King Henry VIII Grammar School

I joined today and wish I'd done it a few years ago. This is an amazing thread, and an amazing site. Thanks to Rob and anyone else who helps maintain it. I have read through most of this thread and you have stirred so many memories and names. I was at KH8 from about 1955, not sure of the precise year, started in the junior school and left in 1962. I started main school in the "A" stream and by 1962 I was in U5D. Now that's progression. I left with only two O levels, art and English, and only got those thanks to Joe Soap and Bunny. What a great bloke Bunny was. I wrote a poem once and he put it in the school magazine. It was about sitting in a physics lesson and looking out the window at a bird which was "free to roam at will. No cold concrete steps for him" We had just finished an experiment with Mr Chapman and I had to run up six steps and be timed, can't remember why though. That poem was the first taste of any sort of success in my life and I hope Bunny can hear me saying thank you. I have so many things to say, but for now, briefly: like everyone else I was terrified of Piggy but the only time I was ever sent to him was for being late one morning. I explained that the traffic was bad at the end of my road and to my amazement he agreed and added that he lived about ten doors down and also got held up. He smiled, told me to get up earlier and completely let me off. Thanks Piggy. I'll write more when I have the time but thanks again to everyone. It's so important to remember these things.

'Pope' Harris took my set in the Upper Fifth for our English O level and we were the first set in the history of the school that all passed. He was a bit strange, especially for Henry's. He called us all by our first names. He could never get Nick Dodd' right and used to call him ChrisNick. He gave us a lot of good tips on passing exams which must have stood us in good stead. I remember the time he tried to climb either in or out of a window in room 5 and got stuck. He drove I believe a Triumph Herald. No idea about the guy next to him. Geoff Courtois was a bit of a strange bod. He was my form master in the LV year when we were based in the unused Metalwork room. He was OK in class during English but a total dick when he did P.E. He would grab you by the sideburns and twist. He did it to me until the 6th form until he was standing in for McGawley one day and tried to do it to me and I threatened to clump him and he never tried it again. I went on a half term trip to the Lake District with him, Dave Greatorex and Chris Holland and he was good as gold, quite a good laugh actually. Dave Clarke was an excellent bloke. Treated everyone well and had a good sarcy sense of humour. I had him for Art and every lesson I would ask to go to the loo and he'd take my fags off me before he'd let me go. I just used to have one in a separate pocket anyway to sneak a quick smoke. He was one of the two original Hockey masters along with Rod Dunnet and was always a good laugh and never on a power trip. Dave Cooper took us for English in the 3rd Form and really did a lot to get us interested in reading all sorts of different books. He took over the Library from Fred Perry after Fred moved on to being head of the 6th Forms. Fred was OK but certainly a bit bonkers. Had him for English in the 4th Form and he used to say, 'Right I'm going to read to you.' But the way he said it sounded like 'Right I'm going to eat a ya.' Never had anything to do with Jenkins or Burrows, but I know that Burrows was well respected for being an OK guy. Ah PB RIppon. One of my top three favourite masters. He was my set tutor in my final year and took us for Eng Lit. He was exceptionally laid back and cool and never got narked or lost his temper. As set tutor he would never check on whether we were there or not and as long as Moore who had the attendance book told him that he's seen us he'd sign us all as being present. This of course in my case led to me wagging off quite a fair bit. On Tuesdays I could be found in the Kings Arms in Kenilworth by midday having a pint or two due to this ease of absence. I had two lessons before break and then a double free period before lunch and the same after before French with Flat Taff and used to bugger off at morning break.

Somewhere in the thread I think it's mentioned that Courtois was a pupil before he became a teacher and I think he was in my year. Unless I'm wrong (has been known) I had a dustup with him in the playground. I hit him once and he went down, which impressed my friends enormously. He got up slowly and we called it a day. Did my reputation a power of good but the truth was I think he slipped. Not proud of that, unless he was the same bully people have mentioned. And it's conceivable he spent the rest of his time there compensating... Hope not! It's also possible that the teacher Courtois was a different Courtois. There was a prefect of that name about a couple of years older than me. He claimed to have seen me doing something wrong and reported me. I was outraged because, unusually, I was innocent. He sat on our dinner table and I hated him with a vengeance. Come to think of it, I wonder if he was the brother of Courtois the Younger and getting his revenge? And wouldn't you think I'd be able to let it go after half a century?

Geoff/Jeff Courtois was a pupil at the school and returned as a teacher, so you're absolutely correct there. I am 99% sure he had an older brother who was also a pupil and I seem to remember a bit of a sportsman also.

Yes, Geoff Courtois was a former pupil who returned as a master/teacher His older brother Pete was also a pupil - I recall both from my schooldays so long since passed

Hello MR About Geoff Courtois (the younger), when you say "long since passed" do you mean he has passed away, or that the memories have faded? He would be the same age as me, born in 1946 so 70 at the time of writing, so hopefully he/we have a few years left, with a bit of luck. If it's the former, then I'd like to retract some of my remarks. The last thing I'd want to do is speak ill of anyone who has passed on.

Geoff Courtois is still with us I believe. Here he is at Ted Norrish's 80th birthday party September of last year. - Front left. Picture sourced from the KHVIII F/B page.

" . . . my schooldays so long since passed"

Hi all Do any remember this from the prep school? What I do remember is being a member of the very secret society called The "Hobyahs". Some had one eye, some two & some three. Well, what a pip!

What I find interesting is how one's perception changes over time, especially where decades are involved. It has already been suggested that some masters (e.g. Pop) always looked much older than their chronological age. Another example is Droob. Although our paths never crossed timetable-wise, from the start I thought he was one of the older teachers, not far off retirement. I thought he was an ex-army officer: barking out orders in the playground, like a sergeant-major, he could be heard clearly everywhere, unlike some of the others. I think his moustache contributed to that image. Working back, it turns out that he was a mere 29 years old when I joined KHVIII. I guess Einstein had a point concerning the relativity of the speed of the observer, or this this case, the passage of time, i.e. the age of the observer!

What year was it when you started at Henry's Slim? I can work out how old Droob was when I knew him then. I always thought he was in his mid 40s when I knew him, but he couldn't have been. I always thought that 'Fossil' Scotford was ancient when I was there. It's a bit like a few years ago when I went back to Kenilworth for a visit and St Nicholas Church seemed so much smaller than I remembered it. Maybe it's just a change of perspective.

I only remember the nice gentleman as Doctor Kolisch. Took us for Maths. I liked him, he was fun, and that is more than could be said for the other teachers!! I had two weeks off with chickenpox. On my return Doc Kolisch said it was my own fault for fouling around!!

I would be interested to know how, when and from where Dr. Kolisch arrived at Henrys. I arrived in 1947 and just sort of "found" him there. I never knew his original nationality, but I assumed he was a refugee (perhaps pre-war?) He always seemed pretty colourless and in fact his accent was so thick that he was pretty incomprehensible - he had a son called "Thomaaaas" who I think was in the Junior School at the time

He was from Czechoslovakia - I recall his wife was very interested when Sky Blues played a friendly against Banik Ostrava As far as Thomas, their son, is concerned - he is a member of this forum! He has contributed to this thread (I'm sure you'll recognise his posts from his "username")

I remember the Beacon Readers but not at King Henry VIII where my elder brother went. I was at Tech and before that at Junior School at Folly Lane (Gosford Park) in Humber Road. I think that is where we had Beacon Readers but I don't recall the subjects covered in them.