'Le Pen never worked here' (From Penarth Times)

'Le Pen never worked here'

A PENARTH man has quashed explosive rumours that French extremist Jean-Marie Le Pen once worked in the town.

The Times appealed for information after Railway Terrace resident Michael O'Neill suggested the right-wing politician might have worked at Penarth Grammar School from 1953 until 1954.

Mr O'Neill said of the runner-up in the recent French Presidential election: "I have a strong feeling that it is the same person, there even being a resemblance in appearance with the photographs I have seen over the years.

"One understands that the school would probably wish to disown him completely, and not to draw attention to their wayward ex-member of the teaching staff."

In fact, staff at Stanwell School (formerly Penarth Grammar) said they had no-one there who would have remembered Le Pen working there and that records had been burned. This week Westbourne Road resident Terry Stevens put the record straight.

He said: "Regarding the French assistant who was at the local Grammar School in 1953 until 1954, he was Monsieur Jean Le Lap.

"I attended the school from 1950 until 1956 and he was the only French man during these years who was taken on as an assistant."

He added: "From my memory of him, he was too busy chasing the local ladies to bother with flying the white man's flag around the globe.

"I agree there is a resemblance to Monsieur Le Pen, but a lot of French men look alike, don't they?"