So much that was good happened during our stay in Ampleforth. I enjoyed teaching especially Mathematics and Religious Studies. The prayer group in the Parish church on Friday was well attended an many locals turned up to join us in what was basically a Padre Pio prayer group. we had certain set prayers and various readings. The group was registered in San Giovanni Rotondo and Father Alex joined us to make sure all was as it should be.
Horse riding was not available to the boys at the college. When I asked for the reason it was omitted, I was told that it was considered divisive since it was seen as an activity associated only with the rich. Where this idea came from was so ridiculous as the college itself was for those who were financially privileged. They decided to introduce it and I was put in charge of it. Riding took place in the village, and I very much enjoyed the experience, helped by one of the young students who joined me during the week. We we went off to the local stables where one of their staff would join us on the treck..
Father Stephen ran the monthly Charismatic Renewal days, and these proved very helpful to locals and many others who came from afar and Ursula and I often turned up to listen to the many speakers and to join in group prayer. (Suggestion return to Malta)
In the years 1989/90 rumors of things not being healthy spread around the college some of which I took note of and others I ignored because one never knows what is true.
There were new individuals turning up at Junior House including one young man who said he was educated at Fort Augustus, the Benedictine College in Scotland. This was later proved to be untrue.
Two young novices suddenly disappeared. One of them was accused of soliciting in York. Another of the monks was scandalizing some of the boys by swimming in the nude. Another monk who later was imprisoned, was taking advantage of some of the young boys. I heard from one of the boys that he jumped on him when he was in bed.
My wife alerted me to the fact that C was behaving strangely in the village and had turned up in our house when I was teaching at the school. He also tried to have my son for piano lessons. This lasted for one session as my son refused to go a second time as he considered C odd.
We were going on holiday to Scotland when C turned up at our house saying he had a small case he would like to leave with us during the holidays. Somehow this worried me, and I asked him to leave it in the shed outside the house. When on holiday in Scotland, we stayed with my wife’s sister, all six of us plus our dog, Lady. We also intended seeing our friend from Kingston who had converted to Catholicism and had become a Benedictine monk at Fort Augustus. Anthony was delighted to see us as he had spent much time with us in Kingston at the prayer group we had in our house.
When I asked about C, he told me that he was a very troubled young man and that the monks had tried to help him at his mother’s request, but he certainly had not been a student. My wife and I were amazed yet not surprised as we knew something was not quite right with C. When we got back to Ampleforth, we went to the shed and removed the case. We did not open it but took it straight to the Abbey and left it outside the Abbot’s door. We later learnt that it was full of old valuable books and other religious objects that belonged to the abbey. We never saw C again but heard that he had written some very slanderous articles about certain aristocratic persons which had been printed in a local newspaper.
Previously some boys, accompanied by C came to me and told me they wanted to be taken to the headmaster as some boys were being abused by one of the lay staff. I asked why they hadn’t talked to Father H, the House Master at Junior House who was always around and had rooms there. They did not tell me but kept insisting on seeing someone else, so I took them to see Fr. Dominic, the Headmaster. I left them there with him having told Fr. Dominic that they wished to talk to him about abuse that was going on in Junior House by this lay member of staff.
Round about that time, we met a few people for dinner, and I was asked by one of the men present what it was like teaching at Ampleforth and was I enjoying it. Considering all that was then happening so suddenly, all at once, I felt ill at ease and said I was troubled because some boys had suggested abuse was taking place in Junior House. He proceeded to let me know, to my amazement, that he was Her Majesties Inspectorate for schools for North Yorkshire.
A week or so later, the headmaster, Fr. Dominic, sent me a letter accusing me of bringing the school into disrepute and harming the reputation of a lay member of staff. I had never accused the staff member of anything, the boys had, and I believed them. He later sent a letter apologizing for his harsh tone.
HMI who it seems had spoken to the headmaster, phoned me and asked if I had a grievance against Ampleforth. I replied that my interest was in the boys, and I had no grudge whatsoever against anyone. C and the staff in question left the college within months. In the meantime, I had contacted Father Michael Hollings who had suggested I take the boys out of Ampleforth as soon as possible. This I did and obviously tried to have my sons registered in the Catholic school in York. This school is associated with Ampleforth, and my sons were refused entry so they had no choice but to join a non-catholic school for three months which pained us.
God had protected us and within the year we were in Malta.
Twenty-four years later, I was contacted by an Amplefordian whilst in Italy who was keen to know if I was the Mr. West who took the boys in 1989/90. I said I was, and he said one of the boys who was abused had committed suicide later in life and that his father wanted to guarantee the lay member never harmed anyone else and he wanted justice.
The police contacted me, and I gave all the information I had about the situation including my statement and the letter from Fr. Dominic which we had kept. Praise God. Sad this happened but what was given in prayer happened when we left for Malta.
(Note) I also received a letter saying that if I wanted to leave early, I would still be paid in advance. (A brief comment was made about my leaving at the end of term.)
Ursula and the boys left three months in advance.