Ex Waltheof School pupils

[CF8M 11]

I guess you must have have been in the year above me judging by the names you recall.

I was there for two years then shipped out to another school, but I do remember the names very well.

You may reacall the Head Boy, Geoff Ray and what about Carol Hart(very pretty).

Maybe Donald Lees or Ron Nelson perhaps David Allott they were not in my year but I do remember them very well.

CF8M

[Gunner 11]

I am now 62. I was also one of the first to walk through the doors of Waltheof. We visited the School two weeks before it opened with Marshall. A reward as our class designed the school badge " Torch ". It was a daunting experience, Going with Marshall was no fun. He made it known to us that we would suffer greatly if we broke any of the new rules. There are some teachers that I would gladly give a good whipping to. But some that got my respect. One of the worse was Mr Knight the woodwork teacher down at annex on Darnall Road. I would love to see a 60's reunion.

 

Anthony (Tony) Rodgers

[united 500 10]

Mr Knight now there was a man who should never have been allowed to become a teacher. My abiding memory is of Knight strutting around his domain in his brown “Arkwright” smock with his hands pushed deep in his pockets barking out his orders.

I recall one occasion his coat catching a chisel which was lying on the corner of a workbench knocking it to the floor. He went berserk at the student pushing him and hitting him about the head. Knight ordered the boy to pick up the chisel which he did but the launched himself at Knight pinning him to the wall and holding the chisel to his throat. He was the luckiest man alive.

Carol Hart that rings a bell, did she have short blond hair not straight but sort of bubbly

For about my last six months at the school I became a prefect so you would think I would remember the head boy but unfortunately I do not

[Gunner 11]

I thank God that I only had to stay at Waltheof a few months. First in First to leave. But we also had good times. I recall X country running through Bowden Homestead Woods up to Handsworth, But the kids of today would never have taken the bullying that we did. There are many I know that even today suffer from the Waltheof experience. Sad to say many schools were just as bad then. Today some of those teachers would have been down jail; for a long time. Yet we need some of this discipline back. Remember the metal work teacher. I had an e-mail from him. He was a good guy. Strict but fair. There were other teachers also that never had to use a cane, But were very adept at making us behave. This is what todays kids need. From us being afraid of teachers, The tables have turned, It is the teachers that are afraid of the kids. A young teacher I know well taught at Waltheof, She had a nervous breakdown and is now in a mess. I would love to see a reunion of the first to enter the school. But I am afraid not many of the teachers we had then would be brave enough to come. That is if many are still alive.

[Gunner 11]

I meant to say that Knight broke my wrist with the cane. He also broke the watch I was wearing at the time. He did this because he found a speck of paint on the handle of a paint brush that was soaking, I was the last one in the store room. I hope that man is still alive and suffering,,,,,,,,I think his son also went into teaching and is in a Sheffield Scool. I would have hated a father like that.

[united 500 10]

Eureka I remember incident where a pupil got his wrist broken. So you were the one. I recall having a smart six for ignoring one of his futile commands. The trouble with teachers like Knight was they enjoyed the power they had over his charges. Others enforced a discipline which would not be acceptable today, but reflected the learning principals of the time. I remember another tyrant Ben Holland, he could hit a pupil sitting at the back of the class with a piece of chalk with unrelenting accuracy. He was equally adept with a board rubber if the fancy took him, but there was not the same malice in his punishment. I remember him doing it to me for not paying attention, but after the lesson had finished he took me to one side and chatted me through my indiscretion. I know a number of people hated him but I quite liked the guy in fact he instrumental in my taking up engineering. I do remember the cross country runs they were hard and there was never an acceptable excuse for not participating and for avoiding punishment if you were caught walking or the last one home. I cannot remember who the games master was. Was it Grundy. I recall he was in charge of the Rugby team at Whitby Road. Do you remember a music teacher called Barns I think he went on to Waltheof. He drove a Ford Anglia, a black one. When we left Whitby Road we took his car to pieces and left it in the garage. Their was another teacher who drove a V.W. Beetle I recall he took us for history but I cannot remember his name.

[Gunner 11]

Yes he broke my wrist. But he certainly paid for it. We had no protection at that time. We dare not tell anyone. My mother went berserk with him at the time and Mr. Saxon threatened to call the Police. Remember Saxon. Well my brother was on leave from the army at the time. He had a word with Knight. I never had trouble after that. Well Ben Holland. Tried to remember his name the other day. A christian man with christian values he said he was. Maybe he should have made good use of his talents for helping solve problems. He was hard to make out. Dead strict, But understanding when w he wanted to be. Grundy I will not say what he was on the forum. He should have been in jail ages ago. Barns. He could be a laugh at time. He was a comic when he used the cane. He himself used to be picked on. He was very ill though. Remember Edwards, Another power lover. He ended up in a wheel chair I am told. Well what goes around comes around.

[united 500 10]

I recall I kind of hush about the incident with your wrist. Grundy used to take rugby practice and it was not uncommon for pupils when practicing tackling to leave the boot in on him. His phrase was get their legs they cant run without their legs. We used to aim a bit higher on the principal that we could do more damage. I also remember him taking cricket practice with Cooper, another one you would not trust with your dog, he kept telling the pupils to "throw for the face" and that "they would catch the ball one way or another" and then laughing. So I did the trouble was he was not looking and hit him in the mouth. I think it was two strokes for that. But it was worth it. Were you involved in the Duke of Edinburgh Award ? I got involved it was a bit of a laugh. I remember, I think it was Edwards tall stocky man with black hair and glasses, teaching us first aid whilst reading the blood circulatory system from a book. I also remember going camping for the weekend at Great Hucklow and have an abiding memory of Ms Chadwick dressed in a plaid skirt, squatting opposite me around a camp stove. She was with a tall gawky chap. The view probably scared me for life. You are correct though we did have some laughs.

[united 500 10]

I remember the wind up routine Barns had prior to him striking the blow, he pulled a similar face when playing the piano, particularly when rather than playing for the school assembly he wandered off into some rousing rendition of a traditional hymn. God do you remember those assemblies sitting on the floor for what seamed like hours, and the silence that descended if someone dared to move cough or fidget.

[Gunner 11]

I cannot remember now if it was Cooper or Grundy that lived above the wood shop on Staniforth Road. But we used to avoid going past there. I took First Aid as well On The Dukes Awards. I was supposed to go to camp. I never made it I ended up in Hospital with Pnuemonia. That was bad back then. I sometimes have a giggle. But many of the youngsters would never believe me when I tell them about Waltheof. They reckon that kind of punishment could never happen/.... Well I have news for them

[united 500 10]

I know what you mean when my kids were growing up and they would regale me with the bad episodes from the school day and I respond by telling them about Whitby Road and Waltheof they did not believe me. I told my son about the car episode and he told his form tutor that they had better watch out as he had to find a prank to out do me before he left. They were so concerned that they kept a close watch on him. He keep leaving little clues all week and when he did nothing they thought that they had won, however he was able to smugly tell them that he never intended to do anything just to keep them guessing. The pupil tutor relationship still survives even now. The duke of teds was a laugh we went to Scotland for a thirty mile hike and two day camp, we got lost, got infected with ticks from the heather I ended up with a silver award and most of the way through the gold but other things took over when I left the school.

[CF8M 11]

Hi! There Gunner and United 500.

have read your threads with interest so long ago but seems like yesterday.

I don't recall the broken wrist incident probably before my time,but I do remember Knight.

Knight was an absolute sadist and it was probably that that caused his departure only to be replaced by Mr.Salt a bit of a cynic, all smiles and care but with a hidden agenda.

I recall an incident that occured just before I left.For some reason one of the first or second years had a message for him and came into the class to speak to him.

Well,Salt was in the middle of something or other and the Kid that came in got the sharp end of his tongue for interrupting,you know the addage "kill the messenger".

The kid was a particularly small lad and Salt placed his gigantic hand around the front of his throat and lifted him off the ground causing him to almost pass out.

I thought at the time had the lad struggled he may have broken his neck.But all Salt did was place him back on the ground and laughed.

As for Carol Hart I was in love with her,tall and very pretty and she had straight blond hair as I recall. She was the first girl in a new school that actually spoke to me but it may have been a fascination with my non Sheffield accent.

Carol is now a Social worker/Psycologist living in the Peak District.

The skinny chap with Chadwick was the intended named Shipley I may have been on the same DofE trip to Burrs Mount Farm in Great Hucklow.

It really would be quite an event to arrange a re-union from the early days I was only there a shot time but it made quite an impression and would definatly make the trip from Australia for such an occasion.

CF8M