Remembering Jeff Scholey

[Texas]

I didn't want to hijack the '£10 passages to Australia' thread anymore, with anecdotes about Jeff Scholey so I thought I'd start one about him, if anybody wants to participate. I first got to know Jeff owing to the fact he knew a distant cousin of mine, by the name of Mick Day, who also lived down Crabtree way. I think we played cricket one time on that old tennis court which was down there. We hit it off straight away, both being jazz fools.

Jeff had strong opinions about the tenor player Wardell Grey. For some unknown reason, you only had to mention his name and he would go off into a rant about how rubbish he was. I never could understand it, and many are the times, I thought, if I ever saw him again I'd pin him down on the subject.

But that makes him sound a bit aggresive, which he wasn't. In fact he was rather a gentle soul when I knew him. A gentle soul and impulsive with it. I remember him finding out where the Modern Jazz Quartet were staying when they played Sheffield, and him knocking on their room door, to be confronted by a irate Milt Jackson. He told me that Milt Jackson was eating spaghetti, and he brought the plate to the door. I don't know what was actually said, but Jeff remained a fan.

He was into doing all that kind of stuff. He was a very,very big fan of the writer James Thurber, and he had to be restrained from knocking on his door also. He also a great fan of of S.J.Perleman, and could quote a lot of his stuff. His big mate was Bob Hudson, of the 'Remember the real Bob Hudson' thread. I'll bet he could tell some stories.

[fleetwood]

I wish I had more stories about Geoff, I have already mentioned a few things on the other thread, how often does a name crop up incidentally or accidentally, and before you know it people start saying 'whatever happened to so and so'. *** I'm sure, had Geoff and I been in the same vicinity (and not at the opposite ends of the earth) our paths would have crossed a few times, with jazz being the common denominator. *** I will throw one thing out there though, I wonder if Geoff and apparently his younger brother who he followed to Australia, had the feeling of being pushed out of the nest to fend for themselves a little bit early? I remember going into the herbalist for a sarsaparilla when I was a kid, Mr.S.Scholey was a tall well dressed distinguished looking gentleman who was definitely of the old school (he could have been an ex-military type). *** Given the fact that they (the brothers) seemed to come from a somewhat entrepreneurial family, all the family might not have always seen eye to eye. *** I hope i'm not being over-dramatic when I say, it seems like a sad little tale of disillusionment and dreams unfulfilled.

[hillsbro]

An interesting thread, and I hope that Forummers can provide more information about Jeff; from what I've read about him he must have been an interesting person to know, especially for another jazz fan like me. The shop on the corner of Rushby Street is listed in the 1925 Kelly's Directory as "Samuel Scholey, herbalist". The fact that Jeff's father's name was Samuel tends to support the notion that the entry for "Samuel Geoffrey M. Scholey" I found in the GRO deaths index may be the correct one - if so, then Jeff died aged 67 in February 2001.

[Texas]

Gerry and all, I've just read your posting on the '£10 Australia' thread again. Did you mean to say that Jeff was cutting suger cane, or his bro'? Whatever, it sounded a bit desperate. In his letters to me, Jeff never mentioned anything like that. I wish I'd kept hold of the letters now. They were always upbeat and jokey, a bit like Jeff really, although I remember him especially advising me not to think of going to Australia because I had mentioned that I'd been thinking of doing exactly that.

Did he have two brothers? I seem to remember something about a brother being in the butchery trade. I could be wrong though.

And in hillsbro's posting, I note a mention of Rother Valley. The last time I had any contact with him was at Beighton. Isn't that in the Rother Valley?

I've remembered him telling me that he got married in New Zealand and he had a daughter. Something went wrong in his life somewhere and, it's all so bloody sad.

Fleets has got it right about his father. I only met him the one time and it's the same impression I got. Nothing wrong with flying the coop at a young age as long as one is capable.

[Gerry]

Gerry and all, I've just read your posting on the '£10 Australia' thread again. Did you mean to say that Jeff was cutting suger cane, or his bro'? Whatever, it sounded a bit desperate. In his letters to me, Jeff never mentioned anything like that. I wish I'd kept hold of the letters now. They were always upbeat and jokey, a bit like Jeff really, although I remember him especially advising me not to think of going to Australia because I had mentioned that I'd been thinking of doing exactly that.

Did he have two brothers? I seem to remember something about a brother being in the butchery trade. I could be wrong though.

And in hillsbro's posting, I note a mention of Rother Valley. The last time I had any contact with him was at Beighton. Isn't that in the Rother Valley?

I've remembered him telling me that he got married in New Zealand and he had a daughter. Something went wrong in his life somewhere and, it's all so bloody sad.

Fleets has got it right about his father. I only met him the one time and it's the same impression I got. Nothing wrong with flying the coop at a young age as long as one is capable.

 

Texas, It was Jeff's brother who migrated to Australia while still a teenager (15 or 16) under some Big Brotherhood Scheme and it was he, according to Jeff who was working in the cane fields. If anyone has ever heard of the Big Brotherhood Scheme maybe they could enlighten me.

Jeff and I were pretty close for about three years. I had known him for quite a while being both from Pitsmoor (Jeff from Crabtree) but it wasn't until we were both out of the army around 1955 that we got together. My recollection was that Jeff was stationed on a US Airbase in Korea and got to know a few US Airmen, one of whom, a staff sergeant (Frank Lustig) from Columbus Ohio, was later stationed at Brise Norton, Oxfordshire. Jeff and I on a few occasions, would meet up with Frank and another airman, who's name I don't remember, in London for a weekend.

I recall on one occasion that the guy who's name I don't remember was wearing his uniform and I was advised by a young lady I was dancing with in the Hammersmith Palais to beat a hasty retreat and we did.

Jeff and I had planned to sail to New York and enlist in the US Airforce, however things didn't work out that way and I fell in love, got married and Jeff went to Australia to join his brother. But I did finish up living in the States (via Canada) where I am now happily retired.

Some years later around 1989 / 1990 I was working in Brisbane and tried to contact Jeff without success. I did manage to contact Jeff's brother who told me that Jeff had returned to Sheffield and was living with a woman there. He didn't tell me why he left but I got the impression that he had left under a cloud. He did give me an address to write to but sadly I never got a reply.

During some of my infrequent visits to Sheffield I tried to get in touch with Jeff through other friends but without success. I did learn from one friend that Jeff was playing the tenor.

I found a letter just recently that I received from Jeff when he was working in Blackpool for the season, must have been 1958. I have many happy memories of our friendship and some of the things we got up to in our youth. It was a great period in my life and it's sad to think that we will not meet again but that's life I guess.

[fleetwood]

Thanks to Texas and Gerry for all the info on Geoff, I still refer to him as Geoff, it's how I remember him and according to 'hillsboro's' research seems to be correct. *** I want to correct a mistake I made on the '10 quid passages to Australia' thread, I phoned a relative of mine in Sheffield to try and find out more info on the 'Scholeys', the dentist over the herbalist was 'Arnold' and not 'Harry' as I mentioned before, I went to him when I got out of NS, he was also my mothers and her relatives (dentist), I seem to recollect he might have been in the forces in WW2, I do know that when he retired from dentistry he took a pub in the country outside Sheffield somewhere, i'm sorry, not totally relevent, I know. *** I did find out that Sam Scholey the herbalist and my grandfather were big friends, with their summer holidays always spent at Bridlington. *** Geoff had a younger sister who I remember distinctly, I seem to think she had somewhat of an unusual name, but for the life of me can't recall it right now!

[Gerry]

Hi Fleetwood,

Could it be that Jeff's brother was also named Arnold? Seems to ring a bell but my memory isn't what it used to be. Also I checked the letter that Jeff wrote to me all those years ago from Blackpool and curiously he signed it. Yours J.

[Texas]

When I last saw Jeff at the address in Beighton his brother was there. He was taller than Jeff. All the family were tallish. If it's of any interest, although I've forgotten the number, the house was on the corner of Woodhouse Lane and Poplar Avenue. Like I said, we didn't get much chance to chat, the father and brother being present all the time. Conversation was rather stilted and inhibited. I guess we all change over a period of time, take on other interests which years previous you'd never dream of, and so any talk is of the old days, old friends etc; we become older and in some cases wiser.

Six months previous when he showed up in Southampton, we had more opportunity to rap on a bit. He told me about a mutual friend, Kenny Hartley, in a bad way, and the only guy to go see him had been Bob Hudson. He advised me (again) not to go up to see him 'cause it was upsetting. So I didn't, and I should've. He told me he'd had a go at baritone sax, and had done OK for a while. He didn't say why he'd jacked it in, probably couldn't get the right reed. The reason he left Australia was because he had to. He got into trouble with the law. In New Zealand he took up with a girl and I think they had a daughter, but something happened, and he flew the coop again. Somewhere along the way he picked up a bad injury to his leg and finished up with a limp. He said it was a rugby injury. I don't think so myself. Jeff was definatly not the rugby type.

I like the anecdote about joining the U.S Airforce. That's Jeff, ever the optimist. Didn't he have one of those U.S Airforce raincoats? I think he did, I was as jealous as hell. He had a great enthusiasm for Japan, learning Japanese, even moving there.

He talked a lot about his time in Korea, he went to Japan on leave from Korea and never forgot it.

[fleetwood]

Thanks Gerry - Geoff or Jeff it seems insignificant now doesn't it? You certainly did a lot of stuff together. It's sad really, had things turned out better, you both probably would have enjoyed visits or at the least emails back and forth.

[Gerry]

Hope this works. The photograph was taken in the upstairs room at the Black Swan circa 1957. Music by Alec Wyatt, Pete Jackson, Pat Crapper, Bas Whitworth and Nev Reaney.

 

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r62/bilgear/File0002.jpg

 

I believe I messed up, or maybe not.