L J Jay - more details

I posted earlier in the week about L J Jay, who worked as the former GA librarian, and who wrote a great many reviews and contributions to 'Geography' - his initials were repeated many times in the journals across the decades. This has been substantially brought up to date with some new information from my former colleague at Solly Street: Frances Soar.

As we get nearer to the present day, you will see further contributions with a credit for the contributions of Frances Soar. She has very kindly offered to help with some updates as we get closer to her own time working at Solly Street.

Frances found a lot more information about L J Jay. Sometimes known as 'Jim' Jay.

Leslie Joseph Jay, born 25 Aug 1917 in Aston, Warks.  Parents Joseph Jay, described in 1939 as 'Inspector Engineering', and Martha (nee Green).

1936: Successful in the First Examination, Geography Dept, University of Birmingham (B'ham Daily Gazette, 2 Feb 1936)

1938: Awarded Geography Degree (II2) by the University of Birmingham (B'ham Daily Gazette, 30 Jun 1938)

1939: Passed the written examination for the Degree of MA (Birmingham Daily Post, 29 Jun 1939) 

1939: Living with his parents at 58 Caldwell Road, Birmingham.  Described as 'student, intending te[indistinct]'.  Possibly 'teacher' (From the WW2 Register, 1939)

1943 (25 Jan): Royal Navy 'Schoolmaster Candidate (entered for Hostilities only)' (Navy Lists for 1943ff).  Served at HMS Nabsford, a base in Australia for Royal Naval Aircraft maintenance.  [I've learnt more about RN ranks in the past hour than I ever thought I would need to know!]

1943: (4th quarter) Married Hilda Seal in Birmingham

1949: Awarded Master of Arts by University of Birmingham (Birmingham Daily Gazette, 30 Jun 1949)

1986 (24 Jan): Died Sheffield, having been living at 14 Overglade Gardens, Dore, Sheffield, leaving wife Hilda and children Heather and Paul 

He served in Australia during the war. While in Australia, he used his 'schoolmasterly' skills to edit and create a newsletter called Nabsford News.

The newsletters make entertaining reading if you take a look - lots of in-jokes for sure.
The newsletter copies were provided by L J Jay's son Paul.

You can also see several galleries of photos on the site, and one of them features L J - front row, first left.


29th April 1945: "The J6 Crowd" L to R: back row: Lt. (S) George Baker RNVR, Lt. Ted Folkard RNVR, Lt. (Sp. Br.) Bill Grant RNVR, Sub-Lt (A) Peter Bearcroft RNVR. Front row: Schoolmaster Jim Jay, Sub-Lt (A) I.Thomas RNVR, Sub-Lt (A) J. Pinch RNVR, Commissioned Store Officer Reg Goodhue.

An appreciation of L J Jay was printed in 'Geography' in 1986, written by former GA President Michael Wise. It turns out that he went to school with Michael Wise. There is a good mention of his geography teacher Mr. Cotton and also a mention for R H Kinvig

He wrote a humorous book on geography teaching called 'Geography teaching with a little latitude' which I've seen before, and was published in 1981. In it he said:

 "there is a ample scope for... an element of humour in the teaching of geography".

He taught at Wellingborough School apparently after the war before joining the University of Sheffield.

He joined the GA in 1943 and joined as Honorary Librarian in 1954. He stayed with the GA until 1973, also serving on the Council and Executive Committee. He was involved in the transfer of the library from Duke Street to Fulwood Road. He compiled the Dudley Stamp Index of 'Geography' articles with Hilary Todd.

He classified the work of Herbertson and wrote an appreciation of his work which I have previously added to the blog.

Before retirement he oversaw the transfer of the Fleure library to the University of Sheffield. A manuscript for a booklet for the GA called 'Starting to teach Geography' was completed just before his death.

The appreciation by Michael Wise ends with these two paragraphs:

One sentence there is a reminder for all teachers:

"he knew that gifts as a teacher were not sufficient without a continuous replenishment of the mind, without experimentation in method, without respect for pupils..."

Source:

Wise, M. J. “The Geographical Association.” Geography, vol. 71, no. 2, 1986, pp. 169–172. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40571093. Accessed 31 July 2020.

JAY, L. J. “A. J. Herbertson : His Services to School Geography.” Geography, vol. 50, no. 4, 1965, pp. 350–361. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40565960. Accessed 1 Aug. 2020.