King Henry VIII Grammar School

How daft of me... I started in 1959 with JBV... left KHVIII in 1964. Another teacher... American guy... Mr Hill, started about 1960/61 and coincidently an American pupil Tyrrell started in the VIth form about the same time. 'How to eat school dinners without really dying' a satirical revue staged in about 1963... featured a couple of older pupils playing the parts of the ugly sisters in a sketch called 'Crockerella'. Loads of 'compositions/parodies of well known songs... very entertaining. There was also a film made... 'The Aliad' featuring 'Yogi' Brown, a first or second year student/pupil. I'll have a weekend of 'remembering a few incidents... cheers for the moment... thanks for the welcome!

Hi jinksy, Yogi Brown or Alan, died a year November ago. Sad to say, most of his life was nearly as chaotic, as was his time at school. I was asked by the head if I would escort him home one day, after an unfortunate episode at school. Sad to say, it was not all of his fault, but we all only have only one life to live & it is up to us to make the best of it if we can.

Hi PhilipInCoventry, Sorry to hear of 'Yogis' death. He was certainly a colourful character, had a streak of stubbornness, or maybe just decided he was right, and stuck by his guns. There have been quite a few I remember who have 'died young'. Sam 'Smiley' Ridley... and Gary Watson, who you probably knew... played piano in a band with my brother; I think he lived in Harbury, somewhere in Warwickshire... I just checked in an AA road atlas... south east of Leamington! I attended a reunion in 1981, 'sort of 21st anniversary for 1959 starters' as described by JBV; he wasn't quite right with the numbers! I managed to recognise most of the guys who attended. Another 20 years later, 2001, I was in Coventry for my dads 80th, and I bumped into Tim James (of 'Blues' fame)... hardly recognised him; nor he me! Another memory... 1996, just before Christmas, I was on a train to Coventry, having boarded in Doncaster, changed at B'ham Sitting opposite to me was an elderly lady. We got chatting, she was Scottish (or had the accent, anyway). I mentioned that when I left the train I would be walking up Warwick Road to have a look at the old school... 'King Henry VIII?' she asked, 'My brother used to teach there! I'm on my way to visit him now. Doug Wylie; did you know him!'. 'Of course! Although I was never in any of his classes' I didn't add his nickname, 'Snoz', to our conversation!

Hi jinksy Most of those names ring bells. I was older than Yogi. I left in 1963. My last contact with the school was when Mr Vent contacted me (about 2004) to see if I would play their new electronic classic organ for assemblies & choir practises, but unfortunately I was fully committed with work at the time. Best wishes to you.

Irony; at the time, my best friend went to Blue Coats school - the headmaster there was a Mr Grimes!

Someone was asking about Henry's earlier, well the story I was told was that the school was the result of a bet between Hales and the King. The King said he would give his name to the school if Hales could hit a deer with an arrow by throwing it. On the third attempt he succeeded: thus the school badge. Post copied from topic What is History? by Midland Red, 15th Jul 2013 8:59 am

I think a fair number of correspondents will know who I am. It is most interesting reading this forum. And it was tough being a master's son at the school, there were several fights I got into because someone was upset with my father and guess what - when I got home I was in trouble [with my parents] for fighting - "bad for the family image". However I got a good education that served me well throughout my working life and I am sure that can be said of most of our contributors. By today's standards life was tough and although there have been criticisms of many of the staff, I think Herbert Walker did extremely well to prevent KHVIII becoming a comprehensive or worse still being closed. Having been a pupil of Henry's and being a master's son I saw both sides and my view was that each and every master tried his best although some of their methods could be challenging. I will continue to read this forum and will contribute from time to time.

Hi Woglet (nice name!) I certainly remember you - a friendly and respected guy - I think you were a year older than me. It wasn't hard to tell whose son you were, and I think most kids thought you bore the burden very well. I also had some good times and bad times at KHVIII, but remember most teachers as decent people - certainly products of their times - aren't we all! I admit I was a bit of a swot, and attracted more trouble from aggressive fellow students than from staff. While some kids simply didn't want to be at school, and often provoked the teachers beyond their tether, the school was probably "right" for me, and I have mostly good memories. The biggest problem I had with the teachers was that not all of them were competent at their job. Some of the stories on this forum (the Bunsen burner hose, for example!) reflect very badly on the teacher involved, but they were different times, and "discipline" was a completely different concept then to what it is now. A good teacher could impose discipline by engaging the kids with the subject matter - that's not always easy to do. Others had to resort to what we would see now as quite serious bullying. The concept of "bullying" (whether by staff or by other students) has undergone enormous change since then, and its damaging effect on people has been increasingly recognised. But there are fine lines between what could be called teasing and what is genuine bullying. Either can lead to a confrontational response, but it is part of growing up to learn to deal with these things. Sticks and stones might break my bones, and mere words can be very hurtful, but our response has to be appropriate. I remember Max Gordon's "magic garden", where he would take his victim by the ear and walk him to the front of the class for a dressing down. This would be classed as an assault these days, but back then it was often the other boys who egged him on - it was theatre, and we all enjoyed it, so long as we were not the victim! I sometimes think, though, that we have gone too far the other way these days - to the point where staff are scared to impose any form of discipline, for fear of legal action. We have, for example, the ludicrous situation where male teachers are almost entirely absent from primary schools, due to the (false) perception that molestation is common. None of this is intended to condone those teachers and actions that were simply beyond the pale, even by the standards of the day. But I think you're right - in general, the teachers did their best, and some of them were very good. Note to Moderators - Sorry to ramble on, but I think that some balance needed to be brought back to this topic.

Hi JohnnieWalker Thank you for your 'Ramblings' as you call them. That is often where gems of info come out. PLAYING FIELDS. I heard on local 'wireless' this morning that fences restricting access in the vicinity the old Grammar School playing fields (on A45) have been erected. The school would not comment, other than to say that a statement will be made before the start of the new term.

Hello Thomas I have fond memories of your father, particularly when he led a PTA holiday to Zell-am-See around 1960 - it rained for the almost whole time as I recall, and I can picture him walking around in a plastic raincoat in his typical pose, head down and hands clasped behind his back, for most of the holiday My parents and I, and a schoolmate and his relations, were in the party, and I wonder if there were many more from KHVIII as I remember your neighbours (Liddington) were also in the party

I also have memories of the Zell am Zee holiday, I attended with an Aunt. One of the memories from the trip was having a maths lesson on the journey through Germany by train. The gent in question was timing the passing of each telegraph pole, I think he knew the distance between them and was then calculating the speed of the train. Yes it did rain a lot but wasn't there a torchlight procession we viewed from across the lake I don't know why but the name John Budd springs to mind.

Passed by today, didn't see any new fences

Just come across this forum by accident tonight. I started at the junior school in 1968 and left at 16 in 1976 Favourite teachers, Mr Adams in Junior and Rod Dunnett in Senior (though I was hopeless in Latin and once got 2% in an exam!!) When I was picked for the Rugby 2nd XV I did quite well and was picked for the first XV. Unfortunately they played on a Saturday afternoon and I preferred to go to Highfield Rd to watch Coventry City. When the school found out they weren't happy and dropped me from any school teams! The end of a promising rugby career.

Hi Tom (Woglet) Kolisch, You wouldn't know me, I am about 4 years your junior, although name is fairly deducible from my user name). I remember your father well, although he never took me in any classes... can you remember 'Bronco' Steer or Steers? Drove a two seater MG, slightly ginger haired master. Yep, KHVIII has been a good 'reference' over the years! Best regards to you and family.

Memories are made of this, as I travelled by, aboard the No 87 from Berkswell.