| I have read with
interest your web site and do not remember my
time there as fondly nor with such clarity as you
obviously do. I left the
school in the 1960's to join the RN, again a
nightmare for the first few years until I learned
a few hard lessons,being a very young 5ft 1in
when I left school it was tough, both in school
and in the RN.
My memories of school seem to
centre upon places rather than activities and
anecdotes. The 2 toilets outside between the
house and the gym were basic, cold and I often
used them as an escape route. The wall at the
other side of the playground, behind the netting,
where I was held over by my ankles from time to
time. The drop was huge.
The steps in front of the
church where people would lie in wait as I left
school, at times I was surrounded by boys and
others were pushed into the circle to fight me.
Alas there was no escape although I would not
fight back.
I recall the library was burnt
out while I was there, I never heard how it
occurred.
The science lab was along a
street lower down Paradise, in another school.
I was a cox in one of the 2
whalers and chose metalwork with Mr Millward
rather than seamanship.
Mr Tribe appeared a nice man,
although I remember being caned once, can't
remember why. I last saw him enjoying his
retirement at a mini golf course at the Mere.
Mr Feather was very nice too,
kind I thought. The geography lessons in the loft.
One teacher had a large tube in
the corner of the room and called it his torpedo
tube, it contained a cane and was used from time
to time. Mr Herbert?
School dinners I remember were
good and took place in the cellar.
Another nightmare has come to
mind, inside the side door to the house, on the
right hand side, was a cloakroom? I used to be
locked in a corner cupboard, diagonally across
from the door, so small I could hardly fit. I
don't know what happens to bullies in later life,
I can only hope that all those who made my life
miserable at The Graham Sea Training School have
got their just desserts.
As a foot note. I
had a long, successful and enjoyable career in
the RN and afterwards as an International
Business Development Manager with a large company.
I now live on the south coast, close to my
children and grandchildren.
I would not wish
the same school environment upon them.
| I was
at school when the fire took place.My
grandfather who worked for Sinclair
builders at the time,replaced all the
ceilings with plaster and ceiling roses
around the light fittings.these he did by
hand and not your plastic jobs as used
today.in the above the old boy also
mentions a large cardboard tube
containing a cane.this was in fact Killer
Grant's and he called it his firing tube
!! |
| I also
remember the loft.when what remained of
us in the fifth year used it as our
classroom or should I say doze room as
that was virtually all that we did.Vince
always left us to our own devices. if
memory serves the only full lessons we
had were seamanship, navigation and metal
work...... Wilf Taylor |
Strange
how memories from the past always seem to
centre on, in most cases at least, the
better ones,our selective memory
conveniently appears to "forget"
the more unpleasant of them. Looking back
though after some thirty odd years now, I
realise that my first few weeks at Graham
Sea Training were more akin to Tom
Brown's School Days or "Dotheboys
Hall"(David Copperfield) than the
"Bash Street School" of Beano
fame we all appear to remember!
|
| Bit of a shock to the
system after being "top dog" at
junior school to be back down on the
bottom rung of the ladder....I recall the
first day getting beaten up,the second
day my school cap being used as a
football/frisbee and my new school blazer
getting almost ripped off my back, plus a
black eye, then just to round things off
running foul of Mr Hayes on the stairs
leading down to the dining hall, not
seeing him behind me wanting to get past,
getting "kneed" in the back and
landing at the bottom of the
stairs,luckily on my feet! -I didn't get
in his way again though !!.... Happy
Days?....... Bob
Delaney |
|