Personnel involved with the running of the Plymouth deaf Community
MISSIONERS FROM 1897 TO 1976

Mr. Pike
Mr. Pike was the first missionary who worked without pay for two years before Mr. Blount took over in 1899; Mr. Pike was a local deaf man and worked hard to keep the mission together. Unfortunately very little information is available about Mr. Pike's background, his family or even his Christian name.

Mr. H. Blount
Hiram Blount was born at Ilkeston, Derbyshire. He became deaf at five years of age after suffering a bad fall, which fractured his jaw.

He was educated at Old Kent Road, London, Then at Ramsgate by the "Pure oral method". He left school at fifteen and was apprenticed to a tailor at Nottingham, then in 1890 started a business of his own and did very well for seven years.
In 1899 Mr. Blount gave up his business career to accept an invitation to become missionary to the deaf of Plymouth. He had useful experience as an assistant superintendent at Nottingham.

During his time in Plymouth, he worked with untiring zeal, offered free language classes for the deaf at his house once a week, often making regular visits to other deaf people in their homes in Plymouth and in Cornwall as far as Penzance, mostly on his bicycle. He was an expert signer and cyclist. He conducted regular bible classes. His wife, who was deaf herself, ran a sewing class for the ladies. She would prepare the meals for the members at the annual parties. They had three hearing children (All now deceased), Two sons became headmasters of schools for the deaf, one at Nutfield Priory, Redhill, and the other at Rayner's school for deaf children with additional handicaps at Penn, near High Wycombe. His daughter, Maggie, was an executive committee member at the Portland Square club for some years and helped the deaf in many ways.

There is a record in 1916, when visiting deaf people, of him covering 1000 miles on his bicycle, then nearly 2000 miles the following year. Later he was provided with a motorcycle, but in 1932, he suffered a serious accident with it, and died at the age of 62.

Mr. W. Archer
Mr. William "Bill" Archer, (Whose father was the Missionary of the Halifax Association in aid of the Deaf and Dumb), succeeded Hiram Blount in Plymouth in 1933. Bill's parents were deaf, and his father was the founder of the British Deaf and Dumb Association in Leeds. Mr. Archer was a hearing man with fluent sign language skills and served in Plymouth for over 40 years. During his time the Plymouth society made itself responsible for an area about 15 miles radius, from the centre of Plymouth and also included parts of East Cornwall.

Mr. Archer had made a most favourable impression at both Portland Square and Blake Lodge.
At Portland Square the services were held in the canteen, there being no chapel room, and Bill would set out about thirty chairs for the service, and put them away after the service was over - every Sunday for 25 years! Just after the 2nd world war ended, Bill arranged the "Ephphatha" rallies, (meaning Jesus healed the deaf and dumb man, into "hear and speak' when he said "be opened"). He also arranged the BDA congress in Plymouth in 1962, and was on the executive committee of the BDA, then made a grand counsellor just before he died. His main job was at Blake Lodge, were he organized almost everything. He wrote, typed and printed about ten pages of a local magazine every month for Plymouth, Torquay, Exeter, parts of Cornwall and sometimes as far as Taunton for over 20 years.
William Archer retired in 1976 and died on the 6th of December1977

SOCIAL WORKERS (SENIORS) FROM 1977
Due to government policy changes, the title "Missionary' was to be discontinued and replaced with the social welfare system.

Mr. Reginald Mitchell, a local man, was the first social worker with the deaf in Plymouth after the death of Mr. Archer. He played for the Plymouth Argyle reserves before becoming a social worker.
(He later changed his name to Boyd in memory of his father) he worked for 10 years before his retirement in 1987.

Miss Susan Leadbeater
Sue Leadbeater came from Grimsby in 1978, and was the first female social worker under Reg. Boyd in Plymouth. She was a fluent signer and introduced some good ideas to Blake Lodge such as BDA one-day courses like painting, photography and pottery. She left after only one year and moved to Birmingham where she married.

Miss Ruth Lederman
Ruth came from Bristol social services and took over from Sue Leadbetter. Ruth was a qualified social worker who found employment for many deaf people. She left in 1986 to help her father with his business.

Mrs. Rosemarv Burt
Rosie Burt, a local lady, was appointed as a social worker in 1986 with Reg. Boyd, then promoted to senior when Reg. Retired. Rosie arranged for the first 3 minicoms to be installed for deaf people in Plymouth, (there are now more than 100 in the Plymouth area). She organized fund raising appeals and raised more than £12,000. To install the children's adventure play area in the garden.
Rosie took a new job as a senior social worker in Aberdeen and left Plymouth in 1991.

Mr. Stehen Almy
Steve Almy moved to Plymouth from Court Grange, (R.N.l.D. training centre for the deaf) near Newton Abbott, in 1992, and is the existing senior social worker. Steve works alongside Mrs. Sandra Greenhalge.

CHURCH COUNCILLORS
The Rev. Gillian Behenna, Arnold Rundle and Marion Rundle.
The Plymouth deaf church began at Portland Square in 1908. The services were, for a few months, held on the 3 floor of the Institute, but the room became too small and hot, and so was moved to the ground floor. Mr. Blount and Mr. Archer were the only two missioners to take the services. Mr. Archer continued to give services at Blake lodge until shortly before he died in 1976. The Rev. George Firth, from the diocese of Exeter, administered until his retirement in 1983. For seven years, there was no chaplain to give services, (Although Arnold Rundle continued to offer a monthly service in the chapel, and still does today) Until 1990 when The Rev. Gillian "Gill" Behenna, being the first female chaplain, was appointed.

CHAPLAINS FOR THE DEAF
A chaplain's job is under the diocese of Exeter, therefore is able to conduct church services in the whole of Devon. The service at Portland Square was conducted by Mr. Blount and Mr. Archer. Mr. Archer conducted the services at Blake Lodge once a month for the benefit of those who lived outside the city centre and where there was a problem with transport.
The first chaplain to conduct a service for the deaf at Blake Lodge, was the Rev. Wally Brown of Exeter, (originally from Grimsby) with invited guest preachers such as Rev. Mackenzie, Rev. B. Morgan, Rev. F. Goodridge, Rev. Kent, Rev. Sutcliffe and Mr. English. All except Rev. Mackenzie were deaf.

The Rev. George Firth started conducting services at Blake Lodge once a month for 10 years when Mr. Archers health deteriorated. Rev. Firth retired in 1983. Rev. Firth is the author of the book "Chosen Vessels", written in 1989, with references of chaplains and missionary’s of the deaf.

With no chaplain for 7 years, Mr. Arnold Rundle gave regular services until 1990, when the Rev. Gillian "Gill" Behenna, from Dorset, was appointed by the Exeter diocese. Attendances have increased due to Gill's new method of service. She is the only advanced interpreter registered chaplain in the country, and is an excellent teacher of deaf lay readers.