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Hello,   I've only just discovered this site and have enjoyed reading the comments which bring back great memories from 60 years ago. I started at ACHS at the beginning,September 1959,a

Hello,   I'm glad more people are discovering this site. Dennis M above,was that Janet Britten?I seem to remember her from my time at ACHS from the first day in September 1959 to when I

Was on a bus trip in Sicily yesterday. Recognised a Midland accent behind us. He was bought up in Underwood and went to Arnold County High School. He started Sept 61. The small world gets smaller.

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I remember that it was Mr Flint who took our form for rugby and a damned fine instructor he was. Made sport very enjoyable.

Mr Salmon was my English Teacher and I remember him with affection because he had quite a job on his hands yet carried out his lessons with gentility and humour.

For some reason he never knew that I had been to so many schools since the age of five ( about ten including ACHS ) and was rather disruptive in class, yet he was willing to persevere with me and even though it didn't dawn on me until quite some years later, he had been successful in giving me a love of the english language and of reading for pleasure as well as education. So, Many thanks to you Sir.

As a matter of interest, was your Mr Salmom very tall and thin and a pipe smoker? We had a Mr Salmon at William Crane, the best teacher I ever knew, and I've always remembered him with great respect.

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As a matter of interest, was your Mr Salmom very tall and thin and a pipe smoker? We had a Mr Salmon at William Crane, the best teacher I ever knew, and I've always remembered him with great respect.

Sorry about the delay in responding. The answer to your question is Yes! He was , as viewing from the perspective of a fifteen year old boy, about eight foot tall. Quiet yet with a somewhat sardonic sense of humour. I don't know about the pipe smoking as I never had access to the Teachers restroom but I do remember that both he and a Mr Newton who was a Maths teacher were great friends, or rather they were always in each others company during school hours.I am not implying anything other than friendship with the above sentence.

As you I found Mr Salmon to be a kind, thoughtful and interesting person both as Teacher and as man.

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Ref the above number 32, If Mr Salmon is still alive and any one knows of his whereabouts then please pass on my apologies for my behaviour during his classes.

I now know that I was a disruptive pupil and could have learned much more than I did but that was not the fault of Mr Salmon nor Mr Newton. I was born in Beeston Rylands and attended the primary school there for one term before my parents took me and brother and sister off to Australia. Twelve weeks on board a S.S Ranchi attending school. Then To an Immigrants camp ( another school) then to the town of Collie W.A. ( another two schools). Back to the U.K on board another liner ( another school). To Beeston for a six month period ( another school). To Carlton and west dale school, then to Priory road school. To Eastwood sec tech and finally to ACHS where I stood it for two years and thinking I knew best I left six months before sitting GCEs. I think I could have been the first child to leave that school and , with hindsight made the biggest mistake of my 67 years of existence.

However, I now see that with so many schools it was a difficult thing to make friends with any one as everything always seemed so temporary to me, and, I suppose, still does. No ones fault, that was the way of things. The pattern has been repeated with my children but not as much academic disturbances as for me thankfully.

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Replying to post 30 and 31,

Thanks for the welcome. Found a few photos out the box last night. Tried hard to remember which house I was in but keep going blank! It'll come back soon.

Was at school there from 1961 to 66. Originate from Gedling. Anyone else from that area?

Regards Jan

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Hello Jan. funny how the County Council in our school days seemed to enjoy sending us kids all over the county to school. You lived in Gedling and you were presumably bussed up and over Mapperley Plains to Arnold County High whereas I lived just round the corner from ACHS and they sent me to Carlton-le-Willows. Kids were transported from as far away as Hucknall and Eastwood to C-leW. I was the same school year as you but I doubt our paths crossed, however quite a few of my friends at Junior School did go to ACHS.

By the way, nice to see another gal on Nottstalgia, welcome!

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Hello Jan,

Welcome, I am one of the Gedlingites, I went to the Gedling All Hallows until 1959 and then Gedling Secondary Modern on Wollaton Ave until 1963. I lived on the Phoenix Estate until 1966 and then left Nottingham. Perhaps our paths may have crossed. I hope you enjoy yourself on Nottstalga. "Have you any photo's to share?"

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Hi Lizzie and Carnie.

Had to walk that a few times before a proper bus service started up! Carnie I think you were probably at school with some of the people I hung around with. Did used to go to Gedling school to the youth club held in the hall. My husband was at that school and my sister. In fact two husbands. They both left in 64.

Married the first one in my teens and the second one in 95. Do you know either of these names. Rolfe and Lowton?

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Guest Phoenix

Evening all. Came across this forum by accident. Some fascinating threads. I was atACHS from 61 to 67. Spent a lot of time standing at the top of the stairs outside the staff room or waiting outside the headmasters office. Never quite grasped rules!

I was bussed in from Radcliffe on Trent. A couple got on at Bingham which was even further away. Went via West Bridgford and city centre. Don't remember missing a day even through the snow of 63 when the canal and even the Trent froze for a while. I was in Cheshire house. I remember Sue Ryder visiting. She was quite rude, unlike Gladys Aylward who spent a day at the school and was like a little bird. She was so tiny, but vibrant. Mrs Pandit visited too. Jim Briers married Elspeth Sully, the DS teacher and a wonderful soul. His mate was Mr Dockerall. Grey hair and pulled boys by their ears! Anyone remember the ghastly romper suits the girls had to wear for PE? What was that about!

I haven't been back there for more than 40 years. Sometimes memories are best. Miss Thistlethwaite was cool. Took us for French and was laid back but struggled with class control sometimes. And Anne Briggs did English, Mr Roberts geography. Happy days.

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Welcome Phoenix hellothere.

You enjoyed the Roys coach lines to Radcliffe? Remember Helen Luff, she was the woman who tried to keep us all under control during the trips.

It is good to hear from another ACHS veteran.

I was in Aylward House and remember the visit by Gladys Aylward very well. Remnember the teachers as well but it was news that Jim Briers had married the Domestic Science teacher..

....he got a good cook into the bargain.

What area did you live in ROT? You would have been 2 years behind me and I am desperately trying to remember who you could be!

Did you go to Radcliffe Infants School on Bingham Road?

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Guest Phoenix

Thanks Michael and Trevor :-). I was browsing last night and some of the posts here have taken me back years to a Nottingham I've never forgotten. I moved there in 1961 and left in 1967 when my parents moved to another part of the Midlands right in the middle of my A levels.

Yes, I remember poor Helen. She smoked like a chimney and was remarkably tolerant. I know she went ballistic one day when it was a double decker. There was a pile of us on the top deck running from one side of the bus to the other trying, with some success, to get it to sway! After that there was a coach and one of the drivers had been roadie for The Dave Clarke 5. He gave us boxes of photos and posters. Heaven knows what I did with mine. Probably chucked them out because I wasn't keen on DC.

I lived on the outskirts just off the main road near Woodside Stores and a little post office. Roger Webb used to get on there. Next stop was for David Crook, then the village where Ralph Smith and some others got on. I only moved to ROT in summer of 61 so ACHS was the first school I went to in that area.

Looking back, I never really appreciated the value of the teaching there. A great deal of it was excellent and the school was at the cutting edge of best practice teaching. I saw Mr Jones name mentioned. Poor man, he nearly strangled me once, literally! Two of us offered to weed his little garden near the science block stairs. He was very pleased. Set to with gusto and after about 30 minutes was aware of a gargled shouting noise. I looked up and his head was purple, just about ready to explode. Of course, I thought that was funny, so my laughter didn't help the situation. Apparently the 'garden' was filled with special and some rare ornamental grasses. All weeds to unknowing 12 year olds. We'd pulled them all up! He thought it was deliberate but wetsuit thought they were like field grass; weeds!

Miss Bennett; seemed to suffer from a sense if humour by pass, but was actually very nice. Miss Roberts, taught maths and shouted a lot. And Mr Pothecary who also taught maths and amused many of us by arriving at school on a racing bike. He was short and inclined to plumpness, so quite entertaining..

It's been fascinating recalling many of these memories. I'll be 64 soon. Don't the years fly! I'm off to have another browse round the site. Catch you later maybe.

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Phoenix....Sorry but I cannot place Woodside Stores or a small Post Office unless you lived up around the Harlequin. That was the only other PO that I knew of apart from the main one in the village centre opposite the horse trough.

Similarly, your names do not ring a bell either.

Incidentally, I lived at Trevart Kennels back in the late 50s, early 60s after moving from Cliff Drive and if you can remember, the bus used to pick me up opposite my house in a morning and drop me off (without stopping) of an evening.

Helen was good and used to let us smoke downstairs - our lot always claimed the long seats downstairs next to the platform.

Something that you will remember as our two Houses at ACHS used to share the same toilets - the boys toilets being painted in various colours with murals on the walls and back of the dunny door? I heard that our work of art was removed and the place again painted white by the start of the new school year in late 63 and at which time I had left ACHS.

You are right, it was a great place and if you get the chance, read Dr Higginson's book - 'A School Is Born'. It will bring back even more memories for you.

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