---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Brian Screaton
Date: Sun, 11 May 2025 at 14:29
Subject: OWT
To: Brian Screaton
From: Brian Screaton
Date: Sun, 11 May 2025 at 14:29
Subject: OWT
To: Brian Screaton
Hello All,
Dennis has completed the new edition of Old Wyves Tales, but Frank Smith is away on holiday, so it won't appear on the Website or Facebook until later this week. So as not to keep you waiting I thought the best thing is to email it out to you, as below.
Don't forget that Dennis is always looking for contributions to OWT, so if there is anything in this issue that sparks a memory, do write it down and email to Dennis
Best wishes,
Brian
OLD WYVES' TALES
THE ONLINE VERSION
MAY 2025
EDITED BY DENNIS J DUGGAN
FROM BRIAN SCREATON (This is a slightly-edited copy of Brian's round-robin dated 14.4.25 - Ed) The Old Wyves lunch went very well, and despite being slightly down on numbers the buzz of conversation about old times was just as great as previous lunches. We were pleased to welcome John Offord, who made the journey from the south-east. Although he could not be present, it was still pleasing to be able to toast the 87th birthday of Bill Mann, who is a resident at Welford Court Residential Home in Leicester. I realise that many of you live too far away to attend the lunches, but I thought you would like to know what goes on. The next lunch will be early October.
FROM BRIAN PAPWORTH (Original message dated 18.4.25 - Ed) I saw an announcement in the Leicester Mercury that Clifford Roy Townsend (known by all as Roy) had died. I'm not sure when he attended CBS, but as he was born in 1939 I believe it would be 1950-55 or 1951-56. I knew Roy for over twenty years, and we shared an interest in local history and numismatics.
FROM FRANK SMITH We received the following sad news from Catherine Dack's sister, Diane Robertshaw via facebook, on March 7th: Re Catherine Dack, who taught physics at CBS. Sadly Catherine passed away on 21st February 2025, aged 83 years. Her funeral and burial took place at Tissington church, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, on Monday 24th March at 2pm, followed by refreshments in the village hall. Although apparently not listed in Andy Marlow's book as being on the staff, I understand she taught at the school for about thirty years. She taught Gary Lineker, amongst others, and was deputy head for some of that time.
FROM MARK HAYLER Pilot Officer Alan Frederick Canham (5S, 1961) killed in a plane crash near Abingdon on July 6th 1965, is commemorated at the National Arboretum, on the RAF 1965 panel of the Armed Forces Memorial. A small cross was placed at the base of the panel which bears his name, from his classmates at CBS.
FROM ROGER POVOAS I often wonder what some of my contemporaries achieved after they left school. Perhaps others feel the same way, either specifically or generally? Can I suggest that interested readers submit no more than two specific names, and await a response? Mine are Phil Kitchen and ??? Geary.
FROM PAUL NEWCOMBE 1959-64 I emigrated from the UK in 1967 aged 19, on the ten UK Pound passage to Australia via an old Italian cruise ship. We got to see the Canary Isles, Cape Town, (where I also nearly missed the ship's departure, but maybe save this story for another time) Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. During the six weeks it took to get to Sydney, I met my future wife Elizabeth and we have been married for fifty three years. On arrival in Sydney I got a job as a window cleaner (Oh yes, my education at City Boys really was put to good use) and during this brief stint I got my five minutes of fame on National TV when we got stuck twenty five floors up on the exterior of a skyscraper and eventually had to be rescued by firemen, who hoisted us up to an open window. I decided to seek another career after that, and joined an American firm, Emery Air Freight, where I worked for four years at Sydney Airport. I already had experience in the UK where I had worked in the same industry for LEP Transport, Leicester and in London, for EMG Air Services. Elizabeth was not happy in Australia and wanted to return to the UK with our daughter Jennifer; I agreed to follow as soon as I had saved enough money to get us a new start. I did have access to free tickets so I was able to go back to the UK to see them but the travel time Sydney to London in those days was thirty two hours and I knew that could not continue, so about a year later I had managed to save £1000 and was offered an exchange employment transfer position with the same company at Heathrow. So I packed up in 1971 and returned to the UK. I joined Elizabeth and Jennifer in Blackpool, where they were living with family, and we married, after which we proceeded to London for our honeymoon and to find employment. When I arrived at the Heathrow office of Emery, the existing manager had decided to remain in the UK and I was offered another managerial job, however, the salary did not pay our share of rent in the Hounslow area, the cost of a car and caring for a family, so I walked away and started a road haulage company, mostly between Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Again, I had experience in this area as I had co-founded a small haulage company in Australia operating haulage between Sydney and Melbourne Airports, and an air cargo service around Australia with a De Havilland Beaver. After being rejected for financing to expand the business domestically and internationally, I decided in 1972 to fold up and move to New York but there were Visa issues so I decided to join a friend of mine who had started a business in Vancouver, Canada, where the immigration requirements were quite easy at that time as long as you had a sponsor and job to go to. We closed up our affairs in the UK and the three of us flew on complimentary tickets from Heathrow to Montreal where we spent a night in that amazing city, travelling the next day to Vancouver which was even more amazing to see from the air. On arrival we stayed with friends and eventually got settled in and employed. The job required a lot of travel and I was back in the UK within a matter of weeks on business. Then I was off to Japan, and whilst there I discovered a customer who was exporting from Canada plane loads of Holiday Magic cosmetics; believe it or not, his name was Larry Profit and he resided on a large yacht somewhere off shore in Florida/Bahamas. I secured this business with the help of my friends in Toronto and we handled this business for more than a year until the collapse of what I later found out was a pyramid scheme. Having travelled to Japan many times on business I also noticed that vast amounts of electronics, car parts and other manufactured goods were being exported to UK/Europe and South America and convinced my two friends, who by then were also partners, to invest in an operation in Japan to secure this business. It was a unique concept we developed whereby goods were moved by ocean to the West Coast ports of Vancouver, Seattle and Los Angeles and then flown to their final destination on a multimodal document in roughly half the time of all sea freight and half the cost of air freight. To cut this story short, we opened offices throughout the USA/UK/Europe/South America and Asia to handle this business. Along the way we moved to Montreal for five years between 1975 and 1980 to make travel easier and a more convenient time zone. This was followed by eighteen months living in Chiswick, UK to open a UK operation and then briefly to Los Angeles to do the same before settling down in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Unfortunately, during the 80's when interest rates hit 22%, we experienced financial problems which caused the divesting of most parts of the business to pay banks and other creditors. I decided in 1988 to again pack up and move to Nassau, Bahamas, picking up the pieces and practically starting over again by mortgaging our home along with a partner who did the same, to the maximum, and getting as much credit as I could from vendors. We have lived in the Bahamas ever since, with brief spells in the UK and Turks & Caicos Islands. During this time, we either had our own offices or exclusive agents in thirty countries and this required my travelling more than 200 days a year. My wife would sometimes join me when I was going to the UK and very occasionally, Brazil, Japan, India and Dubai. The business was sold in 1999 and I retired exhausted. I did not enjoy City Boys school, and left as soon as I had completed my GCSEs, just a few weeks before my sixteenth birthday, But I must have learnt something academically and socially to add to the street smarts of growing up in a two up two down terrace home off the Melton Road near the Cossington Street Baths. As much as we both still love the UK , watching Sky news every night and I watch every LCFC game, we have no other family or ties left there and decided not to visit anymore and limit our travel to Nassau, Palm Springs and Vancouver. My wife and I have four grandchildren, all living in Canada; three boys are Jennifer's children and our son Christopher has a girl. They are all grown up now. This is a brief story covering the past fifty seven years, and our somewhat nomadic life moving around the globe.
FROM CHRIS GLENTON Those of you who know me, and possibly some who don't, will recall that I was heavily involved with the school plays in the late sixties, which were produced by my favourite teacher, Tony Baxter. Myself and Geoff Spencer took over sound and lighting in around 1967 along with Mike (Snowy) Thornton and this gave us a fairly free run at walking about on the hall roof (try that at a school in this day and age) and also the storage area under the stage which was a great place to go and smoke at break and lunch times. In the process of taking over the technicals, we met our predecessor, an upper sixth former Phil someone (I can't remember his second name) who was about to leave that summer. Phil had somehow acquired a master key for the school which he would lend us briefly from time to time, but it was made clear that separating him from it permanently, even when he was leaving was not going to happen. Well we couldn't have that, so I set about copying it. First a quick visit to Mrs Ward at Downing Street shops to obtain a blank, she was my neighbour so there were no awkward questions. I then set about making a copy from a plasticine impression. Hours of filing over a few days and the copy was complete. We waited until a rehearsal night and headed off to the library to try it……… It broke, and I am guessing the remains stayed in the bottom of the lock until the building was demolished. Back to the drawing board: another blank, a lot more filing which was done more carefully this time, and the job was done. This time it worked, and we were away. Its main job was to get us around the school when we were the only ones there (again what are the chances of that these days) we had free access to the woodwork room and the art room for legitimate set building reasons, and there was the occasional visit to the store room for paper, along with the odd visit to the staff room, which to be honest we avoided because aside from getting caught, the place was a bit of a dump. The smell of stale cigarette smoke still lives with me. The one question that I still ponder occasionally is: Did they know, and let us get away with it because we were reasonably trustworthy, or were they totally oblivious to the goings on when all the staff had gone home? Maybe someone will be able to answer that question, I would love to know.
THE ONLINE VERSION
MAY 2025
EDITED BY DENNIS J DUGGAN
FROM BRIAN SCREATON (This is a slightly-edited copy of Brian's round-robin dated 14.4.25 - Ed) The Old Wyves lunch went very well, and despite being slightly down on numbers the buzz of conversation about old times was just as great as previous lunches. We were pleased to welcome John Offord, who made the journey from the south-east. Although he could not be present, it was still pleasing to be able to toast the 87th birthday of Bill Mann, who is a resident at Welford Court Residential Home in Leicester. I realise that many of you live too far away to attend the lunches, but I thought you would like to know what goes on. The next lunch will be early October.
FROM BRIAN PAPWORTH (Original message dated 18.4.25 - Ed) I saw an announcement in the Leicester Mercury that Clifford Roy Townsend (known by all as Roy) had died. I'm not sure when he attended CBS, but as he was born in 1939 I believe it would be 1950-55 or 1951-56. I knew Roy for over twenty years, and we shared an interest in local history and numismatics.
FROM FRANK SMITH We received the following sad news from Catherine Dack's sister, Diane Robertshaw via facebook, on March 7th: Re Catherine Dack, who taught physics at CBS. Sadly Catherine passed away on 21st February 2025, aged 83 years. Her funeral and burial took place at Tissington church, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, on Monday 24th March at 2pm, followed by refreshments in the village hall. Although apparently not listed in Andy Marlow's book as being on the staff, I understand she taught at the school for about thirty years. She taught Gary Lineker, amongst others, and was deputy head for some of that time.
FROM MARK HAYLER Pilot Officer Alan Frederick Canham (5S, 1961) killed in a plane crash near Abingdon on July 6th 1965, is commemorated at the National Arboretum, on the RAF 1965 panel of the Armed Forces Memorial. A small cross was placed at the base of the panel which bears his name, from his classmates at CBS.
FROM ROGER POVOAS I often wonder what some of my contemporaries achieved after they left school. Perhaps others feel the same way, either specifically or generally? Can I suggest that interested readers submit no more than two specific names, and await a response? Mine are Phil Kitchen and ??? Geary.
FROM PAUL NEWCOMBE 1959-64 I emigrated from the UK in 1967 aged 19, on the ten UK Pound passage to Australia via an old Italian cruise ship. We got to see the Canary Isles, Cape Town, (where I also nearly missed the ship's departure, but maybe save this story for another time) Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. During the six weeks it took to get to Sydney, I met my future wife Elizabeth and we have been married for fifty three years. On arrival in Sydney I got a job as a window cleaner (Oh yes, my education at City Boys really was put to good use) and during this brief stint I got my five minutes of fame on National TV when we got stuck twenty five floors up on the exterior of a skyscraper and eventually had to be rescued by firemen, who hoisted us up to an open window. I decided to seek another career after that, and joined an American firm, Emery Air Freight, where I worked for four years at Sydney Airport. I already had experience in the UK where I had worked in the same industry for LEP Transport, Leicester and in London, for EMG Air Services. Elizabeth was not happy in Australia and wanted to return to the UK with our daughter Jennifer; I agreed to follow as soon as I had saved enough money to get us a new start. I did have access to free tickets so I was able to go back to the UK to see them but the travel time Sydney to London in those days was thirty two hours and I knew that could not continue, so about a year later I had managed to save £1000 and was offered an exchange employment transfer position with the same company at Heathrow. So I packed up in 1971 and returned to the UK. I joined Elizabeth and Jennifer in Blackpool, where they were living with family, and we married, after which we proceeded to London for our honeymoon and to find employment. When I arrived at the Heathrow office of Emery, the existing manager had decided to remain in the UK and I was offered another managerial job, however, the salary did not pay our share of rent in the Hounslow area, the cost of a car and caring for a family, so I walked away and started a road haulage company, mostly between Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Again, I had experience in this area as I had co-founded a small haulage company in Australia operating haulage between Sydney and Melbourne Airports, and an air cargo service around Australia with a De Havilland Beaver. After being rejected for financing to expand the business domestically and internationally, I decided in 1972 to fold up and move to New York but there were Visa issues so I decided to join a friend of mine who had started a business in Vancouver, Canada, where the immigration requirements were quite easy at that time as long as you had a sponsor and job to go to. We closed up our affairs in the UK and the three of us flew on complimentary tickets from Heathrow to Montreal where we spent a night in that amazing city, travelling the next day to Vancouver which was even more amazing to see from the air. On arrival we stayed with friends and eventually got settled in and employed. The job required a lot of travel and I was back in the UK within a matter of weeks on business. Then I was off to Japan, and whilst there I discovered a customer who was exporting from Canada plane loads of Holiday Magic cosmetics; believe it or not, his name was Larry Profit and he resided on a large yacht somewhere off shore in Florida/Bahamas. I secured this business with the help of my friends in Toronto and we handled this business for more than a year until the collapse of what I later found out was a pyramid scheme. Having travelled to Japan many times on business I also noticed that vast amounts of electronics, car parts and other manufactured goods were being exported to UK/Europe and South America and convinced my two friends, who by then were also partners, to invest in an operation in Japan to secure this business. It was a unique concept we developed whereby goods were moved by ocean to the West Coast ports of Vancouver, Seattle and Los Angeles and then flown to their final destination on a multimodal document in roughly half the time of all sea freight and half the cost of air freight. To cut this story short, we opened offices throughout the USA/UK/Europe/South America and Asia to handle this business. Along the way we moved to Montreal for five years between 1975 and 1980 to make travel easier and a more convenient time zone. This was followed by eighteen months living in Chiswick, UK to open a UK operation and then briefly to Los Angeles to do the same before settling down in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Unfortunately, during the 80's when interest rates hit 22%, we experienced financial problems which caused the divesting of most parts of the business to pay banks and other creditors. I decided in 1988 to again pack up and move to Nassau, Bahamas, picking up the pieces and practically starting over again by mortgaging our home along with a partner who did the same, to the maximum, and getting as much credit as I could from vendors. We have lived in the Bahamas ever since, with brief spells in the UK and Turks & Caicos Islands. During this time, we either had our own offices or exclusive agents in thirty countries and this required my travelling more than 200 days a year. My wife would sometimes join me when I was going to the UK and very occasionally, Brazil, Japan, India and Dubai. The business was sold in 1999 and I retired exhausted. I did not enjoy City Boys school, and left as soon as I had completed my GCSEs, just a few weeks before my sixteenth birthday, But I must have learnt something academically and socially to add to the street smarts of growing up in a two up two down terrace home off the Melton Road near the Cossington Street Baths. As much as we both still love the UK , watching Sky news every night and I watch every LCFC game, we have no other family or ties left there and decided not to visit anymore and limit our travel to Nassau, Palm Springs and Vancouver. My wife and I have four grandchildren, all living in Canada; three boys are Jennifer's children and our son Christopher has a girl. They are all grown up now. This is a brief story covering the past fifty seven years, and our somewhat nomadic life moving around the globe.
FROM CHRIS GLENTON Those of you who know me, and possibly some who don't, will recall that I was heavily involved with the school plays in the late sixties, which were produced by my favourite teacher, Tony Baxter. Myself and Geoff Spencer took over sound and lighting in around 1967 along with Mike (Snowy) Thornton and this gave us a fairly free run at walking about on the hall roof (try that at a school in this day and age) and also the storage area under the stage which was a great place to go and smoke at break and lunch times. In the process of taking over the technicals, we met our predecessor, an upper sixth former Phil someone (I can't remember his second name) who was about to leave that summer. Phil had somehow acquired a master key for the school which he would lend us briefly from time to time, but it was made clear that separating him from it permanently, even when he was leaving was not going to happen. Well we couldn't have that, so I set about copying it. First a quick visit to Mrs Ward at Downing Street shops to obtain a blank, she was my neighbour so there were no awkward questions. I then set about making a copy from a plasticine impression. Hours of filing over a few days and the copy was complete. We waited until a rehearsal night and headed off to the library to try it……… It broke, and I am guessing the remains stayed in the bottom of the lock until the building was demolished. Back to the drawing board: another blank, a lot more filing which was done more carefully this time, and the job was done. This time it worked, and we were away. Its main job was to get us around the school when we were the only ones there (again what are the chances of that these days) we had free access to the woodwork room and the art room for legitimate set building reasons, and there was the occasional visit to the store room for paper, along with the odd visit to the staff room, which to be honest we avoided because aside from getting caught, the place was a bit of a dump. The smell of stale cigarette smoke still lives with me. The one question that I still ponder occasionally is: Did they know, and let us get away with it because we were reasonably trustworthy, or were they totally oblivious to the goings on when all the staff had gone home? Maybe someone will be able to answer that question, I would love to know.
FROM TONY WAKEFIELD I left City Boys in 1956 after the fifth.form and at eighty five my memory of school days is a bit dim, but I do remember that we were not allowed to go into the Woolworths store in school uniform for some reason.Was it snobbery because Woolworths was a cheap store? I don't know, all I know is that most of us ignored it. We came to New Zealand in 1974, mainly because the trade unions in England were very powerful at the time and were causing all sorts of trouble, and we wanted somewhere more peaceful. NZ fifty years ago was a very laid-back, casual slice of paradise, but over the years has had to catch up with the rest of the world. I worked mainly as a sales rep, and then we had a retail business.We have never been back to England, relatives who we wanted to see have been out here for holidays, and now we have grandchildren and last year we welcomed our first great grandchild so we're quite happy in our old age.
FROM MICK STOKES Back in 1962, for a grammar school pupil leaving at age sixteen, it was essential for a career in banking, insurance and the like to have a minimum of 5 O Levels, which must include maths and English. I obtained six O levels, mainly down to Mr Smith noting that I couldn't read writing on the blackboard, and suggesting that I should have my eyes tested. What a difference a pair of spectacles makes! My first job was as a cost accountant at Stead & Simpsons, shoe manufacturers. Broken promises meant that job was going nowhere, so I decided I would look for a career in insurance. I reached the Phoenix via the National Deposit Friendly Society. I probably should have stayed there, but the pay wasn't good so I was on the move again to Midland Assurance. They wouldn't let me have time off for the holiday I had booked, so I moved to the Dominion Insurance Co. I had completed my exams, becoming a Fellow of The Chartered Insurance Institute, which led to a promotion to Harrogate in 1976. They closed the office in 2002. I am still here, retiring in 2008.
AND FINALLY... I did have some dealings with Mr Bell, though it was a long time ago -1959, 1960 and circa 1963, Over sixty years have passed since then! For various reasons, which have been well-documented in previous OWT's, I developed the habit of playing truant. But of course, it was only a matter of time before the 'Board Man' paid a visit to our house. The game was up, and my parents were summoned to a meeting with Mr Bell. They had no idea I was missing school, instead spending the days in town or in the New Walk museum. I can only hope that Mr Bell believed their shock, not to say dismay, was completely genuine. I too was at the meeting, but only recall parts of what was said. It was agreed it would be best to move me from 1 Alpha to 1A, where the pace of lessons was slower. Mr Bell said there was no point in dishing out any physical punishment, as I was not really a bad boy in the sense I was a thief, a bully or a vandal etc. But obviously I could not be let off completely. A compromise was reached. For the next month I would stay behind for one hour after school, polishing tables. I think that showed not only common sense, but also compassion. The second was the infamous case of 'The Stolen Violin' which has also been published in an earlier edition of OWT. The third occasion involved my interest in motor cars. Mr Bell gave himself permission to park his black Rover P4 (now affectionately known as the Auntie Rover) by the main entrance. It was a top-of-the-range model, and one lunchtime I was peering at the luxurious leather and wood interior when Mr Bell bustled up to retrieve some papers. He gave me a friendly smile, and said something like, 'I'm afraid she needs a bit of a wash,' before returning indoors. Funny how these random little incidents stay in our memory.
Dennis J Duggan
1959-64
FROM MICK STOKES Back in 1962, for a grammar school pupil leaving at age sixteen, it was essential for a career in banking, insurance and the like to have a minimum of 5 O Levels, which must include maths and English. I obtained six O levels, mainly down to Mr Smith noting that I couldn't read writing on the blackboard, and suggesting that I should have my eyes tested. What a difference a pair of spectacles makes! My first job was as a cost accountant at Stead & Simpsons, shoe manufacturers. Broken promises meant that job was going nowhere, so I decided I would look for a career in insurance. I reached the Phoenix via the National Deposit Friendly Society. I probably should have stayed there, but the pay wasn't good so I was on the move again to Midland Assurance. They wouldn't let me have time off for the holiday I had booked, so I moved to the Dominion Insurance Co. I had completed my exams, becoming a Fellow of The Chartered Insurance Institute, which led to a promotion to Harrogate in 1976. They closed the office in 2002. I am still here, retiring in 2008.
I play chess. I have been running teams since I was sixteen. I run events for local primary schools. I first represented England in the World Seniors Championship, held in Vilnius in 2014 and I continue to play in World and European events which have taken me to Vienna, Prague, Dresdenand Rhodes, amongst other places. Thankfully you don't need to be a top player to compete in these tournaments. My other love is football and I still play five a side. I watch The Foxes when I can. The last time was a 4-0 defeat. I also got into running and completed four marathons from 1999 to 2002. Now I struggle to do the Park Run.
FROM DEREK HOLLIS 1972-79 I cannot in all honesty say that my years at City Boys were the happiest of my life, though I enjoyed the years in the sixth form more than the previous five. I recall with fondness some of the teachers who imparted their knowledge to me over the years. I've come into contact with a couple of them since leaving school. I recall numerous occasions when I helped out with events organised by the Parents' Association, the occasional rummage sales in the school hall, setting up in advance of the sale, and often being put in charge of the toy stall.
FROM HOWARD TOON I came out of the RAF in 1962 as a ground radar technician, and sent my CV to Partridge Wilson, an electrical engineering company in Leicester. I was looking for work on the shop floor. The personnel manager was one Don Price, who told me he too was ex-CBS and also a former flight lieutenant in the RAF. He felt I was 'too good' for shop floor work, and offered to take me on as a management trainee. Don sent me on a work study course at Leicester Polytechnic, September 1962, where I was taught by the unforgettable Dennis Browne, no less! I stayed on to do an HNC in business studies, which opened the door for a three-year duration diploma in management studies under Frank Mee, still at the same establishment. Eventually I became the first IT co-ordinator at Loughborough Technical College, and senior lecturer in the computing and IT department. Now I am in retirement, and rarely leave the house.
FROM JON PRITCHETT 1965-72 Ernest Bell was headmaster for the duration of my time at CBS, though I never came to know him. He came across as a cold, remote character, who only came into contact with boys who were either in trouble, or excelled in a particular field. I was one of the former category who (deservedly) received the cane on one occasion (1969 I think) But there was one other contact with Mr Bell! During my second year at CBS I had a paper round, which I did in the mornings before going to school. It was the tradition, at that time, to knock on the customers' doors just before Christmas in the hope of receiving a Christmas box to show appreciation for my services. But, unbeknown to me, Mr Bell was one of my customers, so I was flabbergasted when he opened the front door of his house on Uppingham Road! I mumbled, 'Christmas greetings,' then beat a hasty retreat on my bicycle before he had a chance to respond. I have no yardstick to say whether Mr Bell was a good headmaster or not, but perhaps ex-teachers who were close to him might like to comment in a future OWT?FROM DEREK HOLLIS 1972-79 I cannot in all honesty say that my years at City Boys were the happiest of my life, though I enjoyed the years in the sixth form more than the previous five. I recall with fondness some of the teachers who imparted their knowledge to me over the years. I've come into contact with a couple of them since leaving school. I recall numerous occasions when I helped out with events organised by the Parents' Association, the occasional rummage sales in the school hall, setting up in advance of the sale, and often being put in charge of the toy stall.
I gained two prizes, one was the Governors' prize for Public Spirit, the other Captain R.T. Cooper's prize for Latin. The late Don Whitbread taught 'O' level Latin to sixth formers, and as I intended to study languages at university he advised me to take the Latin 'O' level, whilst I studied for 'A' levels in French, German, and Economics. A couple of weeks before the exam, I recall Mr. Whitbread telling me I'd definitely pass. "You might manage a 'B', and although I'd be very pleased if you did, I don't think you'll get an 'A'. You still haven't learned those tables, have you?" He was right of course, I hadn't learned those seemingly endless tables of verb forms. Nevertheless I managed an 'A' in the exam. My only claim to fame, I often say, is that I was at school with Gary Lineker. He and I were in the same class at the school.
Church was always important in my life, and as a server at St. Denys I was always ready to carry the processional cross into the church at the start of the school carol service. Later on, having been ordained, I was pleased, as the Assistant Curate at the church, to be able to welcome the school into the church again. After I left school I studied for a degree in Modern European Studies at Loughborough University. I spent a year working with the then Missions to Seamen, in Rotterdam and then on secondment to the Deutsche Seemannsmission in Bremerhaven. This was followed by three years at university in Durham studying theology. The initial curacy in Evington was followed by a second curacy at Arnold in Nottingham.
Incumbencies followed in Nottinghamshire and Suffolk, and for a while I was adviser on rural affairs to the Bishop and the Diocese of Southwell. I retired in 2018, initially to Norfolk, but am now back in the East Midlands, living in Rempstone. My wife and I are involved now in local U3A activities. I have permission to officiate in churches across Nottinghamshire, and Sally often plays the organ.
FROM HOWARD TOON I came out of the RAF in 1962 as a ground radar technician, and sent my CV to Partridge Wilson, an electrical engineering company in Leicester. I was looking for work on the shop floor. The personnel manager was one Don Price, who told me he too was ex-CBS and also a former flight lieutenant in the RAF. He felt I was 'too good' for shop floor work, and offered to take me on as a management trainee. Don sent me on a work study course at Leicester Polytechnic, September 1962, where I was taught by the unforgettable Dennis Browne, no less! I stayed on to do an HNC in business studies, which opened the door for a three-year duration diploma in management studies under Frank Mee, still at the same establishment. Eventually I became the first IT co-ordinator at Loughborough Technical College, and senior lecturer in the computing and IT department. Now I am in retirement, and rarely leave the house.
AND FINALLY... I did have some dealings with Mr Bell, though it was a long time ago -1959, 1960 and circa 1963, Over sixty years have passed since then! For various reasons, which have been well-documented in previous OWT's, I developed the habit of playing truant. But of course, it was only a matter of time before the 'Board Man' paid a visit to our house. The game was up, and my parents were summoned to a meeting with Mr Bell. They had no idea I was missing school, instead spending the days in town or in the New Walk museum. I can only hope that Mr Bell believed their shock, not to say dismay, was completely genuine. I too was at the meeting, but only recall parts of what was said. It was agreed it would be best to move me from 1 Alpha to 1A, where the pace of lessons was slower. Mr Bell said there was no point in dishing out any physical punishment, as I was not really a bad boy in the sense I was a thief, a bully or a vandal etc. But obviously I could not be let off completely. A compromise was reached. For the next month I would stay behind for one hour after school, polishing tables. I think that showed not only common sense, but also compassion. The second was the infamous case of 'The Stolen Violin' which has also been published in an earlier edition of OWT. The third occasion involved my interest in motor cars. Mr Bell gave himself permission to park his black Rover P4 (now affectionately known as the Auntie Rover) by the main entrance. It was a top-of-the-range model, and one lunchtime I was peering at the luxurious leather and wood interior when Mr Bell bustled up to retrieve some papers. He gave me a friendly smile, and said something like, 'I'm afraid she needs a bit of a wash,' before returning indoors. Funny how these random little incidents stay in our memory.
Dennis J Duggan
1959-64