David Clarke
Borstal Boy is a punk rock opera of the true story as told in the book Converted on LSD and Borstal Boys. It tells of two brothers Michael and David Clarke who were born in Oldham. They became criminals in the 60’s and were sent to prison for malicious wounding and carrying a fire arm without a license. Michael, the elder brother, served time in HMP Maidstone prison and had a great influence over David even when he served his time in Dover Borstal. On there release from prison David had a three year career of undetected crime until he was arrested, but not by the police. He had a bad experience on LSD during which time he called out to God for help and Jesus spoke to him. He turned his life around, learned to read in order to educate himself and then confessed to the police 24 crime that he had committed since leaving Dover Borstal in 1968. He then went on to higher education, became a baptists minister and taught electrons for over 20 years in colleges of Further and Higher Education.Meanwhile, Michael was unaffected by David’s conversion from crime to Christ and continued his flamboyant lifestyle, only to be arrested 25 years later, and was sent to prison for 16 years in the Philippines where he died of Tuberculosis. The story relates that Michael too turned his life around from crime to Christ, after reading C.S. Lewes’s book Mere Christianity and they then worked together seeking to help in the reformation of other former criminals.
