Reminiscences

I don’t think I could write much about my

memories, because it was very long time ago.

However, I do remember being in the Officer Training Corps which took place on Tuesday afternoons I think. I don’t suppose there is one now.

I was in the Army section first. I think our Officer Commanding was Major Gregory (ie the teacher, Mr Gregory, in uniform).

We had annual Field Days and on one of them, around 1951 or ‘52 we had a training exercise on Spaniorum Hill near Easter Compton. I enjoyed that day - also good views!! After a year or so you could change to the RAF or to the Naval Section which was commanded by Mr Dyson.

I chose the latter and I remember that for one Field Day we went to Portsmouth where we visited HMS Belfast and we went on a cruise on her in Southampton Water.

Geoff Herbert

(1949-1957)

..................................................

‘4th March... a date that

was drummed into me at my junior school.

It was a Saturday, 1972. I was 11 and scared half to death.

I was dropped off to take an exam, in order that I might get a place at this school. I’d read Tom Brown’s Schooldays, Just William and all those tales of tuck shops, canes, wizard wheezes and prefects, fagging, lines and being ‘one of the chaps’!

‘If you want a bookish education, Latin, Greek, all that, then this is the place for you’. Mr. Jackson, my affable class teacher told me.

Did I want this?

My parents thought I did, and here I was. I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t know anything about Latin apart from a few mottos my Dad knew and an explanation of the word ‘via’ by my best friend. He was already doing Latin at Clifton College and anyway was far more brainy ever than I. I hoped there wouldn’t be a Latin exam today.

Or anything about Greeks. I knew a joke about Grecian Urns from Morecambe and Wise but that was it. I sat at my desk in the hall and worried that I would be marched out halfway through with all these other boys sniggering at my lack of knowledge.

Then I sat an English paper and some Verbal Reasoning and we were allowed out into the playground - the teacher in his long black cloak called it the ‘Quad’.

I went to the loo and got a drink, and came back outside. Nobody was there!! I panicked and saw an open door, running for it with my heart in my mouth. The teacher was gesturing and frowning, I hoped he wouldn’t cane me but he just bellowed ‘come here, boy!!’

The room was quiet but all eyes were on me as I trotted to my desk. Frowning was big in that hall. Another two papers, one Maths and the other Comprehension.

Thank God there was no Latin. Or French - although I’d practised my French and I could talk about ‘la plume de ma tante’ if needed. For a bit.

Then I was free. Boys from the school, smart in their uniforms stood in groups. They frowned at me. I kept my head down and headed for the gate and the sanctuary of my dad’s car. I jumped in and we talked about it all the way home. I thought I was doomed never to darken those gates again.

49 years ago today and I still remember that day so clearly. I got in - won a scholarship! It wasn’t like Tom Brown’s school days and although I did get to study Latin, it was far from a bookish education.

But as so many say - I wish I’d worked harder at School!!

Stuart Dymond

(1972-1979)

.....................................................

It was the summer term of 1965 just prior to A levels.

The Bicycle Sheds had been converted into two class rooms which were occupied by the maths 6, access to one

was through the other, which was not ideal. Revision consisted of tackling old papers, and we found ourselves unable to do one of these pure maths questions.

Mike Drew was our form master and was presented with the problem. Unfortunately, Mike couldn’t do it either and was barracked.

Things went too far, of course, and it culminated in Dave Tyler picking up the teacher by the scruff of his neck and throwing him into the other class-room, (which was in session) whilst informing him and every one else that he was useless and not to come back.

Very surprisingly there were no immediate repercussions. Dave had never before misused his strength and went on to captain Bristol Rugby for three seasons and Mike spent his entire career at the Grammar School ending up as head of the Maths dept. I left school in 1960 and went to Birmingham University where I got a degree in English and, more importantly, met the girl who became my wife. I had an interesting career in industry and along the way picked up an OBE for services to the food industry.

Nick Fitzpatrick

(1954-1965)

.....................................................

I see from the latest edition of Bristolienses

that you welcome photos so I attach one that I took towards the end of the summer term in 1960.

The form room at that time was in an upstairs room at Norwood House. I can’t recall all the names – well it was 60 years ago! My tentative identifications are shown below.

My wife and I retired some fifteen years ago and now live in Dorset where we have taken up a number of voluntary roles. Currently I am president of Wimborne Probus.

I could provide more detail if you think it would be of interest

Best regards

Mike Webber

(1954-1960)

.....................................................

Front row: Thomas; D Clark; Littlejones Second row standing: Clarke T J; Brown; Perkins; Second row seated: Moody Back row: Griffiths; Archer; Maine; ?; Randall; ?; Boyd; Tomlinson. The ?s possibly include Osborne, and Comber