CLUBS & ACTIVITIES

CLUB FRIDAYS, TRANSPORT CLUB ETC.  VOLUNTARY WORK, FILM CLUB,

CHESS CLUB, BIRD-WATCHING SOCIETY, SS. VELUTINA CLUB, 

MUSIC APPRECIATION SOC., MOCK ELECTIONS, P.A. SOUND SYSTEM

THE LIBERTY FORUM

The Liberty Forum was very active in the late 50's, meeting weekly in the library after school. Geoff Smith was Chairman at one time I seem to remember and J. Alan was also involved I believe. Some debates were big. The debate about comprehensive plans for RLS filled the library. The Romford Recorder sent a reporter, and the following newspaper article led to a response by George in assembly. The Suez crisis prompted a heated debate that filled the dining room, with staff involved. S H Nicholson's traditional view clashing with an incensed Owen L Thomas. I also remember a full dining hall for the Christmas debates. In 1960 Doug Fisher and I proposed the motion that 'This House believes in Santa Claus'. carried with a vast majority.

The emphasis was definitely on humour during that time, particularly in the era of Peter Mitchell and Geoff Smith when John Ainger was Minutes Secretary. (Bill Groves)

 

Bill rightly remembers John Ainger's performance as Hon. Min. Sec.  He is too modest to mention his own performance in that role.  I remember one occasion when he wrote the minutes of a meeting in verse.  Another distinguished performer in that role was David Pettit.  On occasions in the fifties, people who couldn't spare the time to attend the whole meeting thought it worthwhile to pop in just to hear the minutes being read. (J. Alan Smith)

 

Although I know what th e LF was, I still have no idea of its format.  Who chose the topic, who discussed it and was a vote taken at the end, if so how?  I am sure the LF was excellent grooming for HBs.  How else could he command the respect of 650 testosterone loaded kids at age 18 each morning at assembly? (David Silverside)

Staff commitment to unpaid voluntary work: Having just reviewed the Speech Day Programme in our library, School Years 1960-61, I am amazed at how much was going on at the School, and the achievements of the pupils. Most of this activity was completely out of my sight, I am sorry to say. Others have already remarked what an outstanding effort staff must have made on our behalf outside of teaching hours. Boys probably took it for granted at the time. (John Hawkins)

THE POPULAR MUSIC SOCIETY (& ANT APPRECIATION SOCIETY)
HM Bev Curtis mentioned the above thus:- 'the Popular Music Appreciation Group (a name borrowed from the sister Classical society), held after school, if I remember correctly, in the Physics Lab'
I seem to recall that by 1958/59 the Popular Music Society (as I remember it) was held at lunchtimes in room 23, which I think was 'Sus' Pender's geography room. Everyone sat round trying to look cool, arguing the merits of a particular pop record. I suppose someone must have provided the records, or was it a communal effort? One record I do rember being played was 'Any Old Iron' by Peter Sellars, hardly what one would term 'Rock 'n Roll'! But the gathering was probably the biggest for any group/society at the RLS in those days. Compared to the Transport Club it was a positive riot. (Derek Humphrey 57/62 Roman)

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"But the gathering was probably the biggest for any group/society at the RLS in those days. Compared to the Transport Club it was a positive riot." Let us not forget the (albeit shortlived) Ant Watchers' Society (or it may have been Ant Appreciation Society) of 1968 era. I think we had one inaugural meeting to determine our terms of reference, decided that ants weren't actually worth watching (or perhaps appreciating), and formally disbanded due to lack of interest. Such formative experiences clearly reverberate down the years and make better men of us all. (ash 66-73).

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CLUB FRIDAYS

 We played table tennis at the Club Friday evenings and my usual opponent in hotly contested matches was Brian Parkin, also an RLS Old Boy. Stan Kelley (RLS Old Boy and I think lives near Southampton) also attended the club and the church. It was a nice place to meet girls! I am still in touch with Jeanne (Parkin) Skinner (sister) who now lives at Henley-on-Thames. She was a first class player too and it took me a couple of years to develop enough skill to beat her (she is two years older than Brian and me). Brian lost his lovely wife about a year ago, a sad event for all of us who knew her. He resides in Kent. (Geoffrey Styles)

FILM CLUB

There were weekly meetings in Sus Pender's room 23, mainly of hired 16mm films of relevant topics. However, to stretch the budget we also held multi-media events (they hadn’t been given the name at the time!) Much cheaper were the 32mm filmstrips, which were a series of pictures with accompanying script.
The old physics lab assistant Tom Maddocks was a lovely bloke, who must have worked well past retirement age. On his retirement some boys clubbed together to give him a book on the silent movie era, a time on which he often reminisced. He sorted out equipment from his room along from the main physics lab, the mirror image of the prefects’ room in Hare Hall.
There was a large reel-to-reel tape machine in wooden case. Also a magnificent epidiascope, a large black magic-lantern contraption on wooden base. It took two of us to move it. A danger was that its power cord was wired with the female socket in the base, so the lead could be pulled to reveal two live prongs (no earth that I recall). This machine served the useful purpose of projecting any document directly to the screen. We used it for photos in books. I have only once seen an equivalent modern machine advertised. These days you would copy photos onto overhead transparencies,or more advanced now scan them into the computer for projection. This machine needed no such preparation.
Of the organising gang of four, only two of us remain. Derek ‘Ollie’ Witham died in his early twenties in a holiday car crash in USA. He wore no seatbelt, & I felt that could never happen to me. However Dave Hopkin died in his mid-thirties of mature onset leukaemia, no known cause or cure. That really hit me – it could just as easily have been me. I haven't since been affected by a death until the recent news of Doug Fisher. It really hits home when it’s my generation. Rodney Hills and myself are the sole survivors. Rodney was one of Puff's first computer students, and has worked in that field all his life. We still exchange the annual Xmas card and note. (John Hawkins)

John mentioned the epidiascope. I have many times tried to explain our epidiascope to both Canadians and ex-Brits, but it only resulted in blank looks. I remember it well. (Peter Cowling)

 

TRANSPORT CLUB - BUS- & TRAIN-SPOTTING

After an article in the London free paper 'The Metro' last week, I went along to the Routemaster 50th birthday event at Finsbury Park (managed not to get sight of Highbury or the new ground) on Sunday 25/7. Many old RMs, RMCs, RML, RCLs, RT, RTW, FRM etc. I used to be a little envious of the school boys who traveled on the RM route (174) when I had to suffer the RT (66a/66b). I managed to pick up a couple of old London Transport bus and rail maps from the old school days (67 & 70). There is an official reprint for £4 each from the London Transport Museum, but these were the original and much cheaper! (although of course they were free originally). I used to get a Red Rover and travel as far as possible during the summer holidays. It was interesting to read that the RM was introduced first as a trolley bus replacement. (Anorak-lite mode off). (Chris Fribbins)

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About a quarter of the school paid the Transport Club membership fee in my time, so it must have been more popular than any other school groups, bar the CCF! I can't recall anyone forming school groups for the other interests you mention, that might have had larger followings.
Interests ranged wide, beyond trains and buses. There was quite a lot of motor sports films, courtesy of the petrol companies, which may fall outside a strict definition of transport! They also provided films on aviation. The British Transport Commission Films Unit covered all nationalised transport, including Pickfords & British Road Services, the British Waterways Board canals and docks. We had a strong following for tramway films. There was also an affiliated group of model railway enthusiasts. (John Hawkins)

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Do young first and second formers still wait for the HARWICH HOOK OF HOLLAND express train, which passed through Gidea Park station at about 08.59am.   Keen Train spotters would wait for this to get the serial number (Usually and hopefully a Britannia Class 4-6-2), then run like mad to get to assembly before the bell, but usually arrive just in time to see the smiling face of a prefect shutting the door. Oh well, just a few more strokes from GHRN. (Robert Stevens)

Bus spotting: We used the 86A from Upminster to White Hart, Hornchurch and changed to the 66 which ran to the big road junction at Gidea Park. On the return journey, it was fun to let the bus accelerate from the stop and run at top speed to jump on the open platform. I seriously think that buses are so dull and boring these days... with the closed doors etc... that people will only travel on them if they have to. In the 60's I was a designer at Douglas Scott Associates in Putney... They designed the Routemaster… before my time there. I seem to remember that there was a lot of bus-spotting at RLS and there were little books published with all the types in... RT.. RTL...etc. (Colin Calvert)

One of the highlights of the summer fair during my school days was the model racing circuit set up in the woodwork room. It took up almost the whole room, & was stored in sections throughout the year at the rear of the room, I believe. Was it ever used at other times, e.g. evening groups, or touring other fetes?
The whole thing was scratch built, and much larger than the later commercial Scalectrix slot-car racing system. Does anyone know who built it, and when. Was it an original idea, or a widely used racing system? It made a change to the model railway sets of the day. (John Hawkins)

One of the leading lights of this project was Colin Calvert's brother Ian. It was certainly a group of senior boys who ran the club. I don't remember any member of staff being actively involved. It was up and running during1955 and 1956 when I was struggling to build a model of a Vanwall to run on this track. I don't think I ever succeeded! One major difference between this track and Scalextric was that the cars were guided by a shoe running over a raised copper rail instead of in a slot! Everything was indeed scratch built and most of the cars incorporated full Ackerman steering - again unlike the modern Scalextric versions. (DGM)

You may like to know that the Transport Club was still going strong in my day (1965-73) and was ably run by my friend Tim Knights. (Vince Leatt)

Room 23 was also the regular location for the Transport Club. I remember being pulled out of there one evening to take part, reluctantly, in the House Chess competition. I lost in record time and raced back to the Transport club. Many old films of trains, trams and buses were shown.

Although I never got round to entering myself, several other members entered the annual General Motors/Vauxhall design a car competition (my practical handy work was demonstrated by the marble game in woodwork).  I seem to remember Mr Tydeman jnr, doing well one year - whether it was the regional final, I can't remember - I just hope his dad did not do his homework!

Although the previous descriptions of the blackboard seem about right, I remember geography in that room because of the 'new modern Overhead Projector'. I think Biology had an epidioscope (or whatever it was called). (Chris Fribbins) During my time at RLS room 23 was used by the Transport Club for evening film shows.  It was a larger room, with blackout curtains, and no dangerous equipment for young boys to tamper with. The Transport Club kept its assets in a tall set of shelves, hidden behind a wooden roller front, near the door. (John Hawkins)

MODEL RAILWAY CLUB

The old shed at the Upper Brentwood entrance (closest to Gidea Park Station) used to be used by the model railroad club. There was another shed fairly close to the other (northerly) entrance, and it was used by the Scouts. I was in one of the troops, can't recall which, either the 12th or the 7th. So it appears you men who attended post WW II were worse off than we oldsters by a long shot in terms of required outfits and discipline. (Geoffrey Styles)

RLS CHESS CLUB

 One memory the Alumni book for 50/51 brought back was when the Chess club was played simultaneously by someone who was a champion - some kind of UK master... At least 20 of us played - the tables arranged in a longish rectangle within which the master circulated at amazing speed to play one move for each of us in turn. He check-mated most of us, drew a couple perhaps, lost none, as I recall it. But he gave praise to a few older boys (or masters?) who made him break his stride, so to speak. (Robert Priddy)

MUSICAL APPRECIATION SOCIETY

 I believe that room 23 was also used by the Musical Appreciation Society. In the late 50's or early 60's the Society met during the lunch hour and played the current hits until the volume got too loud or there were too many "members" trying to jam into the room. This would result in a visit from the common room and the dissolution of the Society for the rest of the term. (Peter Cowling)

MOCK ELECTIONS

 

OLB BOY 'POLITICIANS': BRIAN KING, HUGH FRASER, B.S. SMITH. B.D. KING

B. D. King, who won the Mock Election for the Liberals in the summer of 1955, later fought Stafford and Stone as a Liberal in the General Election of 1964 against Hugh Fraser. B.S. Smith was the Conservative Candidate in the 1955 Mock Election. (JAS)

From the Magazine, December 1955:

B.D. King, Liberal 189

B. S. Smith, Conservative 184

B.A. Wren, Labour 151

E.T. Coldham, Communist 22 (official), 38 (unofficial)

M.J.H. Roughton, Yhetti Nationalist, nomination withdrawn.

The Communist votes indicated some ballot rigging. (JAS)

Mention of the mock election of 1955 brings back a few memories and some uncertainties. The Yetti Nationalist Party (or similar) was one of the contenders - I have a feeling that it was supported by one or two charismatic individuals and seemed to be likely to do well but they withdrew in favour of the Conservatives quite close to the election itself. The Romford Times reported something like 'Schoolboys elect a Liberal'. (Mike Butterworth)

1955 Mike Butterworth remembers the Yetti Nationalist Party in the '55 mock election.  Quite correct and from memory "Goofy" Watson was one of the protagonists, but not, I believe, the candidate.  I was also a supporter, but I can't claim to have been one of the charismatic individuals that Mike remembers. (Peter Monk)

PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEM

 

Alan wrote: John Storey writes about the School Public Address System. Merv Wright and I used to run it in 1956-57 and 1957-58. One of the two who took over from us was R.J. Fisher (same year as Doug). And so life continued. Alan Edmonds and I used to run it around 1970, and sometimes John Coles lent us to the RCH for their sports day. Well, someone had to do it. Does anyone remember being responsible for setting up the CCF field telephone system between the gym and the school every year for the GCEs? (Vince Leatt)

When I first joined the School we would be regularly requested to contribute to The Pavilion Fund. Although the said building was in regular use, presumably the mortgage had not been cleared. After a couple of years the worthy cause became known as the Jubilee Fund. Has anyone any idea what our hard earned contributions went to support? (John Hawkins)

The Jubilee Fund "One penny, per boy, per week......" went to buy the electric organ which went to replace the asthmatic pipe organ which has been the subject of lengthy correspondence. (Steve Snelgrove)