King Henry VIII Grammar School

Very interesting, Beesman. The story that was going the rounds when I was at KHVIII was that 'A J Salmon' had been invented when a bored invigilator decided to attempt the questions on the examination, and then to submit his efforts for marking, therefore requiring a plausible pseudonym and choosing that of AJS. During my time there, we tried to enrol the imaginary boy in anything we could think of, with occasional success (with rookie teachers!). My own effort (which I still think was a corker) was to take a strip of clear plastic OHP film and paint 'A J Salmon' in gothic script using gold and black paint. One Saturday morning, while we were preparing for a drama production, I took the highest stepladder and stuck the name on the wooden board at the left hand side of the stage where the 'Sir Thomas White' scholars were listed. I had misjudged how big to paint the letters, and they were the wrong size, but from a distance, it was almost convincing! To my irritation, nobody ever mentioned this, and after a few days, it disappeared (though it may just have fallen off, I suppose). I wonder if AJS is still going at the school today?

AJ Salmon came into being around 1973/74. He was the result of several of us 6th formers deciding he could be quite amusing. We took his name from that of an optician at the time, who was based on Ball Hill, goodness knows why! I'm glad to see he continued at the school to further his education after we all left in 1974! I think the invigilator story is probably an urban myth! As a footnote, to prove that all the staff at Henry's weren't completely humourless, when I received a list of potential attendees for the Class of '67 reunion dinner in 1988, there he was on the list, AJ Salmon!!

Having only joined the Forum a few weeks ago, I was unaware of this thread until it popped up the other day at the top of the list with a picture Cyril Buckley Shore. Now that's a face I haven't seen for a very long time. Poor old CBS doesn't seem to have many fans! Reading some of the earlier messages, I wonder if I was at the KH junior school at the same time as some other Forum members. I was there from 1955 to 1959. The first year I had Mrs Gates and then the year after Miss Jones. The third year was with Mrs Cramp (great name). She had received information that I talked too much in class, so she assigned me a desk on my own, well away from the rest of the lads. Mrs Cramp cycled to school from somewhere in Earlsdon on an old bike with the chain rubbing alarmingly on the chain guard. My performance at school was not great, usually ending up near the bottom of the form. I just wasn't interested in any of the stuff they were teaching . It was boring. I was interested in bus spotting, train spotting and making things, none of which were adequately covered at the Junior School. Couldn't wait until the end of school, when I and my pal ran down Spencer Road and across Spencer Park to the pedestrian bridge across the railway to see the London Birmingham express go through, usually hauled by a Jubilee (I'm aware some members do trains). My final year was with Mr Duncan (I think) who had a class room next to Mrs Gates. My poor performance continued and I remember on several occasions being sent out of the room for chat or cheek and made to stand in the corridor. Across the way, there was an old room with stone sinks used by the janitor/cleaners. The place stank of carbolic soap and some foosty old floor cloths. There were also some dishes on the floor with cat food adding to the stench. If you had been particularly bad, you were told to go to Mr Adams (?) and request the "bottom smacker". Adams had a room across the way from Mrs Cramp. You had to knock on the door and then go in and ask for the smacker in front of his class. The smacker was a piece plywood about 4" wide and three foot long. It was only used occasionally, but it was the threat that counted. I'm sure CBS approved. A couple of final things. I seem to remember that the junior school occupied a part of the buiding which once had been the headmaster's house when he lived on the premises before the war. There was exactly the same setup at Bablake and when I was there, both Seabourne and Ted Burrough lived in the school house which had direct access to the main corridor. Scary! The colour scheme in KHS was very uniform. Dark royal blue on the lower half of the wall, and cream above with a thin orange band above the blue but slightly separated from it. It seemed to be the same everywhere. Maybe this was the "hand" of CBS. I believe when he wasn't smoking a fag or being the strict disciplinarian, he acted as clerk of works being responsible for overseeing the maintenance and repair of the buildings. I think he was also famed for creating the stage sets for various school plays and Gilbert & Sullivan productions. Quite a guy. No wonder everyone was scared of him! He died "in harness" almost exactly 40 years ago.

That's brought back some more memories, Rootes66 - thanks Yes, I remember the paintwork as you describe I'd forgotten "Miss Jones" - talking with Philip recently I couldn't remember one of the four teachers we had in Junior School - now you've solved it Philip and I were one year before you - we started in 1954 (there's a photo earlier in this thread!) Ella Cramp was Miss Roberts when I started, she married in 1955 or 1956 - got to know her later outside school, she was a typical teacher 24/7 For the 4th year (1A) we had Mr Kennedy (ring a bell?) and I think 1B was Mr Mottershead I believe I started quite well in Transition but interest and application steadily declined till I left in 1963 from Lower 5D!

Yes, it could be Mr Kennedy rather than Mr Duncan. I remember it was a Scottish sounding name.

I was in KHVIII Junior School from 1960-64 so some of the names are familiar. My first year was with Mrs Gates who was delightful. During that year the head, Mr Gaines, died, and Mrs Cramp became temporary head until Mr Foster was appointed. (Was Mrs Cramp the Lower Prep B teacher?) Then it was Miss Jones in Lower Prep A, who was an oldish woman with grey hair in a bun, an almost stereotypical teacher of her day in retrospect. I always liked her too, and remember that every Friday morning there was 6d each for the winners in the spelling and mental arithmetic tests. I always seemed to win the spelling one! Her classroom was at the opposite end of the corridor to Mrs Gates. The third year (Upper Prep A) was with a new teacher, Mrs Collins. Not sure how long she lasted, but she was ok. Then in 1A it was Mr Kennedy. I know he also taught some of the time in the senior school but not sure what his subject was. Other teachers in the Junior School were Mr Dobson, who taught Upper Prep B, and the already-mentioned Mr Adams who was 1B. In our last year we went to a Youth Hostel in Malvern with Mr Adams & Mr Kennedy, for many it was our fist trip away without parents, and I remember we had a great time. That grubby, smelly old room recalled by Rootes66 had been improved by about 1962 and was used for pottery, as Mrs Collins had a kiln and wheel put in there. There was a cloakroom nextdoor. All that is now a very hi-tech music room, as I found when returning last year for the first time in 40 years. That memorable colour scheme has gone too.

My story of "Piggy". I was in his class when he was art teacher in 1957, he spotted a crash helmet at the side of my school satchel on the floor by my desk. He picked it up and in a booming voice said "What's this?" "A crash helmet", I replied. Continuous questioning revealed that I had come to school on a 500cc Matchless motorcycle. His response was to ban me from coming to school on a motorbike. Luckily I had an uncle living in Spencer Ave, so I rode to his house where I kept a pedal cycle and rode it up the hill to school wearing my helmet. He was lost for words when he again challenged me when I advised that it was for protection when riding my cycle. A mate at school was seconded to paint scenery for the latest school play at the time and on the library backdrop wrote on the spine of one of the books "I know FA about Art, by Piggy Shore", another secret laugh we had about him.

Well, the image of C B Shore (Piggy) really stirred up a host of good stories Personally, I have to say I preferred him to Herbert Walker, who I detested and who didn't like me! I never really had any clash with Piggy Now, here's another image for you

If I'm not mistaken MR, that's a photo of Willie Rose. I was never taught by him but he always seemed to be an affable sort of chap. I believe he spoke a great many languages, however he didn't speak Welsh which irked him somewhat. He did say in the early 70's that learning Welsh was the next language on his agenda.

Ah, yes. Willie Rose. I was taught French by him for a couple of years. He was seen as a pillar of society with lots of involvement with local organisations promoting international co-operation and that sort of activity. He certainly spoke many languages, and was willing enough to tell anyone prepared to listen. However, there was another, less public side to 'Dear Old Willie'. Like many of the KHVIII teachers from that era, he had been around since the war. Many were academically OK, but knew little about actual teaching. Learning was by rote, and the incentive was normally fear of consequences. Few of that generation had any rapport with the pupils at all, and the leadership of Walker and Shore didn't help one bit. Willie was fine when everyone was working well. But he couldn't accept that some kids struggled to learn. It was all too easy for him, of course. He had a darker side that defied his 'friendly old uncle' appearance, and he was certainly not averse to dishing out a clout with a wooden ruler to someone finding the subject difficult. In fairness, this was the school's culture, and many of the older teachers routinely did the same. How the world of education has changed!

Hi all I want to tell you a story. My great academic achievements at KHVIII can all be fitted inside a full-stop. As well as absence because of long periods of orthopaedic surgery at Paybody's, two years absence, was because I failed the eleven plus. I did gain a good thirteen plus scholarship, but my return then was also interupted by further surgery. Now coming forward fifty years... Just a few years ago, one morning after I had completed my early morning duty for the NHS, I received a phone call from the now late Mr Vent (I have not a clue as to how or why he decided to locate me) asking me if I would come & play for their morning assembly services on their new electronic classic organ. Unfortunately, I had to decline the offer as I was employed both by the NHS very early each weekday morning, as well as having a teaching commitment elsewhere. However, I did meet up at the school with Mr Vent, later that day where we shared memories & I did have a go on their new organ. In the hall, the piano (now a Yamaha) was where I remembered it on the left side facing the stage, minus Mrs Gates, sadly. The organ was on the right hand side. That hall used to be our dining hall. The new dining hall is next to it, where the kitchen used to be. That was all quite an experience for me, not just the enjoyment of the day, but the fact that somehow, I had been asked to play at my old school where at one point I had been a failure. Mr Vent actually said to me that success is picking up the pieces & carrying on. That was a lesson that I did learn when I was thirteen.

Back to food again, Philip Seriously, a lovely story - it couldn't really be anything else when it related to you, my good friend, and the late Jeff Vent Incidentally, we're having a big clear out of old stuff from our flat (that's how I came across the photo of Piggy!) and amongst it all is a letter from JBV to me and my parents acknowledging our sympathies sent to him on the death of his father, which sadly occurred whilst JBV was in Guernsey on one of his regular trips - I thought that was very sad for it to have occurred at such a time

It certainly seems to be the case that Jeff Vent is the first name people think of in relation to King Henry VIII. So I think I must be one of the few people who never had any dealings with him whatsoever, despite attending the senior school from 1964 to 1971. He never taught me, nor did I ever have any involvement with his extra-curricular activities. In fact, I can't remember ever speaking to him in all those years. People tell me what a fine chap he was, and how much he put into the school. I don't doubt it for a moment. So I wonder if anyone else stayed under his radar for so long.

I was taught French by Jeff Vent in the lower fifth form. He was a master who certainly had his favourites and also pupils he greatly disliked, same as most masters in that respect I guess. I do remember he was disliked by a lot of members of my form. Probably a mutual agreement!! I remember on one occasion several members of my form (myself included) were taking part in a sponsored walk for charity. The walk was organised by the Lanchester Polytechnic. I asked Jeff Vent if he would sponsor me for the event, to which he replied 'No, I don't approve of the Lanchester Polytechnic!' That always struck me as rather a strange reply. However, one cannot overlook the vast amount of work and research he put into organising the Class Re-Union dinners every year. He left no stone unturned in his endevour to track down former pupils.

My experience of the school was pretty woeful but a strange thing happened 25 years after I left. I was living in Birmingham by then. My oldest son was attending King Edward Grammar School, Aston and he was a good rugby player. They were playing King Henry VIII at home. Jeff Vent (who had never taught me) was in semi-retirement but was in charge of the KHVIII team. It was raining and my son's team were giving the visitors a good thrashing. I began to feel sorry for Mr Vent who was trying to keep his boys enthused. I went over to speak to him and told him that I had attended his old school. He asked me what years I was there and what my surname was, I told him and he replied 'Ah yes, White's House'. Needless to say he was correct.