OLD AZURIANS
ASSOCIATION
This page is where you will find the most recent written contributions from and about Old Azurians
26 November 2020
MARC HENHAM (Saxon 1967-73)
My memories of WHSB, from 1967-1973, so at Bolsover Road, are a little hazy. Mr ‘Taff’ Evans was headmaster back then, Mr Chewter, his able deputy and right arm.
I vividly recall being taught Latin in my first year by ‘Gravey’ aka Mr Gravett, who drilled into us phrases like “puella ambulat ad fenestrum” and “vespa pungit”. ‘Gilps’ aka Mr Gilpin (biology) would give us these tricky weekly tests on little strips of paper to ensure we’d been listening. We had Ms ‘Ma’ Hardman for English, Mr Martin for RE and Mr Ludlow, ‘Lud’ for history as well as our form master, disciplinarian Mr Mohile, ‘Mo’, who also taught us Latin which we all took up to ‘O’ Level. All except for Nick Warren who bravely went on to take it at ‘A’ level. Folically challenged Mr ‘Peanut’ Kingston was our teacher for British Constitution, and I must say every lesson was captivating. He, too, was our form master one year and would sometimes regale us with tales of his time in Africa. The very able Mr ‘Rex’ Harrison taught us maths, having perfected the art of addressing the class while looking out of the window! We had the fearsome duo Mr Diggins and Mr Kelynack for PE, the latter being somewhat sadistic in meting out punishment for those who failed to clean their plimsolls properly. Somewhat surprisingly, Mr Diggins was genuinely concerned when I got knocked out playing goalie in a soccer game against a staff eleven - so not always living up to his tough guy image. I remember the outdoor swimming pool water always being freezing cold. Mr ‘Baby’ Kenn, our geography teacher would take us into Worthing for ten pin bowling, which was great fun.
Many of the boys in our year played soccer in the open gym come lunchtime, but we i.e. mates Mike Outridge, Graham Towse, Robert Hann, Graham Stevens, occasionally Paul Brown and Peter West and others, had our, shall we say, less intense soccer games.
Languages were not terribly popular and I remember there were just seven of us doing French and only four doing German at “A” level, most boys opting for maths and science subjects.
The standout teacher for me has to be Mr Crocker, so full of enthusiasm in teaching us ‘Die Weisse Rose’ and Erich Kästner’s ‘Als Ich Ein Kleiner Junge
War.’ So good a teacher was Mr Crocker that I rather miraculously got an “A” in A level German. I’d love to see him again and shake his hand.
I can’t say I loved my school days but, looking back, they weren’t all that bad really, and we were very lucky to have such high-calibre teachers, many
of them coming from Oxbridge.
On leaving WHSB I studied modern languages at Bradford University, subsequently joining the European Chemical Industry Council, my employer
ever since, until I retired last October. I am married and have lived in Brussels these past forty years or so.
This photo was taken in the summer of 1967. Marc is in the front row, ninth from the right, clutching his ankles. The boy to his right is Marc's good friend Michael Outridge. Marc would have been 12 at the time.
Marc's elder brother, Ralph is in the fifth row from the front, fourth from the left. Ralph's friend Jeff March is to his right. Ralph was a big Elvis fan at the time, hence the Elvis quiff.
14 November 2019
STEWART TAYLOR (1960-67)
Stewart has provided some details about the history of the school organ
I was one of the school organists (there were about four of us, I think - those were the days). The organ was a seven rank Compton cinema organ that came from the Odeon Cinema, Manor Park. It was installed by the local firm of organ builders, Morgan and Smith, in a specially built chamber. I did some work on cleaning the console and making the key contacts work properly again. The Headmaster, 'Taff' Evans, would not countenance the re-installation of what are known in the cinema organ trade as 'traps', so we lost the klaxon and the train whistle and various other goodies - a wise decision on his part! I don't think that there was room in the chamber for them anyway. The organ worked very reliably for the years when I was there: The scheme was the brainchild of our inspirational music master Dennis Charles, who nurtured and encouraged the various musical talents as they passed through the school; we all owe him a great debt of gratitude.
As to what happened to the organ I'm afraid I don't know. I fear that it was probably scrapped. If I can find out more I'll let you know.
4 November 2019
DAVE ‘WALLY’ GOULD (Angle 1962 – 1969)
I am delighted to welcome Dave to our web site community, especially as he belongs to one of the younger generations that saw out most of their school days at the Bolsover Road premises. He has lived in Cheshire since 1980 and has now written a fulsome account of his memories from his school days and subsequent career which I feel merits publication with a minimum of blue pencil interference on my part, so I hope you enjoy it. He has also provided a list of friends who he would like to make contact with.
II have been trying to contact old school friends and colleagues from WHSB for quite a long time now, so I was really excited when I discovered this superb website containing so much information, memories and photos. It was actually from one of these photos, a school rugby sevens team from the 1950’s that I came across two pupils with a direct connection to myself. One of them was Dave Corbett who taught me at Goring C. of E. Primary School prior to me going to WHSB. The other was Paul Buet who was my form teacher in the 6th. Form at WHSB and taught me ‘A’ Level Physics.
I started at WHSB in September 1962. My first year coincided with the last year that the school was to be located in the Broadwater area. I remember my very first day as being terrifying and often recollect those ancient dark timber-framed classrooms set out in quadrangles with the teachers looking so stern-faced and scurrying around each in a long, black, flowing gown. It all seemed so much like the film ‘Tom Brown’s School Days’ compared to the relative tranquillity that I had experienced at my quaint, little Primary School. However, as time passed getting to know my new schoolmates (only one of my friends from Primary School – Melvin Wild went to WHSB at the same time as me), new teachers and general school life things settled down. I was mad keen on football and remain a devoted supporter of Liverpool FC (hence the reason I chose to be an ‘Angle Red’ when I joined the school). As a result, I was very quickly given the nickname ‘Wally’. This was after Wally Gould who at the time was playing professional football for Brighton & Hove Albion. Surprisingly, this nickname has stuck with me all my life and most of my friends who have remained in the Worthing area still call and know me as Wally. At school, many of us would play football at the break times on the tarmac playground areas with a tennis ball which was good for honing ball skills. Unfortunately for me WHSB was a ‘big’ Rugby school and having never played it before, I wasn’t looking forward to my first ‘games’ period. My mind would work overtime, detailing the injuries that I would receive from my first tackle!!! To my complete surprise however, I came through it unscathed and really, really enjoyed it.
My second year coincided with the opening of the newly-built WHSB at Bolsover Road in Durrington which was only a short walk from my home. I felt that all of us, pupils and teachers, were so privileged to have a brand new school building with marvellous facilities including, I think, being the first and only school in the town to have its own swimming pool. No more trips to Heene Baths!!
Despite my initial misgivings of rugby, I was very proud and fortunate to be chosen for the school U15XV and also the sevens team. We had some great times, particularly playing matches at other schools eg. Forest in Horsham. I remember us being waited-on by their pupils with a hot meal and drinks, even if we had won the match. I also remember when a group of us, usually at the back of the coach and on the way home, would sing our rendition of The Who’s song ‘My Generation’, which was a big hit at the time. It was on one of these away trips that I first met up with a lad named Nigel Green. He had joined the school following his family moving down from the Grantham area. He was also a big football fan (Nottingham Forest supporter) and we have remained life-long friends. There is one incident I always remember, where my love of football clashed with my school rugby. In 1965 I had been chosen to play for the U15XV but the date of the match clashed with a match when Brighton were playing away at Bournemouth. My brother-in-law had planned to take me to watch the game as a birthday present. I told my rugby teacher Mr. P. Benson that unfortunately I would be unavailable to play for the school on that particular day. I was immediately summoned to see the Headmaster Mr. T. A. Evans for a chat!!! Whether rightly or wrongly, I chose to watch the football match. Once you reached the Upper Sixth, instead of playing rugby in the ‘games period’ you were given the option to play football. At the age of sixteen, I was already playing for Ferring Football club on Saturday afternoons and was very proud to be named captain of the School XI. Despite my decision back in 1965, I hope that in my final year, I may have repaid the school in some way by being chosen to represent WHSB as captain of the Worthing Schools Representative Football X1. Furthermore, I was then very honoured to be chosen to be part of the Sussex Senior Schools Football Association Squad at the Bognor Regis Festival during April 1969. As a result, and again representing WHSB, I played for the SSSF ‘B’ Team against Lincolnshire and then for the SSSF ‘A’ Team against Durham. I think that I was the first pupil to represent the school at football by playing for both the Worthing Schools Representative and the Sussex Senior Schools Teams).
My overall recollection of the seven years that I spent at WHSB is one of working hard to achieve my academic results but at the same time having lots of fun and enjoyment with my schoolmates. The majority of teachers, whilst needing to be strict at certain times, were very helpful and considerate. However, unlike school life nowadays, we never got into ‘normal’ conversations with them regarding current affairs news, what was on TV, the latest sports results etc.. The names of four in particular, will always stay with me.
MR. E. H. FOINETTE (Chemistry) - whenever I came across him particularly in the company of pupils, he always appeared to be in a very bad mood. One of his favourite sayings was “I’ll separate you from your breath BOY”. I think those were the first words I heard on my very first day.
MR. J. T. SAMUEL (Maths) – terrified me throughout my time at school and would bring me to tears the night before a Maths lesson on the next day if I hadn’t been able to complete his homework. However undeterred, I continued to study Maths at ‘A’ Level but this time under the expert tutelage of MR. R. P. MACRAE and gained a very satisfying Grade ‘B’.
Compared to Messrs. Foinette and Samuel, MR. H. B. GILPIN (Biology) was often fun to be with. He was a small man with dark brown, wispy hair and a big moustache. He was also blessed with a strong grip which would be often demonstrated when he caught anyone chattering or not paying attention during the lesson. He would get a firm hold of their earlobe and march them down to the front of the class. I also always remember that if we had a small written test to do in class, say 10 questions, the size of the piece of paper that he would hand out to write the answers on was no larger than a postage stamp. (Although an economic use of paper I do not think we appreciated that he was trying to save the world’s tree forests way back then).
After my ‘A’ Levels, I went to Liverpool University and gained a B. Eng degree in Building Science.
The excellent upbringing and education that I received from my family and from WHSB and University has enabled me to have a very varied and satisfying career in the design / construction of Civil Engineering Infrastructure for the Petro-Chemical and Nuclear Industries. One of the most satisfying aspects of my work is that, on many occasions I have been able to see the project right through from its early design conception to completed construction. I have also been very lucky to have been able to work for several large Design Consulting Firms and Companies across the UK and in Saudi Arabia. I retired at the end of April 2018.
I had a great time at WHSB with all my school mates and particularly during the 1960s when the ‘Mods & Rockers’ era was in full swing. At last, I have recently been able to make contact with one of my good mates at WHSB John Dickson (a fellow Angle). Unfortunately, John informed me that another of our friends David Poole (Nickname ‘Puddle’) had sadly passed away some ten years ago. In addition to this news, another close school mate of mine, Andy Perrett was tragically killed in a motor scooter accident in Worthing back in 1970.
I hope it is possible to make contact with some of my school mates that I haven’t seen or spoken to since we all left WHSB in 1969 to go our separate ways, quite a few names come readily to mind;
Pete Sharpe, Phil Maddock (Crud), Kojo Jectson, Melvin Wild, Robin Ward, Graham Bond, Michael Clarke, Stuart McAlpine, Mick Marchant, Andy Lowe, Alec Razzell, Keith Razzell, Colin Sweeney, Barry Keech, Rob Barnett, Steve Lewis, Chris Stapley, John Yates, Ashley Jillett, Chris Spratt, Tim Martin, Ken Ikin, Chris Fendick, Steve Eginton and Phil James.
I send my best wishes to you ALL.
15 February 2019
KEITH (Chaz) CHALLEN (Jutes) 1954 – 59
Keith says he enjoyed school and if he had spent more time working instead of laughing, he might have done better. He went on to Polytechnic and became a building surveyor and includes the following example of his exploits on a local farm:--
"CG had a dairy herd and we used portable Alfa Laval milking machines for collection. Cows may be sentient beings but they have no sense when it comes to social manners. The process of nature in the raw went on regardless whilst I was trying to work amongst loud mooing and projectile discharging. When a tail lifted, it was time to duck out of the way and most of them would leave something behind for me to clear up. I would have to scrape, sweep and wash down the stalls and wash out all the equipment leaving it ready for the next time. Milking involves a lot of work and when I asked him about money, he cast his eyes around the milking shed, by then cleaned and cleared and lamented in all seriousness, “I can’t really see what you’ve done!”
Form 1b November 1954 provided by Keith Challen
Back Row:
Reg Parton, Chris Bedford, ?, Rod Marten, Dave Goodger, Dave Pearce, Rob Laughlin, ?, ?, Mike Dunnett, Simon Budd, ?
Centre:
Alan Lambourne, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, Andy Loosley, Keith Dean, Barry Hopkins, ?, Keith Challen, Mike Corfield, Ron Charman.
Front Row:
?, Tony Suter: Melvyn Ellis, Ray Gladwell, Paul Murray, Reg Suter, ?, Arthur Lord.
27 November 2018
JOHN SWABEY
John has provided the words of a School rugby song as he recalls them:
We're from the Worthing High School,
We need a new full back,
We need four new three-quarters and eight men in the pack;
Then with a couple of half-backs I'm sure you will agree:
Mein Gott, mein Gott, we're a bloody fine lot
We're the WHSB
19 January 2018
ALAN BUDGEN
Ed: Alan has broken new ground by contributing information about the introduction of hockey to the sports made available at the school, and also a photo of the first team formed, of which he was captain. (see here)
I joined the 2nd year at WHSB during 1971 when my family moved from Portslade to Worthing. I believe that the photo (see here) was taken in the 4th year and was in the spring of 1973.
With the advent of the 6th Form College, WHSB was widening the range of sports on offer from the traditional Rugby / Cricket and we were their first hockey team. The photo was taken to promote the team / sport.
Initially we played friendlies against other local schools notably Durrington and WHSG. I remember that we beat WHSG 4-0 on their home ground. During the 5th year and lower 6th year we played games on Saturday afternoons in a local league against adult teams including Worthing Penguins. Several members of the team including myself attended trials for Sussex, but none of us were selected. The trials were held at Varndean School in Brighton, and the selected squad at that time was dominated by players from Eastbourne College.
16 August 2017
CHARLIE WOODHAM
Ed: Charlie is not, in the original meaning, an Old Azurian, having not attended WHSB. However he did play for the Old Azurians RFC after he came to Worthing as a recently demobilised National Service squaddie, and has published a book about his life which includes episodes about his time as a player for the Club. It is on that basis, and because what he wrote is highly entertaining and illustrates what club rugby could be like in the 1960s, I have, with Charlie's permission, decided to share part of his book with you.
I was now playing rugby most weekends for "The Old Azurians" which had once been a club exclusively for Worthing High School old boys, but was now open to anyone. I wasn't very talented or fit and played for the 3rd fifteen, or Extra A as it was known. The team consisted mainly of fading 30-40 year old veterans with a few youngsters who had not long left school and were having their first taste of adult, club rugby. We were usually two or three men short and lost heavily most weeks. I was the team captain and on the club committee where I fulfilled the role of Press Officer.
As Press Officer I would telephone the local paper over the weekend with the scores and a brief match report for each team. It was not unknown for me to accept bribes, in the form of free beer, to give a particular player a mention in my report. The Extra A team reports were usually pretty depressing as we lost by 50 or 60 points most weeks - in fact during the two seasons I had captained the side I don't think we had won a single match. My Extra A team was affectionately known as 'Woodham's Wanderers' and was often the victim of cruel jokes, but miracles do happen and eventually we gained the victory I craved.
The elusive win was achieved when we played a match against Seaford Extra A. They turned up with even less players than we had and by some miracle we won comfortably 25-3, not only that but, as the designated kicker for the team, I had converted two tries and kicked two penalties, so my personal contribution had been ten points. I wrote a glowing report of our match for the paper and finished it by saying "Team Captain Charlie Woodham's personal tally was ten points." The paper came out the following Wednesday and I rushed to buy a copy and bask in my brief moment of sporting fame. To my horror they had either misheard my telephoned report, employed a dyslexic typesetter or adapted my report to reflect my unsavoury reputation because what they had actually printed was "Team Captain Charlie Woodham's personal tally was ten PINTS." I never lived it down and never mentioned my name in a match report again.
The book is entitled "Licensed to Laugh" and this and further excerpts from it may be viewed here (enter Azurians in the search box on this page)
13 October 2015
007 was here!
It has recently come to light that the actor Sir Roger Moore was a pupil at Battersea Grammar School in the early days of World War II and was one of its boys who were evacuated to WHSB. He was subsequently evacuated to Holsworthy in Devon.
8 October 2015
MICHAEL TAYLOR (1963-67)
Ed: In the course of correspondence with Michael Taylor about his entry in the HALL of FAME page, in addition to contributing some of the material that I have used on that page, he compiled some memories of his time at school which are reproduced here.
I can't say my school days were the happiest time of my life, but the headmaster, Mr Evans, struck me as a very moral, fair and humane man with a strong sense of justice, whose assembly talks could be compassionate and thought-provoking. He had a way of leaning eagle-like over the lectern and engaging us with a gimlet eye to deliver monologues for our improvement, and I must say that some at least went in. Unfortunately I seemed to be a perpetual disappointment to him, and I was almost asked not to take my O-levels. I suspected this was an attempt to keep up school averages, but I may be mistaken. I feel it only fair to say that I met Evans a few years later at a concert where he was sitting in front of us. To my surprise, in the interval he turned round to apologise to me, saying that schools and teachers did their best, but didn't always get it right.
I remember Mr Dickinson the art master as a rather long-suffering kindly soul who did his best, but I'm afraid that many considered his lessons a bit of a skive. He would often set us something to do, and then retreat to the safety of his little stock room to work on one of his own watercolours, only coming out to pass terse judgement on our efforts as the bell went. He always responded enthusiastically however to interested pupils, and having been to the Royal College of Art could, with a bit of encouragement, recount lurid tales of Lucian Freud or Edward Burra to those who showed an interest. He was always kind and constructively supportive to me, inviting me to provide occasional illustrations to the school magazine, but I think he had understandably grown rather tired and disillusioned by the time I was in his class.
Despite its large sunny windows and well equipped pottery annex, his art room at the far end of the corridor had a rather gloomy 'Eyore's Place' feel to it. This lively drawing in an old copy of the 'Azurian' by C Price Whittle shows it just as I remember.
Thatched Cottages: a pen and ink drawing by M R Taylor Form 3S
The Azurian c.1966
Having a keen interest in wildlife, and being a fanatic Gerald Durrell fan, the other teacher I remember with affection was our biology master, Mr Gilpin. He was a small, bright eyed, moustachioed, weathered-to-mahogany man who I was told lived in the woods with a collection of owls and reptiles. Indeed, I remember the biology room contained a number of vivariums containing amphibians, reptiles and a small plague of locusts. He smoked a briar pipe which shrouded him in blue smoke, and I clearly remember him administering chastisements by gently, but repeatedly hammering it upside down (unlit) on terrified pupils heads to emphasise his words. He took it very badly when someone's mother complained, telling us with tears in his eyes how much he really cared for us all, and it was only his way of showing it! He was certainly very kind to me, and I spent many lunch times pestering him during his precious reading time with questions about reptiles or birds. He had a wonderful breeding colony of fruit flies with different coloured eyes by which he taught us the fundamentals of genetics. I realize now this was pretty advanced stuff for the time and I was very proud to be put in charge of them for a while. I also took charge of some of his appallingly smelly ferrets. When I went to say goodbye, having made the decision to abandon A-levels in favour of taking up a place in art school, he warmly wished me the very best of luck, and confided that he wished he'd done the same himself!
Ed: It was Mr Gilpin who, around 1948, adorned the walls of the biology lab with marvellous pastel drawings of animals.
29 May 2015
STUART ELMS (1957-63)
Stuart has contributed this photo of his form taken in 1958 -
are there any other "Form Photos" out there?
Stuart is seated 4th from right in the front row.
29 April 2015
PETER HILLMAN (1962-65)
As a lapsed member of the association (there was never any news of anybody I knew as I was only there for two years and two terms!) two recent events prompted me to seek out the Old Azurians’ website.
Firstly, a couple of weeks ago, after speaking to a Horsham Probus group about my experiences at home and abroad after 45 years with the Immigration Service, and having mentioned going to school in Worthing, one of the members spoke to me – I am afraid I didn’t get his name but I gathered he may be quite prominent in the OAs and we exchanged reminiscences about our respective times at the school – he was slightly earlier than me.
And then yesterday, driving past Bolsover Road for the first time in quite a while, I was astonished to see the school had vanished and had been replaced by a housing estate! I felt quite sad as I had been at the school when it moved from its Broadwater site in the early 1960s.
I joined the school in the sixth form in 1962 as we as a family had moved to Worthing when my late father took up post as head of English up the road at what was then called Worthing Technical High School. I had completed my O levels disastrously and the then Headmaster, Mr T A Evans, was minded to get me to take them all again, but as I had earlier than usual passed French and German at O level and already done some A-level work, he took pity on me and accepted me to do English, French and German with a re-sit of O-Level maths. I studied with Messrs Fuller and West (English), Jeeves and Strange (French) and Mr Corden (German). I didn’t particularly distinguish myself academically gaining 2 grade Cs in French and German and an E in English. Not finishing some of the set books probably didn’t help....! Not knowing what to do I went back for a third year in the sixth form doing a bit of S level and Art Appreciation with Mr West. Mr Evans made me deputy head boy under Chris French – I left after two terms when I was accepted into the Civil Service in the Home Office Immigration Service in April 1965, staying there serving at home and abroad until 2010. One of the highlights of my short stay was a cruise to the Holy Land on the SS Dunera. I belonged to the school choir and recall singing “Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast” in a school concert and I was also a member of the aeronautical society with Andy Hofton. A trip to London to see a classical French play in Mr Jeeves’ yellow Citroen DS was a real treat as he drove quite fast.
Sadly I have no contact with any of my former fellow pupils. One of my best friends was a chap called John G D Bibby who studied classics with Mr Mohile; John and I played endless games of table tennis at the sports centre next door to the “new” school in Field Place. Needless to say I still have the very long rolled up photo taken during my time at the school which I remember with great affection, as well as the school magazines from that time as well as some reports! Mr West’s succinct comment against Art Appreciation was “Interested” which displayed an uncharacteristic lack of judgement as, sad to say, I wasn’t.
3 February 2015
JOHN LINTERN: (1951-59)
The proudest moment of my time with the WHSB 1st XV was when we participated in the Sussex Sevens Competition - probably in 1958 - which was a knockout competition for Sussex Clubs with participation from Sevens sent down from the leading London Clubs of the time - Rosslyn Park, London Scottish, London Welsh, etc. We entered as a schoolboy seven - and contrived to get to the semi -final, beating the Worthing 1st Seven enroute, and lost finally to the London Welsh Seven - the eventual winners of the tournament. We had the unusual distinction for a schoolboy side of winning the trophy for the Sussex side which had progressed furthest in the competition.
I know for a fact that Roger Quittenton and Rob Langridge were in the school seven that memorable day - my apologies to the others - I hope they are all still alive and well and able to recall that great day for the old school . Worthing was always a big challenge for the School - I remember well the traditional Boxing Day encounters of that era - and defeating the town team in a prestigious Sevens tournament was a feather in all our caps.
24 February 2014
GRAHAM SCAMBLER: BSc in Sociology University of Surrey 1971; PhD in Sociology London University; Lecturer at Charing Cross, Middlesex and University College Hospital Medical Schools; Professor of Medical Sociology at UCL 2001; now Emeritus Profesor of Sociology at UCL.
Graham has published an account of his time at WHSB. What follows is an edited version:
Worthing High School for boys was an awakening. Grammar schools aped the independent sector in having “houses”. WHSB had four and I was assigned to Jutes. My first-form teacher, Mr (‘Horace’) Anderson, called me ‘Scambler’ while others were greeted by their first names. He took the trouble to tell me this was because I was ‘mature’. No such thing: I was merely a shy only child used to adult company. But it was a new life of teachers in gowns, order, learning and homework; and sport. In retrospect it was a strong education, intellectual, demanding and focused.
The teachers were a decent bunch, with a few characters standing out. Short-fused Welshman Mr Samuels who tried (but failed) to remain our form teacher for three consecutive years, social historian Mr Ludlow who triggered a lasting interest in the past lives of ‘ordinary people’; Mr West, who took us through ‘Macbeth’, Spencer’s ‘Fairy Queen’ and much of Milton, and appointed me editor of the school magazine. Mr Franklin, ex-Head of Christ’s Hospital and celebrated full-back for Oxford versus Cambridge back in the mists of time, dropped by to teach ancient history (appositely we thought). Presiding over this bunch was Mr (‘Taffy’) Evans, one of the few genuinely charismatic people I have encountered. Unencumbered by self-doubt yet firm and fair, he epitomized the post-war grammar school ethos.
After a year or two catching the train to Worthing Central I graduated to cycling to school; but then the school decamped to Durrington. Pristine premises replaced the clutch of barracks and outbuildings. The principal sports on the menu here, as at the Manor Road site, were cricket and athletics in the summer and rugby in the winter. After a cursory inspection of my height and build on the rugby pitch I had been inserted into the scrum, only escaping from this violent, enigmatic and haunted place when, given the ball in space I showed an unexpected turn of speed. From this point on I was on the left wing. I made the under-15 Sussex XV and was in the school first XV from the age of 16. I cannot claim to have been a skilful player, but I was well built and fast. If I was not a ‘natural’, others were: Ian Wright, captain of the first XV, went on to play fly half for England in 1971.
Track and field was more my forte, and I was manoeuvred out of the school cricket XI to concentrate on athletics as a result. Charging too late in what was then the 220 yards in the county championships, I missed competing in the national championships by inches, placed third but clocking the same time as the first and second placed.
As this suggests, sport was and remains important to me. I am inclined to recall it better than my messed-up A-levels. One of the most depressing episodes in my young life was returning to do re-takes. I even refused to play for the first XV, privileging revision. My disappointing results were mostly but not exclusively my fault. We all failed history for example; Mr Ludlow was almost suicidal and the school appealed, but to no effect.
When push came to shove I was somehow able to deliver appropriate A-level grades. There were lessons however. First and most important, poignant and imprinted on my memory is my parents’ announcement in 1967 that they were willing to fund my staying on at school for re-takes: the costs to them had never even occurred to me.
So just how was this grammar school habitat? Green-blazered and capped till the sixth form, it was a formal, ordered and hierarchic existence. Grammar schools imitated elite public schools in that respect too. If I began to emerge from my cage of shyness I did so slowly; but at least I bent the bars. I ended up Jute house captain and captain of track and field. I also ended up a pipe-smoking fresher at Surrey University in that year of revolutionary fervour, 1968.
Ian Wright's 1971 matches for England: v Wales 16 Jan; v Ireland 13 Feb; v France 27 Feb; v Scotland 20 Mar (sub)
JOHN VIRGOE on Johnians:
Cambridge success
John Virgoe (Angle, 1948-1955) who went up to St. John's College, Cambridge after National Service in the RAF, writes to relate some interesting facts about the school's relations with that College.
He asked the College to say how many OAs studied there. He was astonished by the reply and asked around among fellow Johnians to see what their guess would be. The highest estimate was 50. That was too low.
Between 1939 and 1997, the school sent 67 pupils up to St. John's. The first to go up was Patrick Willmore who won an open scholarship in 1938 and went up the following year. He became a distinguished seismologist.
In the 1960s, the most successful decade, 20 OAs went up. Thirteen went up in the 50s and 70s. In the 80s 10 OAs made it, but in the 90s the number was down to four.
Part of the reason for so many OAs choosing St. John's was Mr Cecil Jenkins, the head of chemistry. He was a Johnian, graduating BA in 1923, who was the twentieth master to join the school in 1925, a year after its foundation. He remained until his retirement in 1965. He died in Worthing in 1979.
JENKINS'S INFLUENCE
John Virgoe recalls that Mr Jenkins encouraged pupils considering going to Cambridge to apply first to his old college. During his teaching years 1939-1965, 32 boys got into St. John's. There were no admissions after 1997.
In the late 1950s, John was told that the college had adopted a policy of offering places without interview to applicants from schools with a record of supplying good students. It seems our school may have been one of those schools.
Editor's postscript: An extract from School Notes in The Azurian of July 1952 reads
"We are very glad to record that Stanley Gill (1935-43) has been elected a Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, he is the second of our boys to obtain that distinction". Read more about Stanley Gill in HALL OF FAME.
MIKE REYNOLDS: e-mail from New South Wales, Australia
Mike Reynolds (1948-56) wrote:Idly browsing on the internet and I came upon the Worthing Azurians site.I did A levels in Geology (John Allchin), Zoology and Botany (John Gilpin and “Frosty” Foinette). I was an Angle, as was my brother Geoff, who was four years ahead of me.After National Service 1956-58 (RAF) I joined the Geological Survey of Great Britain as an Assistant Experimental Officer, working in the Palaeontology Department and progressed to Senior Scientific Officer with a B.Sc. and M. Phil. from London University.In 1981, I migrated to Australia where I changed career and worked in the Public Service, firstly in the Taxation Department, and later in Immigration.Retired in 1992 with my second wife. We live on the south coast of NSW. Interests include Bushwalking, U3A, Tennis, Croquet and Bridge.
DICK BATEMAN recalls his first day at WHSB which was also the first day of classes at Bolsover Road:
One July day in 1963 Mowbray R. F. (Dick), Roberts S. J. (Sid), Austin J. C. (John), Coyne P. V. (Paul), Fraser F. C. (Freddie) and Bateman R. P. (me) left our primary school after lunch and walked together to Worthing Central railway station. We travelled two stops to Durrington and reported at a brand new building which was still being finished off, and which was busy with older boys unloading vans and cars, carting cardboard boxes, cupboards, chairs and desks about. They were moving into the brand new site of Worthing High School for Boys on Bolsover Road, and we six had come for a look round our new school.That July of 1963 the High School held its last summer fête on the old Broadwater Road site, frustratingly just a couple of hundred yards from St Wilfred’s Road where I lived.The year I went to WHSB just had to be the year it moved two miles away!So in September 1963 I set off for the station in my smart new bottle green uniform with the Sussex martlets on my breast pocket, my brand new cap, which took days to “break in”, and my satchel.A half return to Durrington from Worthing Central cost 6d. By 9 o’clock I had become an Angle, and was in Room 3 listening to my form master Mr J. H. West. We had a couple of lessons after all the administration had been completed, but I only remember the last one – French with Mr Strange! This was 1963, and so I went home that day proudly reciting “Je suis, tu es, il est, elle est, nous sommes…” I was now a grammar school boy.