Towards the late 60s
the Dining Hall system was
changed to a trendy Cafeteria
hatch-servery style. This was
possibly an egalitarian gesture
courtesy of JCSW. The layout was
thereafter randomly scattered
tables for four and you could sit
anywhere. Sometimes if you were
really unlucky a Master or two
would join you.
Prior to then lunch,
or dinner as we rightly called
it, was taken in two sittings.
Pairs of end-to-end rectangular
tables were laid out in
regimental rows. There was a
chair at each end and benches
along the sides. At the ends
would sit a 5th or 6th former,
possibly a 4th in the second
sitting. They were responsible
for serving the meal to the other
six kids on the table. I suppose
most of these serving boys were
decent. However I have no doubt
that often the head of the table
was taken by a bullying
sociopath. These nearly always
had a pair of sycophantic 3rd
year vultures as their immediate
assistants. At the far end of
each table, i.e. where the two
tables joined, were sat the first
years, the ‘Newts’.
These were often fed the poorest
portions from the pressed-metal
serving trays; and almost
inevitably they would be treated
to the big blob of
‘skin’ off the top of
the custard jug.
Before the meal a
Prefect said Grace. There were a
number of options but the Latin
one was the best. I never knew
what it meant.
The Masters sat at a
long table in the centre of the
Hall. I think they had a table
cloth. At their head sat
“Spud” Heywood. He
would often stand and make long
pronouncements usually bemoaning
the amount of noise we all made
and the generally piggish manners
he often observed. He would also
collect overdue dinner money. It
wasn’t called lunch money so
it had to be dinner, right?
Sometimes he would be really mad
and would yell until his face
went purple. Is it an apocryphal
tale that one time he yelled so
hard that his dentures flew out?
It was believed that
“Spud” had had most of
his stomach removed, which might
explain why he had a personal
rice pudding made each day. I
later heard that it was
considered an honour by some
Masters to be invited to share
“Spud’s” rice pud.
On the menu we all
had our favourites but one of
mine was that rectangular cheese
flan with half a tomato buried in
it. Roast potatoes must have been
everyone’s favourite because
we had them every day for at
least the first five years. Most
of all, nothing could beat the
chocolate sponge with pink
custard.
Tom Storrow
responded to the original posting
and told us of the Press Gang
system which led to him becoming
one of the “waiters”.
These lads brought the serving
trays to the heads of table and
cleared away dishes. It was a
messy job but not without
it’s benefits as almost
limitless seconds were available
to this crew. This may explain
why I do not recall any boy
bemoaning the fact he’d been
pressed into this task. This
reminded me of another form of
Press Gang. The “Nab”.
This was made up of prefects who
would scour the corridors and
schoolyard for boys to make up
the places for the 1st sitting.
It was terrible thing to be
caught as it meant you
couldn’t play footy with
your mates.
Ian Easthope
responded to the request for the
words to the Latin Grace: -
Benedict domine nos
Et es haec tua donna,
Quae tae tua largitatae,
Sumus sumturae.
Per Christum dominum nostrum,
Amen.
(In an email he
later added, “Don't know
what it means precisely, but
think it is Pope-speak for
"For what we are about to
receive may the Lord make us
truly thankful".) Ian’s
Brother Jeff posted a reply
reminding Ian of the total
cock-up that he (Ian) had made
when first granted the honour of
reading it out. Mike Winn assures
me that words are nauseatingly
self-regarding and self-pitying.
In which case I don’t want
to know, I just like the sound.
Bit like Opera I suppose.
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