Alleyn’s School in 1922- OK it wasn’t THAT long ago
I really was saying very little in my diaries at that time, apart from documenting my TV viewing, which perhaps hold some interest for some readers.
I was clearly still enjoying drama and tried to enjoy CCF, despite not really being the type. I vaguely recall being made to try a bit of rugby that year, which I absolutely hated and Alleyn’s was in fact ill equipped to play. I think it was an experiment based on the notion that, once the school went co-ed, its chances of shining at football would be much diminished.
I recall trying to avoid house rugby as much as possible by playing fives whenever I could, but I had obviously resolved almost to stop writing about my sporting activities that term.
I wasn’t listening to much popular music that year, either. But the following song was an earworm then and can become an earworm again for you if you let it. It does remind me of that time and brings some of the vague memories back.
Listen while you skim my almost content-free diary entries. You’ll need something to stimulate the senses.
Sunday, 26 October 1975– Classes OK. Went to Felds. TV Carry On Laughing, Upstairs Downstairs.
Monday 27 October 1975 – nice day. TV Goodies, Waltons, Ghost Story.
Tuesday 28 October 1975 – OK, had haircut. Benny Hill great. Dr No!!! [This was the first time that film was shown on UK television, so it will have seemed like a big deal. Hence the exclamation marks!!!]
Wednesday, 29 October 1975 – went to Grandma Jenny. TV Carry On Cleo, Rule Britannia, Cooper, Face the music.
Thursday, 30 October 1975 – all OK. $6 million man, Get Some In, Morecombe & Wise.
Friday 31 October 1975 – mum went to hospital. Bonfire. TV Tom and Jerry, Invisible Man, Sykes, Porridge.
Saturday 1 November 1975 – all OK. Went with “Auntie” Winifred [neighbour] with dogs. TV Dick Emery, Kojak, No Honestly.
Sunday 2 November 1975 – classes OK, lunch at Felds, mum and dad went out.
Monday 3 November 1975 – went back to school. TV Goodies, Waltons.
Tuesday, 4 November 1975 – all OK TV Tarzan.
Wednesday 5 November 1975 – good speaker? TV Carry On Screaming, Cooper, Face The Music, Till Death Us Do Part.
Thursday, 6 November 1975 – OK. Drama good. TV $6 million man, Ken Dodd, Get Some In, Q6.
Friday, 7 November 1975 – OK. TV Tom and Jerry, Invisible Man, Sykes, Porridge.
Saturday 8 November 1975 – OK. TV Doctor Who, Basil Brush, Dick Emery, early night
Sunday, 9 November 1975 – classes play. TV Carry On Laughing, Upstairs Downstairs, FBI Story.
Monday 10 November 1975 – all OK TV, Angels, Waltons.
Tuesday, 11 November 1975 – swimming good. TV film good James Garner, Debbie Reynolds [How Sweet It Is (1968)].
Wednesday, 12 November 1975 – lecture. CCF good. TV Carry On Spying, Cooper, Rule Britannia, Face The Music.
Thursday 13 November 1975 – drama good. TV $6 million man and Get Some In Q6 is rotten.
Friday, 14 November 1975 – music good. TV Invisible Man, Pot Black, Porridge.
Saturday, 15 November 1975 – school. After Grandma Anne. TV Dick Emery, Kojak
Sunday, 16 November 1975 – went to Southend. Dined at El Cordola. TV Carry On Laughing, Upstairs Downstairs.
Monday, 17 November 1975 – all OK. TV Goodies, Odie v good, Waltons – a goodie goodie program.
Tuesday, 18 November 1975 – got cold. TV Big Film – platinum robbery [The Biggest Bundle Of Them All], Musical Time Machine.
Wednesday, 19 November 1975 – all OK. Mum and Dad went out. TV Superstars and Cooper, played Monopoly. [Unnamed babysitter will have been one of the Aarons youngsters, almost certainly].
Thursday, 20 November 1975 – OK. Drama good. TV $6 million man, Get Some In, Q6, Miss World, Fiddler onto recorder. [That will be Cyril Barnet’s recording of Fiddler On the Roof in Yiddish.]
Friday, 21 November 1975 evening rows. [Must have been a family gathering at Grandma Anne’s I think. Unless we had our own mini domestic. TV Tom and Jerry, Invisible Man, Pot Black, Sykes, Porridge.
Saturday 22 November 1975 – exeat. Morning table tennis [that must be at Andy Levinson’s place]. Evening saw Iolanthe. [Was this at school or was it at Sadler’s Wells? I can find no reference to it in Scriblerus, nor in a press search for autumn 1975 come to that].
I could use a bit of help with writing up this period. Any memories from people who were in my orbit at that time will be gratefully received.
I believe that the rugby was Mr fairhurst idea – maths teacher
Thanks Vipul, that is top quality remembering on your part. I don’t think I knew at the time which teacher was to “blame” for that ill-considered experiment with rugby. My diary is silent on the details, but I remember dreading those rugby sessions and bemoaning the fact that there were insufficient fives fixtures for me to avoid most of them.
No mention of meeting me yet. I started at Alleyn’s in 1975 coming into year 3 (3AH) and in Tysons house. Different orbits I guess.
My diary barely mentions anybody during that era, Paul, so I wouldn’t take it personally. To be honest, though, I don’t think I got to know you properly until the following year, when I think we were both in 4AT. Any memories from that third year will be gratefully received, though, because the diary is all-but inpenetrable!