FORMS IN 1953

 

ANOTHER FORM IN 1955 (?)

(i) ? (ii) ? (iii) Mike Procter (iv) Mike Birrell (v) ? (vi) Jonny Compton (?) (vii) ? (viii) Ian Mather (?) (ix) ?
  Alcuin-House@chaseside.org.uk
 

The Alcuin House site in Old Church Lane 1920
 
 

RP (attended c1942 to1947): During these years it was a mixed school with a division in the playground where the girls would have the section that was surfaced in tarmac .

JM (attended mid 1950s): Reading this brought back floods of memories...not all of them so bad. With regard to Mr Yeo's discipline you have forgotten the nasty crack across the back of the hand with the sharp edge of a ruler. Also, I have less than fond memories of the winter time rugby pitch (cricket in summer with a very dodgy batting strip) as the bottom right hand side was where Mr Yeo used to throw his dog's shit and scoring a try and diving over the line was a definite no no. I remember the Milk Room and Mr Yeo remonstrating that if we swigged straight  from the bottle we had better make sure we took all of the cap off as one of his charges recently had failed to do so and cut his lip wide open and he didn't want to do a re-run back to Edgware General.

MG (attended mid 1950s): Besides Mr Yeo, the teachers I had at Alcuin House were Ayliffe, Jeans and Livingstone. In my time at least Miss Ayliffe's class was divided into two "houses", Pegasus and Pheidippides. [Note: also Horatius, defender of the bridge, Achilles? Coloured sticky stars and charts - expand]

DK (attended mid 1950s): The car may well be Miss Ayliffe's. She was being taught to drive by Mr Yeo, cause of some gossip at the time I seem to remember. I am still fascinated by his Jekyll and Hyde character, perhaps blighted by the First World War. I'm afraid my most abiding memory was of him constantly hitting a very good-natured boy a year up from me round the head and thinking, afraid as I was of him, that he wouldn't do that to me without getting some of it back! Mr Yeo was always wary of me because, after plucking up much courage, I complained about the disgusting toilets, which led my father to go and see him. On the plus side, he read us some great literature with feeling and his tales of the First War remain with me to this day. I also recall to my shame our exceedingly bad behaviour when taught by a woman from the Church Army. Mrs. Wolf was lovely and a natural teacher. Miss Ayliffe was good, however I seem to remember that she was afflicted with nervous problems and I remember feeling sorry for her even at that early age.

NF (attended 1952 to1959): I was  taught by Mrs Wolf, Miss Ayliffe, Miss Fry and for at least three years by Mr Yeo. How I also remember those buildings and the "milk room” and the “stink room”. I can still hear the thud of Mr Yeo's cane in the milk room and I can still remember the stench of the boys' lavatories! How was this all never even challenged in those days? 

PAL (attended 1949 onwards): The first school day in Miss Keast's class required my learning:

I remember, I remember,
The house where I was born,
The little window where the sun
Came peeping in at morn;
He never came a wink too soon,
Nor brought too long a day,
But now, I often wish the night
Had borne my breath away!

I managed it with difficulty but poetry was not my scene.  In fact I did very well at most subjects, in fierce competition with Michael Hannah who also lived in Silverstone Way. The main fear was avoiding the council boys of Stanburn School who lay in wait for uniformed Alcuin House boys in Landsdowne Road. Another  fear was after a piano lesson in Elm Park walking back to school and getting caught short before reaching the "stink-room". No way was I going into class and therefore sat it out in this place until I could sneak home. Happy days!

Richard Bianco (attended 1949 to 1956): I first went to Alcuin House in 1949 I think before that I had been at Aunty Bar's nursery school which was further up Old Church Lane. I remember my first day being left by my mother in Mrs Wolf's class top of the stairs on the right. I sat next to Philip Gartside.

I recall being in Miss Fry's class (left of the front door), and one day having done something wrong being sent to stand outside the door. I remember Mr Yeo coming to answer the front door I stood frozen to the spot and luckily for me he did not see me.  A worse punishment was to be told to stand outside Mr Yeo's classroom door.

I remember the playground and making slides in the snow.  I also recall the fence which was broken down and replaced with a single brick wall during the summer holidays one year. I also seem to remember that a section fell over following constant pushing by the boys. I remember sitting in Mr Yeo's classroom and the ink fights that erupted whenever he left the room. Flicking your pen was quite an art. I remember the outside toilets and the green door and the smell. Rugby matches were a matter of running around in a great swarm after the boy with the ball. I recall my mother coming to watch a game once, and asking me afterwards if I actually touched the ball. The answer was often no.

I do remember Rev. Fennel telling us that we all had a guardian Angel  and that if we were ever scared just to say " in the name of Jesus get thee behind me".  I used that phase a few times as I passed that large oak tree at the corner of Lansdowne road and The Ridgeway. It seemed to work, but I am not sure it still does.

Exams were taken in the little room next to Mr Yeo's class I think it was part of his own rooms.

The people I remember were: Ian Bolding, Michael Harry, Hugh Firth, Neil Frais, Phillip Gartside and Langridge. Unfortunately I have lost contact with all of them. 

Alistair Borthwick (attended Alcuin House in the early 1950’s, ages 7 - 8). While clearing out some old photographs I found the attached picture (credited above), then stumbled across your web page. The back of the photo is labelled “Miss Ayliffe1953”, so I assume I was in her class that year. Unfortunately I cannot attach names to any of the boys, in fact I am not even sure I can identify myself. The only certainties are that I had black hair and did not wear glasses.
Stephen Bianco (attended 1949 to 1956): My brother has been forwarding the Alcuin House information which is quite fascinating. I think Richard seems to have a better memory of events than I do but here goes with a few reminiscences.

I was there from soon after our arrival in Stanmore which was January 1949 and remained until July 1956 when I went to The King’s School, Canterbury – T Darcy Yeo was acquainted with Canon F J Shirley, the Headmaster at King’s which probably facilitated the move. We lived, very handily, just round the corner at 17 The Ridgeway off Lansdowne Road. If I recall correctly, we weren’t allowed to ride our bikes to school as we lived so close.

I started with Mrs Wolf and then of course ended up in Mr Yeo’s class, don’t recall if there was an in-between. I certainly remember having my ear or cheek twisted or pinched on a number of occasions and even being clipped with a ruler but was never caned!

I remember on one occasion while in the playground, falling and cracking my ankle. I also played rugby and cricket.

My recollection of names is a bit sketchy but: Mick McGowan, Michael Harry - who if I recall was a particularly close friend, as were Peter Whale and Hugh Firth, I also remember the name Groushko but I am not sure which one of you! Peter lived at 31 the Ridgeway and his father was a coal merchant. Hugh I think lived on Lansdowne and his father was a doctor.

Regrettably, I lost contact with everybody except Peter Whale as I disappeared from the local scene when I went to Canterbury. I am a bit surprised not to see either Richard or myself in any of the class photos!

Michael Harry (attended c1951 to 1955): Reading other peoples contributions reminds me of things long forgotten such as the smelly bogs, hopeless sports field,  T Darcy Yeo’s quaint disciplinary methods and of all things 'chain he'.  My wife tells me it was called ‘it’ but she wasn’t even there!  I remember the hopeless museum with a few dusty fossils and a stuffed flying fox.  Also the school milk often frozen in its bottles.

Now a memory of Common Entrance.  There were two English papers.  Mr Yeo decided the second was superfluous and we, or certainly I, didn’t sit it.  Instead it formed part of a Yeo lesson the next day.  A few days later Dean Close School Cheltenham, wrote saying it was a compulsory paper and I had to do it.  So I and maybe others ‘sat' it having worked it through with Mr Yeo.  The papers were sent off and, surprise, surprise I passed but I doubt Dean Close ever knew we had worked the papers through. Increasing cynicism through life has, from time to time, made me wonder if it was a Darcy Yeo plot.
 
Sir Brian Harrison (attended 1942 to 1950): The school had a really outrageous system by present standards; when you came top of the class you were given what was called a ‘list’ which was a list of all the pupils in rank order of performance; I kept on getting all the lists; at the end of term you would walk up to receive your list from the headmaster - T. Darcy Yeo was his name - and I walked off with all the lists; my parents therefore knew I was bright and did everything they could to encourage it; that school got me to Merchant Taylors' School in Northwood; my performance in Latin peaked at Alcuin House at thirteen; I was never taught it as well at Merchant Taylors’. Note: Further recollections by Sir Brian can be viewed HERE.

Ivor Ellis (attended 1939 to 1946): Ivor's recollections of the school can be vewed HERE.

"Lists" were handwritten by teachers on ragged strips of paper torn from exercise books. They usually showed the names of the top three or four pupils in a given subject and were awarded to each pupil named:

            A: These five examples are from 1954/5 and believed to be written by Mrs Wolf or Miss Ayliffe

Lydia Adams*, Ian Anderson,
Kenneth Barker*, Royston Barlow, Michael Berriff*,  Ricky & Stephen Bianco,  Mike Birrell, Ian Bolding, ? Bolton, Graham Bootman, Buddy Boozman, Alistair Borthwick, ? Bradford, Richard Bridge, Patrick Brown
Peter Camus, Barry Clarke, Jonny Compton, ? Currie
Peter Davis, Peter & Richard Dunn
Peter & ? Eaton
Ivor & Derek Ellis*
Alistair Finlayson, Hugh Firth, Neil Frais, Roger Frais*
? Gage, Nicky & Philip Gartside, Fraser Glass, Richard Green, John & Michael Groushko
Michael Hannah, Brian Harrison*, David Holden, Richard Hall*, Michael & Peter Harry, ?
Martin Inchley
Christopher & Peter & Martin & Timothy Inchley
Peter Jackson, Keith Jarman*
David Kett, ? Kingsnorth, Jeffrey Knight, Adrian Kraty
Martin Langridge, David Lamus, Paul Leppard
Mick & Peter & John Magowan, Laurence Mantella, Linda Martin*, Ian Mathers, David and Andrew Mercer*, John Mills, ? Minting*, Roger Montague, Phillip Moss*
Michael Neil*
Bryan Osborne*, Jeffrey & Peter Owen
Graham Parsons, Graham Partridge, Hunter & Richard Penfold*, Christopher Pickerill, Michael Pierce, David & Richard Poole*, Derek Porter*, Jeanette Porter?*, Michael Procter
Martin Records, David Riddle, Michael Rouse, Martin Rutter
? Sayer, Donald Shepherd, Michael Smith, David Stirling, Laurie Styles
Brian Thomas*, Graham Turner, Tommy Turner, Peter Turvey
? Wagshaw, ? Waite-Brown*, David Walker,  Alan & ? Warren, Ian Weaver, Peter Whale, Peter Willcox*, Francis & William Wood, Eric Wright
Frances Yeo*