Ted Clulow
Ted Clulow (1928-2010)
Dr George Edward Clulow (Ted Clulow), was a founding member, and until his death, one of the medical members of the Ffestiniog Railway Medical Service (Gwasanaeth Meddygol Rheilffordd Ffestiniog). A career doctor, he was father to Jo Clulow, Chris, Philippa and Katie.
Ted was born and raised in Derby. He knew the FR from childhood, having visited in the 1930s. He qualified in medicine at Barts, London, in 1952. In a subsequent post, at Preston, he met his wife Hilary, whom he married in 1956.
They settled into general practice in Crewe in 1958 and had four children - Jo, Chris, Philippa and Katy. In 1968 Adrian Shooter started the North Staffordshire Group and Ted was an early member, eventually succeeding as Chairman, a post he held for many years. He was involved in the construction of the skip-pusher locomotive Monster – one of Adrian's earlier railway designs - Dduallt and Rhiw Goch signal boxes, Tan y Bwlch station fence and Minffordd Hostel, among others.
Ted was a volunteer of many years' standing, and had been Chairman of the North Staffs Group and was one of those summoned by Allan Garraway in 1979 to form the FRMS when it became apparent that H&S legislation was expected (it followed in 1984, so Allan was prescient on the point).
For the next thirty years Ted played a full part in the organisation, doing the drivers' medical examinations and teaching First Aid, both in the adult classes and to junior members in Kids Week. Ted was normally rather monosyllabic, but his dry and rather droll sense of humour worked well in teaching. His pithy description of levels of consciousness – dizzy and delightful, drunk and disorderly, dead drunk and danger of death – will never be forgotten by anyone who saw it.
He had a house at Prenteg, near Tremadog, for many years and was a genial host to visiting First Aid instructors, as well as to family friends. His wife Hilary died in 2004.