning with glass from the shattered windows all over the room including the sofa, later that day we meet Canadian Soldiers who gave us chewing gum. Just before we started junior school at Salfords which was about 1/2 a mile away, we were sent to a prep School in Woodlands Road Redhill. The teachers name was a Miss Muller; we only stayed for a few weeks before we went to school properly.
As time marches on so the memories fade, but a few memorable things will always stay. Such as gathering the autumn leaves to make small dens in the playground, although it was chilly we were well wrapped up, complete with balaclavas to keep our heads and ears warm.
Often in school we were sat on the hot water pipes that led to the radiators. At the same time we sometimes brought a tin to school because we were given powdered chocolate to take home, I believe that came from Canadians stationed nearby.
They were perhaps waiting to take part in the D. Day landings. I have often wondered how many survived and returned to their home after the war was over. The Bonfire at the top of our street and the party for the children was held on or just after V.E. Day. Great celebrations; although I do not remember sitting down to the meal, I believe this was because of my family’s religious beliefs and we were kept away. But I have memories of slipping out of the house and going up to the evening party and hearing a neighbor singing. “I will Take You Home Again Kathleen,” Mr. Murphy lived just a few doors up the street and had a fine voice; he was in or had just been demobilized from The Royal Air Force.
Right: Proud parents, Amelia and Stanley Gurr
Twins: Charles rear and Michael foreground. C1941
V-Weapons offensive
On 12 June 1944, the first V-1 flying bomb attack was carried out on London. A total of 9,251 V-1s were fired at Britain, with the vast majority aimed at London; reached the city, killing 6,184 civilians and injuring 17,981. Over 4,000 were destroyed by the Royal Air Force, the Army’s Anti-Aircraft Command, the Royal Navy and barrage balloons.
The V-2 Rocket was first used against London on 8 September 1944. 1,115 V-2s were fired at the United Kingdom killing an estimated 2,754 people in London with another 6,523 injured. A further 2,917 service personnel were killed as a result of the V weapon campaign.
On 17 September 1944, the blackout was replaced by a partial ‘dim-out’.
At the end of the V bombing an estimated 16,000 had been killed. An estimated 180,000 were injured.
Aftermath of aV-2 bombing at Battersea, London of 27 January 1945.
V.E. Day.
There was a Bonfire at the top of our street and the party for the children was held on or just after Great celebrations in London; although I do not remember sitting down to the meal, this may have been was because of my family’s religious beliefs and we were kept away. But I have memories of slipping out of the house and going up to the evening party and hearing a neighbor singing. “I will Take You Home Again Kathleen,” Mr. Murphy lived just a few doors up the street and had a fine voice; he was in or had just been demobilized from The Royal Air Force.