Prince Edward School, 1940/50/60s

[lennonman 11]

....and the scary underpass at Manor Top where you would risk death rather than go under it.

 

Barnards was great, a real treasure trove for kids with its sweets on one side and its toys on the other. Remember Wayne Sykes (icabard) always getting broken chocolate pieces from there. It competed with Hibberts on the other side of the island for kids' pennys and halpennys.

 

Do remember well Mr Shepherd and the sex lessons though. it brought a tear of laughter to me when i recalled it. Did we have to get our parents permission to have the lessons or have i imagined it? He never let it drop did he, even in the changing rooms when we had p.e. he sat us down to say 'now have we all got this reproduction business then lads?' before launching into another session of dads lying on top of mums....

 

Neil Palmer is now driving for a printing company and has been married 25 years.

 

What was the name of the headmaster its doing my head in, he used to come into assembly wagging his slipper when someone had nicked the milk or something. Actually slipper them in assembly too. Blimey!

[Fiat500 17]

Been reminded this morning about buying breadcakes at lunchtime from Elm Tree bakery and then nipping over the road into the middle of Manor Top roundabout to eat them amongst the trees and bushes there while the traffic went past.

 

Breadcakes from Elm Tree bakery mmmmm Dripping.

 

Remember one headmaster, Mr Cross! true to his name.

[Vasquez Rich 10]

Mr Cross was earlier... Mr .. Oh god I nearly had it then.. wore one of those russian black wooly hat things... I'll post it when it comes back.. I do know it, sure I do.

 

yeah Broken Chocolate, Wayne Sykes... yeah remember that, it was all he ever ate I reckon.

 

Remember that girl in the infants who had like a big cyst thing on the side of her cheek... she only was at the school for a while, don't think I ever knew her name. Wierd.

 

Remember passing on "smells" by rubbing your hand on someone and then they had to sneak up on someone else to pass it on... how daft was that?

 

Mr Horbury the caretaker, lived in that house in the school grounds almost nextdoor to Barnards.

[Vasquez Rich 10]

Mr Hill... that was the fella.

[Lodgemoorman 10]

I left Prince Edwards Juniors in 1949 (can't believe it's so long ago)

I was in Mss Randall's class. Is there anyone about of that ancient vintage?

Mr Cross was there, also Mr Hughes, Miss Branch; Miss Pilgrim was just as Miss Pilgrim always was - frightening.

 

Some of the inmates were Norman Ridsdale, Neville Dell, Terry Slack, Margaret Muscroft.

 

Anyone heard of any of these?

[lennonman 11]

Miss Pilgrim would have been really old then when she taught us in the late sixties, early seventies. Always wondered why certain teachers had to play the nasty one, as if they hated being there, she was definately one of them! Remember her teaching us needlework, dont think that would happen now.

[lennonman 11]

oh yes and Mr Hill...remember the Russian hat as if it were yesterday. Me and Paul Kenny had to see him when we wanted to go and see Wednesday versus Santos when Pele played. It was a midweek afternoon kick off so we had to take letters from our parents to ask for the afternoon off so we could go. To give him credit he let us go. Was a nasty little bugger when his cage was rattled though wasnt he? Ditto Miss Kingdom and Miss Hodkin.

Saw Miss Hodkin in a car park in Derbyshire about 10 years ago now. Asked her if she remembered me, she didnt, wasnt naughty enough to be remembered probably. I wasnt a member of the 'Cant Be Bothered To Work Brigade'!

[Fiat500 17]

I was at the Prince till late 60s and yes Miss Pilgrim must have been old and I think she hated children. I spent a few of months at a different school (through parental split) and learned how to do 'joined up writing' and on return was ridiculed and disciplined for trying to use it in her class. I was stood at the front and had the ruler. She used to walk round at lunch time and if you didn't eat your cabbage you would get the ruler on the back of your hands. Can't remember all the good teachers but the bad ones are etched in your brains.

[lennonman 11]

I was at the Prince till late 60s and yes Miss Pilgrim must have been old and I think she hated children. I spent a few of months at a different school (through parental split) and learned how to do 'joined up writing' and on return was ridiculed and disciplined for trying to use it in her class. I was stood at the front and had the ruler. She used to walk round at lunch time and if you didn't eat your cabbage you would get the ruler on the back of your hands. Can't remember all the good teachers but the bad ones are etched in your brains.

 

that sounds like something out of victorian times doesnt it? She must have died a very unhappy person. There were good teachers there though, Mr Shepherd was a great teacher, ive great memories of him.

[Eldonsmith 10]

Man Shepherd was tops. He had a funny way of disciplining you. He would make you hold your hand out then make a Karate chop hand but bent into a right angle and then hit you. The best advice was to pretend it hurt like hell.

 

I remember a Mrs Veal as well who used to make large bits of bread in the shape of wheatsheaves for harvest festival.

 

Note with interest the talk of Mr Hill as head - I thought it was Mrs Biddulph? Help me out here chaps. Who was Mrs Drury as well? Did she have a son at school?

 

Also remember the Xmas parties where you brought a plate & cutlery with your name on and donated something like chocolate teacakes or orange jelly. Seem to remember someone brought peas

 

Also remember painting with yellow paint that smelled of rotten fruit.

 

Why can I remember all this from so long ago, but can't remember anything useful?

 

Ich Dein me hearties

[Eldonsmith 10]

I mentioned this in an earlier post, but it seems some others have hinted that Mrs Pilgrim was at thet school for ages. Can anyone come back with earliest recollections of her? She didn't seem overly aged when I was there (left in '71) she still used to prance around the maypole in the hall. She also took me for handwriting (as mentioned) and sewing (!!) where I promptly made an owl that looked like a brown cabbage.

 

Now woodwork. Who still has a boot puller offer? I also made a rattle but put the noise bits on the wrong side so that you had to spin it the wrong way. Was it Paul Kenny who made a Zither? Flash ble***r

[lennonman 11]

Now then young Smith

 

Miss Veal was great she was our first teacher in the juniors and used to read us The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for 10 minutes at the end of the day.

 

It was definitely Man Hill who was the head but there was a Mrs Biddulph but i cant recall her status. Mrs Drury did have a son and he was a bit of a boffin, recall a school quiz contest (complete with buzzers) where he answered all the questions, wonder what he's doing now!

 

My mum always made either butterfly buns or jelly to take to the christmas party, remember dancing to Johnny Reggae by the Piglets do you remember that! Oh and just remembered my first crush, Beverley Earnshaw what a woman......er.....girl

 

We called yellow paint Bad Bananas if i recall and i do remember the Zither too, bit medieval that wasnt it?

 

Yes Miss Pilgrim used to do scottish dancing, remember doing that dance with the wooden swords where you interlocked them to make a star or something....and the maypole.