41st REPLY

NAME: Ian Sadler  

DATE: 11th July 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Former pupil 1951-58

This is a good thread in spite of its wandering a bit. With reference to reply 31: yes I do remember David Taylor well and was devasted when he died.  He was a fantastic pianist.  He used to be excused the last 2 periods on a Saturday morning to go to the Royal College of Music.  I was always amazed how he could play the Grieg piano concerto (complete with orchestral parts when the piano wasn't supposed to be playing) from memory.  I was in the orchestra (violin) and we tackled the Litolff Scherzo - he left us standing!  A great loss.

42nd REPLY

NAME: Michael Bullett

DATE: 14th July 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Former pupil 1957-64

Re Nigel Wood's list [reply 17], that is 1b in 1957.  I think Rainbird's christian name was John and there were 2 brothers about 4 years apart and the one in this list was the younger one [see also reply 18] He certainly did die as a result of a severe asthma attack, around Easter 1965 I think, but at home during the vac I seem to remember. A car load of us, which included Chris Layson, went to his funeral - I still remember the occasion. I was present at the 'Thomas the Tank Engine' incident [reply 3] - enormous fun!

Regarding Mike Cottrell's reply 37, I can fill in a few of the details.  Clark is Richard (known as Dick), Harkness is Jack, and Hungate is Ted.  There were 2 Herbert non identical twins, one of whom was Tony but I have a feeling that he was in 1a or 1c - I'm fairly sure that ours was Bill.  I remember Munro well but can't remember his name.  Mike - thanks for the improvement in the spellings!

43rd REPLY

NAME: Nigel Wood  

DATE: 14th July 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Class 1b of 1957

Thread so full of good things, so bullets for brevity:

• Tony Crausaz [reply 40]:  Bravo!  Fishing still, as well as golf?  I'd forgotten the R M C0cks leg flicks!

• Chris Mungovan [reply 35]:  Did you remember the 1B timetable or unearth a copy?  Equally impressive whichever it was.  I was sure, though that French followed PE on Saturday.  Ian Sadler seems to have solved the mystery by mentioning timetable changes after Christmas.  You were the prune protester, by the way.

• Mike Cottrell [reply 37]: Amazing recall of names and initials!  It certainly was Jack Harkness.  I'm still not sure about Clarke's first name, which is silly because he was such a nice guy.  I think it was Chicago where we were told they eat what they can and can what they can't, but wasn't sure whether this pearl came from C0cks or Dilly.

• At least three of the 1957 1B are easily found by Googling.

44th REPLY

NAME: Derek Scudder

DATE: 14th July 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

I've just been alerted to this thread by Nigel Wood (is he P N Wood from Form 1B of 1957?).  I can give a few answers.  The nmemonic for the cranial nerves of the dogfish [in original message of thread?] was, I think, actually the work of P N Wood.  I still remember the nmemonic but sadly not what all of it stands for.  Rainbird [replies 17, 18, 42]  was John Rainbird who very sadly died at university in 1965.  The older Rainbird was his brother Graham.  I was very sorry to hear about Geoff Lindsey-Neale [replies 3, 20], who was real cheeky chappie.  His grandparents lived in a very big house in East Barnet and held a lavish bonfire party every year on Nov 5th.  The list of names [replies 17, 42] is 1b from 1957 (form master Ken Carter)   I saw Chris Mungovan a few years after he left as he gave me a lift home on the back of his motorbike (a Tiger Cub I think).

45th REPLY

NAME: Derek Scudder

DATE: 14th July 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

I've just got deeper into the thread and can answer a few questions relating to reply 37.  Hungate's first name was I think Rob.  He was a fantastically fast bowler.  I think he left after the first year.  Munro was Peter.  He had stayed down so was a year older than the rest of us. He also left after the first year but we stayed in touch for a while afterwards.  He used to live next door to Martin Gould, one of the few masters with any teaching ability whatsoever.  Christopher Daly wasn't in 1b.  We were at primary school together but we definitely weren't in the same class at QE.  Herbert was a really nice lad.  I met him in the late 60s and he was still a great bloke.

46th REPLY

NAME: Stephen Giles  

DATE: 14th July 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Attended 1957-64

Chris [reply 34], I'm afraid we like our holidays too much for me to retire!  My wife was born in Argentina and lived in Buenos Aires until she tired of military governments in the 1960s and came over here.  We go there every couple of years, and have visited a different part of the country each time.  I still haven't learned Spanish despite being married for nearly 20 years!  I think I have an Underne house photo rolled up in our attic.  I'll look it out and scan it.  There may be some school photos in my father's old albums.

47th REPLY

NAME: Stephen Giles  

DATE: 16th July 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Attended 1957-64

I first met Ted Hungate [reply 45] at Summerswood School in Borehamwood, and will never forget the fear of being on the receiving end of his fearsome bowling!  I cannot remember why he left after just one year.  Who remembers the Reverend Upton?  There was a man who was totally incapable of keeping discipline in a classroom.  I seem to remember counting the number of times he said 'and um' - quite crazy.

48th REPLY

NAME: Vic Coughtrey   Then & Now

DATE: 16th July 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1954-1959

I certainly remember the Rev Up, as he was generally known.

49th REPLY

NAME: Chris Mungovan

DATE: 22 July 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

Hello Nigel, there's a comic irony re your remarks about Derek Bertram Fry [reply 33], for in my mind he has long since morphed into officer Crabtree from the TV series Allo Allo.  Crabree, the English officer disguised as a french 'polocemin' famous for his remarks such as "I was just pissing by the door".  With the moustache their physical appearances are so similar and with the emphasis on pronounciation they are one and the same person.  I also think that Lurkio in Up Pompei was played by Winkie Wingfield.

50th REPLY

NAME: Chris Mungovan

DATE: 23 July 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

Hi, Derek [reply 44].  Glad to know you're not still waiting in Arundel Drive for a 107 or 306.  Well done for remembering my motorbike, it was a Tiger Cub and I still have it but its a few years since I rode it around Borehamwood or Queens Road Barnet in contravention of rule 12 of the School Rules.  As regards 'On Old Olympus...', it certainly was the crainial nerves but more likely frog than dogfish.  So, I wonder, did all those frogs, dogfish, rats and rabbits die in vain or did anyone from the Upper Sixth Biol become a surgeon or take up medicine?  Nigel did not craft the mnemonic, he would have been more likely to have one for the colour coding of resistors.  I'm sure Chris Daly was in 1B?

51st REPLY

NAME: Nigel Wood  

DATE: 23rd July 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Class 1b of 1957

• I'm fairly sure the 1B Daly was Robert [reply 44].  Black hair and lived in B'wood.

• Cranial nerve mnemonic [reply 44] not mine: can be found by googling.  Mine was a silly one for the reactivities of metals.

• We used to chant "Rev-up, Rev-up..." when Rev'd Upton's back was turned [replies 47,48].  Poor man.  Sometimes he gave way to rage - I suppose that's why we were so nasty.  On one occasion he snapped a ruler so violently that a middle portion flew across the room while he was left grasping the ends.

52nd REPLY

NAME: Stephen Giles  

DATE: 27th July 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: There 1957-64

Nigel, was it you who connected resistors between the mains terminals during science club?  I have this memory of mini explosions followed by shrieks of laughter before the master in charge appeared!

53rd REPLY

NAME: Nigel Wood  

DATE: 27th July 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

• Chris: the Fry/Crabtree morph is brilliant.  I saw it immediately when I looked at Utube clips.

• Another Crofts joke I've remembered: As you grow older your teeth get less and less sensitive ... until eventually you're able to leave them in a glass of water overnight without any pain.  Incidentally, a National Trust tree expert staying at our B&B in North Devon (we've now sold it) remembered Eric Crofts from when he was running the National Trust Acorn Camps for youngsters doing outdoor work for the Trust.  Eric left QE to take up that post.

• I've already made this request on another thread, but can anyone give an approximate year of death for 'Gabby' Hayes DFC? - I want to dig out the Times (or any other) obituary, which I imagine would give details of his wartime heroism.

54th REPLY

NAME: John Hamilton  

DATE: 27th July 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 1958-64

Chris, would this be the same m'bike [reply 50] you gave me a ride on when a group of us went to the Scouts camp at Cuffley for 2 nights courtesy of Eric Crofts?  There's a pic in the museum - I think you are featured along with Mick Cullen, Peter Lockerman and Roger Burchill.

55th REPLY

NAME: Peter Craggs

DATE: 30th July 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: There 1957-64

Just been directed to this site by Nigel Wood.  I am amazed at how much you all remember.  Especially Mike Cottrell with all the christian names and initials.  I remember very little of my time at QE (probably asleep for most of the time, a hobby of mine) I do remember a boy (name?) who one breaktime drew an excellent cartoon of C0cks on the blackboard, standing next to a large round globe (for obvious reasons) with one foot up on a desk.  Unfortunately he didn't notice Bernie Pinnock standing behind him, who waited until he'd finished and then gave him 100 lines for misuse of school chalk.

56th REPLY

NAME: Chris Mungovan

DATE: 5th August 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

Nigel, I don't have an eidetic memory [reply 38] but I do have an old notebook.  When we assembled for the first time in our new classroom in the new uncompleted block Ken Carter dictated our timetable.  In subsequent terms we were given a blank form to complete and stick inside a book or case.  I do have lots of junk but only one QE school report survived.  There were no good comments but, at the bottom in red ink, 'Satifactory EH Jenkins MA Oxon'.  As mentioned elsewhere I do still have the same motorbike [reply 54], and others.  I'm not in the photos you mentioned but I have sent some of the Biology trips to Vic [see museum ].  You, Mike Cottrell, Derek Scudder, Tony Cruazaz and others are there.

57th REPLY

NAME: Derek Scudder

DATE: 5th August 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

Seems I was wrong about Chris Daly [replies 45, 50].  We were friends at primary school, but I have no recollection of him being in 1b.  Chris, if you ever read this, sorry.  Glad to hear from Chris Mungovan that the Cub is still alive, if not well.  The latest email from Brain Seal suggests I was right about Hungates first name being Rob.  I don't think anybody has come up with Humphrey's name so I will venture that I think it is Keith.  Rev Up-now there was a character.  Red hair, violent temper.  I remember being in a detention when he caught somebody twanging a ruler in their desk.  He hit him so hard his head hit the desk and then he destroyed the ruler in his rage.  Not a man to cross.  Congrats to Nigel and Brian for their detective work.

58th REPLY

NAME: Chris Mungovan

DATE: 5th August 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

Mike (Couf), French was an awful subject, remember Chez Nous?  Not a patch on the Eagle but I bet you can still remember the French for cauliflower!  Derek, I agree with you it was Robert Hungate [replies 37 & 42] but he was known as Ted because of the 'Teddy Boy' hairstyle.  We spent much time with Brylcream and a comb grooming our hair (but not in class).  However a certain Bernie Pinnock would take incredible pleasure at swiping at our heads and causing complete dishevelment.  We had to then simply smooth it back as we dare not use a comb in the class room.  Such were the sadistic pleasures of Bernie Pinnock who would cry out "Come to Uncle" in a kindly refrain to those whom he favoured for assistance with a maths problem.  Nigel I don't remember the prune protest but I could not have expressed myself any better so it must be me.  I did once get a B report for insolence.

59th REPLY

NAME: John Symons

DATE: 5th August 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64 (1B)

Alerted to this website and thread a few days ago by Brian Seal.  Congratulations to Mungo for initiating such an entertaining exchange and thanks to those whose contributions have reawakened memories of 1B in the late 50s.  It's had me rummaging through boxes in the attic in search of evidence from the past.  So far I've come up with a complete set of my term reports, 'Elizabethans', O & A Level exam papers and some exercise books.  Who can remember the colours?

60th REPLY

NAME: John Symons

DATE: 5th August 2008

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64 (1B)

I remember John Rainbird well. He sat across the aisle from me in the 1B formroom (did we sit in alphabetical order for all subjects?) and squirted something into his mouth when he couldn't breathe, which was quite often. In an Art class 'Piggy' Purchas once set us the task of painting a street scene. Most of us drew the inevitable cars,people and buildings. John painted the whole sheet grey and put a white line down the middle. If Piggy hadn't torn it up, it would probably be hanging in the Tate today!