I grew up watching Savile. The first rumours I heard was in the early 00's. My colleague recalled how 30ish years earlier on a regular trip to relatives the local kids warned her that Savile kept a caravan in the grounds of the local place Savile was famous for visiting, Broadmore maybe, I forget. She was warned to never go near. Technically I knew, but I like many it was such a small piece of information who really could have known? A few years later the internet was in full swing and I started reading.
We will never know the full extent, depravity and accomplices of his crimes. His famous dress sense was for easy access, the new fashion for elasticated track suit trousers meant he could whip it out and put it away quickly. He abused as he dressed, ready for any opportunity 24/7 till the day he died and his life was based around creating opportunities. Savile's confidence took lifelong advantage of the culture of suffering in silence, victim blaming, blind respect for authority, charity trumping all and told tales about himself.
He surrounded himself with power, ether people that gave Savile power, Mayor, Head of Police, or people whose power he looked up too, Prince Charles, Thatcher. Those that Savile looked up too show how effective Savile was at cultivating his image. Savile told us all about the letters he wrote to Charles and Di, obviously Savile is our only source. Savile tells us he was in with Charles, and the Royal family. Do you honestly believe him? Savile tells us he spent Christmas(?) at Checkers with the Thatchers, Carol Thatcher does not have happy memories and unlike the Royals can talk about it. There is a similar story about having a 'Green beret', much like the cycling one.
The oldest story I read was a boyfriend of a student nurse. Savile had very early on acquired keys to hospitals. This set of keys also let him into the student nurses accommodation. I don't recall the year, but it was early on, maybe early 60's? Males were not allowed in the nurses accommodation, defiantly not at night. The nurses would come home late at night to find Savile waiting for them, hiding. Finally one boyfriend and his mates decided to have a word and made a late night visit themselves and caught Savile. The only story where Savile got a beating. Not the image Savile pushed. Savile tells the tale of running a 'Hop' dance and taking troublesome customers to the basement to give them a beating. The stories are endless and varied. His family knew what he was like, but he was the rich relative and the kids were told to put up with it. Savile had his finger in many pedalo rings, celeb, political, local and national, family. Mathew Wright getting a phone call to kill the story because how else would Stoke Manderville get funded? Some of it gets really dark. The childrens homes, holidays on yachts. The eye squirting story on here. There are no specific stories I have read out there that imply Savile murdered anyone. There are stories that imply children have died in and around Savile, the Haut de la garenne. I really wouldn't be surprised if Savile was a serial murderer, it just depends how many pedalo rings he committed murder with really.
Savile had a type, vulnerable. Old, young, male, female, conscious or not and anywhere in between. He found his victims though hospital wards, departments and grounds, children's homes, cult of personality, if he was breathing he was ether abusing or planning abuse. Sometimes he muffled their screams on a yacht, other times openly groped them on Top of the pops. The last person who spoke about Savile attempting to abuse them was his paperboy who refused £50 to enter his flat.
And whose fault is it? It's is not one persons, other than Savile for doing it, fault, it is not one organisations fault. Society let him on every level. Remember a man could legally rape his wife until the early 90's. He got off on hiding in plain sight. I know people focus on the BBC, but he would have got away with it where ever he worked.
I always knew something was off with my English teacher. Never could put my finger on it. Modern technology meant they caught him grooming a student a few years ago. He'd been grooming the same way for over 30 years I now realise with hindsight, and the Deputy Head had caught him then. People do not like to cause trouble. Anything for an easy life, however much others suffer. It's much better than it was, but still not good enough. I cringe when I watch the Carry on films now. I feel sad when I see Bab's and Sid, he harassed her until she gave up. Nobody told the dirty old man to leave the young lady alone.
And Cliff, hung out on the meat rack as a boy on Piccadilly circus. That's where young boys would pimp themselves out. Attempted an aggressive pass at another 60's pop star in a club. Got thumped. Gay and into young boys. Known as Kitty. Involved with the Kray Brothers and Lord Boothby. Defiantly dodgy, but anyone was more discrete than Savile so just not that many stories about.
Rolf. I bought one of his prints as a present, so we got an invite to his next gallery opening. I met him. What do we now do with a Rolf print?
made me feel quite ill.
