Caludon Castle School

I remember Mr Rawlings, Chester, Ben Vickory, Seagrave, Ken Cooper, Greene (hated him) Vic Webb, nearly as bad, Mr Williams and Mr Stephenson, rugby and athletics, Ben Brown French, Mr Creek, RE, Mr Simpson, history, Bob Owen, music and a great old boy Ned Titt.

Yes, I was thinking of Gippo Rickard for Geography. He was our form master, miserable git. So named because he lived in a caravan in Wyken Croft. Teachers were poorly paid then. Possibly Simpson for Science, humourless beggar. Had his favourites though, one lad in our Science set had a brother who was reading Science at Uni, he could do no wrong. He copied my homework, got something like 18 out of 20 as usual. I got 6 and a detention. I'm not bitter though and it hasn't left a scar.

A friend has just made me aware of this thread, and it has certainly brought back a few memories. I was sorry to read in the original post that Ted Brown had passed away. I managed a grade 2 in English despite being ill on the day, so Ted must have done a good job. 3 years or so after I left Caludon a lad who used to knock around with my football team invited us all to a party at his house. It turned out to by a lively 'do' with all the usual goings on. At one point I wandered into a room I hadn't been in before, only to find Ted and Mr Brindley sitting there watching Match of the Day. We were in his house and our friend was his son. Ted just carried on watching the game and letting it all happen around him. Hank Johnson taught me for maths for 2 years. He always wore light fawn trousers with ink spots up the back where kids had flicked ink at him. I remember being out in the car with my parents one Sunday afternoon, and down some country lane there was some bloke urinating in a hedge. Hank Johnson. Same trousers, same ink stains. It's hard to see your maths teacher in the same light after that. Someone else mentioned Bud Challis. I don't remember him being a rich bloke, as the poster said, but he did take me for A level French (which I failed). I bumped into him (quite literally) a good 15 years later in Kenilworth open air swimming pool. He recognised me and we had a chat. He'd recently had a heart bypass and had been told that swimming was good for him. This was about 1988, so he'll be doing well if he's still around now. I had my cigarettes confiscated more than once. Mr Spencer caught me once and took a nearly-full packet off me. I met him years later and reminded him, and a couple of days later he came into where I worked and gave me 20 Embassy. Since I left I've probably seen Geoff Eames more than any other teacher, both on the cricket circuit and around Cheylesmore. A real gentleman, one of the good guys. Ken Jones took us for history for a couple of years, then we had the misfortune to get Tom O'Carroll. This probably isn't the place to discuss him so I';ll leave it at that. I'm surprised to have read negative things about Ken Cooper the maths teacher. I was in his class for the 2 years up to O level, and I always found him OK, and I think most of us did alright in our exam, so I'm more for than against. I'd better give it a rest now. I could go on remembering things all night if I don't stop.

Hello & welcome to you, Bananaman Thank you for your post. We hope that you will enjoy your time with us.

We must have been contemporaries Bananaman. Hank Johnson was a thoroughly nasty little man. He delighted in dragging us out of our chairs by the sideburns. I was the poster who suggested that Challis was wealthy. I admit that is an assumption although he did drive to school in a variety of old Rolls Royce cars. He also wore expensive clothes, tweed suits, brogues etc. I inadvertently splashed ink on his shirt when I was trying to get a cheap fountain pen to perform. Somewhere in his outraged diatribe he suggested that my parents would be hard put to replace it. He was damned right! Good French teacher though. Mozart Matthews taught music, a normally very amiable, easy going man who would occasionally explode with rage.

I too, remember Moggy Morris digressing to his wartime exploits. When he was teaching geometry he often drew a triangle and then went off on one about pyramids. Having said that, he was a nice man and, I would guess, one of many teachers back then who had put their lives on the line for their country in WW2. On a different subject, I have put all the Houses and their Staffs for 1957 on my gallery. I will put the 1959 ones on tomorrow.

Silly question I am sure, how do I get to see your gallery?

On the left of your screen select MEMBERS GALLERY then scroll to what you want.

Have just put the 1959 Houses/ Staff members on. As NormK says, if you scroll to the top, the members gallery button is just below the Coventry Coat of Arms.

Thanks Greg, you`ve just given my father G.W. Turner some form of permanent (I hope) history on the website, somehow or other it makes his life and work to me "more real" I also remember: John Knight - ex John Gulson Ben Vickery - any idea where he came from, seem to remember he played rugby with Kenilworth "Dai" Davies - also no idea where he came from, but also with Kenilworth. I think Ben and Dai were great friends with my father as they organised his "leaving do" at Kenilworth RFC - I had to go and pick him up (poured him in to my car most likely)

Mr Drinkwater played rugby for Leamington or Kenilworth, not sure which one. Very interesting stuff on the gallery.

Hi all Just discovered this brilliant site. Does anyone have any memories of the school from 1960-1965. I started there in Chester in 1960. Meredith was the housemaster. I was in group 2. Can't remember the group masters name. I was in set 2 for English and Maths. Never hit the dizzy heights of set 1. Some of my cohorts there were: Bry Walker (my best mate), Kev Sidwell, Dave Pullen, Dave Gray, Bob Sadler, Nick Woodier, Paul Jephcote, Ray Cooper, Mick Healy, Mick Henley, Dave Cockburn, Gary Watts, Mick Jephcote, Steve Osbourne, Gray Williams, Pete Jones, Dave Selman, Derek More, Keith Elsmore, Kings Wood, John Robinson. Ended up in Morgan with Lofty Summers the Housemaster.

Greetings to all CC veterans. I stumbled on this site while looking for other information about post war Coventry. Was in the first cohort to Talbot house in 1955, group3 I think. Then on to Preston for the next 3 years. Not the most successful student to attend from the start but have nevertheless managed to enjoy a stable and rewarding career thanks in some part to those early influences. I agree with those who mention Geoff Bennett as a formative influence. Looking back I can remember some examples of his connection with those 150 boys who arrived in Sept. 1955 as nervous fuzzers as we were called. We were kept very busy. Inter - house sports, clubs and societies flourished and sometimes died with great rapidity. Mostly I remember the trips and adventures organised by Geoff Bennett. First was the YHA weekend trip to Broome Hall. On bikes of all shapes and sizes. Geoff Bennett had his Stallard which we all envied. Even then names mattered! Still have a box Brownie photo somewhere of us all at the cross in Snitterfield. Then a longer ride to Cleeve Hill. I seem to remember Tony Dickens losing control on the fast decent of the hill and ending up in a hedge. What I remember most was that we spent a great deal of time laughing at the stupid things 12 year old boys do when away from home, probably for the first time, without parents. It was freedom. Next a YHA trip to the Peak District. We biked to Ashbourne, left the bikes in a lock up and walked for five days to Ilam, Hartington etc. Somewhere in all this GB organised a weekend adventure competition. I came second with Don Gillespie for spending the night next to the ruins of Maxtoke Priory. The winners managed to reach the sea and return in two days. Wouldn't be allowed in today's safety and risk averse society. If anyone out there has any other memories of those trips I would love to hear them. Great and carefree days.

Hi, Witherslack. I was also there from the start and am grateful that we were encouraged to take part in extra curricular activities. If you have a look at my gallery, you will find some extracts taken from the 1957 and 59 year books. I will post some pictures from the same books, shortly.

Hello Greg, like you, I think, joined in 1955. Joined in Talbot with Mr Bennett. Looking at your photo, marked "year not known", I notice that no one is in short trousers, and some of the lads at the back look quite big. I have a 1955 photo, and many of the boys, most of the front row in fact, are in short trousers. What house did you join, and what next?