DE LA SALLES – STILL WAITING FOR A RESPONSE

Several weeks have passed and the RLSS have still not got back to me with a response from the De La Salles on a proposed genuine apology and simple solution.

To reprise, in 2021 IIRC  the DLS initially offered APOLOGY A. This was a curt ‘sorry’  to all survivors that didn’t actually appear until after it was supposed to have done and drew the criticism of even the Tablet.  When it did appear, it was buried in the DLS website and was hard to find.

A DLS  investigation was then promised to the media – which was a lie.

A proper apology regarding Bro  Laurence, head of the DLS who was sacked, prominently featured in the media, was promised and never happened.

Also, curiously,  around this time there was a longer apology which I’ve called APOLOGY B. Dated October 2021. See below.

I only came across it the other day.

 I’m fairly certain it’s different to Apology A, but I’m too bored by the lies and prevarication of the DLS to track the original down somewhere in the depths of the DLS site – and they may have removed it.

 I doubt hardly anyone has seen either Apology A or Apology B

A DLS Survivor had sent me a link

https://amethyst-maroon-4weg.squarespace.com/safeguarding

/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph

I’ve no idea what this amethyst site is, but it seems to be DLS connected. And I saw a further  link which I clicked on

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Statement on recent social media activity GB

I call this APOLOGY B

Statement “The Trustees of De La Salle GB acknowledge social media posts alleging historic abuse in De La Salle school settings. The Trust is also committed to cooperating with the police in any investigation into any allegation made. We strongly denounce the abuse of children and those who commit such acts. We realise that only the victim can fully understand the nature of the hurt and the damage caused by their abuser, especially when it has occurred at the hands of someone who was in a position of trust, being responsible for their wellbeing. Where a Brother or member of staff at any De La Salle school was responsible for the abuse of any pupil we offer an unreserved apology. It goes against everything that compelled our Founder to respond to the needs and challenges of the young people of Rheims in the 17th century”. October 2021

It’s an empty facesaver  written in October 2021 and is meaningless unless it is backed by action which has not been forthcoming.

The DLS has sheltered and protected criminals which makes them an organisation with a proven criminal past .And the RLSS is today sheltering the DLS.

If I shelter a person who has committed serious crimes that makes me a criminal in the eyes of the law.

One thing is certain: the DLS has provably lost its moral compass – assuming it ever had one.

DE LA SALLE SITUATION PRESENT AND PAST

THE PRESENT

Currently I’m awaiting a reply from the RLSS to what’s happening with the DLS.

For nearly TWO YEARS the DLS have not responded to the most serious crimes their members have committed against children including child-rape and sexually abusing a child and then beating him up so badly he had to be hospitalized for an extended period.

The RLSS replaced the SCOE. This delayed matters and meant the new safeguarding organization wanted time to settle in.

The RLSS asked for my patience and assured me they were making real progress in getting the DLS to ‘do the right thing’.

After well over a year this does not seem like the case.

As I said to the RLSS yesterday:

‘This raises the question of, as they are still prevaricating, what steps can be taken to refer them (the DLS) to a higher authority as you said in the interview.’

Amongst the issues the RLSS should be addressing as a matter of urgency TODAY:

1. The De La Salles lying to the press about the investigation. A clear and unconditional apology to all of us is required.
2. Laurence apologizing to victims of his vicious beatings. When will that happen? It’s now years overdue!
3. Brother Kieran – an abuser who may still be alive. Why aren’t YOU – the RLSS and the DLS  – after him right now? Children could still be in grave danger. The confusion over his name is easy enough to resolve.
4. Acknowledging three of the DLS as  typical prime sexual abusers – Kevin, James and Solomon as I previously suggested as a solution to the deadlock.

RLSS, please see below for further information on these issues.

THE PAST

This email below gives the situation as of 15^th August 2022.

O’Connor is part of the RLSS.

As Survivors will know – there has been no investigation as Hudd below claims.

This means he – as the spokesperson for the DLS – has LIED to the media. And to Survivors.

Email to:

Safeguarding@religioussafeguarding.org  johnbiggins@lasalleigbm.org

15 August 2022.

Dear Stephen O’Connor and John Biggins,

Des Bill gave me your details when he told me the SCOE was defunct and I understand you are both taking over from him where my issues are concerned.

I would like to assume that he passed over my outstanding queries to you both, but, as I haven’t heard from you, I will reprise:

THE INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION

I asked Des Bill on June 22 as follows:

I wanted to see what the latest situation was regarding the numerous allegations of abuse by old boys, including myself, at the hands of the De La Salles. Not only at St Joseph’s Ipswich, but also Beulah Hill and elsewhere. As you know, they are all recorded on this website  (pat mills.wordpress.com)and have also been available in summary for an investigator’s convenience.

I’m aware that they have been sent to police Operation Hydrant, via yourself and Catholic Safeguarding, and I look forward to their response in due course. 

The DLS have also contacted Suffolk police  – see below – and this may be part of the Hydrant investigation or separate. It’s not been made clear and it would be useful to know.

It was also stated by the DLS spokesperson that an independent investigator would be commissioned to look into these allegations which he said were  ‘unheard of’.

‘ most of the accusations made on Mr Mills blog were “completely unheard of”, he (Hudd) said. 

See EADT December 11 2021

https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/st-josephs-ipswich-abuse-monks-ask-police-8553626

“With regards to St Joseph’s, we’ve put the ball in Suffolk Constabulary’s court”, Mr Hudd said. “It’s up to them to work out what happened and if the abuse truly was systemic. 

“We’ve also hired our own independent and experienced child abuse investigator to assist the police. 

In fact ‘most’ allegations were ‘heard of’ and were familiar to the DLS as survivors of Brother Kevin’s abuse prove on my website. 

For the DLS to claim they were unaware of these allegations and more is unconvincing.

The DLS own records will confirm that ‘most’ were ‘heard of’ as I’m sure Hudd knows only too well.

Moving onto the investigation, I have not had any contact from an investigator. But how else are they to reach the authors of the various allegations on my site?

We have been waiting these many months and nothing has happened. Who the investigator is has not been revealed to us.

I have the strong feeling that the investigator -( now eight months later) – has done nothing.

Is that the case? And why not? 

BROTHER LAWRENCE HUGHES

To reprise on this matter, too:

Des Bill wrote to me on 15th July this year as follows:

I have been waiting for confirmation on the outcome to the investigation

following receipt of allegations made against Bro Laurence Hughes (LH).

De La Salle (DLS) in the near future will be making a statement about of the

outcome of the investigation and I understand this statement will contain an

apology to victims and will be published. I will ask DLS to make the

statement easily accessible, through their website or to others if/as

requested  

I understand that LH no longer holds any leadership or safeguarding role

within DLS.

……..

Des Bill did NOT respond to my several enquiries about the supposed independent investigation above.

So I – and other survivors would appreciate information about

1) The Independent investigation. Is it also defunct? And why? As it was announced to the press, if it is defunct, that, too, needs to be announced to the press. Or was it just a choice of words to give the impression of an independent investigation – as before with the similarly worded Hughes investigation –  but not the reality?  2)How matters are proceeding with Hydrant. 3) Brother Laurence Hughes. We have not seen the apology yet.

All as related above.

I will need to update survivors on my blog on these matters.

……..

I also want to bring to your attention recent allegations by  Old Boy SIMON against a BROTHER KIEREN. Or Kieron. Or Kiern 

See the attached doc below. He is alleged to have made boys play PE and swim naked. As he is described as young in 1986, he could well be still alive. He may still be in the DLS.

If he is alive, he could still be a current danger to children and therefore you will need to look at this, too.

I have Simon’s contact details.

Yours

Pat Mills 

THE DE LA SALLES – MYSTERIOUS AS USUAL

Below is my last email to the RLSS

I don’t intend to zoom or meet anyone until there’s some hard evidence of progress.

I’m indebted to a DLS Survivor for telling me about ‘The Visitor’. Rather than call their investigator with a modern term we can all understand like  ‘Senior Safeguarding Officer’  or ‘Investigating Officer’, the DLS use a name which smacks of clericalism and gives them a faux mystique with its medieval connotations.

I didn’t know about ‘The Visitor’ and I suspect most Survivors don’t and yet it is presumably very relevant to us.

According to Wikipedia:

In the Catholic Church, a canonical visitation is the act of an ecclesiastical superior who in the discharge of his office visits persons or places with a view to maintaining faith and discipline and of correcting abuses. A person delegated to carry out such a visitation is called a visitor. 

As you’ll see below, there’s still considerable mystery created by the DLS and yourselves about whom we should contact. Is this because they are scared? Arrogant? Or as a way of playing for time?

My guess is all these reasons and the RLSS has not helped by allowing the DLS to maintain their mysteries and being indifferent to the needs of Survivors.

My further comments below my email to the RLSS:

Where the DLS are concerned, IIRC you said you had a recent meeting with them.

I’m guessing they managed to prevaricate further.

Meantime, it’s of concern to me and all DLS survivors that we don’t know the name of the new DLS Provincial who replaced Laurence.

And I’ve just been told by a DLS Survivor about ‘The Visitor’. As follows:

In Catholic Lingo a “Visitor” is generally somebody who is sent to investigate 

“matters”

I would speculate that this is the case. A glimmer of hope? I doubt it.

Distrito IGBM – Segundo nombramiento del Visitador

So there are three people at the DLS who appear to be in relevant control for responding to Survivors allegations. 

1)The non DLS spokesperson who talked to the local press about setting up a DLS investigation into these ‘unheard of’ allegations. And who lied. This needs acknowledging.

2) The DLS Head/ Provincial  – a man with no name.

3) The Visitor

Presumably it’s the Provincial you’re dealing with?  I think you need to clarify matters for Survivors.

None of the foregoing reflects well on the DLS and whether the RLSS have finally got them ‘to do the right thing’, as you hoped, a year or so ago.

I  would add to the above to the RLSS:

The De La Salles behaviour – from the above and previous examples – is classic  and wilful obfuscation.

The very opposite of transparency we should expect today and which the RLSS are meant to stand for.

Let me remind the RLSS  that we are talking here about  the De La Salles committing the most terrible sexual offences against children, some of which may be recent crimes.

And at least one of these vile DLS abusers is still alive. (That’s apart from members of the DLS in prison.)

By allowing them to prevaricate for over a year, the RLSS is in grave danger of becoming part of the problem rather than the solution.

I provided a simple way forward which I suspect the DLS are not going to respond to.

If the RLSS  assist them in their prevarication, then the RLSS  is guilty of covering up crimes.

The RLSS said in their video interview with me that if a religious organisation endlessly prevaricated, there were several mechanisms whereby they could be reported and dealt with by a higher authority.

I think that time is long overdue, don’t you?

I can appreciate confidentiality and discretion, but it can also be used as an excuse to do nothing and I believe that’s what’s happening here.  The level of mystery around the DLS – where we don’t even know their leader’s name – is straight out of the Inquisition!

The optics on it are appalling!

I don’t want to talk by zoom about all the problems the RLSS may have bringing these slippery customers (its paid clients) to justice.  That’s just delaying matters and is an overused and very Catholic technique to sooth and mollify angry Survivors. You’ll be aware of many past examples where Survivors talked or met with clerics and were tricked into believing there was progress, when in fact it was just a cynical photo opportunity.

That technique has had its day and won’t work with me.

I and other DLS Survivors need written statements of progress.

The RLSS really must stop protecting the most vile and disgusting criminals!

Over to you.

THE DE LA SALLE SITUATION

Letter to the RLSS.

As you know, I’m still waiting for action where the Knights of St Columba and the priest Knights  are concerned.

As it looks like it’s going to drag on much longer than I had hoped, in the meantime I will turn my attention to the De La Salles.

I’m putting a copy of this letter on my blog for the benefit of other survivors of the De La Salles.

The last communication I received from the RLSS on this subject was last September, as follows:

DLS – the current leader of DLS has watched the interview we did and said he is happy to meet with you in person (this is something you mention in the interview). I would like to suggest a mediated meeting with either myself or another member of staff from RLSS (your choice) and I suggest we need to do a little work ahead of that to ensure everything you need from the meeting can be discussed / answered.

This last communication was so lacking in substance as to be meaningless. What is he actually offering? And I don’t even have his name!

What I and other Survivors need from the DLS is already a matter of record. It’s an acknowledgement of DLS crimes against children.

You have mentioned several times that you were making real progress with the DLS and you have asked me to be patient, but the years are passing and the above does not look like progress to me.

In a probably vain effort to cut through the deadlock and the endless prevarication which is the hallmark of the DLS and I fear the RLSS, too, I have a suggested outline below of what I and other Survivors of the DLS need.

Roughly as follows:

The DLS acknowledges and apologizes unconditionally – without qualification – for the physical abuse and sexual abuse crimes of Brothers Solomon, Kevin and James committed on pupils at DLS schools.

To list all the other DLS and lay teachers who abused children in a number of DLS colleges in the South of  England from the 1960s through to the 1990s would be an exhausting task.

And also  the DLS and lay teacher crimes committed at ‘approved’ schools run by the DLS in the same period in the UK..

So these three DLS abusers  are taken as representative of and typical of the harm that DLS and lay teacher abusers did to children at these various DLS schools for which they also apologize unconditionally and without qualification.

Furthermore, the DLS acknowledge that the claim made by their representative to an Ipswich newspaper, a few years ago, that there would be a proper investigation of the ‘unheard of’ allegations on my  blog has never taken place and was therefore untrue.

So too is the suggestion they are ‘unheard of’ as the DLS had certainly heard of Brother Kevin’s crimes at least at this time.

 All three DLS brothers were transferred from one school to another at short notice which is a well documented ploy by the Catholic Church to hide the crimes of  their sexual abusers of children.

Some details may be added to above on the nature of the trio’s crimes which are confirmed by so many Survivors and therefore  were never in any doubt.

Other Survivors may have some further suggestions which would be very welcome, but this seems to me a relatively quick way of covering matters and finally providing some substance and a solution which seems beyond the abilities of the RLSS and the DLS.

And also to prove that the DLS are genuine this time – despite their track record of deceit and prevarication, both of which I can give examples of. The bogus DLS apology that the Tablet confirmed, for example.

There may be a case for a subsequent meeting or for victim impact statements, but I think the above  needs to happen first and would be real progress.

I look forward to seeing whether yourselves and the DLS will actually agree to this statement, the details of which can be refined further with dates, locations etc.

KEARNEY, THE DE LA SALLES, AND THE RLSS

Mike Kearney needs investigating through the De La Salles review of  their past crimes.  This is why I am writing this open letter to the RLSS  today. 

Previously I have focussed on sexual abuser De La Salle brothers, such as Brothers James, Solomon and Kevin, but, of course, there were also lay teacher abusers at St Joseph’s. 

I fully expect the DLS to say they have no record of any complaints about Kearney.

Nevertheless, I would ask the RLSS to check with the DLS if they have anything on file about him. Thus they should have at least one report of Kearney physically attacking a boy.

Some six Old Boys of St J’s have given testimonies on my blog of his physical violence and sadism.  One exampled how he was punched in the face by this man and Kearney had to apologise. This is rather more than the typical violence of schools in that time.

He was also a RACIST as confirmed several times by one Old Boy.

LAY TEACHERS.  They were the responsibility of the DLS. As the DLS are RLSS clients, lay teachers also need evaluating as part of the DLS/RLSS investigation.

I have several examples on my blog of lay teacher abuse at St J’S Ipswich.

LAY TEACHER TONY HARDY: I’ve referenced him in particular because of the testimony below.  For three reasons.  Firstly because Hardy is using a special whip on a child which suggests his personal sadism and is also indicative of the unhealthy atmosphere at St J’s even in the late 80s. Secondly, it shows how the DLS covered up his crime by not reporting him to the police. Thirdly, it is possible Hardy may still be alive.

Therefore this case, in particular, the DLS and the RLSS should look at.  

Testimony of CS:

I attended St Joseph’s College from 86 – 90. I was at the school when David Hennesy became headmaster, he was a very relaxed guy and I liked him a lot. After our GCSE’s a few of us got our ears pierced – stupid, but hey we were crazy teenagers. We were in Birkfield house, Tony Hardy was the housemaster. He was a well known drinker and had a ferocious temper. After being told to take our ear rings out which we ignored as we were so close to school holidays we thought nothing more of it. One night Hardy had been out at a BBQ and came back after lights out, he pulled me and the other lads who had pierced their ears out of bed and made us stand in the corners of his living room. We were made to stand there when he went on a screaming rampage around the house. He came back to his quarters where we were all waiting frankly sh*tting ourselves. One by one he called each of the lads into his bedroom where he gave them all slippers. He then made me stand in a cupboard which he locked me in and then again went on another rampage around the house, when he came back hen made me stand in his bedroom drop my pyjama bottoms and then took a cat-o-nine tails out of his draw. He lashed me about 10 – 12 times with it till I was bleeding. The next morning when in the showers the other lads saw the state of what had happened to me and they took me to see Mr Hennesy, when we explained what happened he sent us to his cottage on the grounds and Hardy was got rid of that day. My parents were dealt with by the school’s solicitors and unbelievably agreed that as long as he never taught there again, wouldn’t involve the Police. I have never forgotten that incident, its stayed with me for years, I wasn’t a brilliant student at St Joseph’s, in fact, I was very lazy but that incident turned me off school completely. I also remember the Brothers, Peter I seem to remember having a violent temper. I did have some laughs at the school but that last incident scarred me.

MIKE KEARNEY CHEMISTRY MEMORIAL PRIZE: Although the current regime at St J’s say they have nothing to do with the abusive DLS years and therefore take no responsibility for them, nevertheless they like to ‘cherry pick’ and publicize positive aspects and ‘positive’  Old Boys from that era.

Thus they used to have a sign up outside the school ‘In the La Sallian Tradition’. It was this offensive sign, still associating the current school with decades of physical and sexual abuse by the DLS, that first prompted me to start a blog of the DLS crimes[PM1] .

I believe the sign has now been removed.

They also had a memorial prize for Mike Kearney, a proven physical abuser and racist, and guilty of other crimes I have previously outlined to you. The prize seemed to disappear during the Covid years and I would hope has been permanently removed.

Could you please write to the school to ask them to confirm the Mike Kearney Chemistry Prize has been withdrawn. Thank you.

They are far more likely to respond to the RLSS and I see it as part of your safeguarding remit.

It would also be an indication of your support for survivors.

MEMORY TRIGGERS:  What prompted me to write this current post was the RLSS recently not supporting the removal of a sexual abuser’s MBE. I understand your reasons, but the 14 year old boy inside me did not. It triggered his memories of Kearney’s crimes and has given me two sleepless nights, thus far, as a result.  That 14 year old boy angrily reminded me of the Kearney prize which is similarly honouring a proven abuser.  

It would be like having a ‘Brother Kevin or Brother Solomon memorial prize’ and is totally unacceptable.

The current school surely do not want to be associated with past abusers.

TIMETABLE:  Because of the complexity and sheer volume of physical and sexual abuse crimes at St Joseph’s College, Ipswich, during the De La Salle era, and also at other associated De La Salle schools, as I’ve previously indicated, I want to just focus on the Ipswich Knights of St Columba and their criminal involvement in the school first. 

As you know, I’m still awaiting their Safeguarding officer’s report on my allegations.

Once that’s been resolved, I will look at the De La Salles current position and what they are doing – or more likely not doing –  about the multitude of abuse allegations against them, including systemic, organised sexual abuse.  As you know, the DLS claimed in the Ipswich local press they were launching an investigation, which appears not to have happened. And your predecessor, the SCOE, also promised an apology where Brother Laurence was concerned. That hasn’t materialised either which I’m sure will have upset many who suffered at his violent hands.

However,  knowing full well how the DLS have in the past and are likely to continue to prevaricate and escape their responsibilities, I have to put dealing with the DLS on hold until I’ve resolved matters  with the Knights. Because I’m aware just how time-consuming the DLS will be.

But Kearney is the exception. As this man’s past crimes haveå troubled me and  given me many nightmares over several years, I have to get closure on this individual, and would appreciate your help in the two simple ways I’ve described.

Thank you.

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 [PM1]

TWO DE LA SALLE SURVIVORS MEET

It was my great pleasure to meet Rafael Viola yesterday in Spain where I live. Rafael has just published a book on his boyhood experiences at the hands of  cruel, paedophile De La Salle brothers and also the most appalling Catholic nuns.

It prompted me to progress the RLSS for an update on the crimes of the DLS.

Thus far the De La Salles are running 8 months over on the date they promised to explain their behaviour and to do something about it

Typical Catholic prevarication when they know they’ve been cornered and finally have to answer for their crimes.

‘Typical’? Look at the Vatican.

Rafael went to St Gilberts DLS school which I’ve written about previously.

DE LA SALLE ABUSE AT ST GILBERT’S

Also, to quote a BBC account, one survivor said he was raped by the headmaster, sexually abused by another brother and by a visiting priest.

“I remember lying in my dormitory, hearing the screams of other boys echoing through the house at night.

“I remember being beaten. I remember blood running down my legs. And then Brother Joseph tried to interfere with me.

“One minute you’d be singing hymns in church and everything and you’d come out and that’s what they’d do to you after church.

“One minute you’re on your knees praying to the Lord and then you’d be doing things the good Lord said you shouldn’t do”.

I thoroughly recommend Rafael’s book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stealing-Lives-Smokescreens-Organised-Criminality/dp/1739422007

Rafael’s experience and those of pupils at my school, St Joseph’s College,Ipswich, are remarkably similar.

Rafael told me he called the brothers ‘flippers’. One moment they’re good and holy teachers. Next moment they flip and are raging psychos and sexual abusers.

Brother James at St Joseph’s College Ipswich and Beulah Hill was a prime example.

Rafael told me he ran away from St Gilbert’s at least ten times.

But those evil De La Salle filth didn’t break him. Bravo, Rafael!

The difference between our schools is that St Joseph’s was (and is) ‘posh’. This means that pupils who were not abused are wrongly defensive of the De La Salle criminals and their dark legacy.

‘Well, it didn’t happen to me, so many of those boys who say they were harmed by the De La Salles must be lying. Or exaggerating. Probably trying to make money. And, anyway, physical abuse was normal. They were different times. It didn’t do me any harm. It made me the shut-down, miserable prat I am today.’

There are other reasons such old boys keep quiet.

‘Having St Joseph’s College, Ipswich, on my cv looks good and it helped me get a good job and an education so I owe the De La Salles. Or I owe my parents for sending me there, so I need to keep my mouth shut. So screw the survivors. I just need to think about me. I come from a good Catholic family. Maybe their family was dysfunctional, so that’s why the De La Salles picked on them. Maybe they had it coming.’

Or they talk about the few good apples in the otherwise rotten barrel.

‘Brother X was such a good and holy man. In the true La Sallian tradition. We need to remember Brother X, not those perverts Brothers James, Solomon and Kevin.’

It’s all lying, self-delusional crap and shame on those who lie to themselves and perpetuate the lies.

And they do. I see many Old Boys comments on this site, trying to make such excuses for pure evil.

But the truth is on this blog, on other sites, and in endless court cases where the De La Salles have reluctantly admitted they were guilty of the most disgusting and heinous crimes.

It bears repeating:

The De La Salles were a criminal organisation of men, many of whom practised systemic sexual abuse on children and who have still not fully acknowledged their crimes. And those De La Salles who didn’t abuse children still knew and looked the other way.

This won’t be over until the De La Salles stop wriggling and prevaricating and finally acknowledge the full extent and the horror of their crimes.

That they were a religious order which had many evil and mentally sick paedophiles in their ranks.

Not to mention the current St Joseph’s showing off about the brilliance of the school’s past, but having nothing to say about the vile crimes of the school’s past.

Such typical Catholic hypocrisy needs more exposing so it cannot happen again.

I’ll do my best.

Anything you know about these criminals, do please tell. It could make all the difference.

AFTER THE RLSS INTERVIEW. INFORMATION UPDATE

Inspired by the interview I did with the RLSS, a Catholic survivors group linked with a diocese have set up a Survivor FORUM as I suggested. It has the potential to be a valuable ‘Mumsnet’- style information source, controlled by survivors. Previously, no such forums existed for RC survivors. Useful contact information tended to appear as long threads in unlikely places like the Crystal Palace football supporters website. One such thread there described in gruesome detail the pervert De La Salle monks of St Joseph’s Beulah Hill and was quite harrowing to read. Notably Brother Solomon and Brother James – two sexual abusers of children we knew well at St Joseph’s Ipswich. But it could easily be missed, not least because it’s a little challenging gaining entry to the site.  

So I feel a Forum is a useful step forward. The one I’ve described is for survivors in a large UK city, but could act as a role model for others. Or maybe it will expand in time.

My energy is currently focussed on the Ipswich Knights of St Columba – who were a paedophile ring and criminal organisation when I was a boy. They had close connections with St Joseph’s Ipswich. In fact they established the school and silenced children alleging abuse by the De La Salles – as I’ve described in a past blogs. Then, mysteriously, they seem to have disappeared from the public face of St Joseph’s Ipswich. Doubtless preferring to do their holy work in secret today. Thanks to the RLSS, I’m making progress there, although I fully expect the current Knights to try and deny the formidable list of their predecessors’ crimes. 

So thus far the RLSS have delivered on what they promised in my interview with them. And with others.

If you haven’t listened to it, it’s a dense, information-heavy hour with surprising reveals that I wasn’t aware of previously. Some of them are very positive. There’s a summary on a past blog.

 I haven’t forgotten the outstanding allegations with the De La Salles which are well overdue for a response – 7 months in fact. But on a scale of ten, my anger towards the DLS is ten. Whereas the Ipswich Knights of St Columba are off the Richter scale – not least because I’m the only one who has gone public with their crimes. And they need exposing. The idea that the Catholic laity were not involved and knew nothing of the crimes of priests and De La Salles is beyond naive, it’s wilful burying heads in the sand.

 I’ve cross-referenced with a number of survivors confirming their crimes, but there’s a reluctance to talk publicly. Maybe it’s the masonic, secretive and powerful nature of these Catholic men who are largely professionals in positions of power: army, lawyers, police, surveyors, teachers etc. 

It’s like survivors seem more afraid of the Knights than they do of priests or the De La Salle brothers. Like so many secret organisations, the rule of omertà is still in force. I find it quite curious that they can have such an impact on survivors. I’m simply indifferent to the threats a survivor related to me.

Welcome readers’ thoughts.

 So it’s important I stay focussed on this order of self-described Catholic ‘holy’ men until I’ve made more progress there.

ST JOSEPH’S COLLEGE IPSWICH 1963-1968. AN OLD BOY REMEMBERS

‘Denying our collective history does not just ignore our past, it weakens our present and cauterizes our future potential’

Bettany Hughes

Dear Pat, I was a boarder at St Joseph’s College, Ipswich from 1963 to 1968. I remember those days fairly well. Some memories are pleasant, like contact and continuing friendship with a great friend from all those years ago, some are disturbing.

One thing I’m sure of, our families entrusted the De La Salle Brothers to safely and kindly look after, protect and educate their children. Some Brothers failed this duty of care.

I find it difficult to imagine other Brothers who weren’t involved in the physical and sexual abuse of the students being completely oblivious to the events that were taking place. Surely some of the lay teachers and the school nurse must also have been aware. If they did, then they as adults, are as complicit.

My story is certainly not as harrowing as your account or others on your blog, far from it, as I emerged relatively unscathed. I was never personally sexually abused. However, I write to you in case it could provide a reference point, a timeline to help you and others in any way.

As a British Army family based in Germany my Mum and Dad thought it would be best for me to go to boarding school to finish my last few years of schooling. I started mid term in 1963 dressed in a dull grey suit that completely enveloped me. I felt awkward and apprehensive.

That night in the refectory I met and dined with boys the same age. Once dinner was over we all went outside and straight away, first night, a boy had a go at me. In a moment a cheering crowd of boys encircled us. Having been in a number of Army schools I was capable of looking after myself and after a few seconds punched the other boy in the nose, we wrestled around, and it was all over and the crowd dispersed. I was never picked on again by fellow students at St Joseph’s and to be honest wasn’t aware of too much conflict between students.

However, I was desperately unhappy being parted from my family and friends at home and remember sometimes at recess and lunchtimes sitting hiding in a cubicle in the toilet block feeling so sad. It took many months to get over the separation from my family. I felt very lost and alone.

I started off sleeping in the large dormitory by the main building. After lights out I used to lay quietly alone with my thoughts and prayers for a long while. I longed to be back home.

It was during these times when I found sleep difficult that I became aware of a Brother wandering around the dormitory in the dark by the beds of certain boys. I was a reasonably aware teenager with my upbringing. I had a strong sense that what he was up to was wrong and vowed that if he came anywhere near me I would lash out and scream the place down.

However, it was always the much younger, quieter, vulnerable boys he targeted.

Dare I say something? Should I say something? Best keep my head down was my first instinct. Isn’t that the way perpetrators get away with these offences.

Early in my first year I remember being given six strokes of the cane. I think it was for something trivial like running up the stairs in the main building. Each cut of the cane left severe bruising and broke the skin. It was a real beating and my bottom was achingly numb and sore. For a few days there was blood on my underpants. It probably took a week before it started to heal and the discomfort eased.

I had never been hit by anyone with such force and certainly not by any of the Army teachers who had taught me at the schools on the bases. They tended to be kindly, good natured and well meaning, so this absolutely shocked me.

I remember the distorted, flushed look on the Brother’s face when it was finished. I felt humiliated and certainly the punishment did not fit the crime. That was the first but not the last time I was caned, being caught smoking numerous times and other misdemeanours.

When I moved into the older grades I opted for a gardening punishment, for the whole weekend if necessary.

The following year, despite being a year younger than most, I was placed over in the GoldRood dormitories which was a blessing. I enjoyed being there. In the grounds you could play ‘headers’ soccer and simple things like watching the life cycle of the frogs in the large tank half way along the path. Also there was the TV room where we all watched ‘Top of the Pops’ hosted by Jimmy Saville. How apt.

The smaller dorms at GoldRood had a quieter feel to them and as we grew older we had more latitude. It was here I made a close circle of really good mates who looked out for and helped one another.

I never told my parents about these early events and canings. I felt I was being protective of them, but in hindsight I believe I was ashamed and didn’t want to expose my Mum and Dad to the fact they had placed me in an abusive situation. They seemed so proud that their son was going to St Jo’s.

In fact I have never discussed these days with anyone apart from my wife and a counsellor whilst undergoing recent treatment for anxiety.

I wonder how many students kept quiet? Many.

How many remained stoic? Many.

How many accepted events as ‘normal’?

This is the essence of systemic abuse, secrecy.

I remember Louis M well. He was a very stocky type with a shock of dark hair and a fellow smoker. It came as no surprise that he took Brother James apart.

I believe Brother James was suffering from PTSD, perhaps from the war. Some said he had been a fighter pilot, others a POW. With his psychotic temper and uncontrolled violence he should never have been allowed near children, ever. He was sadistic and a man to keep well clear of as he was capable of flying into a rage and lashing out with a flurry of fists, sometimes at the nearest student.

I recall in our lessons at the top of each page of the exercise book we used to write ‘JMJ’ and I often wondered how writing what amounted to a small prayer for guidance reconciled with boys being educated by teachers like Brother James.

During a time with my family in Germany my parents took me on a visit to the site of Belsen Concentration Camp. My Dad had been there the day after it had been liberated in WW2 and the visit had a profound effect on me. As a reminder I sticky taped a small B&W picture of Adolf Hitler on the underside of my wooden desk lid to remind me of the horrible events surrounding the monster.

Soon after, when I was at another lesson, Brother James was alerted to the picture. Apparently he flung open the wooden desk lid with fury. The other boys present thought he was going to have a severe fit as he was literally purple in the face as he tore the picture to shreds. He had lost all control and had to be helped as he was apoplectic. Luckily, I wasn’t there as I believe I would have been beaten senseless. Most surprisingly, I never heard any more about this incident.

As I grew older I became really very good at athletics and represented the school in the AAA County Championships and inter-school competitions. I won a number of county cups and medals. I believe this athletic ability, like the students who played senior rugby, gave me a certain profile and helped protect me from some of the harm meted out to others.

This is where dates and years fail me, but one memory that has stayed with me was an incident with Father Jolly.

As teenagers most of us were in the habit of smoking. Weekends were fine as we could go into Ipswich and go to the dark of a movie or a park and smoke our heads off. Later it was the pub at the bottom of the hill where the publican turned a blind eye. During the week was a different story and we were all hanging out for Saturday.

One day a friend and myself decided to go into Father Jolly’s unit and help ourselves to some of his cigarettes.

This was wrong, and we both knew it.

He lived in a small cottage just on the edge of the school boundary. We knew he had a cigarette box as we had visited his living room during one of his ‘getting to know you, group chats’

Seeing his car was gone we crept into the lounge and just before rifling some of the cigarettes we heard the crunch of the car wheels on the gravel outside. We were trapped and so just sat there. Jolly came in and asked what we were doing and to this day I don’t know how but we said we were waiting for him as we had a matter of abuse to report. My hands were shaking but I went into detail about the history of what I had previously witnessed in the large dormitory. Jolly started writing all this down. Pretty soon after the Brother departed the school.

In my mind I can to this day feel the panic as Jolly entered the room and my face flushing as we spoke about the sexual abuse we had witnessed. Of course for many years I saw Jolly as protecting the students and getting rid of the abuser, whereas in actual fact I now know he was giving the bastard the heads up to move on before the evidence was mounted and he was charged.

Naturally I never confessed the sin of attempting to steal cigarettes to Jolly.

I have seen another boy’s statement on your web-page about reporting abuse to Jolly. The date and timing is somehow out of kilter with my memory and it cannot be the same incident.

There were good teachers at the school and two lay teachers stand out in my mind. My English Literature teacher during sixth form gave me a love of poetry which has stayed with me all my life. My Economics teacher, a family man from Doncaster, Yorkshire was easy to relate to and kindly.

I loved travelling back to Germany to see my family. It entailed travelling by train to Harwich, then ferry over to the Hook of Holland and then catching the Moscow night express to Celle in central Germany. I hated the journey back to Ipswich.

As I grew older I enjoyed the company of my friends at St Joseph’s. Close friends meant emotional security and a clubbing together.

I know when I look back at this period I found the Brothers as a group to be a vulnerable, raw, clumsy group of men, out of touch with a rapidly changing society. Not all were bad, but most could not relate. I wonder now what early experiences they themselves had been through.

Certainly the ones meting out physical punishment and abusing the younger children in their care must have had awful upbringings to carry out some of the harrowing events described in your blog.

This in no way condones their awful, terrible behavior.

All of this is nearly sixty years ago now but parts I remember as if it were yesterday. Through it all I’m reminded of Philip Larkin’s poem, ‘This Be The Verse’ which is worth reading in it’s entirety.

‘Man hands on misery to man

It deepens like a coastal shelf’

Best wishes,

SP

DE LA SALLES – REFINEMENT

Another quote below from the official history where it’s claimed that the De La Salle brothers should ‘cultivate in themselves the quality of refinement in bearing, in language, and in manners’

That was certainly not my experience at St Joseph’s College, Ipswich, and neither is it the experience of many other Survivors. The abusers Brothers James, Solomon and Kevin come immediately to mind but there were many more.

It’s their endless self-congratulation and self-deification I find so abhorrent. There is never any acknowledgement of the numerous times the DLS fell far short of such standards

DE LA SALLE: THE FOUNDER’S WORDS

Here’s the De La Salle founder on how De La Salle brothers should behave.

‘…Never allowing themselves to descend to anything base…This seriousness does not consist in a severe or austere aspect, in anger or in harsh words… The teachers will above all never become familiar with their pupils…’

It angers me and many other Survivors that the De La Salles endlessly present themselves and preen themselves today with self-congratulation and not a word of self-criticism, always awarding themselves ten out of ten for their holy and most excellent behaviour..

They seem so ruled by the arrogance of clericalism that it would never occur to them to say, ‘We got it so wrong in recent years. We strayed far from the path of righteousness. From the words of our holy founder. We are truly and profoundly sorry that we grievously and irrevocably harmed so many thousands of children and we hang our heads in shame and humbly ask for their forgiveness.’

Yet if they did make a genuine apology along these lines (as opposed to their curt, fake apology buried deep within their website and criticised even by the partisan Tablet) they would earn the respect and forgiveness of some survivors, at least.

So it actually makes good sense. Insurers – or whoever really runs the DLS order – please note. But perhaps you simply can’t help yourselves? Arrogance is now your way of life? And not acknowledging that your Order screwed up – big-time?

I pity you.