I was at City Road 1st, 3rd and 4th years, with 2nd and 5th at Five Ways.
Rumsey was a very good head. I can still hear Walkers footsteps as he came out to the inter joining single story buildings where we 'fags' were housed for our first year, and I can still feel the silence which came over the place as he approached. Pity he didn't stay, the place became a lot worse as a school when that discipline wasn't around. Was it Dilworth that took over from him?
Hi Lewis,
I was at GD from '57 to '63, like you at City Road until the 4th year, then 'transported' to Five Ways, which didn't have the same atmos. Wally Walker was indeed a holy terror, but he had a kind side to him, which not many saw. We could do with a few Wally Walkers today...
Dilworth was deputy beak in charge at Five Ways. He had terrible diction, and I could never understand much of what he said, which just infuriated him. But he wasn't a bad old stick, just terribly out of touch with the times (but weren't most of the teachers back then?)
My favourite master was 'Toffee' Sharp (who eventually became deputy beak, I believe). He taught English, the only subject I was any good at.
Toffee thought the sun shone out of my bottom, and told me repeatedly to make every effort to get into journalism. I didn't, and I regret it - my dad had other ideas for my future... Toffee used to read passages from great literary works, and he was so good he could keep a class of 32 hormone-developing rock 'n' roll crazy teenagers enthralled and in total silence. I could tell lots of good stories about Toffee, but maybe not here.
Do you remember a physics 'teacher' (inverted commas deliberate) called Chadwick?
Big Gee