PR*F*CTS (& HEAD BOYS)

 

FIRST POSTING ABOUT PREFECTS - Graham - did you wear a 'posh two-stars-and-a-stripe cap'? I remember that the prefects did during my first few years at school, but I think it may have been abolished later (perhaps after the appointment of Jasper Coles who introduced a few changes in dress code). (Andy Lee)

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REPLY TO FIRST POSTING - I was a prefect and enjoyed every sadistic moment of it!! there...at last after all these years.......i have 'come out' as it were........no longer do i need to fear the reporter from the news of the world who threatens to reveal my murky ast..............in fact for a brief {very brief} period of time i was even {can you bear it?}.... deputy head boy!!! Whilst in confessional mode, let us not forget to declare our house loyalty {see my profile elsewhere when I get around to posting it} I expect now you will make me stand outside the list for a double period I do however think that I am probably still the only prefect to have been sent out of school four times in one day to get his hair cut ....... oh happy day I think andrew {forgive me but I still use his sunday name} is probably right about changes in dress code as I don't even remember prefect caps with stars/stripes/bald eagles etc. and i certainly never wore one referring to a message posted a little while ago, also by my esteemed elder brother and our noble moderator {please don't chastise me if in error I mention n**l e*****s} didn't the first school rule go something like: Any behaviour which brings discredit on the good name of the school will be treated as a breach of the school rules. I never could figure out why they bothered with any others!! (Graham Alexander Lee)

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The Head Boy when I joined RLS in 1949 was Tyrell Burgess. He was a very personable 6th former in 1950, he encouraged many boys younger than himself, including mesself while I was only a 2nd former. He left school not long after that. I saw him on BBC TV several times through the following years, usually in talks about education and politics. I am almost certain, therefore, that he is the author whose nine published books one can see at http://www.amazon.com/Tyrrell-Burgess/e/B001KIHAB8/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 The first was published in 1971 and the last in 2002. Bernard Coe (43-51 and Head Boy after Tyrell) says of him:

"I remember Tyrell Burgess very well. Apart from anything else he lived only a few hundred yards away from me on Carlton Road. I greatly admired and respected him esp when he was Head Boy. Normally the role of the latter included sorting out Prefects' rosters for a range of duties, small speeches thanking various visitors and minor ceremonial duties etc. but Tyrell took it a whole stage further. He was helped by the fact he was a very good speaker [impromptu or otherwise]. Others may remember that at Morning Assembly, once the Head and Staff had left, it was the role of the Head Boy to make his announcements and then dismiss the school to its lessons. Tyrell did not just make announcements he would often give us a brief lecture! One I recall reminded us of our duties to our mothers as Mothering Sunday approached. On another occasion he gave us a short history of the grounds of the School and called for volunteers to tackle the newly acquired gardens of "High Trees"....including the pond. it brought results. One quality he had, and of which I was jealous, was a supreme self confidence...never lost for words in any situation. I could go on for hours on Tyrell, undoubtedly a most gifted individual. You don't become President of the Oxford Union without ability!"
Ged Martin (1956-63) also wrote: "I had the pleasure of meeting Tyrrell Burgess once -- in, of all places, Canberra, where he was visiting when I had a job there. He was looking for people to write for his Higher Education Review on Australian issues. The classic story about him was that he was evacuated to Wales, and passed the 11+ -- in Welsh. I also recall a picture of his Oxford Union committee hanging in George's office, with Anthony Howard as one of the members. Michael Heseltine, who was President soon afterwards, must also have been there. Ugh. He died in 2009, and there is an obituary in the Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2009/may/06/tyrrell-burgess-obituary."

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Does anyone else remember when the H**d B*y would make announcements during assembly, when JPC and the rest of the staff had gone? These would included notices from clubs and sports teams, also the dreaded x,y,z... to report to the Head's study or the Pr*f*cts' room. One particular H**d B*y more than once read out the name "Yeo" and the whole school would call back "Yeo". I wonder how and why this ritual started? Did this particular H**d B*y pronounce the name as "Yayoh" once so that for ever more he was reminded by a resounding "Yo"? I am sure there ought to be more useful things to remember from school but that one has stuck with me. (Tim Knights)

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At the end of Summer term, as i recall, Prefects would start to disappear off so next year's Prefects were made 'temporary' Prefects to man the dinner queues and the like. I was one of these, but a group of us went on holiday to Spain together and got back to school 3 or 4 days late for the Autumn Term. Some were suspended, my punishment was to be 'stripped' of my responsibilities as a prefect. Another of our party was allowed to remain as a Prefect, for reasons that were never adequately explained. Personally, I think I got the better of the deal!. (Colin Newlyn)

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'Prefect resigned ' a rare and costly event i admit but i have two candidates, sadly not members of this jolly band but surely worthy of mention in the archives the men who turned in their badges!! Tell us more, please. (Andy Lee)

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...the memory is a bit dull on the background to events but please remember, this was the 60's, a time of revolution, protest, flower power and getting round to the county high school as fast as possible to encourage they of the crisp white blouse, green pleated skirts and itchy tights, to practice the
philosophy of 'make love not war'.........god bless school plays and 'mass debates' anyway, in this context, there was one of those occassional meetings which took place in jpc's office between the head and the prefects {oh! sorry david, you wouldn't know about this sort of thing would you!! never having
risen to the rarified atmosphere of prefectdom!!} and during the discussion a matter of policy arose {something trivial like thrashing, beating and torturing lower form boys}
as best as i can remember there was a disagreement and jasper, not suprisingly, insisted on having his own way {i'm sure he was an early maggie thatcher prototype}
basically, his point of view was 'like it or lump it' at least two of our number, namely chris fawcett and john 'sandy' sandwell, dramatically turned in their badges rumour at the time said that really they were bored with staircase duty encroaching upon their morning break....between free periods......and that
this was a cool way of becoming heroes of the revolution personally i agreed with the thrashing, beating and torturing (Graham Lee)

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As far as prefects and punishment go, being given the punishment "2000 words on `The inside of a ping-pong ball`" personally always made me ponder on the nature of that particular prefect`s birth. My crime - not wearing my
cap outside the school grounds!!! I obviously deserved everything I got that day.But I could take the lines, and the detentions (labouriously writing out the school rules) and even the canings (a total of 22 strokes in my six years). What I hated, what I really hated, was being put on report! That blank timetable that was put on every master`s desk just so that he could ask YOU the most difficult questions! "Who can describe Bernoulli`s principle - er....Harrison?" and and "Who can demonstrate Fleming`s rules.......Harrison?" If you got a poor remark, you went on report for
another week. If you didn`t do every scrap of homework, you went back on report. If every box wasn`t signed, you went back on report. There were boys who had been on report for months! (Tony Harrison)

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I can't remember which one it was, but some b****** prefect once set me the line "In every civilised community there is a certain standard of behaviour
to which I, in the common interest, should conform" to write out 100x. Just try doing THAT one with four pens sellotaped together!!!And Graham calls for RESPECT for prefects? HUH!!! (David Maltby)

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excuse me !!!!! ganging up on prefects is NOT necessary !!!!! by the time i was elevated to the holy office prefects were forbidden from
giving any physical punishment the dubious practice of thrashing of young boys bent over in vulnerable positions was reserved for the incumbent of the office at the top of the spiral we just dragged them into dark corners and humiliated them much more civilised !! (Graham Lee)

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Uniforms and school pr*f*cts [my spelling correction - Ed.] once represented everything that 'progressive' teachers kicked against in the heyday of Seventies liberalism. Now, however, a return to tradition in state schools is being credited with helping to raise classroom standards as pupils rediscover a sense of pride in themselves and their studies. etc... This, in my eyes, smacks rather of a 'Cargo Cult' mentality - or the triumph of form over substance: at least as far as school uniforms are concerned. I really cannot say that my feeling of belonging to a community was enhanced by being forced to wear ridiculous, expensive, and impractical clothing.
On the other hand, the prefect system, in as much as it allows pupils to take part in the running of the school, does encourage a sense that pupils are part of the school as an institution, rather than being items on an educational production-line.
My - admittedly cynical - view is that this has more to do with not costing the Government a penny more than with any genuine attempt to
raise educational standards. (Martin Jacobson)

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JAS wrote:- "In the 1950s, the number of temporary prefects in VI B depended proportionately on the number of prefects taking A Levels.  The number who were appointed actual prefects when they went into VI A depended on the number of vacancies, which depended on the number staying on for a third year in the Sixth Form.

Alan, Thank you for that insight.  I wonder what those chaps were doing, who were not taking A levels while in 6A? I admit I had not heard of such a thing before. By the late 1960s, virtually all members of 6A took at least 3 A Levels and therefore the temporary pr*f*cts replaced the permanent ones completely, apart that is from the H**d B*y who still seemed to be present at every assembly - presumably that was part of the job.  Also, after the A Level examinations had finished many members of 6A disappeared never to be seen again, pr*f*ts included. I don't think JPC exactly approved of this, but there was precious little he could do about it.

The "Third Year Sixth" still had a healthy quorum in 1963 when I joined the school, and for some years afterwards. However by the end of my time at RLS a major change had taken place, in that the Oxbridge Entrance examinations were tackled during the second year of sixth form instead of being held over until the third year. As a consequence the Third Year Sixth ceased to exist as a separate form, and only those who had failed to achieve their required A Level grades returned for a third year. In most cases they were gone by Xmas of that year. (John Bailey)

A prefect did attempt an alternative to detention and lines, which may have been the forerunner of community service. The punishment was to report at 4pm to cut the school field grass.  He provided the nail scissors!  About six boys would work away for about an hour. I hasten to add that I never endured the punishment. I was merely an interested by-stander! Does anyone recall who this sadist was? (John Hawkins)

Some time about the end of the first year I was offered the chance to serve the dinners to the Masters and Pr*f*cts. Guess what? I said "Yes, Please". This has been a terrible burden and now it's time to reveal it. Along with fellow waiter Malcolm "Little Willie" Wilcox 65er we slaved away in the Kitchen every lunch for years. In the beginning it was a great way to get to know the Masters and what for me back then were mostly a bunch of fairly decent older boys with whom in many respects I was able to form nice friendships. The exposure certainly seemed then to be more good than harm, and the food we raided was just superb. I can't remember who gave over this honoured privilege to us. Names? And I can't remember who took it over, either. Any of you slightly older BP's have any memories of this activity and what on earth had been the original idea for younger pupils to serve lunch this way? (Ian Macauley)

(Referring to ex-pr*f*cts on RLSOB) ...and a pr*f*ct should be addressed as 'That pinko fascist collaborating bastard who deserves nothing better than to have his private parts attached directly to the national grid whilst a fairly hot chilli pepper is inserted into his bottom with some force'

Mind you, some of them liked it. (Robin Hackshall)

I can't actually remember receiving lines or hardship of any sort off any prefect at any time whilst I was at RLS. All I can remember of the duties of the prefects was that one had to sit in the foyer of Hare Hall below JPC's office and take down the names of all latecomers for subsequent presentation to Jake. I was late every day throughout my entire 6th form career, being of the atheist persuasion and thus exempt from morning assembly with its associated hymnals, and can honestly say that no prefect ever took my name down, merely greeting me each day with a cheery "morning, Ash" no matter what time I bowled in. (Ash Howe)

90s conditions for being a pr*f*ct: Must be in the 5th and final year of RLS (known as Year 11, even though it is actually Year 12 of a child's education).
Approx. 15 prefects out of 120 pupils in the year. Some discussion by staff, I suspect. Recommendations made and reasons given. Academic ability not really relevant - it's more about your general nous and politeness (both of which I have since lost). The ability to show people around the school without getting lost, for example. Many present-day Libertians cannot do this.
Duties: None. Some of us took it upon ourselves to try to sort out problems (like people having massive fights) but had no back-up or support from the staff and ended up being utterly impotent. We had no sanctions to impose whatsoever. But I enjoyed it, nevertheless. Prefects were sometimes refered to as "Perfects" or, on bad days, "Defects." (Adrian Thompson)

In the '50s the requirements for being a pr*f*ct were:
1. Nazi-like streak of cruelness mandatory.
2. At least one eye located at rear of head.
3. Must wear crepe or rubber soled shoes for stealthy approaches 4. RLS Cap permanently tatooed on head.
5. Loud voice for shouting at 1st and 2nd formers.
6. Ability to read every one of 100 lines to check for mistakes 7. Permanent brown nose.
8. Forked tongue for telling lies about victims.
9. Long nail on index finger of left hand (a dead 'I'm a prefect' giveaway) for nose picking duties.

10. Immune to claustrophobia (has to share room with about 50 other similar animals).
There are probably more and I'm sure group members will be able to post them. (Mike Merry)

I don't remember a league table of punishments being kept during my occupancy of the holy sanctum of the Prefect's Room but we did have to keep a record of punishments and the reason for them. Sometimes it provided very amusing reading and the opportunity for enough creative writing to satisfy whole English department. (GAL)

Certainly, in my year as a prefect (1964-65), there was a punishment book but no league tables were kept. (Michael P. Large)

I don't remember a league table of punishments being kept during my occupancy of the holy sanctum of the Prefect's Room but we did have to keep a record of punishments and the reason for them. Sometimes it provided very amusing reading and the opportunity for enough creative writing to satisfy whole English department. (GAL)

I know that those of us who achieved the high office of Prefect are often derided on this list (personally I blame the jealousy of the Moderator) but some of us had a sense of humour. I recall during one cap check approaching a boy who seemed to have nothing on his head but a blue rag. On closer inspection I found that he had removed the central button and peeled back the segments like an orange so that it looked like a jesters hat. With a challenging glint in his eye, his reply to my question " What do you call that?" was " My cap mate and if you want to make summfink of it talk to my Mum ". (GAL)

Speaking as a former Prefect (and inordinately proud of it!!) it was the convention that boys should not leave the school grounds during lunch or break. In later years however observing from our family home in Castellan Avenue I noticed boys passing by at all times of the day. Perhaps this indicates a general liberalisation in the regime or maybe it co-incided with the general slide into ignominy suffered by the school. (GAL)

There can definitely be no excuse for being proud of being a prefect! (Bob Tucker)

I wouldn't wish to impugn the word of a prefect, but no-one ever explained that convention to me at least so far as lunchtime was concerned.  I don't ever remember thinking twice about leaving at lunchtime, nor being prevented from doing so.  Finding somewhere safe to have a fag within the grounds was tricky to say the least, unless you were desperate to visit Jake's study. (John Bailey)

As I explained in a previous message, When I was made a pr*f*ct, Jake had taken to the 'Poacher turned Gamekeeper' theory of law enforcement. Thus the pr*f*cts were voted in by their peers and consisted of the criminal element. Hence for the 1970 intake the 'Guilty' and 'Not-guilty' soubriquet should surely be reversed?

When this method of choice was begun and when it ended I do not know. However I suspect we weren't the first year, therefore those of the '69ers' who claim non-guilt may well be 'swots' and 'walter the softees' posing as upright citizens.

I realise this may be a controversial view, but I am sure it will be supported by my fellow 1970 intake pr*f*ct Honourable member Puxley. (Trevor Landen)

I recall that one of my Prefectorial duties (I guess '68/'69) was to take custody of 'the late book' in the small reception room beneath the school office. When the bell tolled its last, all other doors and windows on the ground floor were closed and locked forcing latecomers to enter through the old part of Hare Hall. It was the only time that many pupils set foot on this hallowed ground as it was otherwise out of bounds and reserved as a staff and prefect entrance. (Graham Alexander Lee)

Hon. Member Stillwell raised the issue of "temporary tins" , i.e. those who were made temporary pr*f*cts but were never elevated to the full-time position. For those who have no idea what I am waffling about, it was Jake Coles' habit to empower 15 or so members of VI B each summer while the normal incumbents in VI A were sitting their A Level exams. This may well have gone on under previous or subsequent heads as well but I wasn't there to witness it. Anyway, as Martin rightly said, in most cases those who thus became Guilty were appointed permanently at the beginning of the Autumn term - but this was by no means universal. I seem to remember one or two in my year who went back to being TGBs (if that's possible) the next term. I don't really have any strong feelings either way on this issue, but I do wonder how many other Hon Members achieved this state of temporary guilt and have never owned up ?? (John Bailey)

Gentlemen, I can hold my peace no longer. I write with reference to a recent communique from Dr I Kill where he suggests that God's Chosen Few should have to begin their messages with: "Permission to speak" as a constant reminder to us and to them of their own shame. I put it to you, sirs, that this (along with other attempts at Pr*f*ct Bashing) is nothing more than a bad case of Sour Grapes. Yes, I was one of Jake's henchmen, and I wore my honoured silver badge with pride! Being a Pr*f*ct was a dirty job, but someone had to do it. First-formers don't clip themselves round the ears I'll have you know. And collecting dinner tickets was far from the glamorous occupation you may have imagined. It's the easiest thing in the world to mumble about never wanting to be a Pr*f*ct anyway if you didn't make the grade to get elevated to that exalted rank. (Ian Kill)

Need I say more? What a shameless display of unearned pride! Trev (Ena) Sharples cannot even bring himself to spell the word Pr*f*ct fully. I do agree that it was indeed a dirty job. Gentlemen, I fear that this is the thin end of a very fat wedge. A call to arms - hands off cocks, pull up your socks - we cannot allow this insidious rise of Pr*f*ct Pride to go by unhindered. Next they will be marching down your street, flicking your childrens ears, checking that your hair does not extend below the level of your ears nor touch your collar. Act now! (Ian Kill)

For all of those who think we prefects were monsters, the only time I remember that could be construed in any way to be bad was the lunchtime we found ("caught", whatever) a 1st or 2nd former wandering the corridors, which of course was totally against the rules. We brought him into the prefects’ room, and immediately "ordered" him to stand on a chair. Of course, he refused, so in response, WE all stood up on our seats and proceeded to laugh at him, as if he was the stupid one. Guess that "showed him"...! (Les Farrow)Who remembers the time that the pr*f*cts put the whole school in detention for misbehaving at assembly? It must have been '54 - '55 time frame. Anyhow the after- school detention broke into a near riot with everybody shouting, stamping their feet, jeering. It was scary being there. The pr*f*cts panicked and got the masters. Errrn restored order instantly - really instantly. He stood at the forward door of the assembly hall and made the whole school march by him one at a time and proceeded to clout everyone around the head as they passed him. It was an impressive lesson in power! (Reg Caton)

Quote from Mike Merry's post of Dec.12th, 2001.......If it snowed the Pr*f*cts might come out for a snowball fight. They gave no notice of when this would be but suddenly the whole lot of them would burst from their coop, down the spiral staircase and out through the Hare Hall door. Woe betides any poor sinner who was in their way. They were without mercy and singled out their special enemies for punishment on the run. Even the dozy ones would come out. Some couldn't even make a snowball, let alone throw one! These were the ones to target with the `ice balls', snowballs wrapped around a lump of frozen water! I don't think anyone was seriously injured in these `sweeps' but they would last for ten minutes and be talked about for months afterwards. (Mike Merry)

Perhaps "w*nk*rs would have been a better choice of words. In '53 for instance the Pr*f*cts included Spike Iverson and BJ Spooner. Iverson, the perennial Conservative Party candidate who dresssed in suits with waistcoats and bow ties, was eminently unsuited for a snowball fight. However, it seemed to be a point of honor that all silver badge holders make the foray and Spike, dozy or a w*nk*r whathaveyou, was in the group. Spooner was a day-dreamer and fancied himself as an up and coming theatrical director. The thick, bottle lenses of his spectacles were perhaps the worst handicap one could endure when snow and ice balls were being launched. Nevertheless, Spooner also made the run. Llewellyn, the RSM of the CCF seemed to pass his entire schooldays shouting at people, a very necessary asset when commanding a group of unwilling cadets but useless when trying to stop an oncoming hoard of willfull junior formers from attacking one. I'm afraid that after the first couple of days at the school, there was not much respect for Pr*f*cts. Fear in some cases yes but respect was reserved for the very few, Colin Carrington, an excellent all round athlete and Ken Cracknell who had a good sense of humour being two of them. These Pr*f*cts knew that they held in their hands the fate of their juniors and many used this power to boost their own ego's. They had the power to punish with detention and lines but not to strike anyone. Nevertheless, there were those amongst them who secretly relished bringing miscreants to Scruff to be whacked. A serious character flaw which often leads the affected into law enforcement after school years. I readily admit that my own behavior was not saint-like, however I can honestly say that I never dropped a penny on anyone, unlike many of those who preened in and pranced out of that little room at the end of the second floor corridor. (Mike Merry)

If memory serves, the mass detention/ riot was in my last year (57). There was definitely a subversive element in the fifth form at that time, of which I admit membership. I think this consisted of those to whom a prestigious education meant very little, and whose hormones and self assertion were beginning to manifest. I don’t believe the riot was perpetrated with malice, just a protest against the punishment. You'll note Ernie Pilling hit the little kids, but could not reach to hit the biggies. Ringleaders, as they would proudly and readily admit, were self, Jelves, Ayres, Middleton, Cook, Gregory. There....I've grassed them up. (Phil Kingham)

Mac reported: "One Third Guilty (Prefects badge taken away by Jake at Christmas for various misdemeanours - aided and abetted by Head Boy Russ Peters)" Our well-established classification for such disgraceful behaviour is 'Defrocked'. (Andy Lee)

I must declare that I am 'guilty' and although I had looked forward to brandishing the hymn book instead of being on the receiving end of it from former prefects I think the prefects of my era preferred entering into dialogue and negotiation instead of the outright sadism of earlier years. (Stuart McCreddie)