King Henry VIII Grammar School

Teachers in the photos are: Mrs Hobday (LPA), ??? (UPA) she was replaced by Mrs Shiner by the time I got there, Mrs Gates (Transition), Mr Taylor (1A) he was replaced by Mr Hollins when I was in 1A , Mr Foster (Head) went to Mill Hill school in London and was replaced by Mr Walker, DKA (1Alpha), ??? (UPAlpha), Mrs Wallis (LPAlpha). I'm in the fourth photo front row!

The passage of 45 years has done little to sharpen my memory, but I honestly do not recall a Mr. Taylor. If I had to guess, I might have guessed Mr. Winterbottom, who I remember being my form teacher, but I do not recall what year. I do know he left the school, but again, I have no idea when. The other names listed in Malvern's post do tally with my recollection. Mrs. Wallis (Wallace?) supervised the pottery club. One activity I do remember as being very educational was that we had visitors come to speak to us, and to answer our questions. The two I remember after all this time were a Sikh gentleman (who showed us the articles of faith - comb, dagger etc) and a blind lady, who showed us how she read braille and told the time by feeling the hands of her watch. I wonder if, in our modern era of educational theory, schools still make room for events such as these? I have fond memories of the (tiny) school library. Anyone remember the shiny blue tiles in the corridor? These allowed one to stand in a doorway and raise one leg and arm in the style of Harry Worth! Simple times!

For the benefit of our younger viewers - Harry Worth

Thanks MR, who could forget Harry Worth and he does deserve a mention, I remember the window episode very well. This younger generation have missed out on so much laughter on the gogglebox it's almost a crime. Nothing to do with KHVIII, however but we will let you off this time

Jeff Vent, with his MBE, in 2000 [courtesy: Coventry Telegraph]

Good old Jeff. If other teachers had followed his example, I would no doubt have enjoyed school. In his younger day, Jeff always wore glasses. I can picture them now: unusual, regular octagon shaped lenses in a thin wire frame. In later years, he never seemed to wear glasses.

I believe Joe Soap was a Commando in WWII. Maybe someone else can verify that.

That was always what I understood too, Bags. No idea what rank he held though. He did have a booming voice which was quite intimidating if he ever lost his temper, which wasn't that often as I recall. I usually enjoyed his classes, even though I wasn't much of an artist. A couple of things I remember about him come to mind. He always wore the same check sports jacket, usually with a brightly coloured tie. And, to gain the attention of the class, he had a big plastic ruler which he would bang edgeways on his desk. I do remember one occasion when he completely lost it with one lad who had wound him up too far, and he ended up throwing the terrified boy out in floods of tears.

I think he did have a bit of a short fuse sometimes. I remember him telling one particular miscreant, as he frog-marched him rapidly out of the classroom, "You'd better open the door because I'm not going to". The rest of us had visions of a Tom & Jerry style person-shaped hole in the classroom door.

Joe took us for art in the fuzzers. Rumour had it he'd been in the commandos. I don't remember him being particularly loud, or ever losing it. He came across as really strict, not to be messed with, and nobody did. Like Mr D-Di, I quite enjoyed art lessons, but wasn't particularly good, mid-table in class. I never had any problem with Joe. Art was enjoyable because there was no studying books, wracking your brain, written tests, and best of all, never any homework! In other words, a skive. My father saw Joe at an open day evening once, and said to me "Who's that big bloke over there? He looks like a boozer, what with his red face and nose!". There was a tv documentary about British servicemen who had successfully escaped the Germans. One bloke had a fake passport, and could speak French well. He fooled the Germans in occupied France, and his passport name was Jean Savon, which means Joe Soap. Allegedly true, it's a good story.

We had him for Art in the Fuzzers too and the 3rd and 4th form also I seem to remember. In fact his was the first lesson we ever had. Double Art on a Thursday afternoon. The first day at school was a Thursday and after a morning of what would be called induction these days with Fossil Scotford in room 8 we started lessons proper after lunch. He was kind of scary but I don't recall him losing it, just that he obviously wasn't a man to be messed with. I think he took at least the 2nd form for swimming on games afternoon at Cov Baths on a Friday, but I could be wrong. I used to go in the summer as I was even worse at cricket than I was at rugby. Who would have been the other Art teacher back then around '69 to about '73 when Dave Clarke joined the school? Joe's room I think was 105 and the other room was 110 which was my Set form room in my last year and my Set Tutor was PB Ripon and true gent and very nice man. In the Sixth we had one period a week with was called something I can't remember but I guess Social Studies would be what it was meant to be. We did some pottery up in 110 for a while and I think it was Fred Perry who took us for that. Again could be wrong though.

The first thumb pot I ever made still resides on my bedroom windowsill having survived 54 years and several house moves. That was with a chap called Nicholson, I can't remember what we called him but his initials were EAN and I think he smoked a pipe. Quite a decent chap as I recall.

I remember Ben Nicholson. He had a habit of drawing his breath in through his teeth which made a strange sort of hissing sound. His nickname was 'the Ice Warrior' and to this day I have no idea where it originated from.

I recall EA (Ben) Nicholson too, although he never taught me. He was indeed nicknamed the Ice Warrior, a reference to some enemies of Doctor Who. They were crusty reptilian beings from Mars which made a hissing sound, so it was entirely appropriate, given that noise he made along with the fact that he looked to be aged about 95. He drove an old dark blue Ford Anglia which he drove across the playground every morning, parking it in the recess outside Room 6. A friend of mine was taught English Literature by Nicholson and reckoned him to be a very decent bloke. He apparently kept in contact with him after leaving school. He was apparently a bit 'avant garde' and would smoke that filthy old pipe during class for 6th form lessons, something I could never have coped with. Interesting that some people have mentioned pottery at school. I only ever remember doing pottery in the Junior School, as the school got its first kiln in about 1962-63 at the behest of Mrs 'Foggy' Collins who started about that time. I still have a pottery 'mask' that I made, dated 6th May 1964 - it is truly awful!