Hi everyone, the recent passing of Tony ‘Elfie’ Devlin has prompted me to make this post. I went to Colmore Road Junior & Infants with him, and we were also at Wheelers’ Lane S.M.B together, although we were in different classes/streams. He was well liked and well known both at school and with the local lads and we kept in touch over the decades after leaving school.
I have quite vivid memories of the teachers at Wheeler’s Lane over the time I was a pupil there from 1960 to 1965. I stopped on for an extra year in order to take exams, so didn’t leave until I was 17.
Albert ‘Albatross’ North – Head Master imported straight from Victorian times. Very strict disciplinarian who wore a stripy grey suit with 22” bottoms, and black shiny shoes that you could see your face in. He quite often used to draw attention to this fact and used to follow up with ‘Get the joke? - No – Get the stick!’ He was never afraid to use the ‘cosh’ (cane).
David Peters – Deputy Head. Probably the best English teacher I ever had, and well respected by the pupils. He could engage and enthuse and was a very likeable Welshman. I believe that he took over as Head when Albatross retired shortly after I left 5th year.
Freddy ‘Bon Bon’ Bonner – swarthy looking with the remnants of a scar running down the one side of his forehead. Not a bad teacher who seemed to be a jack of all trades. He also ran the school camp in Cwmyoy during summer hols. He always used to bring back a large cake which he described as ‘Being surplus to requirement’ and was raffled off for the school funds. I always found this very odd because if you went to the camp you were fed a starvation level diet!
‘Ernie’ Rudge - used to smoke some really evil smelling roll-ups between classes. Not very nice to pupils unless they played rugby. Can’t recall what he used to teach, but I remember him viciously throwing his heavy wooden blackboard eraser at errant pupils!
Mr Brown – a very close mate of Ernie Rudge who taught geography. Not a very likeable character and best forgotten about.
‘Half hour’ Hancock – another mate of Ernie Rudge who taught Art, and who destroyed any atom of artistic capability/interest in me (along with that of many others). I remember in the 5th year having a whole morning of Art which must have been a punishment for something we did in previous existences!
Ian ‘Jock’ MacIver – a gym master who was a graduate of the Maquis de Sade teaching academy. Nicknamed Jock even though he was 100% Welsh. Successfully managed to destroy any desire to exercise, or to be involved in any organised team sports.
Mr Hall – Was placed in one of the asbestos prefab classrooms between the senior and junior schools. Used to take Gym prior to ‘Jock’ arriving on the scene and also taught English. Not a bad bloke at all
Mr Jones – also situated in one of the prefab classrooms. He was quite a personable Welsh character who taught English!
Samuel ‘Sammy’ Gulcher – A short, rotund chap who always wore freshly pressed shirt & suit with a handkerchief in his top pocket. His claim to fame was being able to teach Penmanship (How to write proper) and his catchphrase was ‘What do you think I am boy? A Cabbage?
Harry Levine – Didn’t have much to do with this teacher, but he taught general subjects and seemed an okay bloke. Always looked shabby!
Mr Hime – used to wear a pale green ex-army jacket during warmer weather and was obviously seeing out his time until retirement.
Mr Gaunt – taught Physics and took some interest in his pupils. Unfortunately he left, to be replaced by a ‘posh’ bloke who knew his stuff, but couldn’t generate much enthusiasm.
‘Flango’ Houghton – got his nickname due to his sticky out ears. He really knew his Maths, Geometry and Algebra and also taught Technical Drawing. Tried his very best to generate interest in his subjects.
Mr Snowdon – a youngish chap who taught metalwork. This seemed to take the form of having to file a lump of metal for week after week until you got it ‘right’. He was eventually superseded by another youngish teacher called Dowsett
Mr Ashmore – a kindly old chap that knew his stuff and was keen to pass on his Woodwork skills to his pupils. He retired to the Cotswolds whilst I was in the 5th year.
Mr Skinner also taught woodwork, but I didn’t have any contact with him.
Mr Favell – he taught Music and could be quite engaging when he was in the mood – which wasn’t very often. I well remember his classes where you would be issued with a Triangle, Tambourine or Maracas and you then had to plink/tap/click away to a music score on the blackboard.
Looking back, I’m sure that Wheelers’ Lane was used by the educational authorities as a ‘sink’ where the teachers that no other school wanted, or those teachers not up to scratch, or about to retire were farmed off, well out of the way. However, there were three or four teachers that were capable, cared, and could teach really well – and hence deserved medals for their efforts.
