Month: January 1976

“Train Trouble” On The Way To Alleyn’s School & Too Much TV After School: End Of January 1976

Image generated with Nano Banana 2 via Google Flow

Those of us who travelled to Alleyn’s School from Streatham Hill felt that we had our own private train to take us to school in the morning. We sort-of did…except that it wasn’t private.

Streatham Hill was primarily on a line that ran between Victoria and Norwood Junction.

North Dulwich – the train station for Alleyn’s School – was on a line between London Bridge and several places, including many stops with the word Croydon in the name, avoiding Streatham Hill.

To get from North Dulwich to Streatham Hill, you needed to change at West Norwood. And vice-versa…

…except that, once a day, in the mornings, there was a special train that started at Streatham Hill that went to London Bridge via Tulse Hill and then North Dulwich.

Harry Potter hadn’t been invented back then, so it didn’t go from platform two-and-three-quarters, but it was, rather magically, emblazoned with the number “01”. Just like a London telephone number in those days.

The train had those claustrophobic little integral compartments that had no corridor connection with other parts of the train. Only access via the door/window on either side of the compartment – one side to the platform, the other to the track. Health and safety hadn’t yet been invented.

Image generated -with much instructional difficulty – using Nano Banana 2 via Google Flow

There are rumours…witness statements even…that some Alleyn’s boys, on some of these suburban railways trains, took advantage of the temporary privacy to make some mischief of their own. I cannot speak for such boys in such carriages, I can only speak of my cohort, who tended to be more sinned against than sinning.

“Mark you that jest. This mock hath turn’d my balls to gun-stones“. Bard Harris by Nano Banana 2 via Google Flow

My cohort usually included Andy Levinson and (I think by that time) Justin Sutton & Rupert Jeffries. I have written about this before:

Me Mugged, Mum Knifed…All In A 10 Day Stretch Around Alleyn’s School & Camberwell in Late February 1975

In my diary I report, on Thursday 29 January:

train trouble…

…and on the next day…

…more train trouble.

I think it was this multiple instance of roughs causing us “trouble” on the train, that led to an informal intervention.

No British Transport Police, no formal reporting of the incidents, no public demand for British Rail to do something. The parents suggested, sensibly, that we have a word with the driver before embarking the next day.

Enter Aiden. A young, long-haired (well it was the 1970s), Irish train driver, who, it seemed, was on shift for the 01 for quite some time. he invited us to ride in the drivers carriage for a few days, after which he recommended that we travel in the nearest compartment to the drivers carriage.

We became friends with Aiden for many months – by which I mean we’d always have at the very least a cheery “hi and bye” with him and sometimes a proper chat – especially if the 01 pulled into the station a couple of minutes before the scheduled time for its departure. It was a disappointment if Aiden was not on our shift, but most of the time the 01’s driver was our good friend, Aiden.

Thems were simpler times.

For the benefit of completists and those who like to see what I was watching on the TV at that time, here is a complete extract of that period’s diary entries:

Tuesday, 20 January 1976 – all ok, rugby good. TV Bugs [Bunny], Ellery Queen, Pro-celebrity golf, Fawlty Towers.

Wednesday, 21 January 1976 – CCF ok. TV – And Mother Makes Five, Kenneth Williams.

Thursday 22 January 1976 – drama, great. TV – World At War, When The Boat Comes In.

Friday 23 January 1976 – All OK. TV – Candid Camera, Hawaii Five-O, The Good Life.

Saturday 24 January 1976 – exeat. Library. TV Upstairs Downstairs.

Sunday, 25 January 1976 – classes and Shalom great. TV Italian job (unfinished).

Monday, 26 January 1976 All OK. TV – Ask The Family, Hello Cheeky.

Tuesday, 27 January 1976 – rugby great. TV Ellerry Queen, Pro-celebrity golf, Fawlty Towers.

Wednesday, 28 January 1976 – CCF cold. TV This Is Your Life, Andy [Levinson] snooker etc.

Thursday 29 January 1976 – train trouble. TV World At War, When The Boat Comes In, The Good Old Days.

Friday, 30 January 1976 – more train trouble. TV Candid Camera, Walt Disney, It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, Yes Honestly.

Saturday, 31 January 1976 – All OK – TV New Faces, Sale [Of the Century], Film [Danger Has Two Faces], Upstairs Downstairs.

Nogagate: Whatever Happened To…And Then Didn’t Happen To…Laurence Noga Of 3BJ? Mid January 1976

Laurence Noga – Goalie Extraordinaire.

The events of January 1976 happened so soon after the Watergate Scandal had unfolded, I don’t suppose it had yet become standard journalistic practice to attach the suffix “-gate” to any scandal. I don’t care – I’m calling this one “Nogagate”.

My diary note of Thursday 15 January 1976 starts with the phrase:

Noga leaving form.

Then, on Monday 19 January 1976, I open my diary note with:

Wrong about Noga. All OK.

How very contra reverse ferret of me. Professional journalism would not have been for me.

So what happened…I mean, something must have happened and then unwound. Was Noga believed to have been promoted or relegated, but actually staying in our division all along? Was Noga initially perceived to have scored an own goal but actually adjudicated to have made a great “on the line” save? Was Noga initially adjudged to have committed a sending-off offence foul but then reprieved by VAR (Various Alleyn’s Representations)? Was I the victim of a “false rumour/class prank”?

I didn’t mention people lightly in my diary, so in my mind, for a few days, this must have been THE big deal. Yet, I’m sorry folks, I now remember absolutely nothing about this.

Someone out there must remember roughly what went on. Mike Jones, for example, was the form master. David Wellbrook and/or Nick Wahla – you two were never far away from the mischief side of 3BJ life. Laurence Noga himself might vaguely recall this matter, of course. If indeed it ever was a real matter.

Here are the diary notes:

For those who like to refresh their memories with earworms from that time, here are three tracks (other than Bohemian Rhapsody, which was surely spent in our consciousness by then even if it was still Number One) from the top 10:

…and for the completists (probably just me and the 1970s TV savages) – here are the full extracts from those diary pages.

Intriguingly, it seems I spent that intervening weekend of Nogagate going through my ‘O’ Level choices with my parents. I have a feeling that the word “perspex” is a malapropism (perhaps deliberate) for “perplexed”. Did they really expect me to persevere with biology, geography and/or Latin? I could get all that at home.

Tuesday, 13 January 1976. Back at school. TV Are You Being Served? Ellery Queen, Pro-celebrity Golf, 48 hours.

Wednesday, 14 January 1976- All OK. TV film -Stewart Granger [Swordsmen Of Siena].

Thursday, 15 January 1976 Noga leaving form. TV World At War, When The Boat Comes In.

Friday, 16 January 1976 – Mum and Dad O-level choices, OK. Uncle Cyril [Barnett] marsala [which means that I went with Cyril and Marion Barnett in the back of their van to their Chalk Farm shmutter premises and they treated me to Marsala ice cream at Marine Ices afterwards].

Saturday, 17 January 1976 – Perspex parents. TV film, New Faces, Sale Of the Century, S.W.A.T. Squad, Upstairs Downstairs.

Sunday, 18 January 1976, classes is good. Paper could be published.! Auntie Doris [Marcus]. TV ?

Monday, 19 January 1976, Wrong re Noga. All OK. TV Ask The Family, Hello Cheeky, Walton’s.

Please folks, let’s solve the mystery of Nogagate collaboratively.

Me As An Engine: Twixtmas & The January Remainder Of School Holidays 1975/1976

Heinz Wolff’s 1975 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (image used for identification) – click here to see all the lectures

I loved those Christmas lectures as a kid and I especially remember enjoying Heinz Wolff’s series that Christmas.

The only other noteworthy points from my diaries for that period are references to writing and finishing “paper” with Lloyd Green. This was probably my first independent writing (and in this case also publishing) initiative. I’ll write more about that in a couple of episodes time, when the initiative took off in mid January 1976. I should really liaise with Lloyd prior to writing it up, to see if he has any specific memories or even relics to throw into the memory pot.

For the completists among my readership (probably just me and 1970s TV addicts) here is the diary extract for that 17 day period before school started up again.

Sunday, 28 December 1975 – dined at Felds. Grandma Anne in the afternoon. Played Kalooki. Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Monday, 29 December 1975 – all OK. TV lecture. Played Mastermind Royale with Uncle George [May, across the road].

Tuesday, 30 December 1975 – shopping. Played with Andy [Levinson] in afternoon after lecture. Played bridge with Uncle Cyril {Barnet, next door].

Wednesday, 31 December 1975 – got new shoes. TV lecture, Three Men in a Boat, Trapeze, Happy Birthday Columbia. Saw In New Year!

Thursday, 1 January 1976 – Dined at La Pistola. TV, Carry On Again Doctor, The Picnic, Supermind.

Friday 2 January 1976 – played with Andy in morning – Mastermind Royale *evening. TV The Good Life.

Saturday 3 January 1976 – Finished first paper. TV Mask of Sheba, Best Of Upstairs Downstairs.

Sunday, 4 January 1976 – classes good. TV MASH, Romeo and Juliet.

Monday, 5 January 1976 – Andy morn, snooker afternoon. TV, Ask the Family, Z Cars, Disappearing World.

Tuesday, 6 January 1976 – had haircut. TV, Are You Being Served?, Ellery Queen, Fawlty Towers.

Wednesday, 7 January 1976 – Meeting morn. Lloyd Green afternoon. [Presumably both to do with the paper] TV And Mother Makes Five, Morecambe and Wise, Tomkinson’s Schooldays.

Thursday, 8 January 1976 – went to Brixton. TV When The Boat Comes In.

Friday, 9 January 1976 – Went to Alan’s [Cooke] – great. TV England Games? Walt Disney, It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, The Good Life.

Saturday 10 January 1976, played with Andy. TV Caprice, Upstairs Downstairs.

Sunday, 11 January 1976 – classes good. Dined at Felds. Kalooki 7p. TV MASH.

Monday, 12 January 1976 – shopping in the morning. Andy afternoon. TV Ask The Family, Z Cars, The Waltons.