This is brilliant - came across the website almost by chance and only surfaced hours later with a nostalgic grin on my face, and sadness at learning of Bruce Liddington's death.
I have made two changes to the guestbook. The first was the new "Years at School" field, which was suggested by Colin Mynott. A good idea, Colin, and I don't know why we did not think of it before. The second is that I have archived all the 2004 messages to a separate file, so that the current message fil, from January 1, 2005, loads a little faster. There are links to the older messages on the main Guestbook page. Jeff.
I am trying to find the address or e mail address of Martin Alan Walker my pen pal in 1963. In 1963, he was 16 and attend the Harrow County School
Just to update the years and wish all Old Gaytonians Season's Greetings.
A very Happy Xmas to all and a Happy new Year.Still surviving with 80 turns on the coil.!!!!Special thanks to Alex for all his efforts which I know everyone will agree. 73 de Des G0JCF aka G1DES
Can I wish all Gaytonians (especially those I know or who have visited or contrbuted to the archives and magazine), a very Happy Christmas and New Year. Here's to a very happy one for all in 2006!
Bill Harrison is right about the Colonels daughters. I remember being in the advanced party for one camp somewhere on the South Coast and both Marilyn and Carolyn were present. They must be about the same age as me ( 61) as I remember on a later occasion being in their house one Saturday night watching TW3. I vaguely remember going out in a rowing boat with them and I think M.A.Wilson was rowing.
This site that you have created is an extraordinary feat and I offer you my warmest congratulations on it. To find the names and photos of all my long-lost pals and even an article I wrote in Enquiry in 1967 (which is also lurking somewhere in my cellar - I must seek it out) is just wonderful. I am saddened to see that one of my classmates, Chris Elvin, died recently and interested to read John Clayton's obituary. If you know where John is please do pass on my best wishes and email address. Happy Christmas. 20.12.2005
Whatever the event can have been that drew 'Koo Stark's' mother to the school, there must surely be a record in the archives. There are sufficient clues to tighten the time and place to very narrow limits. I remember your huts Phil. We used to feel it to be very infra dig that we should be required to use them for 6 th form maths classes on Friday afternoons while you were presumably being exposed to the wonders of science under the tutelag of messers Thorne and Bigham. You would have been lucky during that cold winter of 46/7 as the huts had their own heating system. In the main building, the furnace gave up completely and the ink froze in the pots. We carried on differentiating using the fountain pens received as gifts upon passing School Certificate.
Additional information: Photograph 3C 1959 Names - Middle row on left second X, the scout is John Reeves. Back row next to Lando is, Geoff or Jeff Lent. Hope this helps.
The lady in the 10/10/2005 entry will remain as Koo Stark's mother until proven otherwise. It's taken me half-a-dozen looks to even find the US flag, just between the Mayor of Harrow and "Lady X", and then there are some people in the background; this must have happened on a weekend for so few Old Gayts to be able to time and place the incident. That was MY old 2A hut in the background, and why was I not invited? That hut brings back memories of the best and worst of the staff, and the best of all the old gang who inhabited the thing during the cold winter of 1946/47. I know Dr ARS entered the hut a few times along with Bill Duke, Hubie Lane, lots of others and of course, Eggy Webb. Bigham never entered; we had to go and visit him. Same for George Thorn. The solution might be to identify the Mayor of Harrow, and tie him down to the year(s). Possibly the lady is Sarah Vaughan who made a lot of recordings in London around the early fifties. She must have been SOMEBODY for that big a bouquet of flowers and get a smile out our headmaster. Another clue...why wasn't Bigham wearing his fanciest uniform?
In answer to Richard Myers query, according to the School Silver Jubilee book, In 1932 Rev. Edgar Stogdon, M.A. was Vicar of Harrow, Chairman of the Governing Body and formerly Assistant Master at Harrow School.
18408 STOGDON E REV MASTER 1903. (Rev. Edgar Stogdon, Asst. Master, Harrow 1903-08, Rural Dean of Harrow from 1924) - Crockford's. He also played cricket for Cambridge. It would certainly be St Mary's as the Parish referred to is Harrow. St John's is, as one would expect, The Parish Church of Greenhill.
I'd love to know how Phil Chesterman knew the picture was of Koo Stark's mother......I can find no useful picture of her on the Web. I'm not suggesting in any way that he is wrong: I'm just interested, as a naturally curious person (The One who Found the Simpson Dunfermline Pictures), how he comes to know this.
On the photo of Bigham, ARS etc.. Koo Stark was a minor celeb famous (notorious?) for a relationship with Prince Andrew. Some details of her and her mother are in WIKIPEDIA. I strongly suspect the young girl with Bigham is his daughter. I remember her turning up at some annual camps with the CCF to help her mother with cooking etc. and she would have been in her late teens / early twenties in the early 1960s.
Looking over the entries for the last few monts, it is good to see that some people I knew still look at this site. I was at the school from 1978 to 1982 and remember Hans Stuart and Chris Atkinson from my scouting days. It's a bit saddening to see the conflict between the old and the new regime, but I guess the bottom line is that education has moved on and those of us who look back at when we were at school over 20 years ago cannot help looking back on a "golden age". I guess the school will never return to the way we would have liked it to continue. It now has a new identity and really, apart from the location, probably has no real link to the Old Harrow County, or even Gayton.
Apologies, EDGAR Stogdon
The Rev Eric Stogdon, who died in 1951, was almost certainly a member of the clergy at St Mary's Parish Church on "the hill" rather than St John's Parish Church, Greenhill
Laurence, things aren't what they used to be but, then, they never have been and they never will. I joined the largest attendance for the Remembrance Day ceremony since its reintroduction and was impressed by the courtesy and friendliness of all the pupils (sorry, students) I met. Returning alone a couple of weeks later I encountered two or three more who behaved equally well. Things are improving and changing (again) and next year there will be a VIth form which will help restore the School to the sort of community we knew. I, too, look forward to more contributions from former pupils of GHS and HHS. As for your last sentence, the thought comes to mind of a pot calling a kettle black before it has even been put on the fire.
Today l have urgently beeen given a job by Christine Lenihan. I have had to assemble as much information as l could about Sue and John Cavanagh for a scrap book. Your website has been very valuable.
You're given half a crown. You're straight into Soper's sweet counter. You buy 34 black jacks (four a penny), 19 fruit salads (same price), 3 chocolate tools (tuppence each), a jamboree bag (ninepence), one sherbet dib-dab (thruppence), 20 candy fags (eightpence a pack). And do you know, you've still got enough left to take your girlfriend to the Harrow Granada and then get a 183 home? Pah! The kids of today.
Having read, but not participated in this forum for some while, may I return to my theme of 'old school' v 'new school'. I have yet to see/read any positive news about the new school, all the contributions are rightly about the character and ethos of the old school. Many of the most interesting remarks have centred on the close-knit community, that was HCS. Perhaps current recent pupils might care to indicate where and what they are doing since leaving school. Diatribes from the new school acolytes are expected, but not considered constructive.
I've just discovered that I was baptised by Rev. Edgar Stogdon in 1932 who was chairman of the board of governers. The certificate states that the ceremony took place in Harrow Parish Church on Easter Day. Does anyone know which of the many churches in Harrow that might have been? Regards Richard (aka Newton Richard Huntley Myers 2D 1943 entry.) Now resident in Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Who is Koo Stark from the below mentioned photograph?
Regarding last week's notice from Richard Bunt: The Don Kincaid CD is well worth the purchase on its own musical merits, quite apart from the nostalgic "That man taught me French" element, and deserves a wide circulation. Although the recording is 40 years old the sound quality is superb and it is only dated by the polite applause (no doubt considered enthusiastic in its time) from the adolescent audience, especially given the adult content of some of the tracks! Well done and thank you to the enterprising Old Gayts who resurrected the original tape.
That 10/10/2005 photo with Dr ARS, Stan Greene and the Big Ham, is Koo Stark's mother. Hence the US flag.
Note Regarding the Don Kincaid CD...... My post sent in mid October refers. The current position is that everyone who has ordered a DON KINCAID REPRISED CD has now had their CD posted to them. We currently have a few CD's left and would welcome orders for these. See the front page of this web site for details and the order form. Richard Bunt
Hello, This is a brilliant site - so many memories! I am Reg Goff's daughter and have various photos - some formal such as award presentations & tiers of boys on the steps at the front door and some less formal such as mud covered teenagers on an assault course and inevitably of the naval cadets. Only dated photo: 1960-61 Arts and Modern VI; A few of the other photos have names on the back. do you want them? Best wishes Ann
Just thought it was time I had a look at the website. I didn't realise that there were 12 photos of either my brother or myself on it, nor the size of the site. Keep up the good work.
i wish i was a gayton..
Hmm, after seeing all those 4th Harrow Scout Group (not Troop BTW) photos without names, I suppose I'd better get to it and supply some. I'm obviously one of the few left who could actually put correct names to the Norman twins! I still see little activity on the part of the Class of '48 ... must have been a bad year for achieving greatness in later life ... nothing worth reporting I suppose. My main claim to fame was that Square stopped me in the corridor and actually addressed me by name - I knew then it was time to go! In case anyone who sees this remembers me, I am still involved with Scouting on a Local(Cambridgeshire) and National basis - some things never change. Chris A.
HCS 1947 - 52 I have spend many happy sessions at this site and endured many long waits while pictures opened in the hope of seeing old friends. In the entry year roll for 1947, Shearer's name is Douglas. I see that another good friend Robin Joseph became a Professor of Chemistry. He was the image of a professor when I first knew him at Longfield Primary School! We formed an important part of the CCF Corps of Drums in the year that we annoyed a resident neighbour enough for her to refer to us in a letter to the head as 'that 3rd rate tinpot band'!!
The hit-counter on the front page of this website was started exactly five years ago, on 14th November 2000. There have been about 194,000 hits, so we have just under 40,000 a year.
Alex Hirschfield ("Hashfield", to be precise, if Martin Bouskilla's suspicions were correct) arrived at Harrow County with Bill Bidder, whose credentials may be found at http://www.campbellhooper.com/people/index.asp?pageid=2&person_id=78. And jolly youthful he looks! Michael.
Alex "Hirsch" Hirschfield is professor of criminology at Huddersfield. The URL below may be clickable: http://www.hud.ac.uk/hhs/dbs/acg/staff/ah.htm
Re the swimming pool. Brings back fond memories - it was where I learnt to swim in my first year. Used to be good fun going in there. Also inspaires anotehr Gerry Lafferty memory. I turned up at school on the Saturday to score for the school 2nd XI - and it was very hot. You had to be supervised in the pool - but Gerry was there - I think with the family - so i had a swim before and after the game - great.
Regarding the swimming pool. When I was first at the school (1980) the pool was only for use by the upper year. By the time I reached the upper year (1983-84 it was out of bounds to all because of a large crack in the base. It was not a lovely tiled pool as you might find now but concrete lined. The only use I saw it put to was a cadet 'emergency dinghy drill' one cadet review day about 1981. It slowly got muddier and muddier until the early 1990s, when a former pupil decided to set fire to the wooden changing rooms because he had a grudge against the then Head (it was widely reported in the local press at the time). The fire also spread to the next door Drama block (terrapin Hut) reducing both, basically, to a pile of ashes. That was that and the pool finally was filled in and fenced off in the mid 1990s (exact year unknown). It remained like that until work on the new sports block was started in the late 1990s.
Hi, great site. I was wondering if you could tell me what year did the swimming pool close? Thanks
I apologise if I seem to be making light of such a sad event, but just to say also that Dave Scott (ref. Jeff's notice) was the other of the 2 Chelsea DJs.
Nerdily, I just have to come in there. I have many Chelsea programmes from the late 60s in which Pete [sic] Owen is one of the two columnsters. He not only spins the 45s; he also does the voiceovers at a cavernous Stamford Bridge as Bobby Tambling and Peter Bonetti run to the Shed. "I say a little Prayer" by Aretha Franklin, and "Jesamine" by The Casuals" were picked by him as hits. I never realised this was he.
My memory fails me a lot these days but didnt Peter Owen act as DJ at Chelsea FC in late 60's
Alex,
I'd also agree that Terry Andrews was a very popular teacher. It was amazing how
often he could get references to Watford FC into his maths lessons - and I'm
sure he saw our end of term exams as a challenge to get references to the entire
team into the questions.
For soccer mad boys, despite the obvious ways of distracting him with comments
about the previous Saturday's game, getting to talk about football during maths
made the lesson far more interesting & I'm sure we learnt more - what a
clever teacher !!
For your information, if you do a Google search on Terry Andrews there is a
reference to a Terry Andrews who is head of Maths at Bassingbourn Village
College.
Finally - who can forget some of Garth Ratcliffe's classic poetry ?
Horace Pig...
Horace Pig danced a jig
No he didn't
Yes he did
....who needs him to teach economics when he could 'write' poetry like that !!!!
That poem (which was piblished in the Gaytonian) has stuck in my memory for over
20 years - sad really isn't it ??
Sadly, I have been informed by David Scott of sudden passing of Peter Owen, aged 64, on Monday 31st October 2005. Peter was at HCS from 1953 to 1959 and will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Most recently Peter was Station Manager at West Suffolk Hospital Radio, in Bury St. Edmunds.
Peter's funeral will be on Thursday 10th November at Great Barton, near Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. Donations should be sent to West Suffolk Hospital Radio.
Dave,
Hi there!
Re your comments about Garth Ratcliffe and Terry Andrews. As far as I know
it was all good natured banter. For those of you who did not know these
teachers, Garth taught (?) but was about 6ft 3in, while Terry taught maths and
was an ardent Watford fan and about 5ft tall. More than once 'Large' would
end up getting the better of 'Little', in the previously mentioned headlock or
other, to the great amusement of all in the room.
A couple of other stories. With Terry supporting Watford FC, it would not
be long before someone (in a double maths period on a Monday)mentioned the game
the previous Saturday, knowing that if Watford had won, half of the lesson would
be taken up discussing the game. If they had lost the question was
answered with a good natured 'get back to your work', again to the amusement of
all. I have been told by a certain member of staff that one day after
school had finished, she walked into one corridor only to find Garth at one end
with a fire extinguisher, and (I think) Kevin Mahon equally equipped at the
other end, with Terry stuck in the middle. Said teacher bid a hasty
retreat!
Terry got his own back during the 1983 'Dramathon' (a 72 hour non-stop drama
marathon). The sketch involved Terry with the lovely Miss Duke (no
relation to Bill Duke) in a restaurant, with Garth the hapless waiter. The
end was Terry winning the day, I think by giving Garth a slap or two around the
head a la Basil Fawlty/Manuel.
On a last point, Terry was also known for his kipper ties, wing collars (or is
that winged collars?) and brown pin striped suits, topeed off with shoulder
length hair. On our last day, a friend of mine walked into the lesson with
such a jacket, shirt and tie, and 'Mr Andrews' name badge. 'Hey, hey, hey,
come here...' said Terry, '...yes very funny. I do like that tie though'.
It is fair to say that he was one of the better and more popular teachers of the
day. He still lives in the Watford area I believe and left Gayton to go to
a girls school that way, or Watford Grammar, somewhere like that. I heard
about a year ago that very sadly, he llost his wife/partner through illness.
Dave, isn't it about time you joined the OG's? !
A passing thought - although I know my Dad was an OG, and proud of having been to the school - he had the cap and striped blazer when I was a kid, I have been unable to find out exactly when he attended the school. Born in Oct 1909, I suspect he must have entered about 1920 and left 1924 or 1925 - I do know his Father died when he was 16 and he had to go out to work - I have found the record in the London Gazette of his having beeen taken on by the GPO as a telegraphist. I just wonder if there are any silver surfing OGs still arround who could give me a definite date for Dad starting at HCSB Ian Gawn
Regrettably, as the 11 November is a Friday this year I will be in my usual place in Lymington High Street just after 1100 doing my 2 hour stint selling poppies. Consequently I cannot be at the Remembrance Day commemoration at School. However at 1100 I will be presiding over the Royal Lymington Yacht Club's annual Act of Remembrance, and my thoughts will also be with those Old Gaytonians who made the supreme sacrifice. "We will remember them" Ian Gawn
Alumni, like myself, of the original Harrow County School for Boys, are apt to do a double-take (as practised most famously by James Finlayson in myriad Laurel & Hardy two-reelers) when we see a reference on this website to 'Harrow High School'. For the whole of the time I was at HCS, Harrow High School was a private educational establishment for boys, located on the opposite corner of Gayton and Sheepcote Roads. Its pupils wore navy blue blazers and 'segmented' yellow and navy blue caps. The headmaster - and proprietor - of that earlier HHS was at that time a man called Thompson, who was notable for his collection of large vintage cars. Kept in a garage on the school premises - even though Thompson himself lived at Henley-on-Thames - they included, I remember, a Rolls-Royce, a Sunbeam and a magnificent Hispano-Suiza, a marque which, despite its Spanish sounding name, originated in France. Thompson's wife, who I think was called Florence, was the headmistress (and presumably, with her husband, the owner) of Peterborough & St Margaret's private school for girls (and kindergarten boys), situated 200 yards or so down Sheepcote Road. Though the private HHS passed into oblivion, P&StM's school surprisingly still exists. In about 1980 its site, like most of those on the eastern side of Sheepcote Road, was sold for development and it moved to a more rural setting close to The Alpine, Bushey Heath.
Alex, A question for you really - can you shed any light on the 'feud' between Garth Ratcliffe (Economics Teacher) & Terry Andrews (Maths teacher)? I seem to remember Garth Ratcliffe arriving in a maths lessons once & placing Terry Andrews in a head lock - left him there for about 30 seconds & then just left. It can't just have been that Terry Andrews Supported Watford - surely? Or was it all for show?
Further to the references to Ross Salmon - Guestbook entries passim - I recall an HCS occasion, probably in 1951 or 52, when us boys had to make our way to Hamilton's Brushworks sports ground in Elmgrove Road, Harrow, the site today of a grotty industrial estate. There we were treated to a demonstration by Salmon of his South American cowboy skills: lassoing (that's a funny word but I don't see how else it can be spelt) from his position in the saddle of a rather splendid white (I think) horse.
Remembrance Day this year is on NOVEMBER 11TH at the school. All are welcome. Please be at school for 10.15 - 10.30 where you will be shown into the library (Old Hall). You will be able to park around the front.
The Old Gaytonians Association service is around the foot of the stairs and war memorial, followed by the school service. There is an informal lunch afterwards in the bar of a nearby hotel, which all are welcome to attend, no need to book. Any further questions, contact Alex Bateman.
Television viewers in the United States will be able to see two documentaries by Old Gaytonian Don Farrow this Friday night on the History Channel: "Lost Worlds" and "Strange Behavior" in the History's Mysteries series at 8 and 9 pm.
In my haste to apologise about misidentifying Webber as Birch on the photograph of the school group in Switzerland, I missed adding my name. Woops, sorry again!
On further consideration of the photogrpah of the school group in Switzerland, I believe it to be a Mr Webber and not Mr. Birch who is portrayed sitting next to Mr. Webb. Webber taught physics for a while. I don't believe we have a photograph of Birch.
I note that my only claim to fame although not acknowleged in the school records ie 1952-53 captain of the Cross Country team is credited in the 1952-53 Who's who in the school, even if I am A.Youdale in it. Tony Youdale
Roland Birch is referenced in the memoirs of Arthur Dunkley (1935/40) and Bernard (?) Gillespie (1940s) - scroll down the front page till you find these. Nothing jumps out of any Google pages.
Hamish, there is an excellent group photograph in the photograph section of this site (click here) that shows the illustrious Mr. Birch. He is shown seated with the group of boys and masters (both H.W.Webb and A. Amos are identified, but not Birch) that made a trip to Germany and Switzerland in 1939. Here they are shown posed in front of the Schweizerhof hotel in Brunnen, Switzerland. Neither the locality or Birch is identified, but that's him! I recall him from my days at the school in 1940. That was before he left. I believe he was either imprisoned or interned for his inappropriate politic activities. I've seen these described someone on this site but do not recall where.
Can any one please direct me to the site where I understand there is a brief write-up and photograph of former language master, Roland J. Birch? The time period would be late thirties early forties. Very many thanks, Hamish Drummond
I was at HCS from January 1954 (having moved from Liverpool the previous month due to my father's employment)until July 1957. I was in Form 2D, then 3D, 4D, and finally V(3). Greetings to any former classmates who may be reading this.
It's "amongst US spelling fascists", Ian. But full allowance made, as requested, in view of your current euphoric state. Congratulations!
For those who were taught English by Jim Golland, please see the article in today's Times about the poor standard of delivery of the spoken word, especially in news programmes on TV. A lively debate is developing amongst we spelling fascists (as I am known at work and by my sons). If my spelling and syntax are not too good tonight, it is because No2 son, now 32 and recently married to a stunning Danish girl, has just given me the opportunity to announce that "We are to be a grandfather" Ian Gawn
NOTE REGARDING THE DON KINCAID CD As one of the three involved in the production of this CD I just wanted to give an update on progress to date. Sim Hill has digitally re-mastered the original recording and prepared the master CD and sleeve notes etc. Edward Kerr is handling the moneys and so on. I,Richard Bunt, am taking the orders,handling enquiries and will despatch all orders. Currently we are waiting to go into production but we are matching orders against CD's made as these are quite expensive to produce and we only want to do the job once. So this is a gentle chase up to those who have pre-ordered and not yet sent their cheques to please post it off, and to those who have please note we have not forgotton you and to anyone who might like to order one please see the link from the front page of this site. I have to say that having listened to these recordings anyone who was at the school in the 60's and who knew Don,will find this to be an enjoyable trip into nostalgia land. Richard Bunt
Sadly my father ARNOLD GEORGE NYBURG, DSC, RNVR died on the 3rd September aged 96. He was always proud of his old school, and was a first 15 rugby player, and Victor Ludorum.
I've had a couple of e-mails recently asking about Harry Mees so I went round this morning to see how he is. I just missed him but spoke to him on the 'phone this evening.
I am delighted to say he sounded extremely chipper and at last appears to be recovering from his fall last year. He's even taken to following an OU course on Shakespeare!
I'm sure he'd love to hear from any of his old pupils or stage hands. Jeff, Alex, Pete Vincent and I have his address. Alternatively, if you would like to write to him c/o Kate's Cottage, Ampney Crucis, Cirencester GL7 5SD, I will pass your letter on.
If there are any OGs within reasonable distance of Cirencester, perhaps we could entertain him to lunch or dinner one day? Please let me know.
The
Old Gaytonian 2005 is out. This is our magazine, with 64 fun-packed and
nostalgic pages edited by Alex Bateman. Catch up with the activities of
old friends. Read Don Wilkey's tales from behind the staff-room door.
Name the ten Old Gaytonian Knights. Read about Peter Arnold's trip to
Montana, the three Venning brothers who attended HCS before the First World War,
and the West London Rugby Club's fundraiser for Tsunami Victims. Read about the
Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash of 1952 and about the class of 1954 reunion.
Get up to date with the 4th Harrow Scouts and about all those former Gayton High
School boys who have made their mark in professional football. And much
more.
If you don't have a copy, you are not a member - and it is about time you joined
- we need you. For ten pounds a year you get your magazine, a newsletter,
various reunions and you help to support the School Archives which provide
material for this website. So click here
to join now and get your copy of the magazine!
Very interesting
Michael, your comments in this guestbook have, I think, always been ‘good value, and I always look forward to seeing them. I liked your comments on my posting of 23rd September. They reminded me of a Middle-Eastern saying I once came across which goes something like ‘When a pickpocket sees a Saint he only sees his pockets’. I was trying to perhaps introduce an alternative, more mystical, viewpoint on ‘Jerusalem’ together with trying to say something of a thankyou to Gerry Lafferty from someone singularly unsuccessful at English. You managed, however, to immediately pick up that I had suffered from an outbreak of Greek. Michael, you restore my faith in proverbs (‘arf ‘arry’s toe). With your indulgence, I will email you directly regarding my ‘owning up’, thanks.
I have not had chance to visit the site recently, so I was very sad to see the news about Gerry Lafferty. I am currently a teacher of biology (the Colonel is probably now turning in his grave!). I would not have been able to get into this profession if it hadn’t been for Gerry. He rescued a poor underachiever in 2d then 3c and enabled me to go on to achieve a GCE ‘O’ level in English language. Without that I would never have been able to qualify as a teacher. I remember the interpretation of Blake’s Jerusalem, and his ability to get me reading and enjoying it. I always have something to read with me and I have a huge collection of books now. So much so that I plan to buy a property in the future with a room I can turn into my own library. So all I can say now is many thanks Gerry you will be greatly missed. I only hope I can become half the teacher you were – then I’ll be a good teacher.
For Michael Shwartz: I'm innocent on this one! My years were 56/63 in any case.
I think it's too late to put NOSPAM in my e-mail address but, as Jeff says, it's not much trouble deleting spam in one's Inbox. And I might not have received the following:- FROM Purity Abed Abidjan Cote D` Ivoire West Africa. Email:(pur_abed6060@yahoo.fr) Dearest One, I am Mrs Purity Abed the first wife of king George Abed K.S.M the king of mende tribe in Sierra-Leone. On the 19th May, 2000 my husband was murdered by some rebel group on the accusation that he is a great sponsor and in support to restore the democratically elected President of Alhadji Tejan Kabba. Almost half of the palace was burnt. Fortunately I was not in the place when they raided the palace, my husband married 4 wives with 16 children, three of the wives with my three children and others where murdered in cold blood while my second son escape the incident with bullet wounds on his right leg. . . etc. One wonders how she came by three of the 16 children were hers, given her name.
Dear George Walker Bush I am already contributing to your 'Emerging Market (Iraq) Fund' through my appointed investment manager, Mr Tony Blair, who heads up one of the big four international investment funds (UK Plc). However, as an ethical investor, I am not happy with the projects that my contributions are financing and I intend switching in the future to a fund with a conscience. I suspect that other fund holders, particularly in New Orleans, may have similar concerns about how their contributions are being invested. P.S. You're a cretin.
REMEMBRANCE DAY AT THE SCHOOL - NOVEMBER 11TH 2005 The annual school Remembrance Day service will again be held at the school on Friday November 11th 2005. All old boys are welcome to attend, and to join the informal lunch party that retire afterwards to a local hotel bar/restaurant. The service is very different from the school days, with the OGs having their own service at the foot of the main stairs at 11.00. There will be displays in the library and we are also invited to join the school for their service. Any Old Boys wishing to attend, can come into the school 10.15 to 10.30, where they will be directed to the library. There is no need for prior notice or booking.
(I did not write this - it has been circulating....)
HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL
FROM: GEORGE WALKER BUSH
DEAR SIR / MADAM,
I AM GEORGE WALKER BUSH, SON OF THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH, AND CURRENTLY SERVING AS PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS LETTER MIGHT SURPRISE YOU BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT MET
NEITHER IN PERSON NOR BY CORRESPONDENCE. I CAME TO KNOW OF YOU IN MY SEARCH FOR
A RELIABLE AND REPUTABLE PERSON TO HANDLE A VERY CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS
TRANSACTION, WHICH INVOLVES THE TRANSFER OF A HUGE SUM OF MONEY TO AN ACCOUNT
REQUIRING MAXIMUM CONFIDENCE.
I AM WRITING YOU IN ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE PRIMARILY TO SEEK YOUR ASSISTANCE IN
ACQUIRING OIL FUNDS THAT ARE PRESENTLY TRAPPED IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRAQ. MY
PARTNERS AND I SOLICIT YOUR ASSISTANCE IN COMPLETING A TRANSACTION BEGUN BY MY
FATHER, WHO HAS LONG BEEN ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE EXTRACTION OF PETROLEUM IN THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND BRAVELY SERVED HIS COUNTRY AS DIRECTOR OF THE
UNITED STATES CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY.
IN THE DECADE OF THE NINETEEN-EIGHTIES, MY FATHER, THEN VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, SOUGHT TO WORK WITH THE GOOD OFFICES OF THE PRESIDENT
OF THE REPUBLIC OF IRAQ TO REGAIN LOST OIL REVENUE SOURCES IN THE NEIGHBORING
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN. THIS UNSUCCESSFUL VENTURE WAS SOON FOLLOWED BY A
FALLING OUT WITH HIS IRAQI PARTNER, WHO SOUGHT TO ACQUIRE ADDITIONAL OIL REVENUE
SOURCES IN THE NEIGHBORING EMIRATE OF KUWAIT, A WHOLLY-OWNED U.S.-BRITISH
SUBSIDIARY.
MY FATHER RE-SECURED THE PETROLEUM ASSETS OF KUWAIT IN 1991 AT A COST OF
SIXTY-ONE BILLION U.S. DOLLARS ($61,000,000,000). OUT OF THAT COST.
THIRTY-SIX BILLION DOLLARS ($36,000,000,000) WERE SUPPLIED BY HIS PARTNERS IN
THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA AND OTHER PERSIAN GULF MONARCHIES, AND SIXTEEN
BILLION DOLLARS ($16,000,000,000) BY GERMAN AND JAPANESE PARTNERS.
BUT MY FATHER'S FORMER IRAQI BUSINESS PARTNER REMAINED IN CONTROL OF THE
REPUBLIC OF IRAQ AND ITS PETROLEUM RESERVES.
MY FAMILY IS CALLING FOR YOUR URGENT ASSISTANCE IN FUNDING THE REMOVAL OF THE
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF IRAQ AND ACQUIRING THE PETROLEUM ASSETS OF HIS
COUNTRY, AS COMPENSATION FOR THE COSTS OF REMOVING HIM FROM POWER.
UNFORTUNATELY, OUR PARTNERS FROM 1991 ARE NOT WILLING TO SHOULDER THE BURDEN OF
THIS NEW VENTURE, WHICH IN ITS UPCOMING PHASE MAY COST THE SUM OF 100 BILLION TO
200 BILLION DOLLARS ($100,000,000,000 - $200,000,000,000), BOTH IN THE INITIAL
ACQUISITION AND IN LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT.
WITHOUT THE FUNDS FROM OUR 1991 PARTNERS, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ACQUIRE THE
OIL REVENUE TRAPPED WITHIN IRAQ. THAT IS WHY MY FAMILY AND OUR COLLEAGUES ARE
URGENTLY SEEKING YOUR GRACIOUS ASSISTANCE. OUR DISTINGUISHED COLLEAGUES IN THIS
BUSINESS TRANSACTION INCLUDE THE SITTING VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA, RICHARD CHENEY, WHO IS AN ORIGINAL PARTNER IN THE IRAQ VENTURE AND
FORMER HEAD OF THE ALLIBURTON OIL COMPANY, AND CONDOLEEZA RICE, WHOSE
PROFESSIONAL DEDICATION TO THE VENTURE WAS DEMONSTRATED IN THE NAMING OF A
CHEVRON OIL TANKER AFTER HER.
I WOULD BESEECH YOU TO TRANSFER A SUM EQUALING TEN TO TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT (10-25
%) OF YOUR YEARLY INCOME TO OUR ACCOUNT TO AID IN THIS IMPORTANT VENTURE. THE
INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL FUNCTION AS OUR
TRUSTED INTERMEDIARY. I PROPOSE THAT YOU MAKE THIS TRANSFER BEFORE THE FIFTEENTH
(15TH) OF THE MONTH OF APRIL.
I KNOW THAT A TRANSACTION OF THIS MAGNITUDE WOULD MAKE ANYONE APPREHENSIVE AND
WORRIED. BUT I AM ASSURING YOU THAT ALL WILL BE WELL AT THE END OF THE DAY. A
BOLD STEP TAKEN SHALL NOT BE REGRETTED, I ASSURE YOU. PLEASE DO BE INFORMED THAT
THIS BUSINESS TRANSACTION IS 100% LEGAL. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO CO-OPERATE IN
THIS TRANSACTION, PLEASE CONTACT OUR INTERMEDIARY REPRESENTATIVES TO FURTHER
DISCUSS THE MATTER.
I PRAY THAT YOU UNDERSTAND OUR PLIGHT. MY FAMILY AND OUR COLLEAGUES WILL BE
FOREVER GRATEFUL. PLEASE REPLY IN STRICT CONFIDENCE TO THE CONTACT NUMBERS
BELOW.
SINCERELY WITH WARM REGARDS,
GEORGE WALKER BUSH
Switchboard: 202.456.1414 Comments: 202.456.1111 Fax: 202.456.2461 Email:
president@whitehouse.gov
Brian The best comment I have seen on the nigerian e-mail scam was a recent Dilbert calendar. Ratbert has had a mail asking for his bank details - to which he responds 'My bank is a sock down the back of the sofa'. Absolute classic. Steve
On 23 September someone signed in as 65-72 and declared that English, French, Latin and Greek were his "four horsemen of the apocalypse." As someone whose own dates were 65-72 I am most intrigued to find out his identity. To have done Greek limits him to about 35 boys, and I assume he is not one of the fifteen who kept up their Greek in the third form. So come on, own up - it can't be Peter Fowler winding me up again! Michael.
David Stokes has stumbled on what has become a major cottage industry not just in West Africa but now elsewhere. I receive letters supposedly from British banks asking me to confirm my account number for audit purposes. The police in various countries have people trying to stop the 'trade' and I understand this has been successful in Nigeria which is where the business was dreamed up. Someone put me onto a web site run by a man who makes a hobby out of replying but never giving the right information. The results are amusing. The only example I've heard of where someone actually sent money was a partnership of young lawyers in Brisbane who used money from the inactive 'trust' account of a client. To their misfortune, the client showed up to demand his money before the expected 'payout'. The local law society was not amused.
Disaster - I have had a major PC crash and lost my address book. Friends from 1955-62 please send me an e-mail so I can rebuild my address book (I'll back it up this time). Also (Bob or Derek) Gill (Morris) White's e-mail as well please. Will try to get to the Remembrance Service and lunch this year Cheers Ian
Well, well well. I should have read some of the emails concerning spam. Only a few hours have passed since my last contribution and who do I hear from? Only my old friend the Rev.Barrister Kilome Omoh, Senior Advocate of Togo; Kilome and Associates, with the usual nonsense. Dear old Kilome, such a wit, such a joker. He fails to mention which years he spent at HCS. Nevertheless he is clearly demonstrating some of the skills he picked up there whilst not quite reaching the highest levels of academic success. If Oxbridge did not appeal then international fraud was an obvious alternative. How glad I am that I only opened this account today so that I can close it tomorrow. They really are out there. Or are they? Does such a person exist or is it some piece of electronic wizardry operated by a man in Penge? Is there really a man called Kilome Omoh who expects someone to buy his ludicrous story? If he does exist has anyone actually sent him money? I suppose if they have his enterprise is to be applauded. He must be some part of a food chain. No doubt the Universe has a place for him too.
(Note - I have changed David's address above, so that it cannot be automatically harvested for spam. When you post to the website, please leave an address, so that others can find you. But alter it so that Rev. Barrister Omoh etc. cannot harvest it for spam. For example: name@yahoo.com becomes nameREMOVENOSPAM@yahoo.com or name AT yahoo.com. Or, you can just be amused by the rather puerile spam and delete it. Jeff [editor])
This is a message for Richard Hayward who was at the school between 1953 and 1959 and who lived in a bungalow in Rayners Lane. I notice that you are registered with Friends Reunited. I have tried to contact you before without success. Please get in touch so we can bore each other with a recital of the last 40 years.
Hi Colin, Yes I do remember you, although it is a long time ago, and also some of the fund raising events that you organised. I am sending all the 'memorabilia" that I have, directly to Jeff as there is too much to scan. I know a lot of the things that my Father collected over the years was given back to the OGA (via Erik Cornes I believe) for the Diamond Jubilee in 1971 and should still be in their posession.
Well,hello Steve! Nice to see your contribution. I remember you - though you may not remember me - and your father. He was a very successful captain of the Rugby club and also a somewhat reluctant Chairman of the OGA for a time. (He took it on when pressed on someone else's retirement and accepted the duty as a loyal Old Gayt.) He was Chairman when I was first drafted onto the Committee in 1975 as fundraiser for the new clubhouse. I look forward to seeing your memorabilia.
I have now been living overseas for the last 28 years (New York and now S. Florida for the past 11 years) and would love to hear from any of my old buddies from school (1966-1972) or the Old Gayt's RFC. My Father was also an Old Boy, Stan Green. I have lots of pictures and artilcles that I will endevour to scan and forward.
Congratulations Jeff on the popularity of the website. Over 100 hits per day on average for so long is very commendable.
Just to record - the Gaytonian website was five years old yesterday and has averaged about 38,000 hits on the home page each year.
Regarding interpretations of Blake’s Jerusalem, the sexual interpretation may not have been, shall we say, the primary one. Consider the line ‘O clouds unfold, bring me my chariot of fire.’ There is, I believe a watercolour by Blake (Whitworth Gallery in Manchester?) showing rolled back clouds and revealing much light, a sun and a figure. This water colour was entitled something like ‘the ancient of days’. Additionally, I have heard it asserted that Blake was in his time the chosen chief of a mystical order which is, apparently, still extant. Blake, often described as a visionary, may have been describing, or embellishing, personal experiences, perhaps analogous to the ‘light and tunnel’ descriptions given in near death experiences. (Cf St Paul’s ‘die before you die’, Apuleius’ ‘sun at midnight’ etc). I seem to remember reading, in the guest book, of one ‘Old Boy’ who was described as a Hindu priest. Perhaps he could help out here, coming from a tradition more given to meditation etc than the common western experience. Regarding Gerry Lafferty, he was for me the best of Harrow County. He seemed determined to find and develop the ‘Worth’ within a pupil. Personally, he conveyed to me that he saw me a being of value and not just another ‘brick in the hod’. Linguistically ‘challenged’, shall we say (I was subsequently diagnosed as dyslexic), for me the four horsemen of the apocalypse were English, French, Latin and Greek. Yet with English he somehow transformed the unbearable into the interesting and even enjoyable and gave me the impetus for struggle for literacy (I scraped English Language O-Level on the third attempt). He always encouraged and never rebuked, even if I would pick my pool reader on the basis of which book had the fewest pages (I never did get to Henry James). Gerry was to me a man of great humour and openness, always prepared to seriously listen and to reconsider his own views, if necessary. How few I have found subsequently that I could say the same for. Thank you Gerry.
My
erstwhile friend Ian Cobden has a better memory than I of the goings on in the
English classes we shared in 1967 (although I DO remember GL's exhortation to
"always have a paperback in your blazer pockets and to read whenever you
have a spare moment". Hans Stuart is not the only one to have taken
this to heart - I too have GL to thank for a lifetime enjoyment of reading).
But are we so sure that 'Jerusalem' is founding so much on a myth? Or was
Blake outling his belief (in the first verse of his poem at least) in the
evidence which points towards Jesus visiting Britain during his life? Are
the "dark satanic mills" not the tin mines of the southwest of England
which Jesus' guardian and great uncle Joseph of Arimathea is likely to have
visited?
Verbally juxtaposing Britain and Jerusalem, and the 'Jesus in Britain' theory
seem to be fairly common Blake themes: "Jerusalem the Emanation of the
Giant Albion! Can it be? Is it a Truth that the Learned have explored? Was
Britain the Primitive Seat of the Patriarchal Religion?"
Get in touch if you remember me!!
Looking as I do from time at the correspondence on the site, I see some reference to the accent and voice of AR Simpson, late headmaster of HCS and worthy successor to the workhouse master of old. One of my favourite memories of ARS was when he decided to instruct Upper 6th Modern in the beauties of English poetry. He picked Eliot's Gerontion and went through it word by word and syllable by syllable. A particular phrase I recall, although I can't find it in the poem, was "A spot". Given his particular Scottish accent his rendering of this phase gave intense amusement to the listening 17 to 18 year olds. The phrase came across as a Victorian bed chamber utensil which modesty prevents me from mentioning - good example of his particular accent!
I agree with Ian Cobden's suggestion that "Land of Hope and Glory" be adopted as a replacement of the National Anthem, read 'dirge'. In my experience, whenever a few Brits get together over a few beers anywhere in the world they get nostalgic for the old turf and eventually will Elgar's song. To make it the anthem would be the ultimate irony as no High School graduation ceremony in the U.S. is complete without the tune (but never the words) being played.
Many thanks for the replies to my recent query about Jerusalem. It seems that after all these years a query that I have had has now been solved. Although I still think that interpretation is in the "eye of the beholder" PS My vote for a different National Anthem is Land of Hope and Glory, please don't tell me that is really about Ruritania (geddit)!!
The anonymous reply was from me.
The reason for interpreting Jerusalem in the way suggested is that this sort of
reading fits in with clues in other writing by Blake. It isn't pseud, but there
are other possible ways of reading Blake- letting each poem stand on its own,
for example. Then we couldn't tell (and wouldn't need to know) whether Blake
meant factories when he talked of the satanic mills; all that would matter would
be what we thought of.
There is one other problem with the poem which I remember Gerry pointing out in
a recitation once And did those feet in ancient time/ Walk upon England's
pastures green? NO And was the countenance divine/ On England's pleasantthingies
seen? NO In other words, can you found so much on a myth?
Which is precisely why 'Jerusalem' would be a wonderful National Anthem....strikes me as an uplifting vision, strikes me as rooted in English imagery - and aren't we supposed to be the masters of irony? I thought it was 'irony' that personified one of the essential traits of 'Englishness'.
'Jerusalem' not only provides a healthy rejoinder to the anachronism of the National Anthem - it also, with its great and stirring tune complementing its passionate words, gives us something that finally knocks out the French and the Germans, both of whom have anthems considerably more arousing than ours.
Ian,
'Jerusalem' is the most misinterpreted poem on record. Gerry's comments to you have been echoed by Peter Ackroyd in his book on Blake published in 1995. He said that worthy women at political party conferences had no idea what they were singing about at the end of their conferences. Like Gerry he enjoyed the irony. All the background to Blake is in this book. Very basically, Blake believed fervently in sexual liberation as a necessary condition of human freedom--later echoed in 'Sons and Lovers' and 'Look Back in Anger'to name but two. Blake believed in Swedenborg's ideas to some extent and he joined the 'Shoreham Ancients' and their New Age beliefs --in some ways still reflected in modern movements and pop songs today. His vision for humanity was 'the rebuilding of Jerusalem on earth, in the uniting of the physical and spiritual sides of human nature free of economic exploitation, with people being able to develop the full potential of their beings.' This is a very simple resume, Ian.
Gerry's comments were probably prompted by 'Jerusalem' being sung at Assembly or some equally absurdly inappropriate place.
Patty Lafferty.
Thanks for the (anonymous) replies to my query about Jerusalem but I did get the symbolism. I just wanted to know if that was the original intention of Blake or whether it was analysed that way by some "pseuds" afterwards.
Andy Findon's album is excellent - bought it, transferred the tracks to the Ipod, listen to it a lot!
I can only surmise that some of the contributors to this site would wish to write in green ink if the technology permitted.
And isn't there something about having one's sword in one's hand?
Nice to see the message from Ian Cobden. Yes. In Jerusalem the satanic mills are the altars of the Church of England. Mills because they grind people down and repeat the same experience all the time, satanic because they do the work of the evil one. The bow of burning gold is male sexuality, and the arrows of desire have an obvious reference. Jerusalem is the state where love is free to act out its desires. I guess you're all old enough to know this now. Best wishes to you all.
Funny how 2 seemingly unrelated events stir the memory. Watching the final test match the other day when they started singing Jerusalem, I suddenly remembered as a young 1st former Mr Lafferty (and he will always be Mr Lafferty to me because I respected him ) told us that the song was full of, and written as a series of, phallic symbols. Can anybody help? Was he telling the truth or was he just taking the "pee" out of us poor naive 1st formers?
Two things. First I must quibble with Andy Findon's self effacing description of his musical prowess. Andy, I believe you to have featured on the Home Service's "Alright Jack" album and you have, therefore, one classic under your belt (advise purchase to all readers). Must have seen you play a few times (Half Moon, Putney?) but am chuffed to learn you are ex HCBS. Secondly, I find the dates given for Mr Lafferty's teaching career, '61 to '75, a mite confusing. I was still there in 1976 and am sure I would have remembered his leaving. Can anyone clarify or am I just experiencing my first senior moments?
Old Gaytonians Cricket Club. Anyone for cricket? Perhaps it's euphoria, but wouldn't it be great to revive the section? Discuss.
Sorry to hear of Mr. Lafferty's demise. He told us to always have a paperback in our blazer pockets and to read whenever we had a spare moment. I've had a book on the go ever since.
Never did like the chilly water of the HCS pool when I arrived in 1939 entry year, but delayed to March 40. Don't much like exposing myself in public, albeit only in E-Mail. HOWEVER...... What is missing from the contributions of messers Hester and Carruthers is the factor of JUDGEMENT. By all means lets be civilised in our discussions, however this Old Gaytonian takes the view my Anglican Church is not the kindly decent Church it once was. My political Party, the Conservative Party of Canada has let me down and is currently a disaster looking to reelect the permanent ruling party, the Gliberals once again. Our schools are now operating on teaching 18 year olds what we were taught at 15. Our Teachers, the root cause of the problem, are going on strike because 40,000 Nicker (not $) a year, plus 3 months hols a year and benefits, all in a low tax, low cost environment, is not enough. They claim they are over worked at 1300 hours a year. Can't go to a movie theatre, smell of popcorn makes me.....So does the incessent chatter of morons. And now ladies and gents. The legal and medical . Our Judges and Bent Briefs let the local drug dealers out on Bail so they can continue in business and pay the lawyers and fines. Ad lib, ad nostradamus. Must finish as I am off to my lovely heated pool, then to dress, or my wife will complain I am exposing myself Thank you OGs, for the pride in my roots that you all have given to me.
"Wasn't it called Bertorellis Cafe in Station Rd?" You're probably right, Begonia (if I may). I'm not sure how I dredged up the name at all. Thanks for the correction. I was happy to hear through Gerry Lafferty's wife that he was a proponent of multiple intelligences and more evenly distributed educational opportunites. That knowledge raises him still further (posthumously) in my esteem. I'm still looking for some form of inteligence that I can claim as my own. Mick
Some of my contemporaries, (67 to 72), may be interested to know that after nearly 30 years of being a "faceless session musician", I've finally got round to recording my own album. Just released, "Andy Findon-Tracked", is available at http://www.quartzmusic.com/cd/QTZ2029.htm and hopefully in October from the major stores.
My wife was reading the Daily Mail on Saturday 27 August. She started to read out an article in the Answers to Correspondents column, noticing the words Harrow County School for Boys. In fact, she read almost the entire answer before reading the author’s name. I did not write everything in the answer and I detect the work of Mr A Bateman in supplementing it. What became of Ross Salmon, the English Cowboy, who featured on children‘s radio in the Fifties? Ross Salmon, who was born in Harrow in 1922 and attended Harrow County School for Boys between 1933 and 1939, served as an RNVR pilot in World War II. He ferried agents into enemy territory, for which he received the Distinguished Service Cross, wearing top hat and white gloves to entertain his passengers. In 1947 he became a ranch assistant in South America then ran his own ranch in Colombia until a plane crash left him with 14 major fractures. Only loyal native South Americans who carried him to the nearest Westerners saved his life. Talking about these experiences on TV’s Tall Story Club began his media career. He became TV’s “jungle cowboy” and rode horseback across Britain. He wrote a string of associated books, including Jungle Cowboy and Forbidden Jungle. Then BBC producers recognised his vast knowledge of sport and he was made BBC cricket scorer. Ross later created the International Cricket Crusaders, a charity team who enlisted the support of Sir Garfield Sobers. His other legacy was to anthropology, where his work on South America resulted in a Fellowship of the Royal Anthropological Institute. Ross Salmon died on April 14, 2004. Michael Schwartz, Buxton, Derbyshire Ross Salmon's daughter has since replied to the Daily Mail, saying that she read the notes with pride.
Well put Andrew Carruthers. The 65 th anniversary of my entry into HCS is at hand. I am quite sure that my parents would not have been encouraged to see me go to the school had they been assured that nothing had changed since 1875. What a sobering thought.
The
coursework element has been one dramatic change….another was the abandoning of
‘grading to the curve’, ie the dumping of the idea that only x percentage of
examinees should be A grade.
Then, more recently, has been the proliferation of new qualifications, which
locks into the ‘academy’ and ‘specialist school’ initiatives.
Here, the designation of, say, a specialist school in technology is supplemented
by a new raft of GCSEs in subjects related to the specialism. One Head teacher I
know, in Yorkshire, runs a school of this kind and was able to demonstrate, two
years in, that his GCSE results had improved dramatically.
Bogus, of course.
As I said somewhere else, this is New Labour’s obsession with ticking boxes in
a glut of competence-based indicators that have wonderful quantitative results
but have a huge gaping chasm at their centre called ‘quality’. Because there
isn’t any.
Not just New Labour, either – these approaches were taken by the last
Conservative adminstration as well.
I’ll finish on an anecdote. My youngest daughter did A Level English ten years
ago (and this story gives the lie to those who think this all started with, say,
Blunkett). The night before her exam she asked me if I could help her with
‘Hamlet’. After spending an hour or so with her, and realising that she knew
no quotes and had no depth at all to her knowledge, I got cross and told her she
couldn’t possibly pass.
She got a B. What’s that: 60/70%? I know, absolutely and irrevocably, that she
would have got a U in the 1960s.
One
of the main difference between the exams now and in 'our' day is the way the
marks are constructed.
I was at the school 1980 to 1984 and took CSE and O Levels, and at that time,
you sat down to, say an English exam, which lasted two to three hours and was a
test on what you had learnt over the previous four years. The same went
for History, Maths, etc.
Now a percentage (something like 40% but don't quote me on that!) comes from
coursework over a year or two, with the rest coming in the final exam or exams.
These differ in that they are usually shorter (one to one and a half hours), and
are not just the old fashioned question sheet, but one question paper and one
information paper. I must say that if you look hard enough the answers are
often all in the information sheet. Of course some exams are structured
differently depending on the subject.
In the exams in 2004 however, we still had several children in a tech exam
asking what 'wall mounted' meant, another in a food technology exam asking what
vitamins were, and many not knowing what 50% on a pie chart looked like!
Bang
on, Andrew Carruthers! Glad, and proud of HHS, to see Alex's report on
exam progress. Very touched by Patty Laffertys' note; I never knew Gerry,
but I dearly wish I had. Perfect story about the home help and the vacuum
cleaner.
And John Grunewald: with you all the way, John. Except, when I took the
11+ in 1947 MCQ's were used widely, I think for the first time. How much
besides (not term work, god forbid!) was taken into account I don't know, but
there was certainly an essay to write and, I think, some actual arithmetic.
Selection for secondary education was made on this basis for a good many years
and the results seem to have spoken for themselves.
It constantly impresses me how well most HCS alumni have done, regardless of
academic success. Was it 11+ selection? Or the teaching, even of the
backsliders? Or the ambience? I don't know, but something of each I
would guess. As for GCE, I was indignantly held back for a year from the
age-14 School Cert., which it replaced in 1952, and (perhaps fortunately) one
did not have the opprtunity in the first year of this new-fangled exam to
discover grades, apart from some label of excellence (distinction?) for marks
above 80% or failure for marks below 50%. The marks must have been
available to staff, because when ARS interviewed my parents to debate whether I
should return to school after suspension for some malfeasance he mentioned that
I had come second in the School in 'O' Level Latin. Since he was a
Latinist I was, of course, restored with fairly full absolution. By the
following year, 1953, when we took 'A' Levels it was much the same, except that
you could go along to the School and find out actual marks. I never
bothered, having served my six years and left school. (Three years at
university of Eng. Lit., French or Latin seemed just a bit too much of a good
thing to me.)
I shall be away for the next 10 days. I look forward to seeing how the HCS
v. HHS debate has developed on my return.
Re Harrow High - I know nothing about it but I, too, was irritated by the rather ill tempered correspondence on this web site, not least because the school seems very helpful to Alex Bateman and others, and we all need to realise that the world moves on, even if we don't always want to move with it. I may not like all the changes, but let us at least try and understand them, and remember our manners!
Mick Wasn't it called Bertorellis Cafe in Station Rd? I remember the exotic excitement of having a coffee there once when I was in the process of being taken to hospital following an explosion in Butch's Chemistry lab. Happy days. Some one has commented on the lamentable familiarity of using first names amongst ourselves. It still makes me cringe to see such familiarity extended to ones feared and revered Masters of the time. Anyone who wants my money or my custom is very quick to jump to first name terms (but I always give an awkward name like Begonia - that throws 'em) Well said Fowler, Mr G was an amazing little welshman and you dont get his ilk any more in my experience. My sincere regret is that I didnt come to this site sooner so that I could have passed on my thanks to him Have you noticed that there are quite a few sententious contributors to this site from our era (mid 50's) probably 'cos we've nothing better to do. rgds
I would like to thank all those who have sent messages of condolence and said such kind things about my husband, Gerry Lafferty.I feel so proud of him and have found the messages very comforting. May I just add that Gerry would have concurred, most strongly, with Jonathan Grunewald's distaste for the disparaging messages about Harrow High. Gerry never accepted Jean Brodie's 'creme de la creme' philosophy. Yes, of course he enjoyed teaching his pupils at a 'selected' grammar school. because his kind of academic intelligence was in tune with theirs. But he always insisted that there were different kinds of intelligence and, true to his principles,he stayed on when the school became comprehensive. Nothing enraged him more than the self-congratulatory arrogance of those who spoke of others as 'thick'. To illustrate the point, he often told the story of the unassembled vacuum cleaner. When it arrived at our home, neither Gerry nor I could make head or tail of the instructions and it remained in bits. Gerry spent most of his time looking for nuts under the sideboard. The Home Help arrived and put it together in three minutes. This was a girl whose teachers had labelled as 'thick' because she had never learned to read. Enough said.
I am, like many others, sceptical about whether standards are the same as they were in our day, and whether it is nowadays possible to get an A grade at GCSE merely by randomly guessing the answers to a multiple choice paper. If so, the fault lies with the government and the examining boards. When I did my O levels I found them very challenging and I didn't get a single A grade. But it is distasteful to see disparaging messages about Harrow High, and the staff and pupils deserve congratulations for all their hard work. It is easy to demoralise and undermine the reputation of a school, and much harder to build it up again. Parents are like lemmings, and in their anxiety to do their best for their children they run to private education at the drop of a hat. All of us HCS old boys did rather well from state education and we ought to back it and not disparage it. I look forward to the day when private schools are used only by a small and eccentric minority.
I must start this note with an apology to the Headteacher at Harrow High, Christine Lenihan for a remark I made during the Gayts Day which seems to have been the spark for the recent ‘Education Debate’, namely that the balcony area above the hall was to be used as a beauty therapy area, catering for such courses. This information was given to me by TWO members of staff at HHS, which as it now turns out was incorrect. To our anonymous contributor. The results for the Harrow High Schools GCSE exams were published in the Harrow Observer yesterday, and make very good reading. Harrow High is last on the list of 10 High Schools in the local rankings, but with a very large increase in those numbers of pupils gaining A* to C grades, in fact the largest such increase of all the local high schools. 2004 saw the numbers at 33%, rising to 48% in 2005, an increase of 15%. The next largest rise was of 4% shared by two schools. I think a large pat on the back is due to all the staff and pupils at Harrow High.
Returning to browse after a longish break, I see that Gerry Lafferty has left us. I had precious few classes with Mr. Lafferty. In part, because I was too busy trying to conform with the non-conformists, skiving off to Obertelli's cafe for a fag, the fruit machine, and some beans on toast. But still, two unforgettable little lessons from Mr. Lafferty stick with me: First, to distinguish between a metaphor and a simile, remember that a metaphor is "a wee lie" (said Lafferty, in his bewitching Scottish brogue). Second, and I don't *think* I have made this up. A good word to recall to help remember what onomatopeia is all about: "pissss." As a schoolboy I thought that was hilarious. And I share both little lessons with my children today. And as I have finally muddled my way through to an English Language and Literature-related career as a book editor---these past fifteen years---I'd like to thank Mr. Lafferty's ghost for his part in that outcome. Mick (HCS 1971---1976)
For Steve Grimes: Your reproduction if ARS's accent is spot on! By the way, I have just noticed that in the 1964 CCF photgragh I am on your right (3rd along second row). Also Jeff might like to note that that the 6th along is not Birchall, but Tony Coxhill.
I was the assistant art teacher under Norman Anderson from 1971 to 1973. I didn't know about this website till now...brought back lots of memories. Are there any photos of the staff over this period??
Someone keeps leaving abusive anonymous messages about Harrow High School on this guestbook. Please note, whether you are a current pupil or an old pupil, anonymous messages will be removed!
I AM NOW LIVING IN SPAIN. I WENT TO GAYTON IN THE YEAR 1983 TILL 1989. IF YOU REMEMBER ME PLEASE WRITE. THANKS.
Times have certainly changed Alex. When I started at HCS, forty years ahead of you Alex, none of us would dream of calling each other by our first names. An exception was with boys who had attended elementary school together. Most of us did not get on a first name basis until we had known each other for several years. The same practice applied at my father's place of work. He was there for his entire career but he knew very few of his associates by their first names. I would not have expected any of the staff in my day to use first names any more than I would expect them to come to school without a tie. Our society never seems able to decide how its member should address each other. The old Quaker way of using both names without a title has always appealed to me. I doubt that I would have the courage to keep my hat on and put out my right hand saying to the Queen, "How is it with thee Elizabeth Windsor?".
Re references to 'Bill' Bigham. It is true I never knew him as I attended the school 1980 - 1984 (with Morrie Venn being my CCF CO). However, most of my contact over the last 6 years of looking after the archives has been with staff and also Bigham's widow Alice. As a result 'Bill' is normally how he is referred to to me. On an interesting point, Don Wilkey was at my house recently for a tea and chat. He mentioned that in his day, even the staff called each other by their surname. On mentioning 'Attridge' I said, yes I knew the name, Reg Attridge. His reply was one of surprise. 'Even I never knew his first name'!
Pete: Jim Golland told you the answer, as far as he was concerned, when he gushed to your form 2A about your collectively being the cream of the cream. I'm sure that goes for some of the others at least, since very intelligent teachers tend to enjoy teaching very intelligent pupils. What you say about the HCS common room (or at any rate the cream of it), I would say about our peers at the school.At Oxford I was struck by the impression that my fellow undergraduates were no smarter on the whole than my old sixth-form cohort.
"Bill" Bigham. Somebody never knew him. Man does not deserve courtesy of any prefix or salutation!
I’m sitting here wondering. Gerry Lafferty came slightly after my time, but it’s obvious he was an excellent teacher. As were several of those who taught me (Golland, D’Arcy, Mees, Marchant). There were, at the same time, the brutes (Bigham); and there were others who did not teach me in my last years there, but were incredibly rounded and fascinating individuals (Oliver, Kincaid, Skillen). I’ve spent a career in education, teaching in Juniors, Secondary, FE and Universities – but I have never once seen a staff room that came anywhere near the variety, the brilliance and the charisma of Harrow County. And that includes University work. What was it? Was it a combination of men coming back from the war and the esteem of the teaching profession at that time? Was it that groups of people had learned to serve – and wished to devote themselves to doing this in their vocational life? Because I do think, now, that it’s inconceivable that such a group of men would each choose the vocation that they, at the time, chose. I will always remember my email exchanges with Jim Golland in what turned out to be the last few years of his life – and the realisation that his pension was a pittance; and that there seemed such a contradiction between what he had given others and what he himself was given. But, at the root of his soul, was an inspiring sense of vocation that must, in my view, have been formed in a period when the community as a whole understood, at the depth of its being, the need to give – and the need to serve.
Seems almost sacrilegious to have references to Bigham in proximity to tributes to Gerry Lafferty. Bigham was a classic case of someone who shouldn't have been allowed within miles of a classroom. I certainly remember one whole academic year in which he caned between 4 and 12 boys every single 'double period' he couldn't teach. I'm not sure of the definition of psycopath but Bigham is as close as I'd ever wish to meet.
"Bill Bigham"!!!! Alex, you'll be sentenced to a week of Tuesdays under the clock. Seriously, thanks in advance for his obit - I've heard The Colonel called many things, but never Bill!
In reply to David Jackson There is an Obit of Bill Bigham (who died of a heart attack in his drive a year after leaving HCS). I'm in the archives tomorrow so will dig it out
A grey and leaden day on my return from holiday on Monday made much worse by the sad news of Gerry's demise. He taught me for two spells in 1965/66 and 1970/71. I have particularly fond memories of the latter, the year leading up to A levels. What stick in my mind are his inspired teaching and explanation of James Joyce (Portrait of the artist leading on to exploring other works) and Arthur Miller's The Crucible. I re-read (yes really) Ulysses last year and could still hear Gerry expounding its virtues. An anecdote to remember him by ? I'd choose a lesson in the room next to A2 (I think) where after a useful canter through the politics of 1950's America he broke off for a full-board demonstration of "How you make Guinness " !
I was very saddened to come back from holiday to find the news of Mr Lafferty's passing. I'd like to add to the torrent of genuinely warm feelings expressed. He is still discussed after 30 years by all the ex-HC pupils I still keep in touch with and all concur with the comments made about his influential teaching. He used to quote Dave Allen's wise saying "May your God go with you". Well, the same to you old friend - TMB, OWYJ.
Re: The Simpson soundbite. Mine didn't work either, and I rather assumed the idea was to stare fixedly at the scary picture, and imagine the voice. In fact, it's a browser thing. Works in IE, but not in Firefox. Interesting to read his obituary again. Does anyone know if there is an obit for The Colonel anywhere ? And, I'm tempted to add, if not, why not ?
In reply to Paul Romney, your browser might not be working correctly if you can't hear the sound, so you could try this link to the sound file instead: http://www.jeffreymaynard.com/Harrow_County/simpson.wav
Jeff: I turned on my speakers, clicked on the link, and sat there like the HMV doggie. A scary picture popped up but no sound came out. Now I'm all sad.
I think the anonymous contributor's estimate of the school's population in 1958 is probably about right. However, the population increased when the post-war 1947 bulge babies (of which I was one) joined HCS in September 1958. This meant all local schools had to accept a larger intake for a few years. HCS created an additional class ("E") in the first form in 1958. This increased the total intake by some 35 boys. I believe the cumulative effect of the post-war bulge years resulted in a larger population of around 1000 boys.
In
reply to Steven Grimes as to where the sound clips of ARS came from - when Alex
Bateman took over the archives, I offered my services to sort through any reel
to reel tapes and films he came across. He found quite a number of tapes, some
of which I had recorded (G and S operettas for example) and a couple of tapes I
knew had been made by Jim Golland sometime between 1955 and 1961. The two clips
concerned came from one of these tapes, but I have no idea as to when or where
the recording was made (although from the acoustic of the school motto clip, it
sounds like the New school hall).
I have since copied all the tapes into my computer and cleaned up the recordings
as necessary. CDs of the G and S and some other items, are available from Alex,
and I have recently finished recovering a tape of 'a school day' consisting of
clips of many items such as a detention list, the school orchestra rehearsing,
made-up by Jim. (This compilation is also available on CD from Alex). Some of
the clips from this tape have already been included on this web site.
As for films, after the death of Hugh Skillen, Alex has recovered the films shot
by Hugh from the end of the 50's to the beginnings of the 70s' and on the Sunday
after the recent Reunion, Alex and I viewed them. Overall the quality is still
very good, but they need to be professionally cleaned and transferred to the
digital domain for archiving.
Looking at school gossip 1943 sad to see: J.A. Bulcraig was later killed 19/07/1944
My recollection is that in 1958 the school population was 800-850 Forms 1-4 had approx 4*35 for each year =560 plus 5th and 6th forms.
Jeff. Any idea as to the source of that spooky ARS sound-bite? Was it from a speech day? Guess it came from early '50s, referring to predecessor Randall Williams and 850 boys? HCS was much larger by late '50s. An interesting reminder of how to pronounce "wirtooosss known stemmmmar"!
Re 1943 Gossip….fascinating to see that the School was contributing to ‘Mrs Churchill’s Aid to Russia’ scheme. On first glance, I assumed it was yet another Pavilion Fund ruse, but I was miles off and forgot that the piece was written in the middle of the war. But it is somehow reassuring to note that at that time – before the Stalin/Roosevelt/Churchill meetings got into their fullest swing – that we did acknowledge in this country the immensity of the Soviet’s war efforts. This particular fund was handled by the Women’s Institute: http://www.womens-institute.org.uk/archive/aidtorussia.shtml
Dave. I can't faithfully reproduce ARS's accent but I seem to recall him going bonkers about "short-ee coat-ees", "woodpecker shoes" and "eye-tal-ianate fashions". (circa 1962). Square much preferred us all to wear sensible shoes, green caps and navy blue raincoats. I don't recall the Swedish travellers, but I suppose we all have selective memories of that era.
Maybe "our vision is that every child should walk tall, if he has the height, and should feel able to blend with the crowd, if he doesn't stand out". Or maybe in the spirit of Lewis Carroll "to us, life is a race in which everyone has won and all should have prizes". No, I'm not very good at this mission statement thing. I suppose German schools probably opt for something along the lines of "Arbeit Macht Frei". Er, am I allowed to say that? Probably not.
Steve, I remember the woodpecker shoes, but my recollection is of the rain-gear being attributed to "third class Swedish travellers" - or is my memory really shot?
To hear ARS, turn your speakers on and click here: http://www.jeffreymaynard.com/Harrow_County/arsimpson.htm
For Peter Fowler. Your research was very interesting and I am sure that was Square in your Dunfermline photo. I stared at the face and it came to life. I started to hear a stern but far-away voice wafting from my computer speaker. It seemed to be making some kind of strong protest about birds. Was it criticising woodpeckers? Then again, it might have been making some comment about the rain-gear worn by Italians. On the other hand, could it have been threatening to come down amongst you? I am not quite sure what it all meant; the sound quality was still not very good …………...
The paragraphing problem: Yes, I don't know why, but the programme strips out the line-returns etc. Every now and then, when I do some editing to remove spam and the like, I manually add them back in - that is why the paragraphs often reappear!
Jeff.
A teccie question: any contribution I presently make is de-paragraphed, which is mildly annoying. Anyone else experiencing this?
Just
been thinking of Jon's contribution about 'Mission Statements'. I think a new
Harrow County would see something like this:
Harrow County Boys Grammar School helps boys achieve their dreams. It provides a
unique stage on which our pupils learn and perform the play of life, in both
physical and mental contexts; demonstrating, in a manner befitting the century
in which we live, the energy and the power needed to reach the stars in an
explosion of fulfilled potentials.
PER VIRTUS AD ASTRA
Note: ‘stemma’, in the context of the old song, resonates with a class
ridden past and a political philosophy now seen as obsolete.
Note: ‘ardua’, as in the context of the motto from which the new version
above was stolen, is now highly inappropriate for a secondary school in the new
century. We have replaced our studies of ‘Volpone’, ‘Erewhon’ and
‘King Lear’ with the much more lively curriculum choices of ‘Coronation
Street’ (‘the latent bisexuality in the relationship between Candice and
Fizz’), ‘Big Brother 5’ (‘the juxtaposition of decontextualised Tory
Black Homosexuality and ASBOs from Essex’) and ‘Women NewsReaders for the
New Millennium’ (‘ a Foucaultian approach to the ambiguities of Natasha
Kaplinsky’)
When Gerry Lafferty ceded control to Gerry Rafferty….
Jon, welcome to the 'crazy-zone', where PC rules. Your comment that the mission statement is an oxmoron, will be challenged by vested interests. Beware that your comments will be called divise and you may even be called crazy. However if you don't mind the verbal assault, then enjoy some of the hysteria that will ensue, especially from relatives of prominent members of the OG establishment. You are but part of a much larger group that agrees with your premise, but is shouted down by the PC brigade.
I am always amused by today's fashion for "mission statements" for any organisation, and I see that Harrow High School has one. You'd think, wouldn't you, that every school could share the same mission statement and not feel the need to create its own unique statement of its vision for children's education........ anyway, here's Harrow High's statement. Have a good laugh. "We are committed...to offering an education which enables all our students to have a unique chance to be equal and the same chance to be different." If Jim Golland were alive today he'd have great fun devising parodies of statements like that.
I too mourn the passing of our teachers, and was truly blessed by their ability to pass on the most important message, that learning never stops. I hope that today's pupils get the same inspirational message and will carry on into higher education. I look forward to reviewing the examination results of the school compared to local and national results. Someone is bound to talk about added-value and language, as well as other compensatory reasons for current philosphy of education.
Peter "Min" Vincent Hi Peter, thank you for the educators perspective. IMHO the core subject should be English, maths and PC/IT skills to match todays needs. No more stinks and bombs from chemistry - not politically correct. Physics is no longer relevent now that gravity waves have exceeded the speed of light. Biology without Bigham thank god. I am not well enough informed about your side of the fence to suggest what the answer is. I can only propose what a parent wants. What do you think about CAL - computer aided learning? Its big in the States rgds
Having been absent from the site for some time it was with great sadness that I heard of the death of Mr Lafferty. I also noted that Mr Bodiam had also died. If any members of either family has occasion to read these comments I extend my sympathies to them. Both John Bodiam and Gerry Lafferty were men whom I found inspirational as teachers but who also possessed an infinite knowledge of the machinations of small boys and an approachable nature. Through the HCS English department Messrs Robertson, Golland, Lafferty and Bilson my love of literature and poetry was nurtured finally resulting in my proceeding through a first degree and then tackling an MA very late in life. If any who read this remember me I would welcome contact.
Jeff, isn’t the Web wonderful? Found myself once again so easily diverted from doing proper work by following your Simpson leads. All his international cricket performances can be seen here, circa 1928/32: http://www.cricketeurope.org/CSTATZ/saltires/csthome.htm I note he is the 9th best wicket keeper in Scottish international cricket history. But, better than that is this (patient! it takes a little time to load): http://www.dunfermlinerugby.com/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=4 If you look down the page (if the link doesn’t work, it’s the ‘History’ section, available from the Club’s home page), check the FOURTH PICTURE down. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but that guy the second on the left on the second row from the back just has to be my old favourite Square. Bet he’s got a covert fag in one of his hands.
A quick bit of research reveals that Dr. Simpson was Rector of the Arbroath High School from 1939-46. He was commanding officer of 1041 Squadron of the ATC. Before the war he was Senior Classics Master at the Harris Academy, Dundee. As an international cricketer he played in fourteen matches for Scotland, incuding twice against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand and once against All India. He also played Rugby for some years for Dunfermline, a first-class club in Scottish Rugby Union.
Billy Peters refers to ARS' arriving from Dundee. I always understood that was a previous appointment and that he arrived with us fresh from Arbroath. (famed for Harry Lauder and kippers as opposed to cake and marmalade).
Very sorry to hear about the passing away of Jock Lafferty; he was an inspirational teacher of English. I have a clear memory of him once asking the class what we thought were the worst words in the world. His were "Auschwitz", "Treblinka", etc.
Interesting - the only memories of Jock Lafferty are good ones - and mine are just the same. He taught me English from first form to GCE - then Jago took over - and I did not prosper. I too remember General Studies Satire - and he instilled in me a love of things like that. As for his English lessons they were a delight. Amongst many amusing moments was the time when one of the class read 'Et tu Brute. Then fall Caesar' in a very loud voice - and Jock pointed out the inappropriate nature of such a tone. he was always encouraging and interested in new ideas whilst making people think. He used us pupils to research things as well as bringing his own slant on things. Oh for a Pool Reader system today - that really got me into several authors that I still find fascinating. Also the only teacher to give me a detention in the first form for talking - well deserved. I had the privilege of going to Lafferty mansions - ostensibly to do some gardening in the holidays. he picked us from Uxbridge and when it rained we were gainfully employed cataloguing his library. Also encountered him on holiday - going the wrong way down a one way street. A great teacher and an inspiration - shame about my two failures at English Lit O Level. He will be missed.
This site is fantastic!! I keep coming back to it. I can add a couple of points on Dr ARS, as, by coincidence, he was my father's Latin master in Dundee before the war: 1. Although corporal punishment was common in Scottish schools before the war, ARS was the only teacher in the school to so punish girls. 2. When he left Dundee many people were under the impression he was going to be Head of Harrow School!! Something he apparently did little to deny.
Actually I attribute most of what I have achieved in life to Gerry Lafferty, if only because I had little academic ability other than in English, and I don't think I'd have made it to Oxford to study English Literature without his encouragement (given liberally to all his pupils) and his skill in teaching us. He was one of those "captain, my captain" teachers. And better than Robin Williams. One of his gifts was to teach us to recognise bad poetry for what it was. That was quite a shock at first, because schoolboys are usually encouraged to treat all poetry with reverence and fear. If you could manage to understand the author's intention, you could then admire the poem. Never ridicule it. But Jock Lafferty read us the poetry of William Macgonagall ("alas noble Prince Leopold, he is dead! Who often hath his lustre shed". Shed?!) and I have a recollection of one wonderful lesson when he took us through a poem which began with something about the jonquils blooming in Samarkhand and finished "and Stratford's church guards dearer dust, Than Omar's shrine". We weren't sure what to make of it at first. It was a poem that rejoiced in the fact that our nation had given birth to Shakespeare. Yes, said Jock, in a comical parody of a Scottish housewife, it's simply telling us "WE'VE got the BEST". And we could then see through the images, the assonance and the iambic rhythmns, to the shallow sentiments inside the poem. It was probably afterwards that I got into trouble with Jago for making fun of some lines in Wordsworth... still, Jock's encouragement to us to question authority, read a good newspaper and to enjoy art rather than fear it, was something we all took away with us into our future lives. As Jock would have said: am I right or am I wrong? It was nice to be asked - not every teacher did. And he was usually right, anyway.
I believe the missing artefacts were given to what became known in the 1950s as 'The Pavilion Fund'. This was a catch-all revenue stream that has already been discussed many times on this forum.
The remark about the spear in 'Gossip from 1913' caught my eye too. I do not remember it or the geological specimens. I do recall the pictures that people started donating. When I arrived at the school in 1940, just about every wall in the corridors and the then Hall, was covered with pictures. There was a memorable one illustrating Canterbury Tales on the wall above the bench "under the clock". All of these pictures were removed over a summer holiday about 1945 or 1946 when the gas lights were also removed and Randall Williams departed. Some of the prints must have been expensive and even the frames of some value. I have no idea how they were disposed of.
Please note that Gerry Lafferty's funeral will be at:
Exeter Crematorium, Topsham Road, Exeter EX2 6EU, next Tuesday the 23rd August at 3pm and afterwards at the Lafferty family home,
Upwood ,Old Beer Road, Seaton, Devon, EX12 2PX.
Gerry's son John can be contacted at 07967 527283.
Mrs Lafferty (Patty) has asked for family flowers only.
Condolence letters can be sent to:
Upwood, Old Beer Road, Seaton, Devon, EX12 2PX.
School Gossip 1913 "Captain Timmis has presented us with an Arab spear that he picked up on the field of battle at the engagement at Omdurman" I wonder what happened to that spear.
I was saddened to hear of Gerry Lafferty's death. For me, his lessons we