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The Journal of the Old Scarborians’ Association
Members of the Association are former pupils
and members of staff of
Scarborough High School for Boys
Volume 72– November 2016
Old Scarborians’ Association
Web address: http://oldscarborians.org
Price £3.00
Tene Propositum
SUMMER TIMES
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www.MsAglobalsolutions.com
PROBLEM SOLVING ISN’T SOMETHING WE DO AT MSA…
...IT’S WHAT WE DO AT MSA”
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SUMMER TIMES NOVEMBER 2016 EVENTS DIARY 2016/17
OLIVERS MOUNT WREATH LAYING Vice-President elect Barry Beanland will lay the OSA’s wreath at the an-nual commemorative Service on Olivers Mount on Sunday, 13th Novem-ber 2016 from 1030am. Members and families are welcome.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2016 The AGM will be held on THURSDAY 1st December 2016 at 7.00pm at Scarborough Rugby Club. All members are welcome.
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS DINNER 2016 FRIDAY, 2nd December 2016, at 7pm for 8pm, at SRUFC, Scalby Road, Scarborough. (The club premises are between Scalby and Burniston on the right hand side of the road after leaving Scalby village) Price £28 which includes limited wine. All Members are welcome. Please use the enclosed form and book as soon as possible. Contact Bob Heaps with any queries, 01723 365597, E-mail: [email protected].
ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENTS 2017 Dates for 2017 will be Dr Meadley Cup, Thursday 18th May and the TA
Smith Cup —Stableford, Thursday 17th August, both at North Cliff Golf Club. A dinner will follow the second event. Please contact Mick Bowman to book places (e-Mail: [email protected], Tel: 01287 634650) OR Dave Ellard for further details. (Email:[email protected] 01723 373116
ANNUAL LONDON LUNCH – 2017 Difficulties have been encountered with The Farmers Club and we are now holding this event at the RAF Club, 128, Piccadilly, Lon-don, W1J7PY on Saturday 1st April 2017. Full details will be pro-vided on the booking form, enclosed with this copy of Summer Times. Any queries, please to Secretary Bob Heaps.
ANNUAL BOWLS MATCH 2017 FRIDAY, 25th August 2017. Manor Road Bow ling Club. P lease contact Chris Found for details 01723 882343. E-mail: [email protected]
OSA TIES & MEMBERSHIP— Association ties are available at £10. Please send your order accompanied by a cheque to Treasurer Chris Found. (Address page 4). For new members Life membership is £10 – or please send £20 if you require a tie.
Please send items for the May 2017 issue of Summer Times to Peter Newham, (address on page 4), as soon as possible please, but to reach him by 15th February 2017 at the latest, to fit in with holidays, print schedules etc. Items sent by e-mail are of great help, otherwise please type or write your letter and mail it on to him.
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CONTENTS 3. Events Diary 4. Contents/ Committee Contacts 6. Committee reports 12. OSA Committee Minutes 13. Corrigendum 14. From Here and There 14. Out of School Action 16. Geoff Lee writes 17. Dena Hebditch 18. Bruce Rowbotham 21. Obituaries 23. Court Capers 24. Clive Tomblin 26. Philip Mann 28. A Ramble through the past 30. Hastings Scholarships 32. London Lunch 33. 60th Anniversary London Dinner 33. It Happened in… 35. Leo Walmsley 36. Keith Dutton 37. Bussing to School 41. Memories are made of this 42. Trivia
SUMMER TIMES PRODUCTION: EDITOR Peter Newham
‘Badger’s Rise’
8 Southcrest
Hunsbury Hill
Northampton NN4 9UD
Tel: 01604 767895
E-mail: [email protected]
DESIGN & LAYOUT David Fowler
Farthings Publishing
8 Christine House
1 Avenue Victoria
Scarborough. YO11 2QB
Tel: 01723 365448
E-mail: [email protected]
COMMITTEE 2016
PRESIDENT
Peter Newham
‘Badger’s Rise’
8 Southcrest
Hunsbury Hill
Northampton NN4 9UD
Tel: 01604 767895
E-mail: [email protected]
VICE-PRESIDENTS
Mick Bowman
9 Ilkley Grove,
GUISBOROUGH, Cleveland
TS14 8LL
Tel: 01287 634650
E-Mail: [email protected]
David Fowler
Farthings Publishing
8 Christine House
1 Avenue Victoria
Scarborough. YO11 2QB
Tel: 01723 365448
E-mail: [email protected] SECRETARY Bob Heaps
67 Newby Farm Road
Newby
Scarborough YO12 6UJ
Tel: 01723 365597
E-mail: [email protected]
ARCHIVIST POSITION VACANT. A VOLUNTEER REQUIRED PLEASE! INDEPENDENT REVIEWERS 1:Peter Berry 01723 362633
2: Position vacant
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MAGAZINE ADVERTISING Chris Found
Pinewood Cottage
Silpho Scarborough
North Yorkshire. YO13 0JP
Tel: 01723 882343
E-mail: [email protected] MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Geoff Winn
‘Kingfishers
5 Beech Court
North Street,
Scalby,
Scarborough, YO13 0RU
Tel: 01723 362414
E-mail: [email protected] PRESS & PUBLICITY Patrick Argent
Flat 3, 11 Fulford Road,
Scarborough YO11 2SH
Tel: 01723 501151
E-mail: [email protected] SPORTING EVENTS GOLF Dave Ellard
74 Longwestgate, Scarborough
YO11 1RG
01723 373116
(Contact Mick Bowman to book
events and for day to day que-
ries)) BOWLS Chris Found
Pinewood Cottage
Silpho, Scarborough YO13 0JP
Tel: 01723 882343
E-mail: [email protected]
TREASURER Chris Found
Pinewood Cottage
Silpho
Scarborough North Yorkshire.
YO13 0JP
Tel: 01723 882343
E-mail: [email protected] WEB SITE MANAGER http://oldscarborians.org
Bill Potts
3636 Edison Avenue, Apt 104
Sacramento
CA 95821-2750
USA
Tel: +0019165149974
E-mail: [email protected]
ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Colin Adamson 01723 364373
Barry Beanland 01723 366401
HONORARY LIFE VICE- PRESIDENTS Howard Acklam 01723 584061
Frank Bamforth 01723 364432
Mick Bowman 01287 634650
Chris Found 01723 882343
David Fowler 01723 365448
Maurice Johnson 01262 470272
Bill Potts 001 916 514 9974
Peter Robson 01723 859335
Geoff Winn 01723 362414
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EDITORIAL After the surfeit of
material in the
May Edition, to
the point where
some of it was
actually held back
to augment this
Issue and my reg-
ular crying of wolf in relation to contri-
butions was seemingly then exposed
as mere editorial neurosis, I now re-
gret, as will be apparent from the
shrinking size of this Issue, the need to
revert to pessimistic type and to renew
my pleas! Apart from one or two en-
thusiastic Members, a liberal dosage of
previous material exhumed historical-
ly from a cache of old Magazines, the
trawling of which has well repaid the
effort, and my own literary diarrhoea,
we have struggled to put together this
volume, which is a real shame in terms
of communication, though perhaps
inevitable given the passage of time!
Once again I must cajole, beg and
threaten Members for articles, recol-
lections, career updates, anything
likely to be of interest to their con-
temporaries, as this is the very life-
blood of the Magazine, the continued
existence of which is a major factor in
preserving continued contact be-
tween us all and maintaining for as
long as possible the ethos of the
School to which we all owe so much!
Peter Newham (1954-61) Editor
PRESIDENTIAL An advantage, or perhaps a handicap,
of being a lawyer is the alleged talent
for never running out of words, but, in
the context of dual Presidency of the
Association and Editorship of the
Magazine recording both our activities
and memories, it becomes difficult to
avoid repetition, so apologies in ad-
vance in respect of this!
In this latter context I do also feel, as
now foreign to the County, somewhat
of an imposter in trying to officiate
from Northampton, a task only made
possible by the valiant local Scar-
borough efforts of my Joint Deputies
Mick Bowman and David Fowler, not
only in relation to local meetings,
where they have turn- by-turn officiat-
ed, but the latter of whom for many
years has also kept me on the comput-
erial straight and narrow in relation to
final assembly of the contents of the
Magazine and arrangement of the
printing. Whilst it perhaps seems
invidious to pick out other Committee
members, Geoff Winn's assiduous
scouring of the ends of the earth to
locate, cajole, and on occasion coerce
potential Members must also be men-
tioned in dispatches as conduct over
and above the call of duty!
The Presidential report is normally a
summary of events, largely local dur-
ing the year, but this time I must plead
guilty to departing from the norm both
by attaching a summary of Committee
meetings to inform Members, and to
take the opportunity to indulge in a
little Presidential preaching!
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In relation to the former I am very
pleased to report that Barry Beanland,
who is known to a great many Mem-
bers, both as a pupil from 1950-56 and
latterly to many more of the Woodland
intake as a Master from 1966-73 is be-
ing recommended to the next AGM in
December as Vice -President until his
then accession in December 2017 as my
successor.
Turning to matters more philosophi-
cal, - why is it nowadays that an air of
incredulity is often first reaction to the
admission that one is a Member, or,
even more oddly, on the Committee of
an Old Boys Association, coupled with
the unspoken suspicion that there is
something rather sad about those who
look back on the AE Houseman - "land
of lost content" and their formative past,
- a regression perhaps to a second
childhood!
It is a reaction that most of us may
have encountered, but one which I
would vigorously refute. In this con-
text it is understood that it is unusual
these days for Schools to have a sig-
nificant active caucus of alumni, let
alone a School which ceased operation
more than 40 years ago.
Whilst it would be wrong to suc-
cumb to a "school days are the happi-
est days of your life" syndrome, which
would be a sad reflection on our sub-
sequent progress through life, or for us
to over-idealise the education in our
formative years, "what's past may be
prologue" to perhaps pretentiously quote
from the Tempest), but we are now
what we were, and all owe our pre-
sent and our future to our past, and no
apology should be needed for recog-
nising and celebrating this with our
contemporaries and fellow partici-
pants in our common heritage.
Wearing my Editor's hat, I feel partic-
ularly conscious of this, being in con-
tact with Old Boys throughout the
world with so many diverse achieve-
ments and occupations, all of whom
have in common their grounding at
the School, their respective memories
of it and the debt which we owe to
those who have contributed, for better
or worse, to this.
How are we doing as an association?
Not badly for our age would be the
medical prognosis, though inevitably
as our numbers decline we must miss
and reflect on absent friends, but it is
my hope that not only the still well-
attended Annual Dinner, the London
Lunch (which I can thoroughly com-
mend, and as to which see further in
this Magazine) and indeed Summer
Times itself can survive for many years
yet before they and we are totally con-
signed to the history books.
Finally, as a Committee member of
the Association with a perhaps de-
served reputation for pessimism it is
difficult for me to now credibly lecture
the membership in my current Presi-
dential mode, particularly as a non-
Scarborough resident myself, but it
must be said that its future manage-
ment and effective continuance is in-
creasingly an issue in relation to diffi-
culty in finding Members prepared to
put their heads above the parapet and
to actively participate in organising
our activities.
We continue to almost wholly de-
pend on the continued sterling ser-
vice of very few long-standing Mem-
bers, - our Hon. Membership Secre-
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tary, Layout Editor, Hon Treasurer,
and former Secretary, all of whom,
with respect, are not in the first flush
of Old Scarborian youth, (me nei-
ther!), and there is an urgent and
pressing need to provide further real
effective support from other mem-
bers of Committee and beyond if we
are to continue. Peter Newham (1954-61) President SECRETARIAL The main part of
my report is, I am
afraid, a plea! The
Association still
has about 600
members despite
the School closing
over 40 years ago
and has a hard working committee but
we still need contributions from mem-
bers. Peter Newham is always grateful
for contributions to this Magazine, the
Golf and Bowls still need members to
take part so please make the effort to
arrange a trip to Scarborough to take
part and contact other members or
year group friends to join you.
Our 2 main social functions are the
Scarborough Dinner which is still well
attended and often has Members trav-
elling from all over the globe: this
year’s booking form should be en-
closed and there is not long to go, so
please return it promptly with your
cheque. We have 3 or 4 year groups
who consistently manage to get a
number of friends attending so see if
you can get some of your year to come
along. Keith Milner has agreed to
speak this year about the Great Train
Robbery which should be very inter-
esting.
The London Lunch has about 25 to
30 attending and is a very good day
out or weekend in the capital if you
can make it. This year it was at the
East India club courtesy of Geoff Winn
and was an excellent meeting. The
booking form for 2017 should also be
enclosed.
If you need any information about
any of our events or about Scar-
borough in general please feel free to
contact me, preferably by E mail and I
will try to answer any of your ques-
tions. Bob Heaps (1967-74) TREASURIAL
Since the last year
end on 31st August
2015 we have made a
profit of £37 on the
Christmas Dinner
and a loss of £34 on
the London Lunch.
We have received
subs and donations of £691, the main
part of which is a donation of £500
from Barrie Pawson of York which
was accompanied by a short message
saying " To funds, keep it up!!"
The two issues of Summer Times dur-
ing the period had a net cost of £611
and £586 respectively and other ex-
penses were minimal.
The current balance with our bank is
£7436 and there are no outstanding
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liabilities.
Overall our financial position contin-
ues to be satisfactory.
Chris Found (1951-59) Treasurer SPORTING EVENTS GOLF The two Old Scarborians Golf Compe-
titions were well supported with 15
members playing in the Doctor
Meadley Cup and 19 playing in the T.
A. Smith Cup. The second competition
was followed by a presentation dinner
attend by 21 Old Boys as follows:
John Riley, Phil Pearson, Rod Emms,
Dave Burnley, Dave Ellard, Bill
Potter, Paul Gridley, Roy Moor, Chris
Found, Freddie Drabble, Mark Moor-
house, Paul Moorhouse, Fred Crosby,
Richard Hutton, Geoff Winn, Mick
Bowman, Peter Bell, Andrew Wilson,
Pete Lassey, David McDonald, Keith
Fryirs, Dave Gardiner, Barry Bean-
land and David Fowler.
Results:
Doctor Meadley Cup
1st John Riley,
2nd Phil Pearson,
3rd Rod Emms
T.A.Smith Cup.
1st Peter Lassey,
2nd Dave Burnley
3rd Mark Moorhouse
North Cliff Golf Course once again
gave us use of the course for which the
Association would like to thank them.
Dates for next year:
Doctor Meadley Cup
Thursday 18th May, first tee time 2pm.
T.A.Smith Cup
Thursday 18th August, first tee time
1.30pm.
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The presentation dinner will take place
immediately after the August competi-
tion.
All ex pupils of the School are wel-
come even if they are not members so
please join us in 2017.
Contacts: Dave Ellard and Mick Bow-
man Dave Ellard (1969-73) BOWLS The ninth competition for the Geoff
Nalton Crown Green Bowling Tro-
phy took place on Friday 26th August
at the Manor Road Bowling Club. Nine
Old Boys took part in this most friend-
ly of matches on a glorious sunny day.
Chris Found deserves our thanks for
organising the event which went with-
out a hitch.
The Plate Final was between Dave
Burnley and Howard Acklam with
Dave coming out top 17-13. In the
Trophy final Chris beat Les Stockwill,
winner in the previous two years by 18
- making Chris a three times champi-
on.
Our thanks go to the Manor Road
Club for the use of their green and to
Dee Found and Pam Gofton for
providing the lunch and dozens of
cups of tea and coffee.
Tom Gofton (1951-9) MEMBERSHIP SECRETARIAL So far the optimism I
expressed in the last
issue has proved
correct and I am able
to report a net in-
crease in member-
ship over the six
months, albeit not as
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great as I had hoped. My recruiters are
working hard and the full fruits of
their efforts should be seen in the com-
ing years. Many thanks to those who
are helping in this way. There is also
an increase in the numbers playing in
the two Annual Golf competitions,
mainly from the Scarborough area, but
for those who live further away, do
consider the possibility of a couple of
days in the town where you grew up
and enjoy the pleasures of a round at
the North Cliff course.
I mentioned last time that I have
lists of those who signed in to Friends
Reunited before it closed and, if you
let me know the year you left and also
your year of joining the School, I
would gladly let you have the other
names from your year so that you can
approach them. I do not have address-
es, but some did enter the town or city
in the UK where they live. Most of
those who live abroad have entered
this information.
This half year, I have added the
names of a few Old Boys who joined in
the past, but with whom contact has
been lost. If you have an address for
any of them, please let me know.
New Members :
Boyce, John 1957-64
Child, Robert 1968-73
Deighton, Stephen 1968-73
Eddon, Kenneth 1961-67
Fryirs, Keith 1968-73
Gardiner, David 1969-73
Jobson, Mark 1968-73
Lansdale,Graham 1968-73
Pettitt, Nigel 1971-73
Steel, Roger 1963-70
Tomblin, Clive 1956-61
Watson, Keith 1968-73
Deceased
Allen, Peter 1966-73
Barmby, Michael 1950-58
Boyes, Albert 1932-39
Dowd, George 1957-64
Hutchinson, Ron 1944-52
London, George 1945-54
Lost Contact
Blower, Richard
Bower, Peter
Flint, Colin 1951-57
Glaves, Stephen
Graves, John
Procter, Harvey
Robinson, Norman 1970-75
Steel, Paul 1959-67
Geoff Winn (1949-56) Membership Secretary
WEBMASTER’S REPORT In my last report, I
mentioned that the
very popular Keith
Dutton, who was
Woodwork master
from 1953 to 1964,
had provided us
with photographs from camps in the
Scottish Highlands, North Wales and
Switzerland. I’ve spent many hours
gaining some familiarity with them,
with the help of many online articles
and, especially with the Google Earth
application. Keith also provided a
small number of additional sports
photographs.
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In a letter to David Fowler, Keith
revealed that he was terminally ill and
would not be able, as David had hoped,
to attend the London Lunch. After an
exchange of emails with Geoff Winn, I
discovered that Keith would like those
he knew at the school to contact him.
Shortly after that, I phoned him. Alt-
hough his time at the School over-
lapped mine by only two years, he re-
membered with apparent delight who I
was. Since then, we have exchanged a
few emails. In the latest, ever the opti-
mist, he said, “It is now a year since they
gave me 3 to 6 months to live and I feel
great and optimistically bought myself a
suit last week!! I’m not going anywhere
just yet and can still saw accurately on the
waste side of the line!!”
By the time you read this, most of the
Keith Dutton material may be on the
Old Scarborians Web site, along with
links to some really dazzling Web sites
with contemporary high-resolution
photographs of the same territories
explored by Keith and his happy camp-
ers.
Coincidentally, Norman Overfield
(1948–1956) was also unable to attend
this year’s London Lunch to which he
would be travelling with John Mitchell
(1947–1956) and both their wives. Un-
fortunately, he found he had been
scheduled for surgery to rectify prob-
lems with his back and legs. I was able
to set up a special personalised email
announcement, sent to each of 280
email-using members with postal codes
in North, East, South and West York-
shire, providing them with a means to
contact Norm to get one or more of
four First Class return tickets (Leeds-
London) and two prepaid room reser-
vations. Every ticket and reservation
found a home.
Unfortunately, Norm’s surgery was
not a success, but he is being scheduled
for further surgery by two leading spe-
cialists at Leeds General Infirmary.
John Mitchell is hoping that he,
Norm, and their wives will be able to
attend this year’s Christmas Dinner at
the Rugby Club.
Bill Potts (1946- 55) Webmaster OLD SCARBORIANS ASSOCIATION: SUMMARY OF MINUTES OF A MEETING HELD ON AUGUST 2nd 2016 Members present: Acting Chairman
David Fowler, Bob Heaps, Mick Bow-
man, Chris Found, Howard Acklam,
Geoff Winn, Peter Berry, Barry Bean-
land
Apologies: P. Newham, P. Robson, C.
Adamson, P. Argent, M. Johnson.
Matters Arising: Fred Crosby has now
stepped down and now no longer
wishes to arrange the Golf. Peter Allen
(Reviewer) had now died.
Officers Reports:
Chris Found (Hon. Treasurer) reported
that a profit of £37 had been made on
the Dinner and a slight loss on the Lon-
don Lunch. We have received a gener-
ous donation of £500 from Barrie Paw-
son.
Geoff Winn reported that we had 5 new
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members and 4 deaths.
Peter Newham mailed a Presidential
Report.
AGM: The sub-committee have recom-
mended Barry Beanland as the Vice
President and subsequently president
from Dec. 2017. This was unanimously
accepted and will be recommended for
ratification at the AGM on Thursday
December 1st.
London Lunch: Several comments on
2016 from Peter Newham and Bob
Heaps were read. The central location
and venue were good but attendance
was disappointing. It was decided to
continue with the event and The Farm-
ers Club was suggested providing that
their re-furbishment was complete! The
Secretary would contact and liaise re-
garding possible dates.
Frank Leppington was suggested as a
possible speaker.
Scarborough Dinner: The date and
venue are confirmed and Keith Milner
has agreed to speak.
Golf: Mick Bowman reported that 15
members played on May 9th with John
Riley being the victor. 18 are due to
play on August 11th August and Com-
mittee members are invited to play or
just come along for the meal at North
Cliff. (£15)
Graham School visit 2017: This was
suggested by Jim Goodman on the 50th
anniversary of his year leaving and
would be arranged during July 2017. 2
groups of 30 could be accommodated
and Jim’s year would take priority with
others invited. Detials would be an-
nounced in the April ST issue.
Summer Times Contributions: Peter
still needed more contributions for the
November issue.
Remembrance Sunday: David Fowler,
Barry Beanland and Howard Acklam
will attend Olivers Mount on Sunday
November 13th.
AOB: Peter Berry stated that Bill Red-
man was currently staying with him
should anyone wish to make contact.
It was reported that the Editor of the
Scarborough Review (Dave Barry)
would like an article about the Associa-
tion.. This was felt important in view
of Peter Newham’s comments about
publicity and the ‘Scarborough News’
now only being weekly. This article
should appear in the end of September
edition.
Norman Overfield is in hospital after
his operation was unsuccessful.
John Mann is now in a care home after
brain surgery, but is slowly improving.
The Secretary will request Bill Potts to
send a reminder E mail about the Din-
ner.
There was a discussion on the origin of
the chain of office (President’s jewel)
and the only thing established was that
Peter Robson’s wife supplied the rib-
bon.
The next meeting will be a stuffing
meeting on Tuesday November 8th.
The meeting closed at 8.20pm
CORRIGENDUM Ed. Apologies to Derek McNaney, whose
alleged extended tenure at the School from
1941-51 which preceded his Article on
pages 21-24 in the November 2015 issue of
the Magazine will perhaps have surprised
his contemporaries and should actually
14
have been 1950-58. My blaming my I Pad
and defective eyesight seems a poor excuse,
but is the best for the time being that I can
do! Notwithstanding this, Derek has
promised further contributions.
FROM HERE AND THERE Chris Ledgard(1952-9) writes from Duns in Berwickshire Memories triggered by the Magazine:
"Re. letter from Dave Watson in Vol. 71
May 2016 page 208. Dave writes about
his two years (1954-61) at the new
School. I remember his parents’ shop
well. My wife Elizabeth (formerly
Wilkie) was at Fyling Hall School at
the same time as Dave, leaving in 1968,
although not a boarder but travelled
daily from Whitby.
Over 50 years later she still speaks of
the Headmistress, Mrs Harrison, often.
She was a remarkable woman, but also
down to earth and would give Eliza-
beth work during holidays, preparing
for the next term.
Elizabeth also remembers Captain
Flood, a devout RC; himself educated
at Fort Augustus Abbey, beside Loch
Ness. She recalls him as eccentric but
as a man who was firm and good at his
work.
Dave's letter set up a lively discus-
sion at our house and brought back
many memories - thank you Dave!”
OUT OF SCHOOL ACTIVITIES - The authorised and the un-
authorised- The Legal and The Dubious. Bruce Rowbotham (1961-6) writes… In my first week at SBHS in September
1961 we were introduced to the variety
of School clubs and out of school activ-
ities. The Natural History Society, Art
Club, Chess Club and the United Na-
tions Association (Youth Section) re-
main prominent in my memory. When
Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary General
of the UN was killed in an air crash
later the same month, Percy Gardiner
made much of the work of the UN dur-
ing morning assembly. School sports
also featured strongly in out of school
activities with rugby being the princi-
ple winter sport. Whilst 15 pupils from
our year could be members of the rug-
by team, the rest of us had to look else-
where. I always had a preference for
football played with the round ball but
held no prejudice against other sports.
That same year, Eddie Brown joined
Scarborough Football Club at the Ath-
letic Ground on Seamer Road as Play-
er/Manager. By this time he was a wan-
ing star having previously played in
the top division for Birmingham City,
even playing in the Wembley Cup Fi-
nal in 1956. This was the famous game
when Manchester City's goalkeeper
Bert Trautman broke his neck but
played on to the end of the match. Ed-
die Brown was determined to raise
Scarborough Football Club from the no
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- league doldrums with a series of new
initiatives. One was the formation of a
Junior Supporters' Club with conces-
sions on entry price to home games for
members. I wasted no time in joining
and my membership card and lapel
badge arrived within days.
Lapel badges worn on the lapels of
school blazers and staff members' jack-
ets were small and discreet. The Head
Boy and Prefects wore badges of rank.
Those who had completed the arduous
Lyke Wake Walk from Osmotherly to
Ravenscar wore the black coffin
awarded by the Chief Dirger. Some
wore badges awarded by the Scout
Association. Mr Perry proudly wore
the badge from the Blood Transfusion
Service as a Blood Donor who had
given such a vast quantity of blood, he
almost had a bank named after him. I
wore my Junior Supporters Badge
with pride.
Unfortunately pride came before a
steep fall when Roy James spotted my
badge and the two salient points of
this brief encounter were, “Take that
badge off now and I want 2 sides by tomor-
row on why rugby is a superior game to
football.” Being made to write 2 sides
about something I did not believe in
was akin to signing a confession under
the duress of torture and when I deliv-
ered it to him the following day he
received it with his usual contemptu-
ous response. He tore it up without
reading it and dismissed me with a
smirk. Well at least that confession was
not worth the paper it was written on.
Although Percy allowed us to hold
a Mock Election alongside the General
Election of 1964 he never allowed pu-
pils to openly display any political
allegiance. During the years of Ban the
Bomb and Aldermaston Marches the
symbol of CND was frequently seen,
some say Ford even copied it on the
rear light cluster of the Ford Cortina.
So when Percy spotted a sixth former
in morning assembly with a CND lapel
badge the bearer was publicly stripped
of his badge and told that he did not
understand enough about the debate
to have an opinion. - No debate there
then.
My personal conclusion thereafter
was that the lapels of school blazers
were probably best left bare.
Many of us first formers still had
good friends from our junior school
days who had gone on to Westwood or
Scalby County Modern. We also had
friends, a year younger, who were
now in the top class of our old junior
schools. So those of us who preferred
football arranged “unauthorised
friendlies” with teams from our old
junior schools and with the first year
Westwood or Scalby County Modern
lads. Unfortunately we could not ar-
range home fixtures in return but the
opposition sports masters understood
and we were not embarrassed. We
were still proud to be unauthorised
ambassadors of the school.
Many other Old Scarborians have
written accounts of their after-school
jobs. My parents didn't approve of
paper rounds as they believed I need-
ed my sleep in the morning and time
for homework in the evening. So at the
age of 14 years I managed to get a Sat-
urday morning job at Wilson's Butch-
ers, situated next to the YMCA in
16
17
and I later, played golf with Dick in
the SBHS golf days.
This article may not be of any use to
you but I thought that because of
Dick’s connection you may find a
corner!
Best wishes – I hope you are enjoying
your time in Office.
‘Hartley breaks mould for ladies at
Hindhead
Ruth Hartley has been elected as President
of Hindhead Golf club, marking the first
time in the Club’s 112 year history that it
has had a female occupy that role. Ruth,
who joined Hindhead in April 1981, also
follows in the footsteps of her late husband,
Dick, who was President from 2006-2009.
The pair also served as Club Captain and
Ladies Captains respectively in 1999, hav-
ing joined as full members in 1986 after a
spell living in Nigeria. “I am very proud
and humble to be considered as President,
but the job will be evolving over the next
years with the ongoing incorporation of the
Club,” she remarked.”
DENA HEBDITCH By David Fowler (1949-55)
How many Old Boys first attended
Gladstone Road Junior School - it must
be hundreds if not thousands - and
the school seems to be as good now as
it was under headmaster ‘Pop Hall’ in
the 1940s and early 1950s.
An interesting happening came
about one Friday in August this year.
My wife and I usually go to Walkers
Fish Restaurant in East Ayton. It is an
excellent place to eat and we usually
meet someone there we know, and this
frequently leads to an extended natter.
On this particular Friday evening we
had eaten our meal and moved to join
two friends at the other side of the
restaurant. After a convivial natter
and much laughter, I notice a gentle-
man hovering closed by.
‘Excuse me’, he said, ‘You’re not David
Fowler are you?’ I assured him I was
and he said he was Ralph Hebditch,
another old boy of the High School. He
had apparently recognised me from
old Summer Times photographs.
We chatted and I said I believed he
was the brother of Dena Hebditch
who, many many years ago, had
taught me and many others at Glad-
stone Road School.
‘Yes, she’s my sister and she’s here tonight.
In fact she’s paying the bill!’
I went over to Dena and we talked
together. She still lives in Scarborough
18
at the Soroptomist Housing home, and
Ralph and his wife had been visiting
her.
She is very sprightly for her years - she
is a nonagenarian - and I reminded her
of the occasion when I was on Scar-
borough beach with my mother and
sister. I was probably around 7 years
old and my sister and I were given
donkey rides.
Who should my donkey have stopped
in front of to relieve himself but Dena
Hebditch!
The following Monday she passed a
comment to the class that,
‘David’s donkey singled me out and left a
pile of donkey droppings in front of me! Incidentally, my father was one of the first
pupils at Gladstone Road school when it
opened in the 1870s” (or it might be 1890s
- Writing a bit indistinct)
Heck!! That’s nearly 150 years ago!!
Happy memories!
Bruce Rowbotham (1961-66) writes further … Scarborough in the early 60's was still
quite parochial and most unlike the
multicultural diversity that exists in
the town today judging by the poly-
glot of families that now wander the
pedestrian zone of Newborough.
Therefore it was quite an event in my
second year at the school when we had
a real live foreigner arrive in our class.
His name was Michael Heidler, he
spoke English, although he thought
water taps were called faucets and the
toilet was The John. He was Ameri-
can, softly spoken with gently modu-
lated tones, rather like the “goodie”
cowboy in the films who turns out to
be the hero. His father was stationed at
the Early Warning Station at Fyling-
dales. I don't think he really enjoyed
his year at SBHS. The day to day lan-
guage differences, teaching style and
syllabus were clearly alien to him. He
was small and slim, quite shy and not
naturally athletic. It mattered not to
him that American Football and Rugby
Union are manifestly different, or that
Cricket and Baseball are not even cous-
ins. In rugby he was content to run
around the fringes of games avoiding
the action and in cricket when every-
one else wanted to bat or be the bow-
ler, he was the happiest fielder. Athlet-
ics hardly inspired him either.
By comparison there was a another
American pupil in our year, Danny
Oliver. He was loud, confident and
gifted with good hand, eye, ball coor-
dination. His father was also stationed
at Fylingdales. Between the two I im-
agined that Michael's father was prob-
ably a studious civilian scientist work-
ing conscientiously on the installation
with the RCA Corporation, with a
family name that hinted he may have
been poached by the Americans from
Germany at the end of the Second
World War. Whereas Danny's father
was probably a military action man,
frustrated and eagerly waiting for
something to finally kick off in Vi-
etnam. In the gymnasium Danny liked
nothing better than dribbling confi-
dently the length of the court before
looping a the ball cleanly through the
hoop like a mini Harlem Globetrotter.
If either of these two could be traced
today, their recollections of the year
spent at SBHS would be fascinating.
19
In the 1960's the BBC's newsreaders
were the prominent national sentinels
of the English language and of course
the schoolmasters of the SBHS did
their part at local level. No one dis-
putes that language evolves continu-
ously and that today's “Tech and Text
Speak” merged from either side of the
Atlantic would be almost undeciphera-
ble to those guardians of yesteryear.
Perhaps one day Oxford English and
American English will merge into uni-
versally accepted Mid Atlantic Eng-
lish? (On reading that last line over
again, I'm beginning to frighten myself
now!)
Today almost every school has a
school website, with reassuring Mis-
sion Statements and Policies, Rights and
Responsibilities, and a host of information
to reassure parents and students alike
that their development and welfare is
in safe hands. Every profession has its
own vocabulary with acronyms and
abbreviations that are the common
currency in day to day communica-
tions, frequently made up from the
buzz words and management speak
picked up from the latest Team meet-
ing. I plead guilty to being a serial
offender during my professional life.
I wonder how alien these concepts
of websites and open management
would have been to the teachers at
SBHS in the 50's and 60's? Well maybe
not as much as you may think, as in
part, even then the seeds were sprout-
ing. They too were serial offenders, it's
just that they didn't realise it.
The guardians never slept. In my
schooldays nothing was beyond the
scrutiny of schoolmasters, not even
private conversations between pupils
were sacrosanct as I discovered when I
asked a classmate at the meal table
“.....if he had seen it on TV last night?”
Without warning the gates of hell
opened alongside me as I received a
fiery blast about TV being a lazy and
unacceptable abbreviation for the per-
fectly good word television. Of course
my personal chagrin for the ill-
mannered eavesdropping on
someone's private conversations and
rudely butting-in counted for nothing;
indeed any allegation of hypocrisy on
the teachers part would have landed
me in more hot water. Why do I say
hypocrisy? Well there were lessons in
PE and GD in his vocabulary and from
his own lips we were always hearing
about the importance of our GCE O
and A levels. Despite the low scoring
vowels, getting the tiles for “GCE O
and A level” on the scrabble board
would surely be worth double points
in Abbreviation Scrabble, a forerunner
of Buzzword Bingo.
A typical “school speak” word was
apparatus. Used almost daily, “Put the
apparatus out” or “Put the apparatus
away” whether to describe the equip-
ment in the science labs (sorry labora-
tories) or in the gym (sorry gymnasi-
um) yet I never remember using or
even hearing this word after my school
years. For me apparatus was a nebu-
lous and shorthand term for what, as a
Yorkshire lad, I thought of as “stuff”.
So if John Oxley or Roy James had
shouted “Put the stuff away” it would
still have had me scurrying across the
gymnasium. Throughout my working
20
life we had a wide variety of vehicles,
tools, or plant, or equipment, or kit, or
just stuff that we frequently had to take
out or put away, but we never had ap-
paratus.
As an aside, it's worrying that the
word tests has made an unwelcome
reappearance in my daily conversations
after a long absence. Almost every
week one of the ageing reprobates who
make up my inner circle of friends re-
gales me with the date of, or results of,
their latest tests. People obsessed with
sharing their medical diary can become
as tedious as the boring last period on a
Friday afternoon. So when one of them
recently informed me he had yet anoth-
er blood test due the following week, I
mischievously asked if his blood would
be revising hard beforehand in order to
pass the test this time. He looked con-
fused so I continued by pointing out
that the nurse usually took the blood
away to another room for testing, as
this was to ensure there could be no
cheating by him whispering the an-
swers......
I think he mentally branded me an
idiot but the ruse worked and he
turned to bore someone else with his
medical history. At school I never had
the option to abruptly halt a boring
lesson like Nicholas Parson's "Just A
Minute" panel on Radio 4 can now, but I
was still branded an idiot from time to
time!
Getting back to the original theme
now. When picking through the web-
site of a typical modern business there
are some familiar echoes of school life
in the 60's.
Mission Statements and Corporate Identity
are essential values now, but we had
them 50 years ago. Our mission state-
ment – Tene Propositum. Our Corporate
Identity – School Uniform.
As for Valuing and Respecting people,
it was perhaps rather one sided then,
encompassed in the natural hubris of
didactic teaching. Classroom chastise-
ment was usually a public spectacle
rather than a private tutorial, hence
humiliation in the presence of peers
was routine.
Performance Incentives – well I think
they were called Lines, Detention and
Corporal Punishment.
This is not to imply that Wackford
Squeers wrote the teaching manual,
more that schoolteachers always had
the last word and any piece of work
that was returned from marking with
the simple comment See me please was
never going to end well, even if the
meeting was in a private tutorial.
Welfare – Of course our welfare was
important then. Annual visits from the
School Dentist and School Nurse en-
sured our health was monitored and
we still had free school milk. Despite
some robust play, the inevitable medi-
cal casualties in day to day school life
were thankfully few. Nurse June Blake-
more dealt with the simple playground
cuts and grazes, whilst the PE staff
dealt with the knocks and bangs in the
gymnasium and on the games field.
When I split my forehead open in a
collision with the rugby post, a short
21
trip to the Casualty Department at
Scarborough Hospital soon had 7
stitches inserted and the wound deco-
rated with a vivid smudge of gentian
violet. Having been driven there in a
teacher's car I walked back to school
and was back in class within the hour.
When I arrived home that afternoon
looking like an extra from a House of
Horror Film, my mother briefly went
into shock, quickly turning to rage and
berating me about how could I have
been so careless in getting myself hurt.
In an age where the blame fell unre-
servedly on the victim, she had no
thoughts to sue the school for lack of
care, failing to inform her of the injury,
lack of subsequent monitoring for con-
cussion. Have you been injured in a
trip or fall – call our solicitors now...
Well the writer of that particular tag
-line probably wasn't even born when
I was being stitched together but in
their own way also they changed and
challenged the way we think and live
our lives today.
OBITUARIES PHIL. CLARKE
22
RON HUTCHINSON (1954-54) Peter Robson (1945-54) writes…
I have had a call from Ron's wife. He
passed away on August 26th following
an operation for a hip replacement
Ron Hutchinson came to the school
with the 1945 intake following the 1944
Education Act. In 1950 he topped the
list of excellent results for the last
School Cert with 8 Distinctions and 1
Credit. Three years later he gained a
Hastings Scholarship at The Queens
23
College, Oxford where he studied History. He went on to teach and finally was
the headmaster of a school in Malvern.
He represented the School at Tennis and was a member of The Quads who
played Table Tennis in the top division of the Scarborough league (with Maurice
Pennock, Don Barnes and Peter Robson)
Jim Goodman (1963-67) writes in April….
No doubt you will have learned of the recent death of George Dowd and I assume
there will be an obituary in the November “Summer Times”. I thought you might
like the photo I took of him (below) just setting off on the 22 yds. at Sports Day
1966 with the legendary Les Brown holding the starting pistol.
COURT CAPERS Dave Hepworth (1951-8) writes… One of my more entertaining moments as a trainee reporter on the Scarborough
Evening News came when I covered the local Magistrates' Court.
One day a hapless squaddie from Burniston Barracks (who had obviously seen
too many American movies) kept saying after swearing the oath to tell the truth,
the whole truth and nothing but the truth: "So help me God". The magistrates' clerk
was very patient at first. But after the poor chap had stumbled his way through
24
the same words a few more times, the
red-faced court official burst out furi-
ously:" WHERE ON THE CARD DOES
IT SAY THAT?- READ THE WORDS
ON THE CARD!!" Needless to say, the
hapless man got it right in the end, but
the outburst caused a few chuckles on
the Press bench (more at the official's
fury I may add, than at the hapless
soldier.)
Then, on another occasion there was
a flutter among the lawyers when the
adjutant of the local regiment -who
was in uniform - carelessly identified
the C.O. - who was in civvies to give
evidence, - as the defendant! Conster-
nation and red faces all round the
court, followed by a short break in
proceedings!!
But the best court tale came after I'd
moved on to the Yorkshire Evening
News in Doncaster. I was eating my
butties after a quiet morning doing the
routine fire, ambulance calls etc, when
we got an alert about a prisoner who
had escaped from the local cop shop.
Grabbing my trusty notebook I hailed
a cab (no office cars in those days for
humble reporters) and shot off to some
nearby woods where the suspect had
last been seen.
Then, as was quietly creeping
through the trees was suddenly sur-
rounded by snarling police dogs
shouting coppers with BIG sticks.
"Who the hell are you, ?" they demanded?
smartly identified myself to be told
in no uncertain terms to b*gger off
before you get arrested - or, worse -
get torn apart by the very business-like
Alsatians!
But I managed to be there moments
later to see the cops get their man - and
I got a cracking Page One splash.
STOP PRESS:
have recently heard from a fellow
vintage car nut (see last May's Summer
Times) - that my beloved 1936 Austin 7
is still on the road - but, sadly I don't
know where. In the Midlands I believe,
but the trail ends there and it's a big
area to search. Any clues anyone?
PPS: I was delighted to read the piece
by Mike O'Neill, I remember him in
his early days as a very talented pia-
nist who would rattle off any request
at a moment's notice to liven our eve-
nings at St. Columba's Youth Club.
Our ways parted many moons ago,
but it was great to read about his bril-
liant musical career since then. wish
him all the best, and would love to
hear him play again. Keep tickling
those ivories maestro ...
Clive Tomblin (1957-61) writes...
It was really good to
talk with you today
about Scarborough
High School. Here is
the email I sent earli-
er today to Bill Potts,
“Isn’t the internet a wonderful thing! I
came across your Old Scarborians
website today. And I’m one, a former
pupil of Scarborough Boys High
School.
I'm Clive Tomblin, I was at the High
School 1957 - 61. The first year or two
were at Westwood, the remaining
years at the new School.
25
I have three old school photos. Two of
them are difficult to scan, they’re the
‘panorama’ type, about 3 feet long and
9 inches high. All pupils and staff are
there though. The other picture is be-
low. As you can see, it’s the school
rugby team 1959-60.
Names I remember are;-
Back row L to R: Bob Walmsley, Clive
Tomblin, ?, ?, David Horsley, ?, Paul
Jeffries, ?,?
Front row L to R: Michael Maslen, ?, ?,
Peter Exley, ?, David Hudson, ?
I also attach a photo of a band. I do
this because my uncle, Kenneth Rich-
ards, was also a pupil. That’s him on
the left holding the guitar. He was in
the Geoff Laycock band and subse-
quently enjoyed a modicum of fame
with the John Barry Seven. Kenneth
was born in 1928 and died in 1977. I
presume he started at the High School
in 1944
I will be pleased to give any more in-
formation if I can. I can recall the
names of quite a few pupils/staff from
57 - 61.”
26
Please reply to
ED. Phot of Clive, and Rugby and Band
photos attached )
PHILLIP MANN Andrew Renton- Green writes in April from New Zealand Though not strictly Old Scarborians
business I thought that you and other
Members maybe interested to know that
Phil - who attended St Martins' with
many of our members (me, Stephenson,
Corbyn, Holmes, Storey, Carabine, Fox
come to mind) and was captain of the sword
dance team - will be in Scarborough
next month for an extended period. No
doubt he will be delighted to see some
of his old schoolmates and friends
again.
Phil and Non stayed with us last week,
and he has changed little from the last
time I caught up with him in Welling-
ton, where he and Nonita (wife) live.
He plans to do a deal of walking in
North Yorkshire in company with his
cousin John, who may also be known to
some members.
Phil is hugely talented, being the Emeri-
tus Professor of Theatre and Film at
Victoria University Wellington, a post
he has held for many years. As you
may know he is also an international
best selling science fiction author, not
bad for a boy who failed 11+ and attend-
ed Scarborough College!!!!
You may find the following web refer-
ence of interest - the scholarship Phil
refers to was an RAFA Scholarship my
late Mother helped to arrange through
the Scaborough branch. I met up with
Phil again some 20 years ago when I
was teaching at Victoria University, and
where my eldest daughter was one of
Phil's students!!! it was she that got us
back together - I had no idea he was
working in a building less than 500m
away!!!
https://phillipmann.co.nz/about-phillip-
mann/
Michael Rines(1941-52) writes…. à propos of Bill Foord
I don’t suppose you
have space for the attached
pic of Scarborough 1st XI
in 1954 with Bill in front
row, but I thought you
might find it interesting.
(See page 28). Two other old boys on it:
Geoff Dennis and me. It was a very
strong team. L to R back row: Ken
Stockwell played a number of times
for Yorks 2nds. Ron Diggle, opened the
bowling with Bill. He was a dentist.. (a
barracker once shouted out ‘Let’s have an
extraction, Diggle’). Alan Richardson
played for Yorkshire as an amateur be-
fore the War and in Festival matches
after the War. Geoff Dennis, left arm
quick. His sister married Len Hutton.
Ronnie Burnett, Captain of Yorks 2nd
XI, and became Captain of Yorks 1st XI
in 1955. Reg Halton, club professional,
reckoned by some the best left-hander
in England at the time. Had a trial with
Hampshire, but was rejected, probably
because he was rather uncouth.
27
http://www.Farthings-publishing.com [email protected]
01723 365448; M 0779 1900 465
Why not Advertise in Summer Times? Summer Times is published twice a year and is mailed to around 600
members, world wide. Additionally, the magazine appears on our
web site in colour. And the prices to advertise?
Full page outside back cover £70; Full page inside covers £65
Full page inside £55; Half page inside £35; Quarter page inside £20
Details from:
Chris Found,
‘Pinewood’,
SILPHO,
SCARBOROUGH. YO13 0JP
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone 01723 882343
28
Front row: Bill Foord. Jim Claughton,
played a few games for Yorkshire
2nds. M.Rines. Was once 12th man for
Yorks. Albert Marston had all the
mannerisms of Godfrey Evans, but, as
Bill confirmed when we saw him in
June, was a great dropper of simple
catches.
Bill told me that Albert admitted his
weakness behind the stumps, but
claimed he made up for it by being a
jolly good sort in the pub after the
match. Albert ran the village store in
Sherburn. Joe Lister, ex-army officer
played for Yorkshire as an amateur,
but could not hold a regular place so
went to Worcestershire, where he did
very well. Then became Secretary of
Yorkshire CC.
It’s just possible that Marston was a
SBHS pupil.
A RAMBLE THROUGH THE PAST Peter Newham The following largely reproduces the
Presidential meandering through
times past in respect of the Association
at the London Lunch, which, in de-
fault of more interesting material, was
suggested as being of some interest to
the wider membership ( and those
who nodded off whilst it was being
delivered!) and arises from forays into
“The Scarborian” since the 1930’s.
Let me now take you back to 1906
and our predecessor school, the mixed
sex Municipal School dating from
1902.
History shows that the first "Old
Scholars Club" was founded in 1906 with
a membership of 150, and its activities
included dancing, rambles, sports and
29
cycling and later, Dramatics.
The Magazine records that the Club
could not however survive the loss of
the Girls in 1922, though it lingered for
some years.
Consequently in 1935 a new Club was
formed, amalgamating the Old Scholars
Club and the High School Old Boys As-
sociation - and thus a few months ago
we were 80 years old, not a bad record,
and perhaps one or two of us might
even make it to its 100th year! The initial
subscription was 2/6, or life Membership
of 2 guineas.
I am currently exploring in detail "the
Scarborian" Magazine in the 1930' s, (sad
isn't it!) - which then was a formal
school Magazine, with an extra piece at
the end recording the activities of the
Old Boys Association, - and it discloses
some interesting material which well
repays the trawl.
1. Advice on Careers appeared regu-
larly and makes fascinating, if very dat-
ed reading.
2. It included encouragement to be an
Auctioneer and Estate Agent "for boys
with a good voice and a pleasing personali-
ty' " - albeit that premiums of between
£100 and £500 were quoted., and “an eye
for a bargain” was an essential require-
ment!
3. The Police Force required candidates
to be of British parentage, over 20 and
under 24, at least 5' 9, and unbelievably
unmarried. If 5'8 you could be a clerical
assistant. A constable’s pay in London
was £3 2s per week. You also needed
“Integrity, courtesy and quick wittedness!”
4. Forestry, for which a university
Degree in agriculture or botany were
desirable, principally led to a career with
the Colonial service in Kenya, Nyasa-
land and Tanganika or even Ceylon,
Malaya and the West Indies. It conclud-
ed however that the life is usually isolat-
ed and makes no appeal to men who
‘’are not happy except in the company of
others!” (makes no mention of women!)
5. Banking commences with the in-
junction that suitability of temperament
is paramount, - those who find d isci-
pline and patient concentration on detail
particularly irksome are temperamentally
unfitted to become bank officials.” and ad-
vice that is redolent of the days of em-
pire for those interesting in banking
abroad,“ This will appeal to the more ad-
venturous boy where responsible posts are to
be had at an early age. Boys who have held
some responsibility at School are to be pre-
ferred since the routine clerical work is per-
formed by native born clerks!”
It would be interesting to speculate
how many Old Boys were persuaded
into such professions and paths and
whether the subsequent reality matched
the promise of the articles.
Attempts to trace the inception and
official use of the Fives Courts at West-
wood, a niche refuge for the forbidden
cigarette at lunchtime in the fifties, have
disclosed that at least in 1935 formal
use of the Fives Court and champion-
ships being held there have figured,
though to date no members have thrown
further light on this! Rugby and Foot-
ball were then also played in alternate
terms.
Unbelievably, reports of the activities
of the Cercle Français were actually
30
printed in rather complex French, but
readers of the present Magazine may
rest assured that there will be no repeti-
tion of this, -- mais non, my French is
not up to it, despite Les Brown and
Harry Wilson.
The 1936 Mag reported the first AGM
of the reconstituted Association, the
successor to the Municipal School Old
Scholars Club, first Social meeting in
June 1935 with Girls High School Old
Scholars Club at Queens Hotel, dancing
with the Troubadours Dance Band and
Old Lang Syne at 1.00 am in the morn-
ing with members paying 2/6 for
membership, - dinner at 4/6d, musical
interludes at the annual Dinner accom-
panied by the Mayfair orchestra. Po-
ems by pupils were regularly included
and also an entertaining insight into
the hobbies of some of them disclosed
the simplicity of entertainments and
pastimes then available, and what now
seems like naïve would be described as
anorak-like simplicity.
Construction of model planes, gliders
in particular, albeit in balsa wood, dope
and tissue was a popular pastime that I
can also recall indulging in in the much
later 60’s, albeit being then replaced by
the rather easier assembly of plastic
models, - grantedly more sophisticated
hobbies.
Stamp collecting and the keeping of
fish were also obvious target for col-
lecting, though aquarists did conclude
on the unwisdom of making your own
tank, “because it is near impossible to con-
struct a leak proof aquarium” and one boy
wrote in depth, and no doubt would
now be embarrassed by it, of the fasci-
nation of collecting trawler numbers in
the harbour. He concluded, perhaps
unsurprisingly, that had found no one
else who did this!
How many of us have ever seen, or
even possessed an Old Scarborian blaz-
er?
In April 1939 the Magazine referred to
such a desirable item of clothing availa-
ble for the princely sum of £2 2s. I am
sure it matched beautifully with the tie
at 3/6, which was also mentioned in the
Magazine as “being a big hit with the
ladies". Perhaps we are now missing a
trick! It would have been fascinating to
find a blazer, or even to know how
different the ties were.
It is interesting that articles on the
growth of the Library not only featured
the complaint that it was not used by
5th Formers, but listed the regular do-
nation of books by Old Boys, eventual-
ly the introduction of magazines, and
specifically, perhaps some of you will
remember this, ~ National Geographic,
though it failed to mention that, even
20 years later, some of our interest in
that specific magazine was less than
healthy and geographic and had more
to do with the nubile tribal illustra-
tions!
The Magazine during the war years
represented a memorable and very
moving account of the war service of a
great many Old Boys, who at 18, 19 or
20 could hardly even be described as
“old boys”, but who gave their service
and many their lives for King and
Country, - service in the RAF and also
the Green Howard's being especially
evident, and it is fitting that even now
we are represented at Remembrance
Day at Oliver’s Mount.
31
Other times, other customs -- it was
all a very long time ago!
HASTING SCHOLARSHIPS
ED. Particularly in the context of the re-
cent deaths of Harvey McGregor and Don-
ald Hellmuth, both o f whom were Has-
tings Scholars at Queens College, Oxford,
Stuart Marriott has forwarded the fo l-
lowing, recording the history of the Award,
which may be of interest; they not being the
only pupils to be so honoured during their
respective times.
“The November 2015 edition of Sum-
mer Times reported the death of distin-
guished former pupil Harvey McGreg-
or and printed an obituary from the
Independent newspaper. There it was noted
that from school McGregor went up to
the Queen’s College, Oxford on the
strength of a Hastings scholarship. The
obituary stated, wrongly, that the
award was one founded in memory of
Sir Patrick Hastings QC. In view of the
benefits the Boys’ High School enjoyed
by inclusion in the old ’Hastings’ list a
few comments may be of interest. The
1939 invitation from Queen’s offering
SBHS a place on the list of ‘Hastings
Schools’ is quoted in H W Marsden’s
jubilee history The Westwood School at
Scarborough, and McGregor’s success of
four years later is also mentioned there.
The endowment was in fact made by
Lady Elizabeth Hastings (1682–1739),
who in 1706 had come into extensive
properties to the east of Leeds. Lady
Betty, as she was always known, re-
mained unmarried. She had an annual
income of £3,000, and from her home at
Ledston Hall she spent half of that each
year on ‘good works’, particularly on
improvement of education and the reli-
gious ministry. A short account can be
found in the Oxford Dictionary o f Na-
tional Biography. More detailed (and inter-
esting) is a tribute in the Collingham
with Harewood parish magazine of
1982, a copy of which came my way by
accident years ago, and to which I am
indebted here.
In a codicil to her will dated 1739 Lady
Elizabeth Hastings made an endow-
ment to Queen’s for the support of five
poor scholars annually. She confided to
the Provost of the college a hope that
the chosen few could eventually be sent
abroad to spread Christianity: her
’strong bias’ was for the East Indies, the
source of her family’s wealth.
Over the details of eligibility and
selection Lady Betty was much more
prescriptive, showing something of the
administrative flair for which she had
become famous in her own lifetime.
The catchment area for the scheme was
to be twelve named grammar schools
in Yorkshire; they were eligible to put
forward candidates aged 18 to 21 years,
‘most distinguished in learning and
morals, well grounded in religion, and
of remarkable industry and competent
parts’. In Whit week of each year the
hopefuls were to gather at Aberford to
be examined by a board of seven cler-
gymen. The written tests were specified
in close detail; they included transla-
tions from Greek into Latin and Latin
into English, with free compositions in
Latin and English.
The examiners were to select ten sets
of papers to be sent to Queen’s, and
there the Provost and fellows were to
32
reduce the number to eight. Finally
came Lady Betty’s remarkable contri-
bution to the practice of meritocratic
selection: the eight names, on rolled-up
slips of paper, were to be put in an urn
and five slips drawn out to decide the
successful candidates. Her justification
of this method was that it was properly
respectful of ‘Providence and the hand
of God’ (in the eventual proportion of
fifty-fifty, it seems).
Obviously the world changed after
1739, and the endowment with it. At
some time the catchment area was en-
larged to twenty schools in Yorkshire,
Westmorland, and Cumberland. A rule
was introduced that any school failing
for twenty years to put forward a
‘meritorious’ candidate lost its place.
This explains how a vacancy arose for
SBHS, which had had only seventeen
years, not hundreds, in which to stake a
claim. More recently changes in stu-
dent financial support have led
Queen’s to divert Lady Elizabeth
Hasting’s generosity into postgraduate
research awards.”
Hastings Scholarships:
D J Bradley -1942
Harvey McGregor -1943
Donald Hellmuth -1944
Mike Herman -1946
D J Merryweather - 1954
Stuart Marriott -1955
K T Bowes -1956
G C Thornton -1957
J M Skillbeck -1962
THE LONDON LUNCH Writing up the London Lunch has a
repetitive regularity which perhaps
fails to do proper justice to the convivi-
ality of the event, which is the only
opportunity apart from Golf and the
Annual Dinner to bring together Old
Boys from several generations, albeit
that it is difficult to avoid the account
becoming a mere attendance list of
those attending, imbibing and reminisc-
ing!
It is often said of events that the
whole is greater than the sum of their
parts, and this is equally true of the
Lunch, and consequently, while the
Association continues, it must not be
allowed to founder through declining
attendance. This year 27 was a respect-
able, if slightly disappointing attend-
ance, given the publicity, but several
members were regrettably, for family
circumstances, obliged to cancel, and
the Association has also inevitably
suffered further losses of valued Mem-
bers.
Objective annotation of the Lunch this
year by your Editor is however particu-
larly suspect given his Presidential sta-
tus at the event and consequent partial-
ity of this report. Nevertheless, the East
India Club, a suitably opulent albeit
replacement setting for the original
venue, for which thanks were due to
Geoff Winn, did not let us down, and
the main course in particular did justice
to a healthy carnivorous Yorkshire ap-
petite.
After reference to Members who un-
fortunately were unable to attend and
those no longer with us, the President,
enthused with his accumulation of his-
torical material from a rather sad scru-
tiny of Magazines since the 1930's, gave
Members selected events from times
33
past from "The Scarborian", which will
not be repeated here, (being intended
separate fare for filling a void else-
where in this Magazine, ) followed by
an entertaining medley of scabrous
anecdotes of his time at the school by
Richard Stones, which hovered argua-
bly on just the right side of propriety
and decency and enlivened any torpor
previously induced by the Presidential
peroration..
As ever, other "good do", -- those pre-
sent being:
Howard.Acklam (60-64)
Geoff Winn (49-56)
David Fowler ((49-55)
Chris Found (51-59)
Richard Found
Mick Bowman (54-61)
Bob Heaps (67-74)
Peter Newham (54-61)
Mike Rines (41-52)
Richard Stones (57-64)
David Chapman (50-58)
Malcolm Storry (46-54)
John Bee (46-54)
Bob Hepworth (54-61)
John Wheelhouse (49-52)
Malcolm Hudson (54-61)
Peter Taylor (54-62)
Michael Wilson(60-68)
Derek Elcock (60-65)
Tony Robson (66-72)
Eaglen Sheen (57-64 )
Freddie Drabble (51-58)
Phil Austin (58-64)
David Somers (59-67)
John McWhan (49-53)
John Skilbeck (55-63)
John Mann (58-63)
Mike Mansfield (52-60)
60TH ANNIVERSARY LONDON DINNER 1983
Mike Mansfield, whose age obviously
belies his apparent youth, has pro-
duced “the agenda”, if that be the right
word, for the Association London Din-
ner at the National Liberal Club in May
1983 commemorating (more or less) the
60th Anniversary of the School, and it is
interesting to note the attendance of 3
Members who were with us in 2016,
himself, Eaglen Sheen and Derek
Elcock. The Dinner, perhaps more
redolent of Christmas than May in
summer with “roast Duck, sprouts and
two types of potatoes”, obviously
acknowledged the hearty Yorkshire
appetite of its members, and interest-
ingly referred to the now defunct Mid-
lands Dinner at Kirby Muxloe , near
Leicester. It also included a timetable
of the history of the School as follows;- ”IT HAPPENED IN… 1897 – Work starts on building West-
wood School. Architects Hall, Cooper
and Davis, the Cooper becoming Sir
Edwin Cooper famed for buildings
such as the Star and Garter home at
Richmond. The contract price was
£13,585 4s 3d, rising to £18,807 4s 1d
(including equipment)
1900 - (Nov.26th.) --The School opens
with 336 pupils from Scarborough
schools as an elementary school, plus a
Pupil Teacher Centre. Because of a na-
tional legal wrangle about what could
be charged on the rates it could not at
that time be a “School of Science” as
intended. DH Bevan made headmaster.
34
1901 - To overcome the legalities the
Town council forms a Technical In-
struction committee and A S Tetley
appointed principal of “Scarborough
School of Science and Secondary
School”.
1902 - The Municipal School opens
on Jan. 6th and initially shares the
building with the Pupil Teacher Cen-
tre (Mr Bevan remaining as head)
and the Higher Grade School ( to
become the Junior Department)
1903 - Under new legislation the
County Council becomes the Second-
ary Education Authority but delegat-
ed control of the Municipal School to
a Scarborough sub-committee.
January – first school speech day.
April - First School Magazine pub-
lished
1904 – First School societies: the Nat-
ural History Society, the Literary and
Debating Society
1906 - Old Scholars Club founded.
1911 - The Magazine reports the Old
Scholars "have in mind the opening
of a Club Room, but there are diffi-
culties, financial and otherwise..." !!!!
1916 - Mr Tetley dies suddenly and
Mr Bevan takes over as Headmaster.
1918 - The end of the Great War in
which 63 old boys had given their
lives.
1922 - The girls leave for their own
High School and in a merger the St
Martins boys arrive with their head-
master C F Turnbull, plus S H Francis
and A E Tweedy.
1923 - The School ceases to be the
Municipal School and becomes the
Scarborough High School for Boys
with the beginning of the Autumn
term, with 263 boys. F Mayor be-
comes headmaster.
1926 - Raymond King becomes head-
master, Mr Mayor going to Hull
Grammar School.
1927 - Preparatory Department estab-
lished. " Tene Propositum" becomes
the School motto instead of
"Forward" inherited from " the Mu-
ni".
1928 - Move to the Oliver's Mount
playing fields.
1930 - Mr King goes to Forest Hill
School London. Succeeded by Henry
Marsden from Manchester Grammar
School.
1935 - Old Scarborians Association
formed. Rugby introduced, replacing
soccer completely in 1937.
1937 - Number of pupils passed 500.
1939 - School selected by Queens
College Oxford as a Hasting School
from nearly 100 Yorkshire Schools
eligible. (The first Hastings Scholar-
ship was won by DJ Bradley in 1942)
1939 - September - war, with the
school buildings shared for a time
with the evacuated Hull Kingston
High School.
1948 - Memorial to 75 Old Boys who
gave their lives 1939 - 45 unveiled.
1952 - Attendance of more than 200 at
dinner to celebrate school's golden
jubilee.
35
1956 - First post- war London dinner.
1959 - The School moves from West-
wood to a new building in Woodlands
Drive. After a spell as a Secondary
School the Westwood building be-
comes the Theatre in the Round.
1961 - Mr Marsden retires after 30
years at Scarborough and is succeeded
by Mr Alec Gardiner, who, in the
event, is to be the last headmaster of
SBHS.
1973 - The Scarborough High School
for Boys is no more. It ceases to exist
under the re-organization plan Mr
Gardiner becomes the first head of the
Sixth Form College (retiring in 1979)
The Graham School moves into the
buildings.
1976 - Publication of the war time dia-
ries of Mr Marsden, who died in 1974.”
Author and Old Scarborian Leo
Walmsley, albeit dating back to the
Municipal School days, has
several times before in the Magazine,
and reprints of his books are still avail-
able and the Robin Hood's Bay
Walmsley Society is very much alive;
but investigation of a treasure trove of
very old copies of the Scarborian has
disclosed the following in the Novem-
ber 1939 Issue, which may be of inter-
est even to "younger" Old boys, as the
books arguably even now constitute a
good read, as evidenced by their re-
maining in print!
" LEO WALMSLEY is now well-known
for his books, and has just published "Love
in the Sun," the story of his days in Corn-
wall. As Old Scarborians know, his "Three
Fevers," a novel of Robin Hood's Bay, met
with success, though he claims in "Love in
the Sun" that it was only a succes d' és-
time. That and the later "Sally Lunn "
formed the basis for the scenario of the
film, "Turn of the Tide," which has peren-
nial local interest. He has also written the
scenario for the film of Cornish fisher life,
"Breakers Ahead. " His other books are"
“Phantom Lobster”, a tale of a revolu-
tionary lobster fishing invention which
came to nothing, and "Foreigners," an
autobiographical novel of school life at
Robin Hood's Bay.
Review:
Love in the Sun, by Leo Walmsley.
6d.
"Personally find this book fascinating. The
tale of the young man and woman arriving
in Cornwall with little money, renting a
hut by the sea and more or less completely
re-shaping it inside and out, getting a
steady (more or less, again) sort of income
by collecting insects and minor sea mon-
sters for a "firm," building
furniture and a boat, writing books, hav-
ing children, is presented in the way that
is so d ifficult and so successful—the
simplest possible.
To Scarborians Mr. Walmsley has recom-
mended "Foreigners," but its tales of bul-
lyings and childish fears are nothing be-
side the excitement one feels over the old
marine engine in "Love in the Sun." Ac-
quired as scrap, it was taken to pieces,
cleaned and re-metalled, and after much
experiment with the ignition, made to
drive a home-made boat, a kind of cabin
cruiser, sweetly and well. These seem ordi-
36
nary details, but how one follows the ups
and downs of the writer's hopes and fears!
Mr. Walmsley's many gifts show clearly
in this book. He can make you passionately
interested in practical details, he can write,
simply and finely, and he can achieve great
effects from a mere skeleton of a story. His
characters are uncomplicated but alive,
and his villains, if they can be so called,
though they may merely be ordinary men,
or the wind and weather themselves, cast a
genuine gloom now and again that
sharpens the zest of the narrative. This is a
book that enlarges one's appreciation of
life, and that is high praise. "
KEITH DUTTON -
Ed. Following on the
feature in the last Issue
in relation to Keith, I
hope that neither will
object to the reproduc-
tion of the following
letter from Jeff Davison
(one of our Canadian
correspondents) to Keith, and a letter
which Keith sent to me, and which I feel
succinctly capture in many ways the spir-
it of the School and its legacy to many of
its pupils.
Jeff Davison ( 1954-61) wrote …
“ Hello Sir, (!)
You may not remember me. It may jog
your memory if you have access to the
1958 SHSB school photo, in which I am
easy to find. I am directly below the centre
roof drain between the roof gables, second
row down. To my right is Michael Corbyn,
and to his right Ken Goulding. In the top
row diagonally above to my left is a pupil
you are sure to remember, the heavily
brylcreamed Tony Carabine.
I remember your Woodwork classes,
now such a long time ago, very fondly
indeed. Both my dad and grandad were
"time served" carpenters, and I was quite
good in the subject.
I emigrated to Canada in 1966, so the
smaller items we made are gone, but when
I visited my sister's house in Brompton in
2012, there was my sea grass stool, still in
use in her living room. My mum had it
originally of course, and I had thought it
was history too, but there it was. One of
the four bottom rails doesn't match be-
cause of some mistake (I guess I wasn't
good all the time then!) and you had to
give me another piece of oak. This substi-
tute piece turned out to be brutally hard,
and I wasn't strong enough to get the old
wooden jack plane to bite. You noticed the
struggle and came over and made short
work of squaring it up perfectly for me.
This kind gesture made a significant im-
pression on me because such spontaneous
on-task aid, I found, was not at all com-
mon among your colleagues!
I want to thank you for being such a
good teacher, you put a lot of effort into the
prep for your classes, and they were al-
ways a pleasant and productive experience.
I can't remember you even raising your
voice, even when the irrepressible Clive
Hopkins knocked over the pot o f
French polish just as you got everything
set up for a class demonstration. You did
37
go frighteningly red though, which caused
a deathly hush to fall among us!
After the sixth form, I went to Dudley
Training College and became a woodwork
teacher myself. I taught in Wolverhampton
for two years, then emigrated to Saskatche-
wan. After spells in Calgary, Alberta, and
Vernon, British Colombia, we moved here
to Victoria on the coast in 1981. I worked
for thirty-nine years in schools, most of it
as a woodwork teacher, but also taught
technical drawing, and other technical
subjects. I think you influenced my choice
of career, and as it was long and very re-
warding, I wanted to thank you. I loved
being a woodwork teacher.
You should be proud of the work you did
so well.
Jeff Davison”
Keith Dutton wrote…
“Dear Peter,
First of all may I congratulate you on your
recent publication of Summer Times. For
me and for many, it made for fascinating
reading. I would be very grateful if you
could send me a hard copy as I find the E-
mailed version difficult to follow.
The message from Jeff Davison also was a
bolt out of the blue and helped me to realise
that having sown the seeds I am now expe-
riencing the harvest.
As a result of Summer Times, I have been
in contact with Mike Pease who lives in
Gosport. We had a wonderful reunion a
couple of days ago and remembered many
happy times we had back in the fifties. Carry on the good work and many thanks again for keeping in touch.
BUSSING TO SCHOOL…. Bruce Rowbotham (1961-66)
Building the new School in a section of
no man's land between Scalby Road
and the Crematorium brought benefits
and disadvantages depending on
whose point of view you listened to.
Older staff bemoaned the huge picture
windows that filled almost an entire
wall of each classroom. “Windows are to
let light in, not sight out.” was a familiar
schoolmaster's rebuke. I'm sure some
of the elder statesmen of the teaching
profession at that time would have
proposed pupils wearing blinkers to
focus their attention solely on the
blackboard or the exercise book on
their desk. Whereas no one disputed
the benefits of having a huge sports
field on site. Before “out of town shop-
ping centres” were even dreamed of,
we had an “out of town school” that
catered for a huge catchment area and
inevitably there were “Bus Boys.”
Anyone who lived below Aberdeen
Walk towards the Old Town qualified
for free travel on the school bus from
the United Bus Depot in Somerset Ter-
race. Equally those who lived at East-
field had free transport on a dedicated
United school bus. Those who lived
along the A170 corridor towards Pick-
ering had a bus provided by Hard-
wicks. I lived at Osgodby and had to
catch the East Yorkshire Motor Ser-
vices service bus into town and then
transfer onto the United school bus.
Ok – thank you if you are still reading,
it's “so far – so boring.” Well stick with
38
it a bit more and maybe some memories
will come tumbling back and there's a
sting in the tail for someone at the end.
The double decker buses of the East
Yorkshire Motor Services were unusual
in that they appeared stunted with their
low level rounded spaceship roof and
inward sloping windows on the top
deck, a necessary feature especially con-
structed to allow them to pass under
Beverley Bar. To the nostalgic aficiona-
dos these buses might conjure an idyllic
and idiosyncratic image but on a bitter-
ly cold day, with the sleet blowing in
from the North Sea during the pro-
longed winter of 1963, the reality was
very different. As the bus hove into
sight at Osgodby it had already ground
it's way over the Wolds from Hull, via
Beverley, Driffield and Bridlington. The
interiors of the windows were drenched
in thick condensation like heavy net
curtains. Occasionally a hand would
wipe across the glass and a blurred face
would peer out. As the bus drew up the
rear concertina doors would open and a
draft of warm fetid air washed out,
tinged with a heavy blue haze of ciga-
rette smoke. Every day, the same faces
were in the same seats, upwards of 50
people. Some had travelled for more
than an hour from Hull, re-breathing
the same stale air that the feeble under
seat heaters recirculated as tepid fug.
Smoking on buses was compulsory for
all fare paying passengers in the 1960's.
As the holder of a free school bus pass I
claimed an exemption by reason of age.
Officially the fleet colours were
“Indigo and Primrose” but in reality the
primrose interior was nicotine brown,
washed with rivulets of condensation,
greasy aluminium handrails and leather
straps hanging from roof rails were in-
grained with years of sweat and grime.
The pattern of the seat material worn
almost threadbare and long since ob-
scured, the flotsam of cigarette ends, ash
and bus tickets littered the floors.
Further stops at Sea View Drive and
Wheatcroft Garage meant that the bus
never carried any momentum to help
with the inclines that followed. The
rumbling diesel engines slogged away
as the interior lights slowly dimmed to
barely a flicker until the better drivers
deftly double de-clutched to the next
lower gear. Lesser drivers mercilessly
crashed gear teeth together with brute
force and little mechanical sympathy
until they finally meshed and the bus
lurched forward. Passengers jerking like
cheap metronomes in their seats before
steadying themselves against the back
of the seat in front. The conductor
clenched his satchel of coins with one
hand to prevent any spillage whilst
gripping the handrail on the staircase
with the other until linear travel was
resumed. Finally there was some respite
as we passed Scarborough College and
the gradient was with us all the way to
the Valley Bridge. At the EYMS depot
next to the Westwood School travellers
alighted like nonchalant survivors of
the Deadwood Stage and took their first
welcome breaths of fresh air. Adults
dispersed to their daily jobs, the Scar-
borough Convent Girls in their distinc-
tive “coffee and cream” uniforms kept
themselves apart from the Girl's High
39
School girls and everyone went their
separate ways.
For me it was chance for a quick
glance at a Mini Cooper or Austin
Healey Sprite in Tessyman's Show-
room, with dreams of freedom and
mobility that my 17th birthday would
bring, before crossing the road to the
United Depot at Somerset Terrace.
Although we literally crossed the path
of the lads who attended Westwood
School, I never remember any animos-
ity.
There must have been about 50 of us
Bus Boys congregated at the United
Depot waiting to be called forward
and board the bus by the Bus Inspec-
tor, a role that was part sergeant-major
and part circus ringmaster as he mar-
shalled the yard. Despite being a daily
event, this process never seemed to be
organised. The Inspector would press-
gang a scratch crew from the staff can-
teen situated opposite the depot and
mated them with whatever bus could
be brought up from the bus garage in
Vernon Road. Sometimes we all
crammed onto a double decker, some-
times it was a couple of single deckers.
The only guarantee was that there
were always more bodies than seats.
First formers rarely got to sit down.
I think that some of the bus drivers
rather enjoyed the school run as they
were free from the drudgery of con-
stant stop start driving on a regular
route. Leaving the depot we travelled
via Falsgrave and onto Scalby Road at
the Snowdrift Laundry. At the Manor
Road roundabout some of the drivers
took the opportunity to hang back and
open up a gap in traffic so that that
they could race along the gradual
curve to the Stepney Grove junction
and then down the gradient towards
the beginning of the dual carriageway
that passed the hospital. It was on this
downhill gradient that some of the
lads who rode to school on push bikes
would sometimes attempt to get a tow
in the slip stream. Peddling hell for
leather with their heads down and
barely 3 feet from the back of the bus it
must have been exciting to reach al-
most 30mph, whilst looking down at
the white lines on the road spitting out
from under the bus like tracer bullets.
On double-deckers, the conductor
would hang off the platform on the
back of the bus shouting and waving
them to slow down and drop back.
Meanwhile the rest of us on board
would cheer them on. Such is the in-
vincibility of youth.
Every day my school commute was
the same routine. Amusement came
when the bus driver occasionally
made a wrong turn and once we were
even taken to Scarborough College by
a confused driver. In the confines of
the separate cab of the double decker
he was oblivious to the jeers that
erupted as we crossed the Valley
Bridge and began to climb towards
Ramshill. The conductor attempted to
stop him by ringing the bell, before
finally banging on the window at the
drivers back. The subsequent frantic
drive across town to school was ac-
companied by loud cheers and the
satisfaction of knowing we would be
late but had a cast iron excuse.
There was always a wag with a
40
quick turn of wit and one morning the
bus stalled when turning round at the
Crematorium car park. As the driver
struggled to get the engine restarted, a
funeral cortège passed by and a voice
shouted out, “Terminus – Bring out your
Dead! Cue peals of irreverent laughter.
One incident still remains vividly in
my memory, a typical piece of school-
boy mischief.
At the end of school the buses
would wait at the end of the school
drive. As we all left the building at the
rear school exit we passed by the milk
crates stacked with miniature empties
and the occasional still full unclaimed
bottle of school milk. Occasionally
someone would grab a bottle and
pause to guzzle it down, then place the
empty bottle back in the crate, howev-
er on this occasion one of the Bus Boys
grabbed the full bottle and took it onto
the bus. So far – so boring? Well read
on.
On the route into town the contents
of the bottle were emptied from a win-
dow on the top deck of the moving bus
and liberally doused a line of inno-
cents standing in a bus queue. Laugh-
ter rang throughout the top deck
whilst the driver, conductor and those
on the lower deck were oblivious to
everything.
The following morning after morn-
ing assembly all the Bus Boys were
instructed to remain behind. Percy
Gardiner and Jack Speight were a
formidable duo, akin to the thinking
man's Kray twins. Whereas Jack
Speight would rant and rave when
angry, Percy was more measured, sim-
mering sinisterly and was all the more
menacing for being so.
A telephone call that morning from
a furious Inspector at the United Bus
Company to report the incident had
cut Percy to the quick, an uncomforta-
ble and embarrassing exchange for
him made worse by being lectured on
good behaviour by a blue collar work-
er, all revealed when Percy concluded
contemptuously, “... and I sincerely hope
that no pupil of this school goes on to be-
come an employee of the United Bus Com-
pany.” Now, only the sight of the cul-
prits head on a javelin at the end of the
school drive, would restore a smile to
his face as he moved to close the net.
Nowadays an investigator faced
with over 50 possible suspects, no fo-
rensic evidence, no independent wit-
nesses, no CCTV evidence and a wall
of silence would have no chance of
identifying the culprit. But in the
1960's it was different. Interrogation by
Headmasters was not governed by the
Judges Rules of Police interrogations;
there was no protection of the Geneva
Convention, no right to legal represen-
tation, no right to silence nor protec-
tion against self- incrimination. Indeed
schoolboy suspects were doubly
dammed; silence was “dumb inso-
lence” and any protestations were
“back answering.” The intimidating
duo acting as “Bad Cop & Bad Cop” got
a result almost immediately. The cul-
prit was positively identified and a full
confession confirmed his guilt. Even
the skilled advocacy of Gilbert Gray,
had he been available, would not have
41
mitigated the penalty. Swift and con-
dign. The jurisdiction of a Headmaster
did not end at the school gates nor
beyond the school day, as the miscre-
ant subsequently felt the full pain of
Percy's punishment and on the bus
home that afternoon was probably
happier to stand with the First For-
mers rather than sit down.
MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS- Or, Ramblings on a Life more Ordinary. (the Editor in quasi-literary mode)
Were I a medical man, which undenia-
bly I am not, rather than a humble
lawyer, (an oxymoron you might
think!) I might reflect philosophically on
the foibles of human memory in rela-
tion to our formative years of life at
School, and the curious historical de-
tritus dredged from its depths by our
membership of the Association. Why
can I not now similarly remember
where I just put my spectacles, - for
what I went upstairs, or, - living even
more dangerously, who just rang with
a message for She who Must be
Obeyed, or even more problematically,
- what was the message?
In such a context it is a source of
domestic concern that the contrast
between my alleged crystal-clear re-
flection of the trivialities of events
some 60 years ago for the purposes of
the Magazine and my lack of recall in
relation to yesterday's or even today's
domestic Standing Orders are a matter
of critical comment. By way of mitiga-
tion if not defence I would however at
least like to think is that similar diffi-
culties are perhaps experienced by
other Members reading this.
However, whilst the past may be
another country, its recollection is said
to be good for what Hercule Poirot
regarded as the little grey cells, so,
perhaps, as a starter for ten, the quota-
tion -"Hope, they say, deserts us at no
period of our existence, from first to
last…” may ring long forgotten bells
for some reading this? From whence,
you may say. From an essay on Mar-
riage by Robert Louis Stevenson being
the erudite answer, but more memora-
bly by way of being the script for the
Westwood School annual eyesight test
(thought the efficacy of identical word-
ing each year does rather defy logic! )
For many, masters catch-phrases
spring inexplicably to mind as memo-
rable, -- "you little rabbit", "bad boy"
and the inevitable "you'd better come
along, - uh huh, uh huh, " must be famil-
iar, at least to all at Westwood, and at
risk of antagonizing non-Latin schol-
ars by my pedantry, "quis talia fando
Myrmidonum Dolopumve aut duri miles
Ulixi temperet a lacrimis..." with its Eng-
lish translation "who among the
Myrrmidons or Doolopians or the harsh
soldiers of Ulysses could refrain from
tears", springs inexplicably to mind on the
most inappropriate occasions, dating
back to an attempt, successful for once,
to learn by rote the set paragraph of
Vergil Book IV, but which further use
of such phrase has always subsequent-
ly eluded me.
42
Hymns at Speech Day in particular
ring a fairly memorable (albeit meta-
phorical) bell, apart from the omni-
present "Jerusalem", - almost a School
song, "Let us now praise famous men"
regularly appropriately glorified " the
fathers who begat us" though their facility
with musical tunes etc... was perhaps
rather more questionable?
Inexplicably, or perhaps a sign of
losing the plot, Physics, or was it
Chemistry, 60 years ago has recently
conjured up a memory of the expres-
sion "Avogadro's Hypothesis" without
any recollection of what had so exer-
cised Avogadro, or understanding of
what it was about, perhaps demon-
strating that with a then good memory
it was possible to scrape through some
“O” levels without any real under-
standing of their substance. It was
reassuring recently at Rotary to con-
duct a straw poll and find that among
the half dozen members canvassed
five had never heard of it and one
pleaded knowledge of the expression
but ignorance of the content! - I am not
alone!
For those of a literary bent frag-
ments of Shakespeare may still loom
large! Personally, as the Prompter for
the School play on two occasions, I can
claim at one stage to have known by
heart the virtual whole of Macbeth
and large chunks of Midsummer
Night’s Dream, which seemed a major
achievement at the time, and quite
impressed the relatives, but, at subse-
quent gatherings and dinner parties
any demonstration of this apogee of
achievement singularly failed to im-
press or led to the allegation of a
mere talent of boring for Britain as
"tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
crept in this petty pace from day to day".
But despair ye not, enough of this
idle persiflage, "the last syllable o f
recorded time" is not with us yet, and, if
contributions to the Magazine contin-
ue to flow, nor will it be, and these
fatuous fillers (onomatopoeic or other-
wise) will "wither and perish, but
naught changeth thee!"
TRIVIA Thought for the Day-
Extracted from Readers letters to “the
Oldie”
My Own Social Media
SIR: I haven’t got a computer, but I
was told about Facebook and Twitter,
and am trying to make friends outside
Facebook and Twitter while applying
the same principles.
Every day, I walk down the street
and tell passers-by what I have eaten,
how I feel, what I have done the night
before and what I will do for the rest
of the day. I give them pictures of my
wife, my daughter, my dog and me
gardening and on holiday, spending
time by the pool.
I also listen to their conversations,
tell them I “like” them and give them
my opinion on every subject that inter-
ests me … whether it interests them or
not.
And it works. I already have four
people following me; two police offic-
ers, a social worker and a psychiatrist.
Peter White, Holbrook, Derbyshire.
43
The following questions were in a
(UK) GED (grade 12 equivalent) ex-
amination. These are genuine an-
swers.
Q. What is a turbine?
A. Something an Arab or Sheik wears
on his head. Once an Arab boy reach-
es puberty, he removes his diaper and
wraps it around his head.
Q. How is dew formed?
A. The sun shines down on the leaves
and makes them perspire.
Q. What guarantees may a mortgage
company insist on?
A. If you are buying a house, they
will insist that you are well endowed.
Q. In a democratic society, how im-
portant are elections?
A. Very important. Sex can only hap-
pen when a male gets an election.
Q. What are steroids?
A. Things for keeping carpets still on
the stairs.
(Shoot yourself now, there is little
hope.)
Q. What happens to your body as you
age?
A. When you get old, so do your bow-
els and you get intercontinental.
Q. What happens to a boy when he reach-
es puberty?
A. He says goodbye to his boyhood
and looks forward to his adultery.
(So true)
Q. Name a major d isease associated
with cigarettes.
A. Premature death.
Q. What is artificial insemination?
A. When the farmer does it to the bull
instead of the cow.
Q. How can you delay milk turning
sour?
A. Keep it in the cow.
(Simple, but brilliant)
Q. How are the main 20 parts o f the
body categorized (e.g. The abdomen)?
A. The body is consisted into 3 parts -
the brainium, the borax and the ab-
dominal cavity. The brainium contains
the brain, the borax contains the heart
and lungs and the abdominal
cavity contains the five bowels:
A,E,I,O,U
Q. What is the fibula?
A. A small lie.
Q. What does 'varicose' mean?
A. Nearby.
Q. What is the most common form of
birth control?
A. Most people prevent contraception
by wearing a condominium.
(That would work.)
Q. Give the meaning of the term
'Caesarean section.'
A. The caesarean section is a district
in Rome.
Q. What is a seizure?
A. A Roman Emperor.
(Julius Seizure, I came, I saw, I had a
fit.)
Q. What is a terminal illness?
A. When you are sick at the airport.
(Irrefutable)
Q. What does the word 'benign'
mean?
A. Benign is what you will be after
you be eight.
(brilliant)
Q. Name the four seasons
A. Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.
*
1
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