Woodlands School

Was anyone in the Army Cadets at Woodlands in the early-mid 60's. We eventually moved from Woodlands to Templars on Tile Hill Lane and paraded there twice a week (if my memory serves me correctly) I recall Sgt George Albrighton, Cpl Charlie Harlock, Steve Mayor, John Atkins & Len Blenkinsop. Anyone remember any others. The tales I could tell of our time in the cadets - maybe enough for a separate thread

Apologies if I have put this on before. Respected headmaster Fred 'Knocker' West and 'Taff' Thomas on a school trip to Italy in 1958.

As per heritage above and from the school website : "In September 1957 Wilson House was renamed Perrens following the retirement of its Housemaster Mr. F. Perrens. "

Hi TonyS, Another 'gimmick' Sooty Corbett did was make you eat a raw Chilli do you remember that ? In the Maths lesson he would sit behind his desk with a little paper bag of green Chillies eating them and if anyone 'misbehaved' that was the punishment ! I was in Cresswell House and George Tickle was the House Master. Great bloke one of the best I recall. There was also Mr Lenthall who was a soprano and allegedly sang backing vocals on one of Joe Cocker's hits in the 60's. Jim Wilkinson was also a top man.

Hi Wearethemods, and welcome to our forum! Fortunately, I don't think he had devised this little game during my tenure - thank goodness. I hate chilli almost as much as I disliked him!!

I think Mr Lenthall started in about '66 (he was our 2nd year Cresswell House (2W)) form master, taking over from the one-and-only Bernard Tranter who was on the ladder to greater things bless him). The bit about Joe Cocker has a resonance, but that's not what he told us! One day he dragged us into the house room and sat us all down around the Dansette and played a new single called Marjorine. What he told us was that Joe was his cousin and this was his new (first) single. Been a big Cocker fan ever since! He also purported to be a Chesterfield Reserves fan (as the first team were so cr4p) Not so sure about Mr Tickle though. Me and him never got on for some reason, and I considered him a bit of a bully (though not in the same league as HG Jones who retains the record of having caned me (one particularly vicious one across the backside) and most of the rest of the class, while my friend Terry Hall got two stripes! I carried that bruise for weeks). I have to agree about Jim Wilkinson though - who was in the same bracket as Bernard. Two lovely men.

Hello again. TonyS & Kimbo, thanks for responding to my first messages on the Forum. I dont know whether this item should be under the 'Famous Coventrians' topic but another ex-Woodlands pupil appeared in 'Coronation Street' a few years ago as the 'bookie'. His name escapes me but I'm sure it was Terry or Tony. Does anyone else remember? Incidentally Kimbo, I guess your Terry Hall was not the one of 'Specials' fame!

No He was the older brother of Steve Hall (a year or maybe two below us in Cresswell) who went on to play for Cov Rugby. I went with Terry to my first ever game at Coundon Road in '65 or '66 (but that was some time before Steve started playing for them).

Hi Kimbo, thanks for the message. I believe the rugby squad is now playing out of the Butts Stadium in Spon End. Is that right?

There's a few photos on 'Pics of Coventry', this is one of them.. Chemistry Lab

I was at Caludon Castle and we played Woodlands in the Coventry Scools Rugby final at Coundon Road in 1965 or 6. As usual, it was a fierce game and Woodlands won 6-3, when it was 3 points for a try The Caludon-Woodlands games were always, shall we say, "well contested". Happy daze!!

Yup. Butts Park Arena as it's now called. I shall be getting over for two or three games at least during the season.

Hi Wearethemods A Coventry actor named Terence Hillyer played the part of bookie Sean Skinner. Would that be the one you are thinking of?

That's him! Thanks Mayjan Would he be classed as a famous Coventrian?

Although I've been a reader of this site for a few months, the recent posts by Wearethemods and Kimbo have pushed me to join. Born and educated in Coventry (secondary school was Woodlands) I'm now back permanently living in Coventry after spending varying periods away from home in various parts of the World after a career in civil aviation. Anyhow - Kimbo and Wearethemods, we must have spent some time together at one point, if not in the same form. I started Woodlands in September 1965, as did Jim Wilkinson, the very well known and respected teacher (by the pupils at least). More on him no doubt in the future, but for starters, everybody knows about his art teachings, but in the first year, he taught at least our class (1A) Geography. At the time I started at Woodlands, there were ten Houses, each with a form intake which took its class letter from 'The Woodlands'. A few examples - Perrens was 'A', Cresswell was 'W', Brook was 'D'. We all remained together as a class unit for two years; then in our third year, three classes were 'broken up' to allow for the first stage in streaming pupils depending on their ability. The bottom 7 or 8 pupils from each form were merged into 3 forms of equal ability. The final streaming took place after year 3. Anyhow, Perrens, 'A', was one of the 3 forms that was broken up and I was one of 7 or 8 Perrens lads that was moved into Form 3W, which was still mainly Cresswell boys. (For info, at the end of the 3rd Year, all of the classes were restreamed and I finished up in 4H and later 5H). You nearly always seemed to know others in your year without actually being in the same form, even in a massive school like Woodlands, but I became very friendly with Terry Hall (named previously), a friendship which became stronger in 4H and 5H as were restreamed together. I can confirm that Steve Hall was 4 school years below Terry. Even at junior school (Limbrick Wood), Steve was a giant for his age, and was already playing Rugby. One amusing 'story' is that in my 4th year (Steve's final year at Limbrick) I borrowed a pair of Steve's school shorts for a part I was playing in a Perrens house play. At least he thought it funny! Steve started Woodlands the following year (Terry's and my 5th year) and Steve was so well known for his Rugby ability that he skipped playing for the Under 12's in his first year, and played for the Under 13's instead. It was little wonder he went on to play for Coventry. It must be said that big brother Terry was also a fair Rugby player as well and was a regular first team player at Woodlands. We had Mr Tickle for Maths in 3W, and seeing as the form was mainly made up of Cresswell lads, I felt he was very 'pleasant' to the non-Cresswell's and personally had no problems with him at all. However, I finished up with 'Sooty Corbett' in 5H and that was a different matter. I found him unpredictable as a teacher and had a reputation for 'knuckling' the back of the head. To put it bluntly it hurt, which I suppose was the purpose for doing it in the first place. Sooty was Welsh and mad on Rugby, and took charge of various teams, including if I'm not mistaken the First or Second XV's. One evening I had a problem with the maths homework I had been set by him. As it happened, so did Keith Flanagan and Des Nightingale who lived nearby. Sooty Corbett lodged on the Holyhead Road, so rather than not complete the homework which we knew would incur his wrath, we summoned up the courage to knock on the door of his lodgings. His landlady looked a little surprised to see three 15-year olds standing there asking to see their teacher. Mr Corbett was fine about it, and after a quick explanation we went off and completed the homework. All went well until we were all in another class with another teacher. In walked Sooty. After a quick word with the teacher (I forget exactly who it was, it might have been 'Wally' Carlyle who took us for Applied Maths), he 'reminded' the class that homework should be done by individuals and not as a group. He then told everybody that he would rather not be disturbed by any of us outside of school and proceded to locate the said 3 of us scattered around the classroom before 'knuckling' each of us in turn. Needless to say we never knocked on the door of his lodgings again !