As a young man, Causley played keyboards in a local minstrel band.

Back row (L to R) Bernard Chapman, Brenda Poore, ? Mills, Vera Aynsley, Ossie Phelps.

Front Row: Billy Blythe, Edna May Dymond, Charles Causley

Back Row: Billy Blythe, Gwen Dymond, Vera Aynsley,Edna May Dymond,

Front row: Bernard Chapman, Ossie Phelps, Charles Causley

Charles in the sixties

Desert Island Discs

Charles was guest to Roy Plomley on 1 December 1979. His choices were as follows:

1. Anon: The Play of Daniel (overture); Ensemble Hortus Musicus
2. Dibdin: Tom Bowling; Robert Tear/Andre Previn (piano)
3. Cole Porter: Just One Of Those Things; Garland Wilson (piano)
4. Percy Shelly: Ozymandias; John Geilgud
5. Mozart: Concerto in E Flat for two pianos and orchestra; Alfred Brendel, Walter Klein, Vinna Volksoper Orchestra/Angerer
6. The Cutty Wren; Ian Campbell Folk Group
7. Coward: Imagine the Duchess's Feelings; Noel Coward/Carroll Gibbons (piano)
8. Janacek: Sinfonietta; Czech Philharmonic/Ancerl

LUXURY: a piano

BOOK: Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson

The programme can be heard or downloaded here:

Desert Island Discs

Causley (like other poets of his generation) was a famed lover of cats. Rupert was his last cat and sadly died in 2007.

Charles and Rupert engaging in mutual admiration

HMS Glory - the base of Charles's days in the navy

Charles with his friend Stan Simmonds at Crackington Haven.

Stan illustrated some of Charles's books including Here We Go Round The Round House

Bust of Charles Causley

By Anthony Stones

CBE

Awarded 1986

Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry

Awarded 1967

The National School

Where Charles taught for most of his working life

Painting by Norman Preston

Enlarge here

Envelope sent by Henry Williamson to Charles Causley addressed to Charles ("Cornish Chough") Causley with a sketch of a chough.

Reproduced by kind permission of the Henry Williamson Estate and Exeter University.

Find out more about Henry Williamson at: http://www.henrywilliamson.co.uk

Drawing of a young Causley in naval uniform by Stanley Simmonds, reproduced by kind permission of Kent Stanton

This and the following three photographs show a selection of Britain's models owned by Charles. Some are now on display at the Lawrence house Museum in Launceston.

This portrait drawing by Robert Tilling was used on the cover of Causley at 70, an anthology of poetry and prose tributes

Charles received many honours in his lifetime. Here he receives the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Exeter in 1977.