Bierton Strict And Particular Baptists, A Testimony of David Clarke

60 very attractive to me. When we went out enjoying our selves Mrs. Knight would be left at home or in the workshop minding their two children Allison and Mark. They also had a big dog called Rufus.

By this time I had left school and was interested in our band, as we wanted to make music. Ian Myers was the bass guitarist and he built his own guitar amplifier from a circuit design and published in Practical Wireless.

He built the amplifier I helped him with the speaker cabinet and it was used in all our future gigs.

I soon began to realize the things I enjoyed were not the things Mrs. Knight approved of, or found interesting. I thought she was a right “kill joy” and was boring. She was a Christian what ever that meant and I soon realize her values were not the same as mine. What I considered good and enjoyable she would call it sin and sinful. She would also complain to her husband that I was always with him and he gave her no time. It seemed she was often driven to despair by him never being in on time and being very unreliable.

He would often leave her for hours whilst we were at work out on jobs.

Conversation On The Intercom On one occasion Norman Garret’s mum complained to Mrs. Knight the Norman her son, was not getting the training he needed because Ken was always taking me out with him. I heard this conversation over the shops intercom. Mrs. Knight said yes I was a nuisance and she did not like me one bit and it was not good that I should be out with her husband all the time.

Upon hearing this I felt angry and went down the stairs to where they were and confronted them both saying that I had heard what they had said about me. They were embarrassed and I am sure this did not help our relationship.

I really thought Mrs. Knight was an ogre.

I began to attend Luton College of Technology, to learn about Radio and Television Servicing, and travelled by bus, one day a week, from Aylesbury to Luton; it was about an hour’s and a half ’s run. I think it must have been due to Mrs. Knight and her religion that I began to notice the texts of scripture put up out side churches as I past by on the bus, they were called “Way side pulpits”. I began to memorize the verses such as: “ Righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people” And also another: “ Jesus said if you find life difficult learn of me and the burden I shall give you will not be too difficult to carry”.

At that time I had no idea of the meaning of these texts of scripture but found it amusing to quote them to Mrs. Knight at any in appropriate moment thinking it would embarrass her.

On one occasion I remember being dressed in an old blanket made