Material from Friendsreunited

1955 - Ron Illingwoth

Added by Michael Hartshorne

I am surprised Ron was still there in 1967.In actual fact he was one of the most awesome teachers in the school-body messed him about though!!

1967 - Ron Illingworth

Added by Robert Street

Ron (Geography master) saying to me when I didnt hand my homework in timeously, "You're sailing very near the wind, boy"

1969 - Trent Athletic

Added by John Alexander

As we were only allowed to play rugby, we formed a pupils football team - Trent Athletic - joined the local youth league and won the cup in the first season, I was the goalie. Any other players out there?

1961 - Ezra Somekh

Added by John Smith

Loved the tale about Matt Marshall! It reminded me of April Fool's Day (1959?), when 5a, instead of going to the Physics Lab, went and sat in an empty room at the other end of the school, pretending that Ezra had told us to go there. Eventually found by George Cooper, who put us all in detention, and Ezra called us all "evil boys".

1963 - H C Wood

Added by Russell Rollings

French teacher who had a cat. Can't remember the cat's name, but to get in his good books we used to buy the cat a Christmas present (well I did anyway). Quelle bonnes lecons en francais avec Monsieur 'Bois'.

1965 - Matt Marshall

Added by Clive Brooks

Taught English when he could.
Played him up something cronic. Half the class flicked their pens over the back of his new suit and wolf whistled when he entered the room.
My final day at school involved taking the spindle out of the geography room door, locking Ron Illingworth inside, and putting the spindle in Matt's pocket. He went home with it and the whole of our form had the final day of term in detention whilst the Beak tried unsuccessfully to find the culprit

1965 - C.F.L."Bill" Read

Added by Roger Newman

I agree a great character dedicated to the school. He taught my father and my brother before me. One of the masters who refused to modernise - he always had his gown on at a time when most staff had given up this except for assemby.

1965 - H.E.Smith

Added by Roger Newman

This site gives me the opportunity to remember Harry Smith. I must have had a couple of hundred teaching staff stand in front of me during my education and Harry is definitely No.1 He treated boys as young gentlemen and deserved all the respect he got. I used many of his Somerset phrases in helping my children with maths and they were just as memorable to them.

1967 - Jake Hammond

Added by Steven Hackett

Poor old Jake died I think the year before i left.i vividly recall the awesome silence that prevailed in his class- you never messed him around, and yet i only ever once saw him hit anyone.i also recall taking classwork up to his desk to be marked.when he came across the first(of many) mistakes, he would say"chump" and to the second one"fathead", almost without fail. i forget what he said after that.for all the fear he seemed to instill in us, i still somehow liked the old boy.

1974 - CFL "Bill" Read

Added by Colin Chadfield

The great maths teacher with habits out of a bygone age. Remember being selected to go and fetch his tea from the staff room and bring it on a tray to the classroom? And taking his cushion with him to his next class, whether it made you late for yours or not! Keen on the concept of "cock House", House Master of Drake House - come on the blues!!!

1974 - "Joey" Crowther

Added by Colin Chadfield

Great Biology teacher - going into the Biol lab was like entering thru a portal into another world. You couldn't do Biology until the 4th year and had to give up Geog and History to go in to the stuffed animals all around, his short white coat and all those notes he produced himself. I used them as reference well into University studies. Remember "Percy Wader", the velvet handled school boy quietner!! One tap on the forehead with that and you behaved for a week! And the dread phrase "signum belli stat" as the old table leg was banged onto the front bench. He was also a brilliant teacher. I was in the sixth when he died, which changed the whole subject for me. Top bloke!

1974 - HE "Brad" Smith

Added by Colin Chadfield

Brad taught me that maths could be fun - I just couldn't do it very well!
Best thing he ever said was advice about choosing a University
Don't believe the prospectus - the course will change before you get there,
don't worry which course, because you will change your mind when you get there and probably do something else, so . .
choose the University where you want to live for three years!!
So I went to York, and stayed there, or at least in the County. Good advice - thanks "Brad"

1978 - Dave Wyatt

Added by Tim Pearce

Anybody remember "El Codo" treatment in Spanish lessons from Dave Wyatt's gammy arm? In some ways it resembled garotting but the difference was it left you alive (just) to fight another day. He can't have known how heavy and painful that arm was. I don't think it did us any harm, though. In fact it probably knocked some sense into us which I guess is what it was supposed to do. And of course it was great fun as long as you weren't in the chair. He was an inspirational teacher.

1968 - Alastair Yates

Added by Roger Bird

I am going to stick Al Yates in here cause i see him nearly every morning on BBC news 24, fond memories of roading for al and the Al Kay roadshow,and quite a few tales,but hasn't he done well....

1976 - Russell Osman

Added by Leigh Merricks

Come on - he was after my time, but Ipswich Town and England footballer, doesn't anybody remember him ?. I notice Russell's on the Friendsreunited list anyway.
Then there's Alistair Yates (AKA Al K) who is now to be seen reading the news on BBC 24 hours (ideal for insomniacs). He was in the year below me.
I think there was a guy in the late 50's called Philip Bond who became an actor.

What happened to the records of the old Grammar School in Bond End off Lichfield Street? the School moved to Mill Hill in 1956 I believe, and let in females!!!!

Re: Old School

Females were not admitted until 1975 when the school went comprenhsive

Re: Old School

I don't know what happened to the old records, but unfortunately it didn't let in females in my time (1963 -1968) - Girls & football would have been great

Re: Re: Old School

Better than physics!!!!!                      Says Walter Chadbourne, ex-Physics Teacher!!!