Major Geoffrey Thomas Crellin

Major Geoffrey Thomas Crellin

1990

The winner of the Reih Bleeaney Vanannan for 1990 was the late Major Geoffrey Thomas Crellin. He received the award for his service to Manx Literature, particularly for the promotion of the works of T E Brown.

Geoff spent his formative years in Michael, first in the middle of the village and then in Glen Wyllin.  He won a scholarship to Ramsey Grammar School, where he showed considerable academic ability and seized the opportunity to take part in drama.

The prospect of joining the fledgling RAF appealed and Geoff was one of the 23^rd boys’ intake to train at RAF Halton. Though he taught at Albert Road School for a spell of time, he decided to join the army after being awarded a Gold Medal by the RSPCA for saving a lamb from a cliff in late 1934.  After a period with the Royal Signals, he transferred to the Royal Army Educational Corps.

During WWII Geoffrey became part of a small detachment formed to print and distribute a newspaper, the News Guardian, to the battlefields. After the war, Geoff and his wife Marjorie were posted to Gottingen in Germany. Before long, he was promoted to captain. He was then posted in Ghana and Nigeria, before re-entering civilian life in 1958. He moved back to the Isle of Man shortly afterwards.

Geoff soon became involved with a host of activities including the Colby branch of the Royal British Legion, drama groups in the south and the Meadowside Choir. He was also a familiar figure both as a performer and adjudicator at the Braaid Eisteddfod, and was a founder member of Rushen Rotary Club.

He was a superb communicator, a born actor and showman, yet with an innate sincerity and modesty. As a public speaker, he would know his subject and his audience, and how to catch their immediate attention.

The voters of Rushen were safe in the knowledge that here was a man they wanted, and he was elected as one of their representatives in the Keys in 1966. Before he retired from Tynwald he had served in various capacities on at least 33 local societies, all-Island associations or Tynwald committees.

Geoff produced or assisted with the making of many cassette tapes about the Island, as well as broadcasting on BBC 4’s ‘Poetry Please’. The Manx Museum’s T E Brown section is just one place he can still be heard, and Manx National Heritage and Manx Radio have many recordings, his interviews with Bernard Quayle being particularly evocative.

Geoff passed away in 1998.

In 2005, the World Manx Association worked with Charles Guard to produce a CD of his recitations featuring traditional and orignal music by Breesha Maddrell. They launched Treasure of the Island Heart on T E Brown's birthday, 5 May.