Birmingham Post, Friday, 16th  June, 1961

Newspaper Photo

400 Patients Gather in Marquee - By our Worcester Correspondent
Dr. Roger Clarke, aged 71. Is retiring at the end of this month from Knightwick, near Worcester, where he has practised for 41 years,
and last night, in a marquee alongside the River  Teme, about 400 of his patients living in 14 villages over an area of 100 square Miles,
gathered to bid him a formal farewell.

They  presented him with a porcelain dinner service and a cheque for about 200gns, and gave his wife a Dachshund. Dr. Clarke, who began doing his rounds on motorcycle, said: I have tried to carry out The advice of an old doctor friend who said. Never make patients out of your friends, but make friends of your patients He will retire to Hopton-cum-Studley, near Oxford: it was better, he said, for a doctor to retire out of the neighborhood so that old patients could not “toddle down; and criticise his successor.

Afterwards he said that the chief difference between his work to-day and when he started was that It was not such hard work “In those days you had to visit a case of pneumonia twice a day and once at night whereas, with the modern antibiotics, a couple of visits are about all that are necessary”

He estimated that during his years in Knightwick, where he is Worcestershire’s longest serving doctor still in active general practice, he had delivered more than 4000 babies.

Newspaper Photo

 
   Dr. and Mrs. Clarke with the dachshund presented to Mrs. Clarke

More on Dr. Clarke's retirement.


Retirement photo

At the presentation to Dr. And Mrs. Roger Clarke at Knightwick: Mr. J. F. P. Clift, Mrs. C. A. Parsons, Mrs. J. Clift, Mrs Gimson, Mrs. Clarke, Mr. J. F. Gimson, Dr. Clarke with Timothy and Patrick Parsons, Mr. R. F. Cassidy and Mrs. Cassidy.

A lovely photograph taken at Dr. Clarke's retirement party, 16th June, 1961 [Many thanks to Martin Withorn].

Jack and Jean Clift lived at their farm in Hill Road, Lulsley, and farmed hops mainly and their children now are partners in running the Talbot Hotel.

Mary Parsons, second from left was married to Dr. C. A. Parsons [he may have taken photo as he is not in the photograph] Tony was in partnership with Dr. Clarke and on his retirement he took over the practice single handed. Their children Timothy and Patrick are standing in front of Dr. Clarke, I used to play with them both when I was younger.

Joseph and Loullie Gimson lived at Thorney House, on the hillside above Banners Brook, he was Manager of the Royal Worcester Porcelain Works.

Dr. Roger Clarke and his wife spent the best part of their lives at knightwick and Lived at Woodford House, where the waiting room was a little green building attached to their house, with a doorway which led in to the surgery inside the house it self.

Robert Cassidy and his wife lived at Ravenhill Court, Lulsley Worcestershire and they had a jewelry business. My dad used to work for them looking after the gardens. I always remember that he was given the task of lighting all the fireworks in their garden one November bonfire night. Unfortunately the first rocket he lit didn't go very high and fell back into the box of fireworks and that was the end of it all as they all lit up and took off together in every direction narrowly missing everyone as they ran for shelter!!

 

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