King Henry VIII Grammar School

Oh dear MR ~ do you not know what the school badge represents ? Hales and King Henry were out on a hunt. Hales was trying to convince Henry to provide funding for the school, and vain though Henry was he wouldn't agree. Just then a deer appeared from out of the woods, and Hales said that he could hit the deer with a thrown arrow. Henry said that if he could then he would fund the school. Hales threw and missed, threw again and missed, but then hit the deer with the thrown arrow. Thus the badge which depicts 3 arrows and the arm at the top to show they were thrown. (You may be right about the knighthood.)

Nope! Not heard that before

Wikipedia says; Religioni et reipublicae. (For religion and for public affairs)

I have certainly heard that story before. I'm sure it was told when I was at school and I've heard it comparatively recently too. Possibly even on this forum. No idea if it was true or just a tale though.

An elderly neighbour of mine, who attended at least two schoolboy generations before I did, can still sing the words of Coventria: "Henry the king, John Hales the clerk..." I believe they all had to learn it, as we later had to with "let us now praise famous men". I bumped into JBV a few months before he died. I was (re)introduced by name, and he immediately responded with "you were in Whites". He could remember every boy's house, even if nothing else, after several decades. Amazing.

I don't ever remember a school song either. I really wonder if I was asleep all the time, totally disinterested, or that these things had stopped by the late 60s?

I`m what`s supposed to be called "elderly" - what`s this "Coventria" stuff School song? I was singing. "We are the school at the top of the hill that Henry the king did will" Cannot remember how the rest went!! Us at the back sang "We are the dump at the top of the hump that Henry the chump did will" Incidentally re "Houses" somebody on TV the other day said he was a housemaster and the comment was "Oh! he`s Posh"

I was there in the 60s and we were certainly forced to learn the school song, probably in the first year. I think we were even tested on the words. I promptly forgot it afterwards. I'm sure it was sung on Founder's Day, but I only attended that once and gave it a swerve in subsequent years. The school song never seemed to crop up again at any point.

I was there from '69 to '75 and there was definitely no school song then. In fact I'd never even heard of until it came up on here.

Left in '63 - definitely made to learn it Only recall attending one Founders Day service, in Old Cathedral - probably sang it there, but don't really remember

Ernie Shaw, 'Pope' Harris and Herbie Walker are the only ones I remember 'teaching' RE. Joe Soap used to make us read from the bible during our Friday morning form meeting IIRC.

I recall the "Holy Joe" epithet, and I would say it referred to Ernie Shaw, who took us for RE in Room 14 Didn't he play the piano in assembly?

You're correct MR, Ernie Shaw did tinkle the ivories during assembly. He also taught German 'A' Level as well as 'Scripture'.

Of course! It was never "RE", always known as "Scripture"