MEMORIES
TWELFTH NIGHT, the 1962 School Play.
Bob Pendleton was engaged in a search for Tom Pritchard and wrote to three of his contemporaries to see if anyone had any knowledge of Tom's post-Huish career. The inirial enquiry came from Nova Osborne whose brother Nigel Osborne was a Huisher between '64 and '71. Nova, now Mrs. Brian Smith, wrote that she remembered Tom from the Sixties when they both went to St. Mary's church & youth club. She added that 'I was recently in Taunton visiting and met an old friend and we decided to try and get in touch with other people from those days...'.
Bob's enquiries prompted Pete Ewens to dig out a photo of the cast of the '62 school play, and Alan Saunders wrote about another play : the first, he thought, with real REAL girls. Today's sixth formers will have little idea what a breakthrough that was!
"As promised, School play...at Bishop Fox's circa 1962. Will's TN or what you will. Names from the past include Alan Saunders and I, the photo includes Paul Webber, Colin Foster, Richard Hardy, Rodney Hake, Roger Vickery, Alan Vian, Alan Crawford and Tom Pritchard(?)...etc.
The following review is from The Huish Magazine, Spring Term 1963.
TWELFTH NIGHT
Your critic will not deny that he faced with some trepidation the task of viewing and reporting on this year's Drama Club production. Contrary to what seems to be a popular assumption, Shakespeare is not an easy acting option, and "Twelfth Night", undoubtedly a sophisticated play written for a sophisticated audience, can be deceptively difficult.
He need not have worried. Indeed he was well satisfied with a delightful performance that reflected great credit on all who were associated with it . "Twelfth Night" is a happy play; and by their own gusto in performing it, the members of the cast were completely successful in communicating this happiness to the audience.
As last year, Chilcott, in the part of Viola/Cesario, was a great success. He shows a remarkable maturity in his timing and stage presence, to which must be added good voice control. "Twelfth Night" contains some of Shakespeare's most beautiful poetry. Chilcott did not forget that, and he saw to it that the audience also realised it. The same may be said of Coombes, as the love-sick Duke Orsino, and (to a lesser extent) of Foster as Olivia. His voice at times needed more inflection and occasionally he was a little stiff in movement; but he is to be congratulated on a very promising performance.
The sub-plot is concerned with the duping of Malvolio, Olivia's pompous and self-righteous steward. He was well portrayed by Poulter, though your critic would have liked to see him a little more formal and dignified. After all, Malvolio is described as a Puritan, and he might have been made a little more puritanical, to emphasise the contrast to the boisterousness of Sir Toby Belch. In this part, so suitable to him, Smith thoroughly enjoyed himself and delighted the audience; and your critic was pleased that he did not make Sir Toby a disreputable, drunken old sot. There is more to Sir Toby than that.
Among the other plotters, Peach, as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, was a triumph of casting. He played the genial "silly ass" to the manner born. One minor irritation to your critic (for which Peach was in no way responsible) was his poor wig of flaxen hair. Ewens made a delightful scheming Maria. With more experience he will learn to slow his tempo and (a common fault, this!) control his hands more effectively. As Feste, the clown, Minty started nervously, especially in his singing, but improved very considerably, particularly in his scene with the incarcerated Malvolio. Your critic enjoyed some excellent fooling in the letter scene, and a nice touch in the use of a pint pot as a candle-snuffer.
Once again it is impossible to mention all the members of the cast. That does not mean that they are not worthy of mention. Indeed, all are to be congratulated, not least Hutter, for his recorder-playing.
As usual, all the "back-room boys" played their parts with efficiency. Indeed, your critic cannot imagine them doing otherwise. Perhaps a special word should be said of Mr. Stock and his handymen for some handsome rustic appurtenances and a very effective fore-stage, which also served as Malvolio's prison.
For the sixteenth time we express our gratitude to Miss Craig for the use of her school. This will presumably be the last time. Our debt to her has grown with the years, and our acknowledgments are all the more sincere.
SPECTATOR.
The Cast List:
Duke Orsino: Philip Coombs
Curio (Lord attending Orsino): Alan Saunders
Valentine (-do-): Paul Webber
Viola: Lionel Chilcott
Sea Captain: Eric Scorse
Sir Toby Belch: William Smith
Maria: Peter Ewens
Sir Andrew Aguecheek: John Peach
Feste, a clown: Paul Minty
Olivia: Colin Foster
Malvolio: Edward Poulter
Fabian: Robert Cornford
Sebastian, Viola's twin: Philip Knighton
Antonio: Alan Vian
First Officer: Clive Dennis
Second Officer: Roger Vickery
Priest: Ian Cramp
Lords, Pages, Sailors: David Bellringer Robert Gwyther, Michael Hake, John Hamlin Richard Hardy, Leslie Hutter (recorder) Keiran O'Connor, Michael Pipe and Geoffrey Vian
A FEW REMINISCENCES OF MIS-SPENT YOUTH AT HUISH'S GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Mike Cull - early 60's
One of my earliest memories was arriving as a new-boy and being confronted by a certain Mr. Pleass who had known my three uncles who had previously been pupils at the School. My reputation as something of a musician had reached his ears. "We need someone else to play the harmonium for Assembly", he said as it seemed that Lionel Chilcott had been about the only pupil who had been able to master the "beast". From there on Lionel and myself took it in turns to "Fight the Good Fight".
I well remember Ron Tickner and Frank Cottam, who were the two Music Masters, bashing out duets together on the old chalk-covered upright piano in the music room. I used to like to get them "at it" by taking in pieces of sheet-music which I at the time considered to be unplayable. I would stand transfixed as one or both of them would rattle out the piece playing by sight. There was an obvious difference between their musical orientation as was ably demonstrated when I presented them both with my latest acquisition, a piece called "Russian Rag" which was written around the famous Rachmaninov Prelude. I thought to myself, "Neither of them will be able to sight-read THIS"! How wrong I was because they both played the piece immaculately, BUT whereas Frank played it in classical mode, Ron had the edge because he could syncopate which is essential when playing Ragtime.
Writing about Ron Tickner reminds me of one of the School Carol Services which that year had been held at Holy Trinity Church. In those days, if not now, the organ console was situated above the West door and on the day of the Service, we in the School Choir, including Bob Pleass, took our places in the upstairs stalls adjacent to the organ console. Just after the Service commenced, there was a strong smell of burning. Ron was acutely aware of this because the Academic Gown he had chosen to wear for the occasion had become draped over electric heating-pipes which ran along the balcony-rail behind the organ bench. The poor devil was trying to pull his Gown away at the same time as he was playing the Organ. Of course we all thought this was hilarious!
There was a Geography Master at the School whose name I think was Dickinson. We used to call him "Dicko". He used to get very excited if things were not going as he wanted them. He shouted so much one day that one of his dentures shot out onto one of the desks in front of him. I remember him dictating notes to us in one lesson. He would walk up and down the room between the rows of desks, looking at pupils' notes as he passed by. On this particular occasion he was talking about Australia and as he was approaching my desk he was speaking about the "Great Australian Bight" I thought to myself, "I'll get him going" and deliberately wrote "Great Australian BITE". It certainly had the desired effect as there was soon spittle everywhere!
John Aggrell was always game for a laugh. There was inevitably confusion surrounding his surname and in one moment of lucidity he revealed how one parent had always referred to him as Mr. O'Growl. One day when he was giving us a Biology lesson at the old Elmfield site, (now on the periphery of Richard Huish College), he brought in a sheep's heart for demonstration purposes. The heart was being passed from pupil to pupil for examination, and the boy next to me (nicknamed "Alfie" by John although I think the surname was Hall), sniffed it with his rather "pointed" nose. I could not resist the temptation and so nudged his hand so that his nose was pushed into the heart. John Aggrell noticed my action and, when the heart was passed to me, called me to the front of the class where he proceeded to rub the heart all over my face; ugh!! I never did find out the name of the film he featured in, although a recent conversation with the present Mayor of Taunton Deane has revealed a War-time history of John Aggrell which I certainly did not know of! ED's NOTE - does any reader know about this ? Do email me if so.
A final memory of schooldays comes from post schooldays. I thought I had seen the last of the then Headmaster, Lieutenant-Colonel E.H. Peel Corbin when I left school to pursue a short-lived nursing career. I was mortified when as a student nurse on secondment to Musgrove Park Hospital, I was told to give a pre-op shave and suppository to the "patient in the side-room". On entering the room, who did I find in the bed? Yes, you have guessed correctly, as it was my old Headmaster of whom at times I had formerly been terrified. I think he sensed my apprehension but soon put me at ease when really it should have been me putting him at ease. Thankfully, I have never been one to bear a grudge!!!
In 2005, Phill Groves wrote :
Thought you might be interested in the attached photo from 1962. My name is Phil Groves and I was only at Huish for one year so I'm not sure I even qualify as an "old boy" but I did swim for the school...I'm the little one pictured to the left of our great leader E.H.Peel Corbin! Does anyone else recognize themselves?
I have stayed in touch with one other old Huisher, Kirk W. Huffman, who is now an anthropologist working in Sydney Australia. As for me, after working as a muralist for Lord Weymouth of Longleat ( yes, the looney one!) I moved to the U.S. in 1970 and pursued a career as a photographer and art director. I currently live in the Los Angeles suburb of Studio City. I have many memories of Huish. I fondly remember the "tuck shop" and its sticky buns, playing "bully" in the playground and generally annoying most of the masters.
Does anyone remember the Gym Master? I think his name was "Junker" ( it has been over 40 years, so I'm not sure). School legend had it that he had thrown himself under a boy who fell from one of the climbing ropes, breaking the boy's fall and his own back! Despite his injury, he reputedly returned to work within weeks and resumed his duties. There was another master whose favourite pastime was to grab boys by the ear and demand "what are you boy?" to which, the only acceptable reply was "Scum sir" "What kind of scum, boy?" "Lugubrious scum sir". I don't remember his name, or even what he taught but I'll never forget having my ear nearly twisted off!