M. L. Green (FS 52-55)

Christopher Lord (G 53-57) has kindly sent the following:  
                   
“Mike Green died on 14 April after a bravely fought battle with liver disease. A well known and popular character in and around West Kirby, he had been an estate agent until his retirement ten years ago.
When I arrived at St Bees in September 1953, Mike was head of Meadow House, one of the two junior houses to which new boys were directed to ease their induction into the harsh ways of public schools in the early 50s (!). Mike's father was a seafarer; his mother suffered ill health and Mike had been at boarding schools since the age of eight. Before starting at St Bees he had been at Ernseat School in Silverdale, on the Lancashire coast. Although I did not know this at the time, Mike's mother had died when he was only twelve. Maybe this made him sympathetic to us kids away from our own parents for the first time, but I remember him as being kind and helpful to new boys.”

Another new starter at the same time was John Chadwick (FS 53-55). John contributed this:
‘I was very sorry to hear of Michael's death, but can't add much about (Monkey) Green, except that I saw him on the last Old Boys’ Day that I attended (2015) and we talked a bit and I reminded him of a particular day in ‘Baby Day Room’. He was sitting in his cubicle and I walked in just as someone dropped a tin of unopened condensed milk onto the floor. The tin rolled towards me and I kicked it (as you do), and it flew up and hit Michael on the temple knocking him out cold. I thought I'd killed him, and carried him up to the matron's room. The ‘Nag’ put him to bed, and I spent the rest of the day walking round the beach, quite convinced that I had killed him. This, however was not the case.’

“I know he was quite proud of the fact that his father was a Liverpool Bay pilot, but after we left school, I only saw him a few times at OSBC dinners etc. when the Liverpool branch met, which was a bit infrequently.’

On leaving school, Mike became a boat hand with Liverpool Bay Pilots. Close to the end of his training, a disagreement with his boss led to his departure and he joined Jones and Chapman, a firm of local estate agents. Around that time I learned from a mutual friend that he had moved to live close by and I visited him on my old and decrepit motor bike. I found Mike tinkering with his MG TC. I was envious as any sort of car was out of reach for me at that time. After that our encounters were at Liverpool branch OSBC meetings: for many years at the Blossoms Hotel in Chester but in 1974 at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake. This was memorable for dinner being rounded off with ‘passing the port’ - too many times in my case!

Mike had a successful career with Jones and Chapman, qualifying as a chartered surveyor and being made a partner in the firm. In 1987 he left them and set up his own firm: Michael L Green Estate Agents. He had branches in West Kirby, Hoylake, Irby and Greasby.

Mike's love of the sea continued and he was a member of West Kirby Sailing Club. One of his exploits fifteen years ago was sailing with three other men from Lanzarote to Antigua. His wife, Pam, tells that in mid-Atlantic they found themselves becalmed and running short of fuel for their engine. Radioing for help, they were guided to an area which had wind. They used their diminishing fuel to motor in that direction and were saved from drifting. Modern technology stepped in where nature had failed.

My attendance at the Old Boys' dinners became less frequent as the years passed and I had not seen Mike for a long time until the last ten years, during which we had a number of chance meetings at West Kirby Leisure Centre. Over the last few years we kept in touch and we attended that rather sad OSBs’ Day in 2015 together. Mike had an active retirement, being a volunteer driver, serving as a governor at a local prep school, sailing, taking trips in his touring caravan, and keeping fit. Even when his illness meant giving up the gym, he kept up his exercise by cycling.

Mike and Pam married in 1966; they have two children and four grandchildren. Their daughter Johanna was at St Bees 1984-87. Pam enjoyed attending Old St Beghians' functions with Mike and they made the journey to St Bees together for many OSB Days.

Mike was a charming and considerate man. A patient listener, he would always want to know how you were before telling you about his own ups and downs; this remained so even when he knew he had serious health problems. He will be greatly missed: he was one of the good guys.”

 

 

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