Peter, Penny & Chris Blackman and Lynn Ellis

Peter, Penny and Chris Blackman were siblings of West Indian descent who were an integral part of the Witches scene

John Martin Pete and Chris and Penny Blackman's father was a poet and friend of Paul Robeson. He was a graduate of the U.W.I. and knew Greek and Latin better than we do, but was condemned to work on the railways in a humble position for much of his life. I have borrowed from what I know of him for a character in my epic.

• • • • • • • • • Crispin Kitto John Martin Pete and Chris Blackman! Those are names I haven’t heard for decades. I didn’t know them well but Chris was very kind to me and Pete had a bearing about him I remember,

                • John Martin Crispin Kitto: I'm glad to hear that about Chris. I know he went though some bad times. We were friends at primary school. And I remember visiting him in his home then. I got to know Pete in adolescence. It was through Pete that I met his father. Did you know that Pete eventually got an O.B.E.?

                • Crispin Kitto John Hugh Balmford No! I knew he was impressive. That is so cool. For what?

• • • • • • • • • Gaye Meakin Or Schofield Paul Ernest I was at school with Penny. We used to go to school jive club. I remember going to their house. I knew Chris and Pete a little. But mainly Penny.

                • Paul Ernest Gaye Meakin Or Schofield I knew all three but Penny the least. What John said about the father was amazing to me (his high level of education passing for naught in UK). No surprise though! Pete was one of Rob Andrews motorcycle buddies and had a real gravitas, he was a good guy. Chris, although he was a friend of mine, was not very nice, especially to girls. Before we were together my girlfriend of 64/65 Lynn Ellis had been bullied and smacked by him, and her brother went so far as to turn up at the witches to teach him a lesson. Chris took me to see Bert Jansch once, in a Regents Park Road basement and got him to play me a guitar tune (what a virtuoso!) They were all definitely part of the Witches scene!

• • • • • • • • • Crispin Kitto Paul Is Gaye speaking of the same Lynn I knew?

                • Paul Ernest Her name was Lynn Ellis, she lived at Sidney Boyd court, West End Lane, and she was doing her A levels at City of Westminter. She was a lovely and clever girl with a poor self-image. I wndered later if she had been abused at home - certainly emotionally if not sexually. She had some sort of a thing with Chris Blackman that ended badly for her. She was a user and it killed her in aound 1972 (blood poisoning). Her parents falsely dobbed me in for turning her on. In fact she turned me back onto the hard stuff. We broke up around 65/66. She was in Holloway Prison in 1969 (something to do with drugs, maybe a phoney prescription?) and came and stayed with me around Easter when she got out. I last saw her in Bond Street 70/71. She swore she was straight but had the tell-tale pinned pupils. I can still see her in my mind's eye but I have never seen or owned a picture of her. She's no. 3 in my list of serious relationships after Jill and Maggi.

• • • • • • • • • Gaye Meakin Or Schofield Crispin Kitto I didn’t know Lynn. Well I don't think I did!

• • • • • • • • • Crispin Kitto Gaye Meakin Or Schofield So is that a different Lynn Ellis you mention above?

• • • • • • • • • Crispin Kitto Paul Ernest I think it was ‘67. I met her through Paul De Mille. After you and Maggie broke up (I think!) she was around a lot and brought Lynn with her. Paul went off to India and left the three of us in his flat. I liked both her and Maggie a lot. Lynn couldn’t understand why I never made a pass at either of them!

• • • • • • • • • Gaye Meakin Or Schofield Crispin Kitto I didn’t mention Lynn. Just Penny ha ha!

• • • • • • • • • Crispin Kitto Gaye Meakin Or Schofield my bad—I misread!

• • • • • • • • • Vanessa Mordin My goodness, this conversation was revelatory to me! I too knew Pete and Chris Blackman and have often wondered what happened to them in life. No mention of the outcome for Chris above? I think he was among those who died far too early. Lynn Ellis was one of my closest friends, we'd been at school together, and I tried so hard to help get her off the white stuff. Her parents were very cruel to her, used to lock into her room and had absolutely no empathy. A graceful lovely woman. Memories. I had to get away from Hampstead set after that - couldn't cope with seeing so many damaged lives, as I was never into H. Everything else but never that. I read The Naked Lunch early on, great book but definitely turned me off.

• • • • • • • • • Paul Ernest Yes, it was from you, Vanessa, that I learnt of Lynn's fate. What school were you at together? A graceful lovely woman - that's a really nice description. Lynn was also very kind and loving and never knowlingly hurt anybody, or bore any rancour. But she was deeply wounded by her upbringing and always walked with her eyes downcast, feeling unworthy to meet anybody's gaze.I used to tease her about her duck feet! But then I'm pigeon toed myself! Her brother hated their parents and ran away to sea and then Australia. He only came back the once to punish Chris for abusing Lynn, before we got together in 1964. We were together at least a year. I recall going around her flat in Autumn 1965 to take her out and meeting her mother, and maybe her dad another time. Grim chap. You did well to avoid the poison.