Memories of King Edward VI Grammar School and life in
Retford 1947 - 1950 |
In early 1947 my father, a Midland Bank manager was appointed
as manager at the East Retford branch situated in Carolgate.
Consequently I had to move from the King Edward VI Grammar School
in Chelmsford, I had passed my 11+ in 1946, to the King Edward VI
Grammar School in Retford. I started at the school in the summer
term 1947. Unfortunately I have never had a good memory for
names so these memories will be devoid of names but hopefully
interesting in incidents. My classroom was in the new block on
the ground floor. Obviously I walked to school from my home next
to the bank in Carolgate. I stayed at the school until 1950 when
my father was moved again to Nuneaton, so I had to move again
this time to the Dixie Grammar School Market Bosworth. My
memories of life at school are rather patchy but what I do
remember are quite vivid. Regarding education I think I achieved
reasonable results and I did enjoy exams, I must have been a
masochist. The exams were always written on lined foolscap paper,
starting with Name, Subject neatly written and underlined at the
top of the first sheet. Due to my three grammar schools in 5
years my English grammar and literature education was a bit
disjointed but I do have memories of studying the novel
A.G.Street’s “Farmers Glory”, Longfellow’s Hiawatha and
Shakespeare’s Henry IV part II. My memory of the interior of the
school is virtually non existent but I do have memories of the
large grass area at the rear of the school that was used for
sport. In 1948 London hosted the Olympics and like many kids I
followed the exploits of the athletes. I have memories of large
posters showing the American sprinters and hurdlers. Although I
was never really a sprinter I was taken with the hurdling action
and I started to compete in the school athletics as a 100yd
hurdler, concentrating on the hurdling action which helped to
overcome my lack of speed! I did take part at an interschool
competition between Retford and Newark, I think at Tuxford, where
I came second. The winner was a boy from Newark and fourth place
was a boy from Retford called Limb. Two sports that are not heard
of these days were the standing long jump and throwing the
cricket ball. I have memories of one senior boy throwing the
cricket ball a prodigious distance at the back of the school and
probably due to my size I was quite good at the standing long
jump. Swimming was another aspect of my education at RGS, we used
the Retford Public Swimming pool situated on the road to the
railway station next to the river Idle and the canal. I believe
the water for the pool was pumped from the river. I started to
learn to swim in the pool but was having difficulty in achieving
a “width” until summer 1948 when I went on a cycle tour with my
father that passed through Morecombe. In the open air pool in
Morecombe that was filled with sea water I suddenly got my
confidence, something to do with more buoyancy in salt water, and
returned to Retford to gain my Intermediate Life Saving
Certificate in 1949.
As I said at the beginning of this piece I have a terrible
memory for names, so maybe the next tale will trigger someone
else’s memory. During my time at Retford I was the owner of an
Webley Air Pistol, which I am now ashamed to say I used to shoot
sparrows with. However, at this time a good friend of mine, a
farmer’s son, took a liking to my pistol. I used to cycle to his
parent's farm which was in a village somewhere near Rampton
mental hospital. I used to enjoy searching for eggs in the barns
and watching him start the single cylinder Field Marshall
Tractor, I was only allowed to watch! Anyway as I said he wanted
my air pistol so I agreed to swap for two bantam chickens, a
cockerel and a little rose comb hen. As we had a walled garden at
the bank they roamed free in the garden keeping the garden free of
pests but doing little damage and dear little rose comb produced
a regular supply of small brown eggs. When I left Retford in 1950
I took the hen to our new home where she sat on a goose egg and
hatched it. An amusing sight to see a little hen protecting a
large gangly gosling! I am sorry to say I cannot remember what
happened to then cockerel. If anyone recognises this story I
would be most interested to hear from them.
During the late 40’s the roads had few cars and lorries on them
and bicycles where very much the transport of young people. I
remember my parents buying me a lovely red Raleigh drop handled
bar bicycle from the small cycle shop, virtually next door to the
small entrance to the school, by the new block. It had a hub
dynamo and a Sturmey Archer three speed gears. I was also
equipped with an aluminium water bottle and a patriotic small
Union Jack flag mounted on the handle bars. I remember I was a
little envious later on, when a friend arrived with a more
upmarket racing bicycle, a Carlton I think with Reynolds 531
tubing and high pressure tyres. In 1949 my father took me on a
tour of Holland to visit a family who had billeted him in the war.
[See "Through Holland on two wheels", Retfordian
1949 July p26, (CD only)]. The enclosed photo shows the
cycling dress of
the day, long trousers and sports jacket and in my father’s
case, a handkerchief in his top pocket. As well as cycling to my
friend’s farm, I also cycled to a friend who lived in Worksop to
pursue our hobby of aero modelling. I remember cycling home one
night in the pouring rain and darkness, something that I suspect
parents would not allow today. Talking about aero modelling
reminds me that probably in the autumn of 1947 schoolboys were
employed in potato picking. I remember travelling to a farm in a
lorry and lunch being brought to us in the field. My pay from
this work allowed me to buy an Amco 3.5 aircraft model diesel
engine, which was an improvement on my ED Bee engine. Other
memories that boys who lived in and around Retford at this time
might be fishing in the canal near the gas works, cycling to the
disused airfield at Gamston and climbing the water tower or going
into the woods nearby and appropriating coils of cordite from an
ammunition dump to use to try and make an explosion. Luckily I
never succeeded and the lid always blew off the small glass jar
that I was using!!!!
Stamp collecting was also a hobby at the time and it was not
unusual to see boys from the school appropriating stamps from
Woolworths until a police visit to the school and an announcement
by the headmaster at assembly put the fear of God into me!
Another point of interest was theatrical. My father was a member
of the Operatic Society and the Little Theatre. Consequently I
had a small part in “Merry England” as a page boy to Queen
Elisabeth, performed in the Majestic cinema/theatre and a
non-speaking part in a Little Theatre production. Other memories
are visits to a coal mine, a rubber factory making condoms among
other things and a steel wire factory. Train spotting is also on
the list as well as falling into the canal out of a rubber dinghy
with my mother's travelling clock in my pocket, given to me to
see the time to go home! No watch in those days. Needless to say
mother was not impressed.
I hope that these memories may be of interest and anyone one
who recognises the tales or people I apologize for not
remembering names
Dickie | |