Norman Davies Kidd: –1997 [Heath 1932–1938]

We are Heathens; we have always been Heathens and we shall be Heathens until we are all dead. Of those who heard these words uttered by Norman Kidd at an annual dinner at the Builders’ Exchange, Halifax, around the turn of the century, who could forget them? They were said in the context of a possible merger with the Old Crossleyans Association and, in retrospect, may have served as a rallying cry to the ranks of the Old Heathens — witness the significant resurgence during recent years.

This would have been a considerable pleasure to Norman who was at the school in the 1930s before leaving to work at Drakes Engineers, Ovenden. He had played rugby with distinction at school. Archive material is available showing him in the same team as Frank Haigh and Eric Taylor, then clearly both young teachers. He joined Halifax RUFC (Ovenden Park) where he played ten First XV games before World War II and 58 afterwards. His working life and rugby career were interrupted by the war when he served for five years as a Fleet Air Arm pilot on North Atlantic patrol and later as an instructor based in Shropshire. In 1944 Norman married Betty, his very supportive wife, who, with their son, Graham, and daughter, Susan, survives him.

His engineering training led him in 1968 to set up his own fabrication business in Bradford and he successfully pursued his knowledge of and interest in construction until his retirement in 1983. Ovenden Park certainly profited from that experience over a period of 40 years during which he served on the General Committee and contributed vastly to the developments there. He was three years Club Secretary in the 1950s, President 1976–1978 and a Life Member from 1989. Betty was a pillar of the Ladies Committee for 25 years. Norman has been missed; his company was always pleasurable – with his fund of good humour and open, sociable manner – a truly notable Heathen.

Grayham P. Smith [Heath 1952–1959]

First appeared in the Newsletter dated .