THE craving for education was strong among those who were denied it before universities were available to those who would benefit from them as they are today. A Herefordshire man's need for education led him to organise a way for those who had not the means or gaining qualifications to achieve a higher calling.

WHEN the Mansbridge family moved from Hoarwithy to Gloucester in 1876 they were about to have their fourth child, Albert.

His father was a carpenter but his son was to become a national figure honoured by King George V.

In 1903, when the Workers Educational Association (WEA) was founded, it was usual for children to leave school at 13 or 14. Even those who had won scholarships to the new grammar schools from working class backgrounds had difficulty in staying on.

It was Albert Mansbridge whose own craving for education led him to organise a way for those who had not the means or qualifications to gain some higher education.

Albert knew for himself; he had left his own school at 14.

Inspiration

Albert attended St. James Elementary School in Gloucester and when his family moved to London in 1880 he won a scholarship to Battersea Grammar School but he was forced to leave school at 14 and he joined the Civil Service as a boy clerk.

By the time he was 20 he had failed to get any advancement and he left to become a clerk with the Co-Operative Wholesale Society. By this time he was a Sunday school teacher and very involved with Westminster Abbey where he met Canon Gore who was to give him the inspiration for the way forward.

His own aspirations involved him in attending night school where he gained some qualifications but it also stirred in him a desire to see university education provided in a similar way for working men and women.

Mansbridge preached adult education with a passionate conviction and fervour and soon began to win the enthusiastic support not only of gatherings of working people but also of church and universities, and in 1903 set up his new association.

This sprang from a conference at Oxford chaired by the Bishop of Hereford, Dr John Percival. Trade unions and co-operative societies also flocked to his banner, and local branches were soon formed at Reading, Derby, Rochdale and Ilford.

In 1905, organisation had so advanced that Mansbridge was appointed full-time general secretary at a salary of £50 a year, and his small office in his home at Ilford became the centre of a far-reaching network of propaganda.

The craving for education was strong among those who were denied it before universities were available to those who would benefit from them as they are today.

Many eminent academics were proud to hold tutorial classes for them in subjects such as politics, economics, international affairs, history and literature.

By 1920 in Hereford, classes were given by the president, Canon Bannister, to members of the local branch. Later, many local well-known people were associated with Hereford WEA branch and older readers will remember Hugh Thomas, Mike Prendergast and Rudi Wood who were secretaries.

In the 60s, the tutor-organiser was Frank Noble who received the MBE for his work in setting up the Offa's Dyke footpath.

Hereford city branch is one of the largest in the West Mercia District and is thriving. One of the 650 branches that make up this large educational charity, the branch continues the tradition of voluntary members organising a programme of courses to suit local needs.

Today, the local chairman is Jim Waterhouse who has a team of dedicated people to help run the classes.

The autumn programme offers a range of subjects from music to palaeography, 19th and 20th century fashion to philosophy.

There is something for everyone interested in the present and the past. No previous knowledge is necessary nor are there any exams.

To find out more look in your library for the WEA autumn programme.

From fashion to political history

THE autumn programme offers a range of subjects from music to palaeography, 19th and 20th century fashion to philosophy. The former Archdeacon of Hereford, Len Moss, will take a fresh look at the controversial publication of Honest to God in 1963.

For those interested in training and practice in reading archives there is an eight-week course at the Herefordshire Record Office.

Music this year will study 19th century Czech music and ladies' fashion accessories in the 19th and 20th centuries will be illustrated from the tutor's own collection.

For those with literary tastes and an interest in George Eliot, her unconventional lifestyle will add fascination to Middlemarch.

The life and times of Melbourne and Palmerston offer an intriguing insight into family life and social mores.

Holidays in Europe will give a good background to the landscapes of France and the Mediterranean which seek to reveal their diversity.

Variety

Men, women and cultural change will discuss gender roles in all aspects of society and look at some of the attitudes towards them.

There is something for everyone interested in the present and the past. No previous knowledge is necessary nor are there any exams.

To find out more look in your library for the WEA autumn programme with its blue cover.