I started keeping a diary in 1974 and I wrote my class timetable in that diary, as shown above.
Unfortunately, I wrote the 1973/74 timetable for 1S in the space where the 1974/75 timetable was supposed to go.
That was not a great start.
I must have spotted my error when the 1974/75 academic year began; I marked in purple and brackets my 2AK timetable.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I have tried to decode the 1S timetable as best as my memory can manage in December 2020, nearly 47 years after I first wrote it down. See below.
The only bit of code I struggled with was double GC (I think that’s what it says) on a Thursday afternoon. I think it might have stood for “General Class”, as I do recall doing fun stuff like drama, skits and the like with Mr Sandbrook that year and can’t work out when else we might have done that.
Someone out there might remember – I’m sure GC won’t have just been a 1S thing.
Specifically for 1S, though, I cannot recall who taught us what in several cases. My memory gets as far as (and there might be mistakes in my plugs):
- English – Ian Sandbrook
- PE & Games – Alan Berry (sometimes Harry Wale, sometimes Paul Sherlock)
- Handicraft – Mr Evans and David Midgely
- Maths – Mr McCartney
- RE – ?
- Music – Pop Kennard
- History – ? [Rohan Candappa reckons Doggie Johnson & I think he’s right]
- French – Trevor Tindale
- Biology – Bernard Rothbart
- Art – James Brew
- Chemistry – John Clarke
- Physics – ?
- GC – well if I knew what it was…but I think Ian Sandbrook
- Geography – ?
Of course this isn’t just a 1S thing – who taught what, to whom, when, might be a fun memory game for people regardless of which class/year we might talk about. But perhaps for now we can stick with people who taught us in our first year.
Anyway, point is, I’d like to engage the hive mind of our cohort on this problem, so I am posting this piece in early December 2020, a few days ahead of one of Rohan Candappa’s Virtual Buttery evenings.
It’s a bit like homework really, but without the risk of censure if you turn up without having done any.
I’ll update this posting once the hive mind has built its metaphorical honeycomb.
Hello Ian, Jonathan Barnett here. You may recall we were at the same primary and secondary schools. I believe the Reverend Stoah taught RE at the time.
I too have fond memories of Trevor Tindale. Has he passed away?
Many thanks for the comment, Jonathan. Of course I remember you from both schools – I think there were only four of us in our year who did the Rosemead to Alleyn’s move. You are quite right to remember Reverend Brian Stowe. He left Alleyn’s for Malvern in 1976 and died recently (January 2021) as announced in Church Times – https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2021/26-february/gazette/deaths/deaths . 2021 was not a good year for our former teachers in that regard – Colin Page and Doggie Johnson also sadly died in 2021. Trevor Tindale died many years ago. I’ll e-mail you one or two other links that might please and/or horrify you. Thanks again.
Geography: Mr Cobb, Mr Page, Mr Buckhurst?