Mr. D.G. RICHARDS (1949-post-1967)
Subject: Physics
Nickname 'Dickie'

A certain Mr. Richards inhabited the physics lab along the corridor from franklin's art room. I don't know if his initial was really D but he was certainly known with great affection {ah! the poor old s*d, he can't help it} as 'dickie'Richards amongst my fellow pupils at the time he was renowned for the style of the trousers he wore to our naive comprehension they appeared to be held up by a pair of old red braces which he chose to wear at an extension of about three inches from the top of his shoulder to the waist band of the trousers this had a good side and a bad side ... the good side was that the trousers were automatically hoisted as high as possible and kept his chest nice and warm on the long walk down the drive to the school buildings the bad side was that the trouser crutch was drawn similarly upwards and made adolescent eyes water at the very thought of moving in them but he seemed happy enough and in keeping with the fashion of the day, while we did our best to keep up with carnaby street in our 'hipsters' this new style from the physics lab was known as dickie's 'armpitsters'. (Graham Lee)

Brian Wingfield & I used to set up the school Public Address loudspeaker system for Sports days and the alternate years Old Boys / ParentsAssociation Summer Fetes - who remembers them? Whilst on the subject of loudspeaker systems -Dicky Richards lent us out to other schools in the area to supply Public Address to their Sports Daysand fetes as well. The high spots of the year were 'doing' the County High. ( 'Jim' Storey)

He was a good teacher who never showed anger even if, as I once did, you broke a piece of apparatus. [MJC]

"Dickie" Richards (Physics) was Don - and his two sons went to theschool - in part during my time. (Bill Broderick)

Dickie Richards was the only master I knew for whom the entire class would sit down and be silent before he had even closed the door. He never had to call for order. Perhaps he was once Judge Jeffries or the head of the Inquisition.. (Dick Stokes)

D.G.Richards B.Sc. His science wasn't a breeze I've found out since then. His sarcastic mien was a gift from the war Japanese (Phil Kingham)

…another master who didn't put up with any nonsense was 'Dickie' Richards who could keep order with just one withering look. (Derek Humphrey)

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G.M. PRYDE (1949-1956)
Subject: Mathematics
Nickname: 'Jock'

[Room 12] Sandy haired Scot with a fiery temper! His cupboard in room 12 was padlocked but ane fule with a pair of compasses could pick the lock. I don't think we ever nicked much but we would use the cupboard as a repository for smelly football socks, stale sandwiches etc. [DGM]

I just remember him as a large sandy-haired silent maths teacher.. but mainly for the aura of sheer terror he managed to instil in his class ... we were a rumbustious mob, normally quite noisy.. but not in Jock's class. [CC]

check, check.......HEY, CATON, BOY! TAKE YEW'RE HAANDS OUT OF YEW'RE POCKETS. YEW'LL GET CHILBLAINS!! (Courtesy Jock Pryde, who surely is a contender for the "most hated" title). (David Gregory)

As for Pryde's scything comment, I can't say I remember that either, which is not surprising. I think a 1st former would be traumatized and would block it out entirely. I do remember a master called Fox ridiculing me outside the masters' room for the way I spoke. One of the few bad memories. (Reg Caton)

Jock Pryde had considerable football skills. He had kept goal for the Shetland Isles as a young man and was a very impressive goalkeeper for the staff team, including a flat hat. He was in charge of the 1st Xl football after Johnny Bell left and I enjoyed working with him when I was soccer captain. His interest in football was also to be found in our "Cultural maths" lessons (maths for non-scientists) which he taught to the Sixth Form. Our time in these lessons was largely spent in working out permutations which could be used to do the football pools. (Ken Saxby)

M. A. FAITHFULL (Jan. 1951-1958)
Subject: Botany
Nicknames, 'Old Faithful', 'Monty' ,'The Penguin', 'Birdbrain'

 

Those HMs familiar with the Senior Biology Lab will know that one of the chemicals available therein is absolute alcohol. This is used in the preparation of a specimen when making a permanent microscope slide. Faithful was in the habit each day of bringing in an apple that he placed on his desk, to be eaten at morning break or lunchtime. One day a group of us (which might have included John Cloke, Roger Beeching, Derek Springham, Peter Tillbrook, me, and possibly others) thought that it would be a wizard jape (Billy Bunter where art thou!) to inject sir's apple with absolute alcohol. We had a hypodermic syringe, complete with needle, which we filled with absolute alcohol. We made a number of attempts at injecting sir's apple but (fortunately?) without success. It wasn't possible to exert sufficient pressure to force the alcohol into the apple. Conclusion: one of the things you can't do with a hypodermic syringe is use it to inject an apple with alcohol. ( Peter Monk 50-56)

A botany specialist who also did some biology "aka the penguin", I don't know his years of service, but went on field trips with him to Yorkshire, and the Weymouth area, he was a true botany fanatic; reminded me of the late lamented Kenneth Williams at his geekiest best, creeping up on unsuspecting green things and inspecting their sexual parts under his magnifying lens. [DC]

I remember a biology class visit to the bird sanctuary with "Bird Brain" Mr.Faithful in 1957. He looked up and said "Oh look! There's a woodpeckers hole" and I commenced singing "I put my finger in the woodpeckers hole, and the woodpecker said God bless my soul". That was the end of all further visits to the bird sanctuary. ( Brian Coan 55-59)

I recall Mr. Faithful (I can't recall him being known as Monty) as teaching biology during 51? He was a quiet sort of bloke, wore a hairy greyish sports jacket, was keen on the Bird Sanctury and would take classes there occasionally. I also remember a Mr. Lawson, who hasn't been mentioned much at all but who also taught Biology I believe. Perhaps it was because Faithful was so conformist that not much was remembered about him? (Mike Merry)

Mr. Faithful had joined the teaching staff a year or two before I entered his 6th form biology class. He was undoubtedly the youngest staff member, with a brand new B. Sc. in biology from the University of London; naturally he was immediately nick-named “Old Faithful”! He introduced us to all sorts of laboratory-based and field-based studies in botany and zoology, but best of all he explained to us various recent advances in biological research. For example, at that time Crick & Watson's important genetic research on the structure of DNA was emerging. It was not available in text books but Mr. Faithful outlined the thrust of various research papers he had read, and imbibed in us the excitement of this work, even though we were stretched to fully understand all the complexities of this and similar arcane subjects. He also had an extensive personal library which he made available to us and encouraged us to access. Much of it was beyond us, but not everything. I remember particularly reading his copy of Erdtman's “An Introduction to Pollen Analysis” and the more recently published “Pollen Morphology and Plant Taxonomy”. He encouraged me to collect pollen samples from the local flora and prepare them for microscopic examination. This was another eye opener - you could actually distinguish many plant species on their pollen characters alone.
There were many brilliant people I had the privilege to meet during my years at Cambridge but none had the fundamental influence and impact of Mr. Taylor, Mr. Faithful, and Mr. Reekie. (from Geoffrey Norris' writings - see http://snipurl.com/geoffnorris)

Monty Faithfull wrote in a letter to Ian Rolfe some interesting things about the staff with whom he worked. Here is an excerpt from that letter (2-6-2005)::
" We were a particularly happy Staff and knew each other fairly well. The extremely long lunch break, when we socialised well together, helped in this.
Every day we had lots of time to play shovehalfpenny and darts. Those who wanted to, like J.S.Smith, Brooks, Graham and indeed John Reekie himself, played bridge. Sometimes there were two card tables going, one for canasta also.
There was no 'side' in the staff room, no pecking order, and this happy staff was, I think very important in the success the school undoubtedly acheived in such varied fields.
Also, Newth's part in this should not be forgotten. He appointed us directly (Not via a 'committee', where the least common factor could and usually would operate).
Reekie's appointment was a great example of this. Newth trusted his Staff absolutely and let us get on with things without interference.
Last - and by no means least - he took on the unenviable task of the ultimate sanction for school discipline, thus taking a big load off the workers at the sharp end.
(The contrast with the Scottish system when I moved up here could not have been greater, not only with the belt in widespread use by class teachers but the pupils themselves expecting it to be used in a macho sort of way )
I can date the photo exactly to summer 1953. This is because Geoff Lawson left my department that year, to be replaced-by Tom Sawyer. I was appointed in January 1951, (like Reekie, in an odd way) so was not included in the 50-51 list."

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R. SMITH (1949-1963)
Subject: Mathematics
Nickname: 'Ron'

[Room 4] Taught us geometry while sitting in his chair, facing the pupils, back to the blackboard, drawing circles, tangents, chords etc. 'blind', backwards over his right shoulder.[AHL]

Another one who liked the "hair beside the ears" grip! Liked spelling lessons - tweaking his victims hair with each letter! "Maltby - spell isosceles - I,S,O,S,C" etc! No one liked to cop for "parallelogram"! - [DGM]

Rubber face. His wife died in 54 when I was at the school. He just wasn't interested after that. [MM]

As we write of Maths teachers we admired, I wonder if anyone remembers Ron Smith amongst the great teachers. His approach was such that there was never a straight line on the board. He believed that we should not draw any conclusions from diagrams, only from mathematical proofs. His apparent sleepiness was one of the great fronts in the 1950's; when if you were in Set 2 for Maths with Ron you never wanted to go up to Set 1 and your O level success was virtually guaranteed. In all my years of teaching I never met a teacher more comfortable with his subject and his pupils. I can still remember the formulae he insisted we learnt how to use not just how to say. The square on the hypotenuse still equals the sum of the squares on the other two sides - with thanks to Ron. Many gentlemen have recalled having their hair "raised" by Ron. As far as I can remember the most dangerous practioner in the art of "sideburn pulling" was the dreaded "french Fox" resident in my time in room 5. His ability to "elevate" a scholar was as I remember unequalled. (KLS 1950/57)

Not to mention his uncanny ability to sit in his chair facing the class and draw a triangle on the blackboard over his shoulder, complete with Points A, B and C, without looking at it for a second. (David G 52-57)

Though, let's be fair, the finished product resembled a triangle only if one applied some fairly vivid imagination! In his more somnolent moments the final line, B to C, often dropped off the bottom of the board with NO attempt to join up with point A.
Interesting to read so many memories about Ron's talents that differ so widely from mine! I tend to lay at Ron's door my continuing INability with mathemagics. But, as mentioned before in these chronicles, he sure as hell taught me how to spell! Reciting your way through pee-ay-are-ay-ell-ee-ell-ell-owe-gee-are-ay-em with Ron tweaking heavily on the short hair beside your ear at every letter soon taught you to get it right FIRST time! (David Maltby)

I, too, had the old b*gger as a maths teacher; I was one of his abject failures, but as a bloke I liked him a lot. It was said that you could kick your cap down the drive quicker than he rode his bike.
At a concert in 1978, Ilford town hall, where no 1 son was playing, I encountered the master, Webber. He was then HM of another school nearer Chadwell Heath, name escapes me. He told me that Ron was a patient in St Georges psycho/geriatric hospital, near Hornchurch station. I found the time to visit, armed with a pack of Players, his normal smoke, but he was away with the fairies with what I took to be dementia. I believe he died c 1985 (Philip Kingham 52-57)

It's true about his pedal speed down the drive it was a miracle he remained upright. He rode an old black BSA I believe with a chain guard and always either wore bicycle clips or tucket his right pants leg into his grey sock. He knew if you were incapable of learning what he was trying to teach and generally left you alone if you belonged to that set. He smoked like a chimney and his knacker rolling was of championship quality (see essay "Ron Smith's juggling and other Sporting Events in the library). He was completely devastated for a week or so when he lost his wife and after that was even more lethargic in classes. Not a bad fellow though, compared with some of the sadists we had back in those days! (Mike Merry)

David Maltby's recollections of Ron Smith in somnolent moments evoked memories of another two of his idiosyncrasies. He was our teacher for Applied Maths and was noted for always eating Polo mints during lessons, allegedly as a substitute for smoking. As a result of his approximate way of both drawing triangles and pronouncing their name, we were sure that he used the word 'trOngle'. In typical schoolboy way we adopted this incorrect pronunciation to imitate him. His laid-back approach seemed to suit most of us because I recall a fairly high success rate in both O and A levels. (D. Reader)

During his first lesson for the new 11 plus intake, he would choose an unfortunate and test his mathematical skills, just to show that he wasn't as smart as he thought he was: What is 1 plus 1? What is 1 minus 1? What is 1 times 1? What is 1 divided by 1? What is 1 times 0? and then his pieces de resistance: What is 0 divided by 1? and What it 1 divided by 0? He never told anyone the answers to the last two, but made good use of everyone's ignorance for a number of lessons. He was also able to ride a bicycle at less than walking speed. [PC]

With the theorems waiting to tangle
And tangents ready to mangle
Ron, with a yawn
Taught the terminally forlorn
On the parts of an obtuse triangle (Phil Kingham)

Ron Smith could leave me utterly confused after a maths lesson. He would face the class, put his hand behind his head, and without looking at the blackboard, draw a squashed egg some inches away from a squiggle. These, we were given to understand constituted a tangent to a circle. I wouldn't be at all surprised to discover that he was the General whose order led to the Charge of the Light Brigade. (Dick Stokes)

R. Smith's leaving tribute "many of us have passed Mr Smith on his bicycle while walking to school in the morning..." (John Bald)

Unless I have got the wrong man, "Ron" Smith left well before 1969, and before I finished in 1967.  My recollection is of the Head Boy of the time in his eulogy stating something to the effect that many of us, as we walked to school, had overtaken him on his bicycle.  The remark brought the house down, of course, but it wasn't far off the truth.  He must have been the slowest bike rider ever.  How he kept his balance is quite beyond me (and probably most other people as well).  I have a feeling that Mr. Coles ended the custom of Head Boys giving the parting eulogy for masters after that.  I think "Ron" must have gone in 1964 or 1965.  (Geoffrey Biggs)

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G. A. R. LAWSON (1950-ca.1957)
Subject: Art & Biology
Nickname - 'Buggsy'

Once we had to dissect cows' eyes. About 40 were brought in from the local abattoir in a large tray smelling strongly of meths...take your pick! On another occasion, Lawson draw on the black-board a larger-than-life mammary gland,which we copied into our books in some awe. Lawson promptly disappeared & returned much later. We surmised that he needed to check the accuracy of the drawing with/on one of the few females on-site. [TT]

Buggsy Lawson - taught Art and Biology to lower school classes but real claim to fame was as a cricketer. He had been on Kent's ground staff and rumour had it that when he left RLS he went back and played full-time for Kent. He was a very fine quick bowler with a classic action. He also knew how to handle a bat and was a first class fielder. (Ken Saxby)

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Owen Llewellyn THOMAS (1951-1958)
Subject: Latin
Nickname: 'Taffy'.

...one Owen Llewellyn Thomas, taught Welsh...sorry, Latin! You might be somewhat less impressed with the grasp of Latin which I have retained over harrrumph years if you heard me speak it, Amo, Amas, Amat look you, isn'it, indeed to goodness, by yer, mon! - [DGM] Two examples of breathtakingly brilliant nicknaming involved here - "Taffy" Thomas or "Oh, 'Ell". - [DGM]

He was my House room master for a couple of years, Nice bloke. [MM]

One lunchtime I was in need of conversation with Mr. O.L. (Taffy) Thomas, my 2L form master. The door was opened a fraction and I think it was Enoch who asked me my business. The following ensued: "Please Sir, is Mr. Thomas in?" Enoch partially closed the door and called above the hubbub of noise from the Shove-ha'penny corner, "Mr. Thomas, there is a pupil without enquiring if you are within." Taffy's distinctive Welsh tones called back, "Which pupil?" "Maltby, 2L." "No!" "Mr.Thomas says he is not in" - and the door was firmly closed! [DGM]

One interesting experience resulting from being taught by Taffy Thomas was studying Caesar's Gallic Wars from a Pan-Gallic Nationalist viewpoint. [JAS] was also keen on cricket and was timetabled for 1st Year games in 1955/6. I think he despaired of ever getting me to play with a "straight bat, boyo!" [DGM]

Owen Thomas' claims to fame include his love of cricket - a good spin bowler and aggressive bat he was one of the founder members of staff and OL's to form the Liberty Casuals. A cricket team which used the school pitch on Sundays. It was a more civilised way of enjoying cricket at the time the alternative being the OL's under the captaincy of Hilliard. As a classics teacher Oqen met with mixed success but he brought his skills a fielder into the classroom. He could throw chalk with great accuracy and on many occasions desk lids were raised as a more lethal weapon namely the wooden board duster would fly across the room. (Ken Saxby)

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Mr. S.H. NICHOLSON (Pre-1953-1959)
Subject: History
Nickname 'Old Nick'

[Room 22] Nicholson left in 1959 (Bill Broderick)

Wasn't Nicholson the small statured, ginger haired history master? If so, I seem to recall that his tenure was terminated by his early demise. (Clive)

S.H. Nicholson died on 16 August 1959 [Magazine, December 1959].

...the entire back two rows would wait till the teacher's back was turned and then, silently, without any apparent signal, exchange places clockwise.
Doc stuck it for about four minutes and two clockwise changes and then EXPLODED into a torrent of fluent French which sounded, to us, decidedly threatening, littered with expletives (although we probably actually understood fewer than four words in all - and they were probably "et vous etes") and this went on without apparent pause for breath for longer than we'd been ragging him. We sat stunned and silent!
When he finished he waited a second or two and then APOLOGISED to us for the suddenness of his loss of control and for the coarseness of his language (as if we'd understood it!) explaining that he'd recently returned from a spell in the French Army, was used to iron discipline and people doing what they were told and that he was likely to react in French Army Fashion towards anyone who annoyed him. (This in the aftermath of the Algerian terrorist business!) We never had the courage to discover whether it was bluff! (David Maltby)

Old Nick was rather on the short side (quite a number of RLS staff had this in common!), had a very pointed, turned up nose, crinkly ginger hair rather like a weetabix and had an irritating habit of spraying spittle when he got annoyed and spoke quickly. A group of us who tended to gravitate towards the rear two rows in the classroom used to delight in winding him up so we could watch the front two rows having to take cover! He bored us silly with the Renaissance! [DGM]

As for "Nick" Nicholson he was one of the stalwarts of the Cadet Corps and the Khaki clashed with his red hair. He was very short and when in uniform with the "Ike" style jacket, he was all boots and bum. I recall one time seeing him talking to Rowe, an ex-prefect who had left the school and joined the Intelligence Corps. Rowe turned up in a splendid dark blue uniform one Tuesday which I think was cadet day. Standing besides Nicholson that afternoon I thought Nick looked a bit PO'd because his hairy Khaki was nothing like the togs that Rowe had on, complete with a peaked cap nonetheless! Nick tho' had it over Rowe as he was an officer and Rowe, despite the lovely uniform was just a lowly OR. [MJM]

(Nicholson) The same! Hair resembled a weetabix and had a distinctly pointed nose. In the first year he bored us with pre-history, Ur of the Chaldes and the Fertile Crescent etc and then excelled himself in the boredom stakes in the third year with the Rennaissance. Whatever happened to all those rumbustious Tudors and Stuarts? (DGM)

Yes, poor Mr Nicholson died one holiday. I think he had a weak heart. We remember the positive side of the anarchic commune known as RLS. But I think it could be a bit of a jungle for some.(Ged Martin)

R.T. LeMin - S.H. Nicholson: Both of these masters were teaching during my time (51/56). Mike Course credits Nick for the investigation into the High Trees smoke bomb in July '56 and the demise of Graham Haverson (expelled on the last day of school). Both must have been young, in their 40's I would guess, when they passed away. (MJM)

...in Mr Nicholson's history lesson. I cannot remember the room number, but it was in the downstairs corner that one came to if one departed the Assembly Hall through the side exit and turned left. Also in that corner was a doorway to the outside. Nicholson had erected a projector in the middle of the room to show slides of some ancient civilisation. In order that the slides could be seen most clearly, he ordered that the blackout curtains should be drawn.
It was a warm September afternoon and the windows were open behind the curtains. I was seated in the row next to the windows. Someone in the seat in front of me, I'll never know who, turned to me and whispered that it might be good idea to slip under the curtain, climb out of the window, nip round the side entrance and knock on the door to enter the lesson late. With that, he promptly disappeared under the curtain. I remember the flow of adrenalin that I experienced a few moments later as the door was knocked, and the boy was admitted and admonished for being late. I decided to repeat the act and, apprehensively, I climbed out of the window.
Once outside, I felt like a criminal and was terrified. I knew, however, that I had to go through with it. I could not climb back in for fear of being spotted by Nicholson who, I feared, would beat the S-H-One-Trombone out of me; and for fear of the ridicule that I sensed I would undoubtedly receive from the other pupils. So, with a rapidly beating heart I walked round the corner, back into school and knocked on the do! or and entered. Coming from the sunlight into a darkened room meant that I could see only a shadowy figure stood in the middle of the room next to the glow from the projector. To this apparition I submitted my apologies for being late and, to my relief, I was told to sit down and not to commit the offence again.
To my amazement and excitement, one by one, all the boys by the window repeated the action, and in the darkness, as Mr Nicholson faced the front of the class to talk to the slides, many of the others behind the projector, sidled across the gangways and continued the process of slipping out of the windows and reporting late. I am ashamed to admit that I made the journey three times before the lesson ended. I was saddened when his death was announced in Assembly three or four years later. He was a kindly man, and I remember reflecting with a guilty conscience on the degree to which we lads might have hastened the event. (Dick Stokes)

I first drove a motor vehicle (as opposed to a car) when in the RLS CCF under Capt(?) Nicholson. We were taken to the local barracks for rifle practice (303 enfileds).. but my mate Pete Fowler and I were not interested in guns. but very interested in motors.. So we were always the last pair in the platoon and as they wheeled left into the range, we marched straight on to the REME motor depot and merged in with other khaki-clad minions. .. trying to look confident as we leapt into 5 ton Bedford trucks which we drove slowly round the yard. It was all themore enjoyable for being illicit.. and great fun. We left in time to merge in again with the shooters. We did this for months and were never spotted.. Again.. now it can be told! Incidentally, I think I am probably the only person ever to leave the CCF.. I cant remember why now!.( I think it was interfering with my sport activities)... but I had to write a 2 page essay about my reasons for GHRN. He then agree I could leave. (Colin Calvert)

Nicholson - in addition to teaching History and running the Corps he taught A level British Constitution. He only had one failure at A level British Constitution before 1958 and that was Roger Phillips the fast bowler who used to bowl at a single stump in the middle of the field no matter what the weather. Nicholson's other claim to fame was his ability to use the word consequently in almost every sentence. It was a well understood game amongst the afficianados to play Nik Cricket a game of skill counting the number of times the word was used. (Ken Saxby)

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E.D. WILKERSON (1950-3)
Subject: Spanish
Nickname:

I remember that I did my first year Spanish with Mr Wilkerson, in 1952/53, who always had a fantastic sun tan - he looked Spanish, like Dirk Bogarde. (Robert Stevens)

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J. MELNICK (1948-1957)
Subject: English
Nickname 'Jake'

[Room 11] An inveterate nose-picker! Used to excavate, inspect and roll it into balls! - [DGM]

Another strange individual, Jewish, who was most interested in the dramatics dept. I did several plays for him (King Lear, A Long days journey into night. [MM]

I believe he left to teach at Ilford County High in 55 or 56. Jakes favorite was Mick Coles. Mick was a simple fellow who laughed at all Jakes comments and thus became Jakes straight man. One day Coles came to school with the strangest haircut anyone had ever seen. Then, in Jakes class: "Coles, come out here and stand by my desk Coles" Coles makes his way slowly to the front of the class, an aimless grin on his face. "Now Coles, tell me about that haicut you are sporting there" Coles, ever the scapegoat, had allowed a local barber, who was located outside the Gidea Park train station, to cut his hair free if Coles would let him experiment. "Sir, its called a Chrysanthemum Cut Sir" "A Chrysanthemum Cut eh? Well Coles I must say I see why they call it that, it's not been permed by any chance has it?" Laughter from the class. "Yes Sir, me mum did that last night" "Amazing Coles. Just why did she perm it" "Well Sir, when I got home yesterday she was a bit upset at what the barber did so she tried to fix it up for me by perming it" "My goodness Coles, she didn't have much success did she?" Jakes doubled over with laughter and the rest of the class joining in. Mick Coles joined the Army after school. I suppose that tells us something! [MJM]

Wasn't he rumoured to smoke 60 or was it 100 ciggies a day? [DES] )

I have seem some discussion about our use of the loft above the stage as an alternative venue to lessons lunch etc. Do you remember the time that Jake got wind of this and tried to trap the culprits by moving the stage tower away from the high level gangway - he of course hadn't bargained for the fact that we could climb down the dimmer cupboard. In the early days I seem to remember Mick Walsh missing one of the planks and putting his foot dangerously close to going right through the ceiling. (Greg Cooper)

Not being a member of the stage crew, I never did venture into the loft, but I did spend many a happy hour under the stage, especially the evening when I was accompanied by a young lady from RCH and a bottle of vodka. I remember Vince being around but I can't recall who else was there. Can't remember the young ladies name either. (Richard Hall)

I once received 1,000 lines from Jake Melnick on the final day of school before summer holidays. I spent hours sitting in the park writing "I must not talk in class" into a notebook. When I returned for the Autumn term Jake remembered and said (when I gave him my

grubby book) "There's obviously not a thousand lines here but it will do." I felt like saying "will do? will do? This effort took up about three days of my life and all you can say is 'will do'. I didn't say anything though (one didn't answer masters back in those days) and crawled off back to my desk. (Mike Merry)

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A.P. PEASE (1954-1969)
Subjects: Spanish, Religious Instruction
Nicknames 'Enoch', 'Arnold', 'Nog', 'Garnie Arnie'

This comes courtesy of the Alan Pender news service.Arnold Pease, who taught Spanish at RLS 1954 to 1969 (also RI as I recall), was awarded the MBE in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to the community in Cheadle Hulme. Did anybody pick that up at the time? I believe HM Rex Seymour is in touch with him, and that he walks a lot in South America.Bio available on http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/arnold-pease/3a/a78/740 (Ged Martin1956-63)

What a nice chap Mr Pease was too. He managed to drag me through Spanish 'O' level from scratch, my never having studied it before, in only a single term. Then he went on to help me to catch up on the 'A' level Spanish course. All because I needed a third subject to enable me to stay on for 'A' levels and at the time wasn't allowed to mix a science subject arts subjects to make up the three. He used to waggle his head from side to side whenever he prononunced the word 'Sombrero' -som (left side dip)-brer (right side dip)-o(left side dip). Very endearing. He deserves an MBE simply for getting me through those exams. (Bill Burgess, 59-66, DNG)

As somebody who went through the same experience with Mr Pease immediately prior to you, Bill (64- 65) I wholly endorse your sentiments - a really nice guy. (Malcolm Paul 58-65 ng)

Yes, indeed, Ged. Although I do not remember either Bill Burgess or Malcolm Paul, I also did Spanish O-Level in one term and A-Level in two years. I had decided to take A-levels in French and Economics, and like Bill Burgess took Spanish to make three. This decision, coupled with Arnold Pease's skills, changed my life. I went into banking, where I became a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers and obtained optional diplomas in Spanish and French. In the case of Spanish, I was awarded the Edward Jones Memorial Prize and a scholarship to Spain. In 1973 I was offered a position with the Bank of Nova Scotia in Toronto, which I accepted and became a Canadian citizen. In 1980, they offered me a position in Puerto Rico, thanks partly to my knowledge of Spanish. Although I left the bank in 1988, I have lived continuously in Puerto Rico since 1980. My wife is Puerto Rican, and Spanish is the language of the household.
Thanks to Alan Pender and this forum I made contact with Arnold in May 2010, at which time he wrote me quite an extensive account of what he had done in the intervening years. I would not want to repeat anything which might be considered personal, but do not think he would mind me mentioning, regarding former staff, that he "kept in touch with Peter Atkinson and Aubrey Pope, but Peter died a year ago and Aubrey longer ago". He also said that he kept up occasional correspondence with George Kendall, who ended up in South Africa.
I am bcc'ing Arnold to keep the pot boiling. Thanks again for your patience, Arnold, or should I say "sir"?! I am also copying Alan Pender with thanks for his kindness in putting me in touch.
(Rex Seymour 1956-63/ Dane/ NG)

Yes, a sterling chap indeed and would today be referred to as an 'inspiring' teacher - as much for his patience and dedication in the face of distinctly unpromising material (me) as any other attributes. I cannot claim that his efforts with me bore anything like the bountiful fruit they did with you, Rex, but they helped me enormously in sorting out some rubbish hotel accommodation in Barcelona on one memorable occasion, decades after I last attempted any Spanish at all. I like the way that after one degree and subsequent career, he upped and got himself another degree and followed it with a second career! Please feel free to BCC Mr. Pease - and I do think 'Sir' is entirely appropriate. I remember him as relatively young (nowadays I would class it as VERY young) and slightly sandy-haired, straight, parted to one side and falling forward. Som-brer-o! How must it be to know you have made a positive impression or impact on youngsters that lasts 50 years or more, or exerted a powerful positive influence on their subsequent life? It has never happened to me and never will, but it must feel pretty good. (Bill Burgess, 59-66)

Enoch Pease was nicknamed after a TV ad. for canned peas at the time. He ought to be credited with creating a complete O-level Spanish course based on roneoed cartoons. No textbooks at all. His cupboards were stacked with the pages, which were punched and fastened with shoe-laces. The system relied on acceptance of cartoon symbolism – you know the sort of thing, like a bubble linked to a face by a line of small bubbles means 'thinks’ but a solid link means essays. We, of course, would deliberately misunderstand. Many legs meant running; many hands meant waving, etc. I failed O-level clearly, but was allowed to retake at Christmas, when I failed narrowly. This allowed a further retake in June, when I again failed clearly. This was not really surprising, when I had received no tuition for a year, only sessions with the Spanish Assistant. Around Christmas we decorated Enoch's room during the lunch break by replacing his desk with a huge tree trunk from High Trees. It took several of us to move it there, and much of the lesson to remove it! Rumour had it that Enoch was dating the Spanish teacher at the RCH – Imagine those sessions. The Masters Anecdotes rhyme by MM refers to Sam Pezey, but I can understand the boring reference to Pease. I can recall a singular lesson when we had to listen to a discussion taped from the Third Programme of the BBC Wireless Service. I can only think that it was a fill in for another sick teacher. The tape lasted all lesson, and Enoch sat entranced beside the school’s large wooden cased reel-to-reel tape recorder. Everyone looked around at others, unable to believe that we were sentenced to such punishment. A boy at the back, one Perdrisat, wrote large on a sheet of paper, "Please Sir, I'm bored!" pinning it to the rear wall notice board behind his desk. This amused us all, but did not attract Enoch's attention. (John Hawkins)

Fiendishly boring RE lessons which consisted of him reading aloud lengthy passages from the bible while we all looked up Ezekiel chapter 23! [DGM]

We had to choose between RI & Cadets ; what a choice ! [TT]

...around Christmas we decorated Enoch's room during the lunch break by replacing his desk with a huge tree trunk from High Trees. It took several of us to move it there, and much of the lesson to remove it! I think we started out to decorate the room with Christmas holly from High Trees, & got carried away when someone suggested a Yule Log! [JH]

Chris (Broadbridge) commented: "Mr Pearce (who were those funny little men we used to draw on the blackboard & who shared his nickname?) and managed to get a little Spanish into me (passed oral exam, failed written thus I'm a typical illiterate dago)."
Do you mean 'Arnold'/'Enoch' Pease? I've remembered, in my day it was "Nog"

(Who was)...the Spanish master who devised the wonderful Spanish lab and taught us to say "there is a cat in the garden" through headsets. You could get fantastic feedback by sticking the mike into the headphones and pressing the button (this is after taking them off). He went for me one day - I was totally innocent of course but he came down to my desk shouting "Get your Alumni out boy" in a real temper. The problem was I did not have a clue what an Alumni was - had the lesson changed to Latin? Each time he asked he got more furious with me(I think ruler was hitting head by now) but all I could do was giggle at this word Alumni and I was unable to get whatever this thing was out even if I wanted to. If he had said blue book he would have got it there and then. (Greg Cooper)

I think it was during my second year of Spanish in 1953/54 that Arnold first arrived. I think it was his first teaching post because he had no idea of keeping a class in order and one or two notable personalities in the class would torment him relentlessly.  The most notable being Mac McGregor. On one occasion, after some serious taunting, Mac was ordered to the front of the class and after a poor attempt at a reprimand, Enoch told him to "Stand in the corner by the window" (ground floor overlooking the front lawn and stables).  Mac wasn't going to take this lying down, and he cockily sat on the window sill and grinned at Enoch defiantly.  Enoch proceeded to loose his cool and Mac was giving cheek and enjoying it.  After about 10 minutes, Mac opened the window, jumped out and disappeared down the road on his way home. (Robert Stevens)

Robert refers to Enoch and his run-in with Scotty McGregor. McGregor got 6 strokes for that performance. What actually happened was that he either climbed out of the window or walked out of the door (I don't recall the method of exit) He did however, leave the classroom and Enoch went after him firstly  ordering him to come back and then even pleading. When McGregor wouldn't come Enoch went to George and McGregor received the whack. Unfortunately, as we all know now, once you give someone an inch they take a yard and this was the case with Scotty, he was an expert at weeding out any weakness and exploiting it. (Mike Merry)

ATKINSON (1950s-1961/2)
Subject: French

The bloke who DID scare me s******s was Doc Atkinson! Now that was a teacher you didn't mess with - and, strangely enough, I don't think I ever saw him dish out any of the "corporals". But respect? Oh, yes! Tinged with fear (probably fear of the unknown) and (check him out on the 1960 photo) to look at him you wouldn't have thought butter would melt etc etc.
He quelled the rebellious element (i.e. all thirty-two of us) of 3L in 1957 inside just one lesson! 3L had developed quite a reputation and were currently flying high having successfully "got rid" of a Latin teacher (another story!). Doc came in for our first French lesson and, I have to be honest, we fancied our chances! (check out that photo - easy meat on first sight?) We began the testing out process - paper missiles slyly flicked from elastic bands, stereo farting across the classroom, sotto voce whispers, desk lids banging, noisy coughing...you know the sort of thing... and the 3L classic which always worked a treat with Jake Melnick (he of nose-picking fame) and a History teacher called Nick original!) (David Maltby)

Doc Atkinson's Ph.D was an embarrassment to him in my class as it provoked mockery rather than admiration. He once told some of us off for coming to school when we had colds because we were infecting others with our bugs. A little later, another master fired off because we stayed away when we had colds. We were in his view a bunch of wimps. I list this among classic examples of no win situations. (Tom Little)

"Doc" Atkinson left in either 1961 or 1962.  He taught me French in my first year (1960/1), but had left by the time I took part in my first Easter Paris Exchange trip in 1963, as I remember him appearing on the platform at the Gare St. Lazare with a group from his new school (a really strange coincidence), and jumping into our carriage to have a quick word with us. (Geoffrey Biggs)

In the summer term of '62 the masters played each other at water polo. As mentioned previously (by DGM) Sid wore his glasses, but all eyes were on Doc. He was wearing the skimpiest of bathing trunks (for those days) and what appeared to be his lunchbox inside, or it could have been a very early mobile phone. Anyway, us unimpressionable 16 year olds were very impressed to say the least. We never looked at him in the same way after that. I saw Doc a few times in the early 70s when he lived around the corner from me in Portishead near Bristol, but I never summoned the courage to approach him, because he would have only known me as Marcel, for as you may know, he insisted on giving everyone a French name during his lessons. (Marcel Humphrey)

I do recall Prof. Atkinson - and the said swimming garment. Phew! I met him on a London bound train some years later. He was working for MOD or the Foreign Office teaching military to speak Russian. Oh says I, didn't know you were fluent in Russian. Says he 'I wasn't until I started to learn it a year ago!' B*st*rd, thought I. But he wasn't that sort of showy guy. I do recall when a certain fellow told him he had not completed some homework on time with the truly witty excuse 'I couldn't be bothered to do it'. The Prof was incandescent. Promptly introduced to GHRN's behavioural modification device. (Who - I think it was Dud Pretty?) (Paul Webster)

O. FOUNDLING né BLAKEBOROUGH (1949-1961)
Subject: Clerical Assistant
Nickname: 'Olive'

Mrs O. Foundling appeared in the A&YB for 1957-58. However, she was the 'Miss O. Blakeborough' who was in the A&YBs from 1951-52, and, possibly, before. Her marriage took place between the A & YB for 1955-56 and that for 1956-57 (JAS)

Ad. 'Miss O. Blakeborough' " I recall that "Olive" was still there when I left in '56 so Alan again is probably right. Olive was a tall thin rather plain girl with glasses, however, the change in second names just goes to show there are many standards for attraction. (Mike Merry)

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J.A. YOUNGMARK (1951-2)
Subject: Physics
Nickname - 'Einstein'

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