After my early schooling at Crookham Primary School it came as something of a
surprise to learn that I had passed the 11 plus exam. Living at Ewshot, getting
to F.G.S. involved riding my old bike to Crookham Cross Roads, leaving it at the
newsagents, catching the Traco bus to Aldershot and then another bus to Farnborough.
I seem to remember that life in 2B with “Nuncs” as a Form Master was pretty
enjoyable with lots of new things to learn and experience. The next year wasn’t
so good as we had the obnoxious Dr. Sewell and there was tension between us. My
father had died when I was 7 years old and consequently I received school
dinners at a discounted rate. When he collected the money every week Sewell
could not resist making some snide remark about my circumstances as though I had
the plague or some such. It did not take me long to realise that I was not
destined for academia and so life in the 4th and 5th Forms was spent ensuring
that I finished up with enough GCEs to allow me to leave and join the RAF as
soon as possible. I went to RAF Halton, the RAF’s Technical College for
Apprentices and spent the rest of my life in aircraft engineering. The JAB hauled
me in for a careers interview and when I told him of my wish to join up he
endeavoured to convince me that I should become a bank teller. As if !!!.
When I left the RAF in1972 I emigrated to Brisbane Australia and have
lived here ever since with no regrets whatever.
I have a few memories of teachers who made a difference to my life.
Nuncs was
certainly the most influential and I did covet the MG. He was a gentleman in the
real sense of the word and must have had a beneficial influence on several
generations of boys.
Science with “Jonah” and Mr. Rogers was OK and it did give one a chance to have
puerile fantasies about “Toots” the lab. assistant. Mr. Jones’ Biology lessons
were probably the only sex education most of us got.
In contrast to many of the memories that I have read here, I quite liked Jo
Thomas and never had a problem with him. I can see that his butch ways would
upset many sensitive intellectuals but in public schools and the armed forces it
was called “character building”. I still have a love of history so some of that
is probably down to him.
My French has never been good, then or now, but Charlie Sweet was another
teacher that I remember well. He had his off days, sure, but I don’t think I
suffered his “sideburn elevation” very often.
In the English department I liked Baz Jowett and
Doc. Naish and time spent in the
library was always pleasant. Like most of you I read all the Biggles books and
those of Rider Haggard and Rudyard Kipling.
By some coincidence, Tom Pascoe was well acquainted with my maternal grandfather,
who had been a Master Carpenter at the RAE and used to hand carve aircraft
propellers. When I handed in my pathetic wood working efforts to Tom, for
marking, he would just look at them and say ‘Your grandfather would turn in his
grave”.
Most of my memories about the rest of the staff have only been resurrected by
what I have read here and you have to wonder how some of them would have
survived in a modern school especially the Beeb.
Some of you, from my years, may remember that for the last 18 months or so at
school I used to meet a girl from A.C.H.S. who lived just round the corner from
school. We would chat under the oak tree next to the dairy and then I would rush
to catch the last bus to Aldershot. We married in 1965 and 46 years and two
fantastic children later we are still having fun.
I came to this site as a result of the round robin email sent out by
Paul Lamont
and I have to say that I have spent hours reading all the details here. Many
would say “poor sad old B****s living in their past” but let’s face it F.G.S. was a
major influence on our lives, good or bad, and the future is forged in the past.
If anyone knows the whereabouts of Dave Field and Dick Stroud, from my years. I
would appreciate a tip off.
Vic Wise : May 2011