VISIT LINCOLN’S HISTORIC GUILDHALL

The

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Kate Fenn, Civic Manager on 01522 873303 E-mail: kate.fenn@lincoln.gov.uk pupils over the years to receive his favourite form of ‘encouragement’: “Harrod! What you know about chemistry could be written on a postage stamp and there would still be room for the Lord’s Prayer!”

Mr Dollery’s obituary recorded that he came to Lincoln School in his young and palmy days full of life and vigour.

The tribute recalled how delighted the school was to hear that it not only had a chemistry master to succeed the popular and longserving Mr G A H Mence, but also an expert at cricket and no mean performer at soccer.

During the days following the First World War, games were undergoing a revival, and the appointment of such a keen sportsman was a tonic to everyone concerned.

He was master in charge of the cricket First Eleven in the 1950s, and I recall with admiration the mesmerising effect of his slow bowling and the elegance of his stroke play during matches between the school and the staff.

It was a sad moment when he was taken with an illness that prevented him from playing and coaching at the nets. Nothing could have been more galling to him than to become a mere onlooker.

It was not only on the games field that he helped to bring about a revival, but also in the science department. Many former pupils returned to thank him for his help and interest in their studies, and it was a memorable moment when he was installed in the new chemistry laboratory at Lincoln School, although tinged with sadness that he did not live long enough to enjoy it.

My own fond memories of Mr Dollery were of his leadership of a group of pupils who had the good fortune to accompany him and his wife Thelma on a trip to the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland. It was during that eye-opening trip that I came to realise, as a young and inexperienced 14-year-old, that masters were human, who had a sense of humour and a caring concern for their charges. His wife Thelma also accompanied him on the trip and provided a most sensitive and understanding maternal influence, particularly when a party of girls arrived at our hotel from a high school in Blackpool!

Mr Dollery joined the staff of Lincoln School in 1927 and served it ably and faithfully for almost 40 years until his retirement in 1966. He is one of many masters who have earned the title of Lincoln School legend.