< Thread 127 Thread 128 (33 replies so far) Thread 129 >
Replies 21-33
<< RMC extracts from across the site < replies 1-20
DATE: 07 October 2014
CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1951-58
No, I don't recall RMC being called Buster [reply 20], or indeed Sam. That must have come post 1958 or gone out fashion during my time at QE. I always thought going round the class (reply 18) asking each boy the same question until he got the right answer was to give himself more time to mark the books he was usually doing whilst reading the textbook to us. Two other things I remember which I don't think have been mentioned before are (a) his habit of trying to clean the blackboard duster by rapidly banging it on the chalk rest at the bottom of the board - this could be heard quite clearly in the next room where G L Smith was teaching french; (b) rather than handing out printed exam question papers he would write the questions on the blackboard wherever you were having the exam (which I seem to recall was usually in your form room). One amusing incident on the rugby field was when (year 1) he called us all together to say we weren't tackling properly. RMC: "The smallest person can tackle the biggest if you do it correctly. You, Rhodes [Peter Rhodes - thread 149, replies 7, 11, 13 ,17 - was the smallest in our group], grab me by the ankles before I walk away". It was hilarious seeing RMC try to fall over as Peter's efforts had absolutely no effect whatever; in the end RMC did deign to fall over with a rather superior amused look on his face.
.jpg "James Cowen gallery")
Then & NowDATE: 09 October 2014
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63
I do remember RMC being called both Buster and Sam at my time at the school but do not know the reasons for the names. I presumed the first had something to do with his size but maybe others can be more specific. I have enjoyed the last few postings with their observations.
.JPG "Nick Dean gallery")
DATE: 13 October 2014
CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1964-71
I always assumed that 'Sam' alluded to Uncle Sam, although in my time there was a slightly unkind running gag to the effect that Sam was 'mass' backwards (which strictly it wasn't)
Then & NowDATE: 24 October 2014
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63
I was interested to read the remarks about RMC's teaching of history [replies 18,19]. There is not much yet about his teaching of RE apart from reply 3 from Steve Lucas. Any observations anyone? It was also interesting to read elsewhere about his English grammar observations. I only knew his teaching for geography and that only for O Level. Did any do A-level geography and how did they get on? I do recall his umpiring on the cricket field as others have reported but his instructing in rugger tackling was a new one for me. Do others also recall the Geography Society that he formed and the various guest speakers who came?
DATE: 26 October 2014
CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1964-71
Sam's teaching of RE was similar to that for other subjects: he read the Bible out loud and, from time to time, made comments of his own, with reference occasionally to a concordance. I may have mentioned elsewhere that, when it came to sitting the O-level, we had all been entered for Acts, which was frustrating as many of the questions on the Gospels - there in front of us - merely required a good general knowledge (parable of the sower, etc). As regards the Geography Society, this was dormant for some time but, when I was in about the L6, Sam rather democratically called an open meeting to discuss ways of reviving it. The main thing I recall from that occasion was that Abel Williams, Sam's assistant, remarked that he had hosted various gatherings of a cinematic nature, only for Sam to make a rather sniffy comment about "travel films". A little while later Sam accosted me rather genially in the corridor ("uh, Dean!") and invited me to join the committee of the society (a gesture I did quite appreciate), but I don't recall anything coming of this and he would have retired not long afterwards. Not sure what, if anything, Abel did about the society when he succeeded Sam, but he was quite outward looking: for example, a number of us attended a day long environmental conference for sixth formers at one of the London colleges. There was also a geological field trip to the pubs of North Wales.
DATE: 01 July 2016
CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1961-67
I remember Sam C0cks well from my time in the school and have been reading this thread with great amusement. I don't recall seeing mention of his little bubble car but we were all fascinated as to how he could possibly squeeze himself into it! Outside the school he did some lay preaching and I recall him coming to the Baptist Church on Hadley Green that my family attended and announcing in his familiar drawl that he was going to preach on Christian joy - not an emotion we naturally associated him with!
DATE: 02 July 2016
CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1964-71
I don't recall Sam's bubble car, although I suppose I may have overlapped with it. I do associate him with a green Morris Minor and even that looked to be a tight fit.
DATE: 07 July 2016
CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1951-58
Some more RMC tales: When I started at QE (September 1951) the price of a school dinner was 7d. If you paid for the whole term by cheque the total amount was correctly calculated on this basis. If however you wished to pay weekly you were charged 3/-. Apparently RMC decided this was wrong (which it was) and refunded (from his own pocket) 1d to each boy who paid weekly. He didn't mind where people sat in the class room as long as they always sat in the same place, and at the beginning of the first lesson each year he would ask each person their name in turn and enter it on a plan of the desks. In my first 1A term we were taught geography by Alford, much more interesting. This was from a book called The Physical Basis of Geography, which had a section on maps. We mixed well with class 1B who had RMC and soon knew of all his quirks. RMC used to set "page 21, question 6" for homework. This was a description of a visitor walking about a town and you had to draw a map of his route indicating all the sights and whether he was going up or down hill etc. We were relieved that Alford didn't set us this question. From the second term on through to O-level we had RMC. Anyway, RMC must have remembered he had not had half the class in the first year (we were all re-classed after 2 years and a term and half of us went to the fourth form and the other half stayed in the third form) because 4four years later, when we were preparing for O-level, we had the same book again and he suddenly asked me, with an amused look on his face, if I had done question 6 on page 21! When I said no he laughed and carried on with the lesson. Does anyone else remember this question?
Then & NowDATE: 21 July 2016
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63
Would any others others besides Ron Treby [reply 26] please provide details about the extraordinary feat of RMC getting into and driving about in a bubble car? I find it difficult to believe, though I did have a boss of great proportions in a company I worked for in Southampton who, amazingly, managed to squeeze into a Porsche Carrera sports car, which was also a sight to behold, especially when he wished someone to join him. As Nick has said I recall his driving a green Morris Minor, sometimes accompanied by the art master Hew Purchase. Talking of bubble cars, I have only once been in one myself and that at a time when, unlike now, I was very slim indeed, described by my wife's grandma as being like a tram ticket with the printing missing. (She hailed from up north and knew trams well). This ride was when visiting my friend from school, Tim Fawdry, in Southampton, where he was at uni studying civil engineering. The two of us got in the car by opening up the front. I enjoyed the unique experience.
Then & NowDATE: 21 July 2016
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63
In regard to your "page 21, question 6" for homework, Ian [reply 28], I for one do not recall this question at all being set for our form. Maybe by the time I was in RMC's geography class he had tired of the question being asked, however unlikely this may seem. I recall vividly questions being set on photos in the text book. though. We had to describe what was being shown in the various photos and I do recall getting good marks for my descriptions, though not necessarily on merit due to the quirks of his marking system, described in my reply 8.
31st REPLY
NAME: Kenneth MarksDATE: 16 September 2016
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 1947-1954
The awful C0cks was never called 'Sam' by our generation. He gave me 150 lines once for forgetting my excercise book: '50 lines for forgetting it, 50 lines for disturbing Mr Raines (to whose classroom I had to go to fetch it ), and 50 lines for disturbing me': 150 lines plus homework took hours! Lovely man.
DATE: 29 January 2017
CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1964-71
Following receipt of an email from Hertfordshire Neighbourhood Watch, I am able to report that the spirit of the former senior geography master lives on in the title of campaign to deter motorists from using mobile 'phones - "Put it Away!"
DATE: 31 January 2017
CONNECTION WITH QE: inmate 1957-64
"Has anybody NOT done his homework?" !!!! I'm sure that on at least one occasion, I handed my Geography homework book to Sam with no homework done, "borrowed" it back from the form's pile, then returned it with homework duly completed - at Geoff Lindsay-Neale's suggestion!!!