Dr. BERNARD WATNEY
1922-1998

Medical Doctor

Collector, expert and writer on 18th century English Blue and White Porcelain

Collector, writer and instigator of Corkscrew Collecting

Wine connoisseur

Mercer

Eccentric gentleman

The purpose of this article is to publish for the first time the truth about the early years in the life of my late beloved brother, Bernard Watney.

Much has been written about his achievements in the fields of collecting and research, but few, if any, would know the tremendous obstacles ‘Ber' had to overcome to reach his goals in life.

Ber was born in Northern Rhodesia in 1922.
He was the son of two English missionaries.  His father was Doctor Martyn Herbert Watney (1887-1972) and his mother, Margaret Elizabeth Watney, nee Radcliffe (1887-1973).

Both his parents were so engrossed with ‘saving' the lives of young black Africans; they neglected the welfare of Bernard.  The young Africans were taught to read and write, but Ber was left to the skills of a well meaning but useless governess.  He was not taught to read and write, and when our parents left Africa for good in 1930, Bernard, then aged 8 years, could neither read nor write.  I was 3 at that time.

 Education

Ber was sent to a local private school named ‘The Hollies' in Sevenoaks in Kent, where my parents set up home in a lovely house, then named ‘Soldern', but renamed ‘Lukuti' by my father, which was the name of his mission station in Rhodesia (then sponsored by the S.A.G.M. or South Africa General Mission – now defunct.

Ber was sent to various schools, including The New Beacon, until he was thirteen.  They were all hopeless; none of them addressed his problem.
He was sent to Monkton Combe School, which was a boarding school near Bath in Somerset. He was put in Class 3, which was the lowest class, and he stayed there for almost two years.

At the age of 15 or 16 he was still virtually illiterate and one of our uncles who lived in Sheringham, Norfolk, suggested Ber should have private coaching during the summer holidays, by a tutor named Mr. Cross.

After two weeks of coaching by Mr. Cross, Ber changed his life around!  He became amazingly fluent and knowledgeable.

On returning to Monkton Combe Ber was moved up to the 4th Form and one term later to the 5th Form, and one term after that to the 6th Form.  He was also made a School Prefect at that time.
 
He developed an enquiring mind and studied many unusual subjects, including entomology, with a special interest in ants.

From Monkton Combe he went to Trinity College, Cambridge, to start his medical studies. 

There is a significant amount of material about Bernard on the web, including these links:
http://www.corkscrewnet.com/Watney.htm
http://www.bullworks.net/virtual/icca/watney.htm
http://www.corkscrew-balloon.com/cork/97watney/
http://www.antiqueworcester.com/archive/worcesterribbedcanexwatney.htm
http://www.cathcartsantiques.com.au/C18_porcelain_factory.htm