101st REPLY

NAME: John Hamilton  

DATE: 6th January 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1958-64

Thinking that Derek might be wrong [Reply 99] about the year Barnet FC got to the Amateur Cup Final (he was - it was 1958 when they indeed lost 3-2 to Crook Town), I discovered that the team played at Queens Road for a number of years from 1895.  I could find no mention of Eric Shearly being involved - later on of course!

102nd REPLY

NAME: Keith Record

DATE: 8th January 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

I remember the Ski Trip to Champery in 1958, with Messrs Alford and Wingfield [reply 100].  On the way down by train we stopped at 4.00am in Basle and I remember being frogged marched into the city to have a pee in the Rhine.  At the end of the week we all took some form of competency test of our ski-ing expertise, I still have my medal, I don't think anybody failed. Sad to hear that Eric Crofts has died, I remember a few of 1B used to escape the lunchtime playground by tending the various animals in the bugs lab.

103rd REPLY

NAME: Mike Cottrell  

DATE: 13th January 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

Hi Adam ! [Reply 92]  Congratulations on remembering so many names on the One Way Pendulum photo.  I think that in the middle row, Roger Birchall is behind Steve Worsley and Pete Walton is behind Alan Jackson.  In the back row the first person unknown, Cartwright, unk, Tony Crausaz, unk, Chris Webber, unk, Whalley, unk, me, Nigel, unk, the scenery lolling Chris Layson and unk gormless.  I was one of the under stage helpers who lifted the bright red weighing machine.  It was incredibly hot and claustrophobic but great fun.  Did we smuggle in any alcohol under the stage or did we survive only on water?  I cannot believe that you managed to go seven years without a day's illness.  You certainly got value for money from your education !

104th REPLY

NAME: Mike Cottrell  

DATE: 13th January 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

Hi Adam ! [Reply 92]  Derek [reply 99], you are correct in thinking that Eric Shearly was indeed involved with Barnet Football Club.  In the obituary published by the Old Elizabethans in September 2005 [page 39], it states that he was the Club Fitness Trainer.

105th REPLY

NAME: Derek Scudder

DATE: 14th January 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

Sorry to disagree John [reply 101] but Barnet reached the Amateur Cup Final in 1959.  I have double checked on a number of websites.  What I hadn't realised was just how young the team was.  It included a number of 18 and 19 year olds (legendary centre forward Bobby Brown was himself only 19).  Another story I heard was that, prior to the school being built in the 1930s, Barnet's ground was on Stapylton Field.  Does anybody know if this is true?

106th REPLY

NAME: Seton Bennett

DATE: 14th January 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1956-64

Hey, this is fantastic. I stumbled on this thread when I googled Eric Crofts after seeing the name (was it he?) in the deaths column of The Times before Christmas. I was in 1b in 1956 and can recite the names of the boys in that class if anyone is interested. I particularly remember the school play (One Way Pendulum) in 1964 [Reply 92] as I was in the cast. I was Kirby Groomkirby and spent the play trying to teach the weighing machines to sing the Halleluiah Chorus. I fear this was some sort of sick joke as I was (and am) tone deaf and didn't know my 'mi mi mi' from my 'doh doh doh.' The guys backstage did a fantastic job. Other school plays during my years included Androcles and the Lion, She Stoops to Conquer, Julius Caesar, Romanoff and Juliet and Saint Joan. Anyone else from 1956 reading this? There are images from most of the school plays of that era here.

107th REPLY

NAME: Stephen Giles  

DATE: 14th January 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

I wonder if they had to complete risk assessments for those school trips - I very much doubt it [reply 102 & museum ].  I went on 2 summer trips, one to Lake Como, Italy on the hideous overnight train, and another to Norway on a very rickety plane!

108th REPLY

NAME: John Hamilton  

DATE: 25th January 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1958-64

My apologies about the year Barnet FC went to Wembley [replies 101, 105].  It was the 58/59 football 'year' and thus the first writer was correct as it would have taken place in April or May 1959.  As for the ground where they played for a while from 1885, I found this extract on a History of Barnet FC website: 'The ground called "Ravonscroft (sic) Park" was at the end of Queens Road on Barnet Common (and later called Queens Road) on ground today occupied by the Barnet Grammar School.'

109th REPLY

NAME: John Symons

DATE: 25th January 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-65

The 1958 school play [reply 100] was Nightmare Abbey. After that came: Julius Caesar (1959), Romanoff & Juliet (1960), The Strong are Lonely (1961), She Stoops to Conquer (1962), Saint Joan (1963), One-Way Pendulum (1964), The Tempest (1965).  I saw them all and still have programmes from the last 2.  DG Scott was the Voice of Gormless.  Cast lists are to be found in the Elizabethan along with C0cks' reviews.  (He praises the work of the techies on O-W P but regarded it as 'a very poor play indeed'.  Of course the man had little humour himself!)

110th REPLY

NAME: Brian Frost-Smith

DATE: 29th January 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-59

Thanks again to Brian Seal for alerting me to this thread last year, and to Nigel Wood and Mike Cottrell for encouraging me to contribute.  I share the sadness of others in 1957/58 1B over the untimely deaths of John Rainbird, Brian Steadman, Jeff Lindsay-Neale and Tony Tinson.  John, with Derek Scudder, came out for a weekend to my parents' Bedfordshire home shortly before I left QE. Brian and (possibly) Jeff were on the 1958-59 Champéry ski trip (I shared a chalet dormitory with Brian and others).  And when I left QE, I remember Tony kindly wishing me good luck at my new school.  To turn, less sombrely, to the memory games now we have the 1B names, what about recalling their school houses via our coloured cap stripes - yellow, Leicester (L), red, Broughton (B), green, Underne (U), blue, Stapylton (S) and brown, Harrisons (H)?  Here's my go: Anderson (L), Barrett (B), Bullett (L), Clarke (U), Cottrell (H), Craggs (H), Crausaz (H), Daly (B), Dowding (S), Edrupt (S), me (H), Harkness (L), Herbert (U), Humphrey (L), Hungate (B), Layson (S), Lindsay-Neale (L), Mantell (L), Mungovan (B), Munro (S), Rainbird (S), Record (L), Scudder (H), Seal (S), Steadman (S), Symons (U), Tinson (S), Wearing (B) and Wood (L).

Anyone who knows for sure can mark me out of 29!  Best regards to all.

111th REPLY

NAME: Brian Seal  

DATE: 6th February 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-63

Well Frosty, I reckon you may well score top marks regarding who was in which house.  But then, as I recall, you pretty well scored top marks in class!  The only person I am not sure of is Jack Harkness who I recently tried to contact, but as yet, have had no reply.  Also, I have to deduct a half mark for an incorrect spelling - I think you'll find it was Richard Mantle.

112th REPLY

NAME: John Symons

DATE: 9th February 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-65

That [reply 110] was truly amazing, Brian!  And to think you were only at QE for 2 years!  I was there for nearly 8, but I'd only have scored half marks.  Here's another game to challenge the memory cells: Identify the 6 1B pupils who lived in Totteridge and say where the other class members hailed from.  I'm pretty sure about the first question, but I can't complete the second.

113th REPLY

NAME: Nigel Wood  

DATE: 15th February 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

Thanks, John, for this challenge.  I find I can recall the general areas where more than half of us lived, and naturally, for the Totteridge contingent, the roads.  I'll have a crack at three of us who haven't yet 'surfaced'... Richard Clark: Wood Street, a few doors from the corner of Queens Road, in a spacious Edwardian or late Victorian house.  John Dowding: somewhere off Wellhouse Lane.  Jack Harkness: one of the roads close to Stapylton Field - but I may be quite wrong.

114th REPLY

NAME: Brian Seal  

DATE: 15th February 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-63

OK John, here goes (well, what else is there to do in the snow?!

Anderson (Totteridge), Barrett (N/K), Bullett (High Barnet), Clarke (High Barnet), Cottrell (Totteridge), Craggs (Brookmans Park???), Crausaz (N/K), Daly (Borehamwood), Dowding (High Barnet), Edrupt (Woodside Park), Frost-Smith (N/K), Harkness (N/K), Herbert (N/K), Humphrey (N/K), Hungate (Borehamwood), Layson (N/K), Lindsay- Neale (N/K), Mantle (Totteridge), Mungovan (N/K), Munro (N/K), Rainbird (New Barnet???), Record (N/K), Scudder (Borehamwood), Seal (totteridge), Steadman (East Barnet), Symons (Totteridge), Tinson (High Barnet), Wearing (N/K) and Wood (Totteridge).

That's my best shot although perhaps I could guess a couple more.  Let's see who else replies.  Next question: What did they have for breakfast?  No, only kidding!!!

115th REPLY

NAME: John Symons

DATE: 16th February 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-65

When I set my recent challenge I ought probably to have asked the 'insiders', ie the six Totteridge pupils concerned, to wait a bit before replying to see if the others could work it out.  As it's too late to do that now, here's my contribution.

The Totteridge 6 are: Anderson, Cottrell, Mantle, Seal, Wood and me.  Edrupt lived in Woodside Park, so he doesn't quite make the cut.  Bullett lived in High Barnet (Bedford Ave.?), Humphrey at the bottom of Barnet Hill, L-Neale in Lyonsdown Rd, Tinson round the corner from QE itself (Kings Rd?), so he used to walk to school.  Most of the others either came on the 107 from Arkley and beyond (eg Hungate, Mungovan, Record (?), Scudder) or on the 107 from the other direction (eg Steadman who lived in East Barnet and Wearing (and Layson?) who hailed from Southgate).

That's a start, but there are still many gaps!!

116th REPLY

NAME: John Hamilton  

DATE: 1st March 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1958-64

Remember I get confused as to who started in 1957 or 1958 (!) but the Richard Mantle I knew lived 5 or 6 houses along Normandy Avenue (north side, High St end).  I recall playing snooker in the front room and my Father collecting me in the evening - making his way through a dense haze of cigarette smoke - oops!

117th REPLY

NAME: Peter Craggs

DATE: 2nd April 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: There 1957-64

Only just seen the list of where people lived [reply 115].  Once again I am amazed at people's memories.  Yes, I did live in Brookmans Park, coming to school by train (BR or am I old enough for it to have been LNER?) and then bus.  I was often late, missing the cut off point for getting into assembly, and having to stand in line waiting for Mr Jenkins.  I was never punished though - 'the train was late' got me off every time.

118th REPLY

NAME: John Reimann

DATE: 2nd August 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Inmate 1960-66

That fat useless ---[C0cks], calling himself a teacher!!  [see numerous replies in this thread, especially 1-17].  In 1965 the whole class failed 'O' level Geography because the man just sat there as a stuffed violent pig not teaching whatsoever.  The useless text books were so out of date!  Partly not his fault, but he was a total JOKE!!

119th REPLY

NAME: John Hamilton  

DATE: 22nd August 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Inmate 1958-64

I feel rather smug now about passing O level Geography in 1962!  I attribute it to the quiet and feverish way we digested the contents of those books - obviously not totally useless as claimed.  Silent because nobody spoke, including C0cks; feverish, because even on the hottest of days opening windows or removal of jackets was absolutely verbotten.  Thank goodness we had had Richard Dilley as 'geog' teacher for our first 2 years to give us a head start.

120th REPLY

NAME: Nigel Wood  

DATE: 21st September 2009

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

So that's what it was like to have C0cks in the O-Level year!  I had wondered.  He didn't even read from the textbook?  Did any parents complain, I wonder?  I was far too immature to have passed O-level by self study, especially with such a fact-ridden subject as school Geography was in those days.  Luckily R Dilley taught me in the O-level year.  Your proven success in self-study must have set you up for life - one of the benefits of bad (or non-existent) teaching?