King Henry VIII Grammar School

Thanks, Mr D-Di. Now I know what the R meant. It's funny, but my earlier recollection was that they all started with R! Just shows how may revisions there must have been. There was no concern for the environment in those days. Nor had global warming been heard of.

My maths education was unusual in that as a filler subject, I did maths pure with stats. But for some reason, probably a timetabling clash, the pure bit was in a proper class with Bob Griffiths, who was an excellent teacher. But I was on my own for stats: I had to sit in with a younger class (6T maybe) of about 10 lads, who were doing something mathsy but completely different to me (I think they were doing maths mechanics). I had a stats textbook which I had to work through, and John Skermer, the teacher for that class, used to keep his eye on me at the start and end of each lesson, then check my homework. Occasionally he would explain something, but in the main I was teaching myself. This arrangement, which I think Herbie had suggested, worked because I sailed through the exam. Despite the events which made the newspapers and ended Skermer's career in more recent years, I could not fault the bloke as a teacher.

That's the chap. It was Doc Edmondson. He never taught me, but he was a very nice guy.

It's amazing how those of us who have existed on this planet for several decades can remember things from our childhood and schooldays in great detail, as if they only took place yesterday, yet cannot remember everyday things from as recent as a week, or even a couple of days ago. I have in mind here my experiences at KHVIII, some good, some bad, some indifferent. I find now that everyday events blur into one. As an infant, I observed this phenomenon when my grandmother was, for the umpteenth time on her weekly weekend visit, telling me about events in her her life when she was six years old in Birningham [sic]. I read in todays' Times that this is normal. It's all down to the fact that when we are young, our brains are still forming and have not had the experiences of life which we later acquire. Aah, that's ok then. I don't need to seek out the nearest canal.

Another Time, Another Place "I knew there'd be times like this When I'd sit at home and reminisce." The Bryan Ferry album came out the year I left KHVIII. Its title and opening lyrics are somewhat apt to describe my musings especially now during lockdown. McGawley, our Form Master in 2A, took us for Geography. The very first homework he gave us: draw a floor by floor plan of your house. Was this a veiled attempt to ascertain pupils' socioeconomic background?

Welcome to the forum, Exilium. I was in the fifth form when you were in the fuzzers. Thunderguts was our form master in the thirds, and took us for geography. I remember him telling us that the USSR behaved very secretively and suspiciously. Barrel took us in the fuzzers, and he got us to do a scaled plan of our house. If I were doing it now, I'd be tempted to add a few extras, e.g. breakfast room, servant's quarters etc.

McGawley was my form master 2Beta 1969. Don't recall ever drawing house floor plans in geography or any other subject.

Welcome Exilium and thank you Your timely post allowed me to justify to my wife why I had just finished reading all the preceding posts (this to prepare me for my appearance on national television's Mastermind programme with KHVIII as my specialist subject) Coincidentally, they have just been showing the 1958 Lana Turner film of the same name on television

Bohica, do you recall a similar Rover to this P6? In my early years, Shore's car used to disrupt our mini-football games on its way to the space by the Junior School hall. Colloquially known as the "Pigmobile".

It may have been, it was a loooong time ago but I do remember the moniker 'pigmobile'.

Phil Newitt was the guy - taught geography. He would snap his fingers, but not just the second finger as most of us do, but 3 fingers all at once. I spent ages trying to manage it, but never managed the triple crackle he achieved.

Interesting. Not many teachers had cars when I was there. Piggy's private spot was occupied by a dark blue 1960's model Victor or VX4/90. Most other teachers parked in front of the cloisters. Tic Watson had a bubble car which he sometimes parked near the tuck shop. Given his big frame, it must have been a work of art getting in and out of it. Droob always had a Land Rover. Fred Perry had a Morris Minor, first a Traveller, then a van. Jack Wrench had a new yellow BLMC sports car, an MGB, maybe Triumph. Bob Griffiths had a little Mini and he, like me, was often the first one off the premises at 1600 hours! Kitty Fisher had a green Riley 1500, reg JJE 176. Harding had a scooter which broke down one day and he pushed it up Spencer Avenue. About 4 cars parked in a slot near room 6. Popcork had a Vanden Plas limousine. And Kolisch had a little Skoda that was often seen there. One of the older, senior lads, who may have been a prefect, once borrowed his mum's or dad's car and cheekily parked it in that slot.

Just arrived on FB

Awesome recall of owners and their cars, Slim! D R Hughes, "Slug" to the initiated, had an Austin Maxi. The model name, no doubt, being his "buying signal". Jack Wrench, to further enhance his rakish image, used to don a flat tweed check cap before driving off in his MGB GT. Was the sports car a sign of a mid-life crisis?... No!... No!... Surely not in my own particular case!

In my days (74-81) Jack Wrench had the MG BGT 1975 Jubilee edition. It was in British Racing Green with gold decals. The other teachers' cars I remember were: Ted Norrish, SWB Land Rover - 17 kids in it going over Wenlock Edge GPCC, Vauxhall (Viva?) - I broke the key in his boot at a rugby trial once - oops! Dave Barclay, Morris Traveller Dave Reynolds, Ford Escort XR3