(Torquay) Grammar Snobs Thread

This is a great thread. Although it is confusing the hell out of me. I wish my memory was better and I could put names to faces etc.

I have a tie the same as the one in Barton's post. The one on the left with the Blue stripe. Blake House I believe?? I was in the same year as Andy and did the 84-89 years. I also remember Paul from that time. In fact I'm sure I still have a Bon Jovi tape or two somewhere that he recorded for me!!! I certainly did my best to lower my years average results ... GCSE's ... 2 C's, 2 D's, 2 E's and 2 F's.

Teacher wise Laird immediately springs to mind from that time. I had a huge dislike for him and his French lessons. Languages never were my strong point which was reflected in my F grade. Chris Penfold?? Would he have taught sports or am I getting him mixed up with someone else?? I remember two sports teachers. One had dark slightly curly hair and a moustache and the shorter light brown hair and clean shaven. I also remember another guy with curly hair and I think a moustache who taught me CDT. Without this guy I would never have been able to make a wooden box!! There was also a music teacher who I think was called Miss Piggott (??) who I remember well for a couple of reasons!!

I'm just at home hungover today so I might nip down into the basement and dig out some old reports to help recall some more from my time there.

Andy Thomas
TBGS 84-89
8 GCSE's (no A's or B's) ... 2 Headmaster detentions ... and 2 none too pleased parents.

Cheers for that Andy. I had a feeling you'd be able to help me out a little clarifying name and faces.

........Hi Chris mate - Chris Donovan here (Chris D/Mr_W) - how bleddy fantastic to make contact with you on here old bean (you were Spragge as well weren't you? - a few from Spragge in our class 1C in 1972 I think - Sean Cannon/Roger French/Chris Knight/Steve (no fillings) Morris/Mark Phare/Gavin Shaw/Andy Waldron (his Dad kept Zebra Finches remember?) and of course Big Rog Metcalfe spring to mind??) - hey some things we never forget - wherever you see the word "Chris" between here and the end of the post I am trying to pick your brains as you were in the same class etc to start with - hope you don't mind and can help out mate! - thanks.........

................heres a few more memories/teachers names etc to run through our collective memory-banks.....having just cheated and looked at my old reports..........

.............all from the 1972-77 period remember..........

1. .......Messrs Eeles/Vernall - Geography.....

2. ......Mr Richard Harvey - wasn't he a thespian - TOADS etc?......

3. .......Mr Gwinnell - remember him Chris? - Art Teacher in the big Art Room upstairs - he had a DA haircut I think.....

4. .....anyone remember Mr Hull (George) - a stand-in Maths teacher for a while? - liked to watch Softly Softly I think........

5. ....Mr Percy Boswell rings a bell - why? - help anyone? - a mad Latin teacher?......

6. ........Mr Dow - Economics - wasn't his classroom over the road by Hoppys music room?........

7. .........Chris - would you possibly remember Mr Hallett? (Keith) - he taught us Maths - he used to pronounce the word "tomorrow" as "tomaaaaaaaaaaaarrow" which us lot found incredibly amusing - this was mainly due to the fact that by a fantastic coincidence topping the singles charts at that time were well-known US jazz-rock outfit Chicago (Oct 1976) with "If You Leave Me Now" which featured in its' lyrics the line "....when tomaaaaaaaaaaarrow comes we'll both regret things we said today...." - pronounced by the band in EXACTLY the same way in timbre and tone as Mr Hallett did - that was all too much for us lot who wondered just who was impersonating who exactly...

8. .....Mr Dave Bennett - taught me French for the first two years - then I had Splasher for one year then Mr Laird for the IV and V Forms - Mr Laird was a fantastic teacher who I have only the greatest of praise for - technically superb in the class-room with a formidable presence, he was an extraordinarily hard task-master but I always found him very fair - he did however set the most shockingly difficult daily translation tests at the start of his lessons.......he favoured bouffant hair-styles, velvet jackets, big Monty Python-esque ties, garish pink/purple/flowery shirts with huge collars, Timmy Mallet-ish specs and ahem "pouffy" aftershave which us lot thought highly amusing.....

9. .......Mr Victor?? Dinger Bell - cricket and Maths - couldn't control a class..........

10. ...........Basil Lowe - can anyone confirm he had a break-down and went mad? - sure he was taken away from the class - all sort of hushed up - on that day we had him for Eng Lit and some kids from another class sprayed a fire extinguisher in the door? - it was very cruel really.....

11. ......Mr Rose - RE/History?.........

12. ...anyone remember going over to the super-duper (at the time anyway) all-mod Language Labs in the South Devon Tech over the car-park? - it was actually a good loaf to be honest as the gear never worked up there - all reel-to-reel tapes and that I think - and by the time Mr Laird or Splasher had got the bleddy things working properly the periods were over - result..............

13. ........who remembers THE great invasion by the hard kids from Audley one lunch-time into our playground - Messrs Stayte/Golder and some of our VI form rugger forwards were out in a shot and "ahem" vigorously "removed" the bounders from the premises and back whence they came...........I remember the most fantastic scrap between our teachers and their hardest kid in our playground...........prob would have made ChildLine nowadays - bah - it never did us any harm.......

14. .......Big Rog (Metcalfe) sat over the other side of the class from you Chris in Mr Bunces class in 1C - you were next to Mark Whitehall weren't you? - I was next to Mark Phare and Rogs mate next to him was Howard Finch I think....?

15. ........Ian Kerslake was in our class wasn't he Chris? - in 1C - he used to go up Plainmoor a fair bit - I recall he made a name for himself locally as a singer I think anyway...........

16. ......."Das Schnitz" - anyone remember them - Tim Dodges' band with Stu Gordon (who can be found on "Friends Reunited" I think) - they played a gig at the dizzy heights of St Annes Church Hall Babbacombe one night I remember..........

17. ...........late addendum - anyone who was at TBGS and used the Dining Hall on the Barton Road site between 1972-77 (and probably many years before!) MUST recall the two ancient guys who were if you like the Dining Hall Supervisors of their time - they weren't teachers - just ancient - there was old Bill then old George came along...........

.......well you see - think back - old Bill didn't appear to possess a tooth in his head and what happened was (Jethro moment there) that any boys pratting, larking, arrs-sing and generally fecking about at the tables would be sent out and would go up last for their meals....

.......picture if you will the scene - old Bill (with his perfectly Brylcreemed hair, and clad in his tweed sports jacket, shirt and tie, immaculately pressed slacks and Hush Puppy shoes) would stand on the platform - ring the bell - and announce loudly in his fantastic Blakey-soundalike (as in "On The Buses") voice - you'll have to use your imaginations here gang - (for example here ok?) "Taaaaaables Twooooooo, Foiiiiiiiiiiiive, Seeeeeeven, Niiiiiiiiiiine and Tweeeeeelve Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrt" (roughly translated from Bill-ish this was "Tables Two, Five, Seven, Nine and Twelve Out") - he would then gesticulate to the door as the miscreants slowly rose from their respective tables and reluctantly trooped outside to the cheers of derision and delight, hooting, cat-calls and all-round general merriment eminating from the rest of the hall - the door was then locked, the offenders to be banished from within till everyone else had been served...........

........I did not ever see it with my own eyes but I believe it WAS said that occasionally boys inside would walk to the windows and show those outside what the sausages, spam fritters, roast lamb, roastie taters, liver and bacon, chips, ice cream and other assorted top-notch delicacies looked like by holding their plates up to those peering in from the wilderness - these unfortunate wretches would then eventually finally be allowed back in for feeding at the end usually only when there was corned beef hash, steamed fish, cabbage, sprouts, banana custard and the like left.....

........anyone back me up on this extraordinary mental picture I have tried to paint for you? - Chris mate - you had school dinners I think - for a while anyway - do you recall this?.............................

18..............and finally I'll have a stab at our 1st year 1st XI squad in footy in the 1972/3 season.............

.....you might be able to help me out here Chris? - there was Phil Percy and Roger French and poss Stu Cowen from our class I think?.......

Tom Banks - g/k??
Roger French
Keith Dobney
Nick Walton
Jon Shaw
Mark Treais
John Ronald
John Cornford (fantakkers x-country runner methinks) - skipper
Alan Fitzgerald
Phil Percy
Kev Bowditch
Richard Fuller
Stuart Cowen??

........did I get close anyone???.....

.......cheers all - and take care Chris - regards to Andy Loosemore or Big Rog Metcalfe - if ya see em......

Chris Donovan (Mr_W)
Gosport
Hampshire


PS

.........anyone from Cuthbert Mayne/Homelands (old style)/Westhill (old style)/Audley Park fancy starting threads for their respective schools?........

I’d date that group as around three or four years older than myself so they’re probably 4th or 5th years in the 1968 picture.

As for 1973, I’m a morose-looking sixth former in the third picture down in reply #11 (and, yes, the picture quality is poorer for the 1973 shot than for 1968). These extras should give everybody the complete 1973 picture:







1. .......Messrs Eeles/Vernall - Geography..... - Alec Vernall led us up a mountain in Snowdonia in 1973 and got us bloody lost! A lad called John Stead led us down safely.

2. ......Mr Richard Harvey - wasn't he a thespian - TOADS etc?......there was also a story he was a goal keeper with Canterbury City (uncollaborated I must add)

6. ........Mr Dow - Economics - wasn't his classroom over the road by Hoppys music room?........That's right his room was over the road. A very decent bloke and brother of JCR Dow, a slightly more eminent economist: www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-christopher-dow-1189026.html

12. ...anyone remember going over to the super-duper (at the time anyway) all-mod Language Labs in the South Devon Tech over the car-park? - it was actually a good loaf to be honest as the gear never worked up there - all reel-to-reel tapes and that I think - and by the time Mr Laird or Splasher had got the bleddy things working properly the periods were over - result..............Sounds familiar even to us oldtimers

......I actually remember going on (I think it would have been two?) coaches on Saturdays away as a supporter to see the 1st XI footy team play at I think Bristol and Drayton Manor, Ealing - it must have been back in the 1974/75 period - and picking the coaches up from outside the Richwood Hotel - I know the team were in the final stages of a national competition anyway - any more than that, I can't recall - I have in front of me now as I type the TBGS Centenary Book (1904-2004) - there is a cracker of a pic inside - of the TBGS 1st XI Devon Cup and League Champions 1975 - much regret I cannot scan any pics - way beyond my abilities - I haven't got the gear anyway - but here is the list of those in the pic - it was taken outside the old dressing rooms up the Shiphay Manor fields..................


Mr Dave Golder, Nick Davis, Chris Martin, Rob Gilpin, Neil Darby (g/k), Tony Hillman, Ian Doyle (who later played for 1st Division Bristol City), Steve Craig, Mr Tommy Hood

Tony Carter, Andy Perrett, Jim Parker, Chris Penford, Lawrence Augusti, Kevin Birch, Chris Gill

Hi Chris ... what a memory you have!

Yes I was in 1c and Spragge .... still have the tie with the thin light blue stripe somewhere!

Unfortunately, I couldnt name the football team, but I'm sure you've got it about right!

As for French teachers, anyone remember Mr Triance? Unfortunately he just couldnt control a class, and I can certainly recall one lesson when he "lost it". There were a few of us who used to make a habit of opening and closing our desk lids (loudly!) as soon as he entered the classroom, but on this occasion rather than stop the few doing it, he decided (unwisely!) to make everyone do it!

Inevitably, it got louder and louder until a certain Mr Roy Pike rushed into the room, from his classroom next door, to ask what the hell was going on! But, of course, we were only carrying out orders! Kids,eh!

As for the old boys in the canteen (Bill and George) yeh I do remember them ... like you say they seemed absolutely ancient at the time. Mind you I have very fond memories of a certain young lady (Ms Liz Bush) who joined the staff in my later years at the scholl ... certainly made school dinners more interesting for me!

We were of course "starved" of any female company at school and so a young attractive female was always a welcome sight!

I can only recall a couple of lady teachers from that era ....Ms Rose (?)and Dorothy Neen (? ... not sure of the spelling). Understandably they were quite popular with the sixth formers at the time .... and of course there were always those "rumours" .

I never had Mr Laird, so to speak, but he was certainly "different". Like you, I can remember Dave Bennett, and although his style of teaching was somewhat boring and repetitive, I certainly credit him entirely for me scraping an O level in French. I seem to recall he came in to teach us after we (as a class) had all produced a disastrous set of results in our French mocks (under the tutelage of the aforementioned Mr Triance) and remarkably he turned things around completely and I think we nearly all passed in the end.

I may be wrong, but I think you may have got a couple of names wrong (but hey, we can forgive you that!). Wasnt it Tim (rather than Richard) Fuller ... and the only Morris I can recall was Kevin ? Although he did have an older brother at the school called Steven. Tragically Kevin died of cancer when he was barely even in his thirties. Such a shame, a great character at school, even at that tender age.

I think you're right about me sitting next to Mark Whitehall (very bright lad). I think he went into the legal profession, and I believe Andy (anygulls) is still in touch with him?

As for Ian Kerslake, I bumped into him last year (in the barbers in Newton Abbot). Yes, he did come from a family of singers. I believe his younger brother has made a very successful career out of it. As for Ian, he was managing a restaurant on the outskirts of Chudleigh for a while, but last I heard he was running a commercial photography business.

On the subject of Ian, about the only time I have ever visited Friends Reunited (using someone elses password) I was quite shocked to see that he had posted an entry in which he effectively announced his "coming out". It was done in a very amusing way, and made me laugh!

Finally, as for Keith Hallett, I believe he only retired fairly recently and certainly taught my two nephews, both of whom went to TBGS and indeed one is still there.

Its amazing when you look at the quality of facilities that are available to kids today, and when you think what a draughty old building, together with an assortment of portacabins and sheds that we were taught in ... and without question several of the teachers would never have cut it in todays system .... but personally I wouldnt have had it any different!

Great memories.

;D Brilliant!

My brother Nick was a year below us and is (like me) an ardent fan of TUFC. We sit together in the Family stand, along with another name you mention - Neil Darby - who played in goal for what was a very decent school side at that time. It included the likes of Ian Doyle (as you say, earned a contract at Brizzle City) and of course Maurice Cox (who played briefly for TUFC) and Nick Cowell who I understand went on to have a very successful career coaching in the States.

You must also remember the time when someone (was it Tony Wills?) played an absolutely brilliant prank on Hoppy?

There we all were about to launch into Jerusalem (was it?) when there was this most awful clunk as Hoppy hit the keys of his piano .... they had been stuck together with sticky tape! As I recall, despite the awful noise it made, Hoppy manfully played on until the end....

Ah, Latin ..... tried that in the second year, but didnt last very long .... not for me I'm afraid.

Amazing recall of the exercise book covers there , Chris!

Sadly Kevin wasnt the only one I know of that we have lost mate, you may recall a big lad called Steve Henley (came from the Leicester area) who joined our year later. He died of a heart attack as I recall when still in his twenties.