Recommended Posts

  • Replies 410
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

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.

Posted Images

  • 1 month later...

I have a photo of the 1971/72 Sixth Form taken on the 'bank',  but the 973Kb size is too big for this site so I can't post it.  The photo is on my 'Arnold County High School' facebook page along with many other photos of the school, old and recent, including the 2016 demolition.  There are also lots of comments from former pupils. Have a look at:  https://www.facebook.com/davidjames1965to1972/

 

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...

Pleased that a regular small group of originals are having one of their regular catch up meals, whilst I'm in Nottingham for a few days, end of August. The email has gone out to them, so I'm looking forward to a good lunch and catch up natter in the city. 

 

Sadly, I heard only last week that one of the originals from Eastwood, who was in our Art class, and a regular attender at reunions, large and small,  passed away earlier this year. 

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...

Yes.  Enjoyed my trip, but all too brief.  Three weeks away, but one week lost in travel (Disneyland one way, Universal Studios the other...) meant just 2 weeks in the UK and just ten days in Nottingham, two of them spent hosting a couple of dear friends from NZ who had never been to Nottingham before. 

 

The ACHS mini reunion lunch was most enjoyable - with 3 of us from the same Mapperley Plains class.

  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...

Gunner297, Dave We;;s is alive in Nottingham, he has attended all the re-unions. Bill Bugg is a retired dentist in Copner/Havent in Hants and the last time I spoke to Jess Jennings he was a London Black Cab driver. I'm alive in Plymouth, often meet up with Alan Seymour, Wilf Herd and Colin Humphries and Terry Palin when he comes over from the States were he lives.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
On 3/12/2018 at 9:26 AM, Socram said:

ACHS: John Quinney; Richard Warsop; Peter 'Charlie' Wragg; Pete Wade; Bob Astley; David Thompson; Stuart Brandreth; Charnell White

158_0601_05 BHGS.JPG

Thanks for posting these photos of BHGS in 1958. That's me top row, 10th from the right next to Rich 'Winnie' Winfield from Mapperly. I did BHGS 1957 - 61 after a year at the Tech. So many faces I can still remember after 60 years! Mick Butler, John Collins, Cheese Cholerton, Bob Greasley, Mick Tyler etc, etc All but about half a dozen of them I've not seen since that last school; day in July 1961

Teachers: Headmaster Ben Lyons, Gabby Hayes, East the Beast!, Miss Crick, Mr Ager, Dr Riley, Miss Walker, the gorgeous Miss Benham!, Spiv Roberts, Basil Saggers,  Pete Cox (Art)

Great days (retrospectively!)

Link to post
Share on other sites
9 hours ago, philmayfield said:

Basil Saggers was the music teacher at Mellish in my time. He lived in Borrowash and was known as ‘Basil the bastard from Borrowash’! I presume he moved to BHGS as it was a much shorter ‘bus ride from home.

Basil taught English at BHGS and we also nicknamed him 'Crow' as he was always picking his nose!

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 4/14/2018 at 5:58 AM, Socram said:

As we never did metalwork at Bramcote, (the metalwork shop wasn't ready) just woodwork with Mr Laker, so I don't think Tomlinson had much time for us at all as 3rd years, knowing nothing and I never did get a grasp of metalwork of any sort.  For our 4th and 5th year, at ACHS, I don't think we even had the option - in fact, our choices seemed to be irrelevant and we just took the subjects we were told to do.  From memory, Tomlinson was the only teacher heard to swear, when one hapless pupil instead of cutting a square piece of copper from the corner of a larger sheet, for some strange reason, cut it out of the middle!

 

Rather baffling that in those final 2 (GCE) years, the Arts side were denied music (not that we were too bothered), but those studying sciences could do it.  We never did technical drawing either.  Having scored my best science mark in Biology,  in the 3rd year, (a rare pass!) quite why it got dropped in favour of Physics with Chemistry as my 1 science subject, for the 4th and 5th is yet another ACHS mystery.

 

I remember George Laker, Woodwork teacher at BHGS, Funny, we always had to have some other name for teachers and someone decided that Mr Laker looked like an albatross. So we knew him as 'Albert Ross'!

Mr Roberts with his little 'tash reminded us of a spiv....so he was Spiv Roberts. He used to like punishing us boys with the slipper!

Geography teacher, Mr Glover, started coming to school in a flat cap so he was christened 'Andy Capp' and hence known as Andy Glover

We got to know Mr Cox, Art teacher's first name was Pete so we openly called him 'Pete' and he didn't seem to mind!

I think everybody knew Mr Briers as 'Jim'

Chemistry teacher, Mr Hayes, was called 'Gabby' for obvious reasons

No nonsense Physics teacher was 'East the Beast'

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 3/27/2018 at 12:14 PM, Rich said:

Hi Everybody

                               Jim Briers is mentioned several times and is obviously fondly remembered.......a really nice guy and a great sense of humour (tried but failed to teach me Latin )........sad to report he passed away last month (Feb 2018).

 

Sad to hear of the passing of Jim Briers. Remember him from his short time at Bramcote Hills. Although he never taught French to our class, the lads in our year whom he did teach were an unruly lot and really gave him the him the run around! When they were playing him up, apparently, he used to stop teaching and say "Right, am just goin' to sit here and wait til yuv all finished with your silly little games"

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 3/27/2018 at 3:13 PM, Gunner297 said:

Hi David, you're right, I don't think H & S existed in those days though I don't remember anyone getting seriously damaged!  Can't remember Chemistry teachers, it was never my strong subject (not that many were) but I remember Dr Jones and Brian Thompson from Biology, both unforgettable characters.  Pupils - of those you mention, I remember Pete Pelling (Paling?), Colin Humphries (celloist) - a good friend at Bramcote Hills Grammar School, though our paths diverged as we got older through ACHS, John Hearson - yes, Ian Fraser certainly (great Billy Fury and Eddiie Cochran fan), Alan Mottershaw also - I tried learning guitar ftrom his example and failed miserably!.  Others have posted on here at various times: Trev Stainforth, Carl Beeson to mention but two.  I often wonder what happened to Dave Wells, Bill Bugg, "Jess" Jennings, David Beardall, John Tanner (I still owe him 10 bob) (my mind's getting fuzzy now) and others from the "Smoke Room".  Cannot remember the Beethoven fan you describe, sorry.   Now..... Ray Ellis, the name is certainly familiar tho' I'm not exactly sure where from. I should do from my Royal Artillery Association connections if nothing else - I'll have to come back to you on that.  Cheers my friend.

 

 

Ray Ellis....Mr Ellis. Best teacher ever. I was in 2 of his classes at Kingswell school in the early 50s. Brilliant! Some of his teaching methods.......a man before his time!

He also initiated the Gym Club; after school on Wednesday nights. We carried on going even after we had left Kingswell. We did PE demonstrations; he organised a rambling trip to Bakewell/Lathkil Dale; we had a Paper Chase. The man was a legend!

And all this without ever knowing he was a 'war hero'. I found this out whilst watching a WW2 documentary just a few years before he died. Did some research and found it was our 'Ray Ellis' in the North African Desert and he'd written a couple of books. I read them and arranged to visit him at his home just outside Hucknall. Apparently I was just one of hundreds who went and paid homage to the man. We chatted for about an hour and I told him none of us had any idea about his wartime exploits even though they were barely 10 years old at that time.

He confessed that none of the other teachers knew either.

Read his books - 'Once a Hussar' & 'Always a Hussar' - you won't be disappointed.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Arnold Mick, I was at Kingswell too, from April 1958,  when I moved to Arnold, til 1961.  I do remember Mr Ellis, one of the few (maybe only) Male teachers at Kingswell.  I’m wondering if it’s the same man as you remember him at Arnold High. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

 

14 hours ago, LizzieM said:

Arnold Mick, I was at Kingswell too, from April 1958,  when I moved to Arnold, til 1961.  I do remember Mr Ellis, one of the few (maybe only) Male teachers at Kingswell.  I’m wondering if it’s the same man as you remember him at Arnold High. 

Hi Liz - I was with the 1st intake in January 1953 having been at High Street Infants. It would be the same Mr Ellis that taught us both at Kingswell but there is a bit of confusion with the Arnold High connection. I am on here as it has connections with the first intakes having been 'refugees' at Bramcote Hills Grammar (my school '56 - '61). So Mr Ellis never taught at Arnold High. He later went on to become Headmaster at a school in Kirkby in Ashfield.

You might have been at Kingswell at the same time as either one of my sisters - Shirley / Linda Fox

Link to post
Share on other sites

Mick, I don’t remember their names but next week am meeting up with a friend I was at Kingswell and CleW with. Pam Gilbert, lived up Killisick. She’s got a fantastic memory for names so she may remember your sisters.  Sorry I got confused with Schools!  I have friends who went to Bramcote Hills but they started there in 1961.  

Link to post
Share on other sites

Ah.  Kingswell!   I was goalkeeper for Mapperley Plains and I remember John & Brian Luff's Mum used to pay whoever scored goal, a shilling.  Had my worst loss when Kingswell beat us 9-0.  Reduced me to tears.  Never got paid for the goals I saved.

 

Good training for playing in an under 15's league at the age of 13, with a combined team from the 105th (St Judes) and 110th (Mapperley Methodists),  down at Victoria Embankment, we lost 23-0!!!  The two year age/size difference was just too much, except for Andy Firth (from Firths grocers) who was our competent captain.  Never won a match...

 

After the 1988 ACHS Reunion, I started writing a book as a counter to Doc Higginson's book 'A School Is Born'.  I have recently started revising and updating it and have elected to produce the Bramcote/ACHS section as a stand alone.  For a couple of years, I was in regular contact with Doc Higginson and he was very supportive.  I owe it to him and to Graham Norbury, to get it published some time. 

 

It may go on Kindle as a paper publication just wouldn't really be worth it.

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 11/14/2018 at 12:34 PM, Beasty said:

Gunner297, Dave We;;s is alive in Nottingham, he has attended all the re-unions. Bill Bugg is a retired dentist in Copner/Havent in Hants and the last time I spoke to Jess Jennings he was a London Black Cab driver. I'm alive in Plymouth, often meet up with Alan Seymour, Wilf Herd and Colin Humphries and Terry Palin when he comes over from the States were he lives.

Beastie. Hi mate.  Thanks for the info, good to hear that (strewth - all in our 70's now as well!).  Give my best wishes to them when you see them

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...

Hi.  I went to the high school in years 1959 to 1964.  Is there anyone out there that went to this school during those  years?  My name then was Cynthia Tuxford and I was one of the first 1st years to attend, based in Schweizer House.   I would love to know if there is going to be any meet up to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the school's opening in September 1959.  I was devastated to learn from posts that it had been demolished as I have very fond memories of my time there.

 

thanks.

 

Cynthia Evans (Mrs)

  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes I started on 1st day of term in Sept 1959.  I was in Form 1F and in Schweitzer House.  I travelled to Arnold from Toton, near Beeston.  The girls travelled upstairs on a double decker bus with an open platform to get on and off by.  Freezing in winter.  Later on we travelled in a Skills coach, which was much more comfortable.  Only just found this site and will tell my good friend (from school almost 60 years ago) about it.  We travelled to school together.  My name then was Cynthia Tuxford, and my friend's Janet Redfern.  Would love to catch up with old schoolmates.

 

Kindes regards to all.

 

Cynthia Evans (Mrs)

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...

Hi I was one of the original 1F inmates. We all had surnames at the latter end of the alphabet. I remember you Cynthia also a lot of the others in that class. Mr Flint was the form master. We all started in Sept 1959 when the school first opened, some from the class went off to Rushcliffe and elsewhere as the new schools opened

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...