Ricky
Jones offers up some memories of
PGS at War
- The
outbreak of World War II
just days before my
joining PGS.
- Half-day
attendance until the
completion of the
air-raid shelters.
- That
awful snowy winter of the
'phony* war, 1939-40.
- The
form being quite property
ticked off for cheering
when a double period of
Latin was interrupted by
the sirens and a trip to
he shelter.
- Collecting
anti-aircraft shrapnel
after the raids of
previous nights.
- Growing
veg in the school
allotments and the
holiday farm camps.
- The
poignant morning
assemblies when
announcements were made
of ex-pupils and staff
being killed or wounded
in action.
- Herbie
Chant, to class,
"Don't go home and
tell your parents that
I've been teaching you
about Socialism".
- 'FAB'
Bailey, to me after I had
remarked that my atlas
showed the pre-1936
European boundaries.
"I suggest you
invite the interest of
the British Museum".
- Mr
Hough, to me in
exasperation. "Like
another famous gentleman,
Jones, my patience is
exhausted". (A
reference to Hitler's
reaction at the rejection
of his 'final offer')
- In
trouble again, this time
in RSB's French class,-my
wilful confusion of joli
and jolly and my
uncontrollable giggles at
the concept of jolly
flowers.
- Mr
Hawthorne's insistence on
our use of both inner and
outer surfaces of the
covers of exercise books
as a wartime economy.
- Also,
his 'gags', e.g.,
"Have you played
football recently,
boy?" "Yes.
Sir."... "And
did you
Win-stanley?".
- The
door handle coming off in
Eddie Wood's hand during
his practical
demonstration of the
Moment of a Force (I
suspect in retrospect
that this was staged).
- Playing
in the two Shield final
games at Goodison Park in
1944 (a better
performance than one or
two games I saw there in
later years - with 30,000
others! (pre-1980, of
course,— in case
Geoff Nulty reads this).
|
