King Henry VIII Grammar School

Sorry the name Ernie Shaw doesn`t ring a bell as "Holy Joe" There was another Shaw as well as Piggy when I was there, made us listen to Classical Music in a classroom entered, I think, from the playground, it was first on the right as you came down the drive from the Spencer Ave entrance - I remember the piece Moldau by Smetana supposed to be a river in Czechoslovakia. Just as a matter of interest has Mr. J. B. Young-Evans (Pip) had a mention, taught Greek, maybe Latin as well, I seem to remember him wearing pince-nez, a very small nice harmless individual at least I did get to know the meaning and spelling of Hoi Polloi before the media/politicians got hold of it.

Hi all An interlude--:

Very impressive Philip, Top picture I have a feeling I inhabited the first floor white windowed room next to the tower at one stage of my incarceration

That would have been room 113, Roger. It was usually Dickie Dawson's room in my time there, where he taught geography and general studies. He wasn't a bad bloke, actually. To the left of there in the picture, beyond the tower and stairwell window, is a small one with just two panes. That was Piggy Shore's office where he took pleasure in threatening and bullying boys for the slightest perceived misdemeanour. My visits there were usually related to the length of my hair.

Hi Mister D-Di, Re August 30th posting regarding 'Howzat'. It is good to now know that others played the game during lessons. I marked up my pencil using the point of a compass. I then got to thinking about what make of pencil it was that I used and found myself conducting research on a website entitled 'pencil.com'. Then I realised how sad that was and swiftly exited. I was then pondering how one played 'Howzat' during class without being spotted by the teacher. Just imagine being under suspicion and the teacher yelling out "You, boy! Come to the front and show me your pencil." That could be awkward. Of course, one could have two pencils. A compass-marked one and a pristine one. Then you could get out your unused pencil and wave it around in all innocence. But he might be on to that scam. It would be difficult to explain the reason why a pencil had cricketing terms etched on it. So maybe the use of code words would have been better. Perhaps Latin. Amo, Amas, Amat, Amamus, Amatis, Amant. Meaning 'Bowled', 'LBW', 'Stumped', 'Caught', 'Run Out' and 'Not Out'. That would have fooled 'em!

Yikes Philip! Those photographs of the school! I reckon I might have a nightmare-interrupted sleep tonight. Although I couldn't see any prefects in view, so I may just avoid the recurring 'Detention' one. It's weird. I'm arriving at school about 4am, but there is a prefect standing at at the entrance, telling me I'm late and I've got another DT. I'm imploring that he is mistaken, but he won't have it. Tells me I'm only making it worse for myself. So I then ask him what constitutes 'Late' and he answers that it is whatever he decides it to be and we get into this protracted metaphysical discussion about the nature of Time and then some White Rabbit runs by us - and he doesn't get stopped - and I then say that this is unfair and he mutters something about Mad Tea Parties and I start to shrink until I feel I'm going to disappear for ever. Then I wake up. Apart from that. Good to see the old place once more!

Hello Midland Red, Yes, like you I recall the 'Howzat' last wicket stand that went on for way too long. Boycott, Edrich, Barrington, Cowdrey, Graveney, Smith (MJK). All gone with seven runs on the board. Fortunately, Derek Underwood saves the day with an unbeaten knock of two hundred and fifteen. Rather mysterious. Okay, perhaps the early morning cloud cover goes some way to explaining it, but even so .. I think that's why I eventually turned to Subbuteo Cricket for a more realistic game play.

Hi all If a get another opportunity to play the digital organ, I will see if I can get some indoor pictures. I will need my none secret camera (not just my mobile) for decent indoor pics, so that might not be so easy. I don't want to blot my copy book with a school expelling, Hey! Please don't tell anyone! Top secret! Photographing schools is fraught with suspicions, which actually I have sympathy with.

I have a true story that might raise a smile from 'Last of the Inkers'... I used to hate the end of the school holidays, the horrible return to the torture chambers. I pulled on the uniform, dragged my sorry self across town (two buses) and showed up at school. I knew I was early, but there was absolutely nobody else there! Eventually, by seeking out the groundsman, I confirmed the dreadful truth that had been slowly dawning on me that I had arrived early - a whole week early, no less! Apart from the humiliation, the wasted journey, and the loss of most of a morning of my precious holiday, there was the awful knowledge that I'd have to do it all again the following week! Talk about a nightmare! I might go and have a look at the place when the new station is finished - but I'm not expecting to enjoy it!

We always went back a week later than the other schools after the summer holidays, if I remember correctly

HI Vtopian, I wonder what the groundsman thought of your mistake. I suspect something along the lines of "And these grammar school kids are among the smarter ones are they? This country is in a heap of trouble." Prophetic words, indeed.. Of course, if it had been me, I would have found the caretaker and insisted he opened the library, so that I could begin my studies in earnest. Actually, you could have rationalised it by arguing that you were doing a 'dummy run' just to make sure that you did arrive in good time on the appointed day. Because that first day back was a killer, both psychologically and logistically. There were all the essential items that you had to remember to take with you.. Poker Dice. Check. Howzat Pencil. Check. Playing Cards. Check. Plastic ball. Check. Cigarettes. Check. Book of Matches. Check. Football sticker cards. Check. That is a heck of a lot of things, one of which could easily be forgotten in the hurly-burly. Thanks for the anecdote!

I could be wrong here, but I think we used to start the Summer holidays a week earlier than other schools as well.

I reckon you are right, Bags. I think we used to break up for summer on a Tuesday, possibly at lunchtime, with the others breaking up on the following Friday. Several of my friends were at Binley Park and they used to return on the first Monday in September while we would be off for at least another week. We usually got 8 weeks. We also had a few extra days after new year and Easter too. Like Inkers, I found it hard to get back into it after such a long summer break of doing very little.

As I remember it, we got 8 weeks in the Summer, a week in the Autumn for half term, 3 weeks at Christmas compared to 2 weeks for State schools, another week for half term, 3 weeks at Easter again instead of 2 and only 3 days for Whitsun half term. I hated Whitsun half term because it meant that the bloody internal exams were next, so the whole half term was meant to be spent revising.

Not sure when you were there, Bags, but in the 60s I can certainly remember that we only got Monday and Tuesday off for half term holidays. I was not pleased as all my Binley Park pals had the whole week off. It always struck me as the 'payback' for having longer holidays at the end of terms. I am sure you are right that we had 3 weeks for both Christmas and Easter, as opposed to 2 weeks for state schools. I'm with you on the hated internal exams too. They were a miserable time. In my view, if the teachers had been doing their jobs properly they would have known who was performing and who was struggling without those exams. I remember my O-level year when we had mocks in January and the real thing in June. Even so, we were made to take internal exams in the subjects we weren't taking O-levels in. I blame Walker who was utterly obsessed with exams as preparation for getting people into Oxford and Cambridge. Turning out well-rounded lads who were prepared for the real world was not on the agenda.