ORIGINAL MESSAGE

NAME: Nigel Palmer

DATE: 24 September 2004

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1954-62

I started at QE in 1954 (50 years ago!) in Form 1B - room T - form master Ken Carter.  Peg no. 148 ( stamped on my kitbag ).  Much of the teaching consisted of the master reading from a textbook or making the class repeat paradigms by rote.  I remember Ernie Jenkins (headmaster), Bernie Pinnock, Jack Covington, 'Poker' Pearce, 'Frosty' Winter, 'Sam' Cocks and 'Tiger' Timson.  Old Mayes was the caretaker and he had an assistant, Sam.

Random memories: playing rugby on the Gun Field, picking stones out of my face after being tackled; shouting "School!" when supporting the First XV; wearing a red slip as a non-swimmer ( to pass the test we had to jump in at the deep end and swim a length).  Early friends were Vic Coughtrey, Tony Bolden, Jim Gurnett, Brian Hond and Arnold Segal.  Then later, Chris Martin and Gerry Hunt, when we were compelled to take classics, despite all protests to the contrary.  There was an underground magazine in the 6th form - the Isotope.

My career, after Exeter University, has been as a Librarian Institute of Classical Studies, London Zoo, Health Education Council and (for 30 years) St.Mary's Hospital Medical School.  I'm retired now, but still running half marathons, playing tennis and badminton, watching Spurs and following the Royal Shakespeare Company.

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