MEMORIES
A Reunion for the 1953 -54 entry
There was a reunion of Huish lads planned for the Kings Arms, Staplegrove Road, Taunton on Saturday the 13th November 2004, for the year that started at Huish 1953/4.
Surnames for Mr Branton's class included :
Adams, Barham, Barker, Barton, Bishop, Bovey, Charlton, Darch, Dougal, Edwards, Forsyth, Headley, Hunt, Keates, Lord, Lovel, Marrow, Phillips, Quick, White.
Mr Harewood's class included:
Oliver, Rousell, McCarten, Horne, Gimblett, Rockett, Beattie, Tucker, Callen, Truckle, Evans, Bawden, Bray, Porter, Brace, Manning, Lang, Burrows, Moffatt, Sydenham, Sutton, Sansom ,Lawrence, Hardy, Cottell
Mr Greave's class included:
Brown, Rice, Aitken, Marks, Boyle, Woolen, Gommo, Lee, Marks, Creed.
THE 1957-ers REUNION
JOHN SKELTON submitted this to the Bob Pendleton site:
The 60's Reunion of Huish's Grammar School for the 1957 intake who left 1962 (5th) and 1964 (6th Form) took place at the Castle Hotel, Taunton on Friday 14th July 2006. A beautiful sunny day showing off Somerset at its best allowed us to gather outside in the gardens for a drink or three before retiring to the Moat Room for a buffet. The event was precipitated by the coincidental visit to Taunton of two old boys who live overseas (Alan Williams from New Zealand and Dave Magson from Indonesia) and the painful realisation that our intake, part of the baby boom generation born in 1946, had now reached the big six zero - 60 years old. Frantic chasing up of direct contacts, by internet and by advertising in the press in less than a 4-week period resulted in 30 positive hits - 40% of the total Fifth Form - 5A, 5B & 5C! The final party list was 29 strong, including partners/wives. Attendance and Apologies list at the end. So now the end of party report......
The first prize for the most recognisable face after all this time [44 years since we had all met for many of us] was shared equally by Chris Dyer and Alan Williams with the rest of us all coming equal bottom: by and large unrecognisable - "go on then tell me who you are". Although I could make an exception for Charlie Stone and elevate him to the lofty heights of second from bottom, just like old school days really, if he had bothered to have a shave over the last 40 years. My vain attempt to lay claim to the travel prize by arriving at Gatwick from Dubai at 7.20 a.m. on the morning of the party was easily outclassed by Dave Magson who had to leave at 5.00 a.m. the morning after the party (ouch!) to get a plane from Heathrow to return to Indonesia.
The Mystery Prize from the names of the "Where are they now?" went in his absence to Terry Studley who no-one at the party or any of the contacts had sight or sound of, since the day he left school. A great lad and a strict disciplinarian who always firmly believed in keeping......teachers under control!
The music prize was always going to be a competition of one with our own lead guitarist Alan Boobyer attending and still playing around to this day! Brought back happy memories of dance nights held at Bishop Foxes Girls GS when Alan B always played at his best - can't imagine what the inspiration was. Although Jim Scott did remind me of the invite to the Ilminster Girls GS end of exams dance, which turned out to be one of life's more memorable events - a belated thanks to the Ilminster girl who won their bet and all the other girls who tried just as hard to win it. Well, we were meant to be part of the Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll generation although in all honesty I can say I never saw even a hint of drugs all the time I was at Huish's. Still to quote the latter day pop star Meatloaf - "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad".
The most memorable event of the time was also an unanimous dead cert winner, seeing The Beatles at the old Gaumont Cinema in 1963. Just in case there are a few young whippersnappers out there reading this and thinking that our 60's teenager generation continually go on about how ours was the best decade, Hey! We had The Beatles playing live at the Gaumont - you've got a Mecca Bingo Hall - how sad is that.
From the apologies list we got phone calls from Gerry Licence and Barry Cramp. Gerry has escaped to Spain and the rumour that he didn't want to come back to England because of fear of meeting up with the ex-Huish Old Bill contingent for debts to be paid to society for his LSE demonstrative days in the 60's are safe with me, not to mention Dave Quick & Terry Reid who did attend with their notebooks! Big thanks to, the now Rev., Barry Cramp whose heavenly duties prevented him attending but who paid for the wine at the buffet - almost a good enough gesture to turn even me to religion. On that subject by the way, alcohol that is, not religion, the late attendee's money who only telephoned me as I drove to Taunton on the day - Gerry Pothecary - paid for the extra bottles of wine after Barry's ran out; fair do - Gerry had been eating our food all evening!
The enthusiasm for sport remains with cricket to the forefront - Tony Wardell's story of bumping into Allan Breese in Calcutta supporting England in a Test Match takes some beating - pity the same can't be said for our footballers but then maybe we secretly all kind of like being the only generation to have won the World Cup!
So by the time we had run out of talking about Girls, Pop Music, Alcohol, Food and Sport - the essential education needs we learnt at School - we were desperate enough to talk about Teachers. Another unanimous decision, by the 6th Science stream anyway, that Paddy Brooks (Maths) was genuinely inspirational and someone to whom many of us owe a large part of our livelihood to this day. It was great to hear Paddy moved on to a Headship back in Northern Ireland after he left Huish's. Charlie Rutt, probably came second out of respect for his guts (pun definitely intended!) to stay on as Deputy Head after the war when he had been appointed acting Headmaster. Respectively, the best Head Huish never had and the best Head Huish did have but didn't fully appreciate afterwards. Which brings us to Peel-Corbin and the story told by Gerry Abley (another apologist for absence) of the day many years after he left school and Peel-Corbin had retired when he had a job at Peel-Corbin's house building an extension. After introduction and one and a half bottles of port later, the first half Gerry assumes having been consumed prior to his arrival, his view had changed - mainly to horizontal I think. Worth the cost several times over of a phone call to Gerry to hear the full tale! The prize for the worst teacher was gratifyingly easy for our year with the teacher who not only had the misfortune to try to teach us Latin but the equal misfortune to be caught (allegedly!) embezzling the school savings fund; still maybe he was the inspiration for Terry Reid, Dave Quick and others to join the Police, who must have thought catching thieves really couldn't be that difficult!
I was asked to send details of our achievements - being here I think is the answer. One of the lady guests was kind enough to say at the end of the evening that 60 was the new 40 in age groups if our class reunion was anything to go by; flattery will get you everywhere as they say but if my childhood memory is half way accurate, probably 45 in comparison with our fathers generation. Everyone who attended looked fit and well and there was in general a thankful absence of any discussion of health complaints. The thorny subject of future pensions did raise its ugly head with either a carry-on working spirit or a part-time commitment by the already retired. Gerry, you better come back from Spain and lead a new protest movement and get on the telly again like you did in your LSE days - your Old Boys need you now!
And so to our departure. Did Eric Rowe ever remember his daughter's home address where he was meant to be staying and which caused him to cancel the waiting taxi? Did he make it there safely walking? Did he dig a couple of graves on the way to earn his pocket money like he did in the schooldays? Did....oh well, we will all just have to meet up again in 5 years time to find the answers to these questions and more.
JOHN SKELTON
In attendance:
Philip Bacon, Alan Boobyer, Martin Bye, David Chedzoy, Chris Dyer, David Magson, Alan Philpotts, Gerald Pothecary, David Quick, Terry Reid, Eric Rowe, Jim Scott, John Skelton, Charles Stone, Richard Totterdell, Tony Wardell, Alan Williams and lady guests!
Apologies:
Gerry Ableys, Allan Breese, Barry Cramp, Ted Ewens, Brian Hooper, Gerald Licence, Tony Payne, Ken Potter, Tony Sloley, Paul Temlett, Pip Whiston, Chris Woon
Rock Around the Clock
In 2001, Ken Edwards wrote :
I came across your very interesting compilation by chance. But I couldn't resist replying. I was at the old grammar school from 1953 to 1960. And well remember rushing to my form room in an old hut with George Bennet as form teacher on my first day. I sat next to a chap called George Toller and we remained friends for the five years up to School Certificate.
I think one of my most vivid memories was coming into school the day after Rock around the Clock had been banned from being shown in Taunton to join amazed and delighted crowds of boys gazing up at the open e-shaped roof with We want Rock around the Clock inscribed on it in huge green letters!
I had a great time in the sixth form from 58 to 60 with people like Mick Berry, John Branchflower, Clive Wainwright and Eric Beer and from the long-haired arts sixth, Tony Jappy. We used to dash down to La Ronde at lunchtime to meet the girls from Bishops Fox's. I should have mentioned that I travelled from Minehead every day on the old West Somerset Railway. What terrors we Huishers were on that train. Dear old Don Wedlake used to do his best to avoid us and no doubt thankfully got out at Watchet with his eyes firmly turned away from our part of the train!!
In the third year I took up Chemistry as 'Bomber' Eel had only managed to give me 2 out of a hundred for Latin. Dear old Rutt took me on. He was deputy Head then and was always being called away from class and we were always impressed that he knew exactly where he was when he returned. Bob Pleass taught us physics and George Bennett inspired us with his maths teaching. Rupert Harewood (we used to mock his furry gown I remember) gave me a lifelong love of English Literatue and 'Froggy' Trevett tried with numerous games to interest us intelligent peasants in a foreign tongue.
The school drama was a great element in my life. I debuted in a French Farce called the Pie and the Tart. I was the tart. I well remember a deeply embarrassing session in the old school library (a hut in the entrance playground which then doubled as the music room. Froggy tried to teach me to sing the opening song and could not believe I was tone deaf. He struggled manfully but eventually he regretfully agreed I would have to be dubbed.
Well one can go on and on. I wonder how many of class 1A 1953 are still out there? The only person I kept in touch with for a period was Clive Wainwright who enjoyed a distinguished career at the V&A in later life.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed your reminiscences. I returned to Huishs in 1961 after an unsuccessful attempt at a Chemistry Degree at Queen Mary College and had a great year being taught by Basher Hunt and Nat Allen. I will always remember Mr Rutt's kind support for my coming back to take some more A levels even though he despised the Economics that I eventually studied with much more success at the L.S.E.