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Current Situation
I live in Nottingham U.K. and I am MD of my own productivity
consultancy company.
I have been in this business for about twenty-five years, having
left left KGS in 1956 and worked firstly in the Electricity Supply
Industry in Bristol, followed by 14 years in H.M. Customs &
Excise, life-assurance, textiles and plastics.
Life at KGS - I started KGS with my twin brother Roger
in 1951. I was originally in 1A, whilst Roger (Alf) was in 1B.
I believe our form-mistress was Miss M. Watters, who taught English
and History. Also with us were Frank Cole, (no relation) whose
father was a local probation officer, and Roger Coles, a Mangotsfield
lad We all appear together on the Form 3A photograph taken in
1954, with Esme Vaughan as our form-mistress. You can imagine
the confusion with three Cole's and a Coles in the same class!
Also in that year were those whose names I can recall from
the photograph:
Boys - Michael Stranks, ? Hammond (from Marshfield), John
Masters, ? Harris, Roger Cromwell, Jim Brittain (of whom more
later!), Phillip Ellesmore, ? Gay, Keith Cully, Martin Harryman,
Colin Ticktum, David Hussey.
Girls - Mary Palmer, Valerie Fox, Maureen Griffin (all
the lads fancied her), Deanna Martin (worked for Bristol Council
I believe), Joan Collins (another ex-Staple Hill Junior scholar),
Valerie Hiles (brilliant at everything academical), Susan Jefferies
(also played viola for a while), Maureen Wallington (another good-looker),
Jill Maddocks (ex Staple Hill Junior), Margaret Smart (super at
sports, father a headmaster I believe), Edith Ashley, Janice Molyneaux
(ex Staple Hill), Marion Long (ex Staple Hill, lived in Morley
Road), Jill Thomas (who didn't like dissection in Biology), Six
other girls whose names I cannot recall.
A large school photograph was taken around 1952-1953 which
shows Jim Brittain at both ends of the back row! He managed this
by darting behind the back row of pupils, and appeared at the
end of the row before the camera had panned round to him. I also
remember Jim for his gymnastic feats, not the least of which was
when he ran towards an open sash window, and executed a perfect
thief-vault through the open window, to land on his feet outside
the classroom. His departure had been occasioned by the sounding
of the fire-alarm bell (about which we had been warned). He announced
through the window, to the startled Mr.Wintour (French) "I'm
the first out sir!". He did not suffer any detention for
this, such was the sneaking regard we all had for this exploit
(including Mr. Wintour). I was fascinated by the letter from Brian
Sammons in issue 20 of KOSA. I gave up Chemistry after the second
year, but I do remember that all his experiments ended in failure,
with the remark, "Ah well, you'll just have to take my word
for it".
His writing on corporal punishment handed out by the staff
rings true. In my era, teachers were allowed to hit you if they
so felt, and some were given to this more so than others. The
slappers and punchers were to be found among Mr. Williams, (woodwork),
Esme Vaughan (Latin & English) "Oolite" Ashwell
(Geography) at whose hands I suffered, and Joe West, (History).
It was customary to wait in a queue at the door of a classroom
until the classroom was empty of pupils. Only then were you allowed
in. I was second in a queue one day, at whose head was a lad called
Newman, who tried to enter the classroom where Joe West had been
teaching, and which still held him and a couple of pupils. Joe
stopped Newman from entering the room and slapped him really hard.
Newman carefully laid down his satchel and landed a perfect right
hook that floored Joe West. No action ensued from this fracas,
except that Joe West left the school at the end of term.
Eric Hilton: I see from other correspondence that some
felt Eric Hilton to be a bully, but I found him to be a most generous
and able teacher, instilling in me a love for good music, which
is still with me today, and which probably accounts for my being
a choirmaster.
His sons, one of whom was named Peter, both entered the medical
profession I believe, one as a doctor, the other as a dental surgeon.
Not long after acquiring a new Austin Devon, Eric Hilton was involved
in a fatal road accident at the crossroads at Anchor Road.
He was innocent of blame, but the motorcyclist died, and I remember
Eric Hilton being greatly affected by it. I owe much to him as
a teacher.
I was saddened to read of the death of Bruce Carpenter,
who was something of a hero to those of us in the lower school.
He won a State Scholarship to Oxford, and I can still remember
the applause when this was announced at assembly. He also played
the 'cello I believe, and represented the best that the school
offered. Another 'cellist was Guy Featherstone, who went to work
as a designer for the BBC. I played viola in those days, and some
of us formed a string-quartet to accompany house assemblies for
Fussell House in the library. After I had left KGS I returned
to help Eric Hilton with orchestral classes, and I remember helping
out at a concert at the school, where, amongst other items, the
Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor was played. The soloist was
another old boy, whose name I think was Gordon Jackson. I also
helped by paying viola for a joint schools concert, at which KGS
was present in the Colston Hall. Ellis Pet was mentioned in the
last edition of KOSA. He it was who finally got me to see the
things which mattered with Mathematics, and I scraped a pass at
'O' level with his help. A bit strange, when I now lecture Statistics!
As a twin myself, I remember the Jenkins twins, (girls)
whose mother was housekeeper at Wick Lodge, not far from Lansdowne.
It would appear that their post would often travel to Scotland
and back before it reached them.
My twin brother Roger worked initially at Bristol Aircraft Company
at Filton, as a craft apprentice, but after a short while he entered
the GCHQ set up at Cheltenham, travelling the world, and retiring
from there about seven years ago. He lives at Brinscombe, near
Stroud.
Both this website and KOSA fill a very valuable role in
the bringing together of people from the old school. If anyone
out there would like to get in touch, I can be contacted on the
following email address: davidwcole@hotmail.com
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