Claremont Bilateral/secondary modern

[fewkeste 8]

Brillo, your post with details of all the teachers was excellent - you seem to know so much more about them then I ever did. I'm still in contact with Dave Croucher and Steve Newbold.

 

I was at Claremont from '69 to '74 - if I remember correctly were you and Dave one year later than me?

 

Zab - are you any relation to Ben Zabulis by any chance? - he was in my class during my time at Claremont. I  made contact with him a few years ago when there was a school reunion at Llyods Bar in Hockley in 2003 ish. He is or was working somewhere exotic in Asia I think.

 

All of these memories are brilliant - I also remember Eric Dibb's film club. I think when I was there, we were only at the Claremont Road site (and the Seeley Annex) for one year before being totally based at the old Forest Fields Grammar school site on Stanley Road. At the Claremont site we squeezed into his room for the after school film club to watch whatever film he had hired.  Also I really used to look forward to the end of term films he'd put on. Down to Gilberts for a quarter of pineapple chunks and then to the hall to see what delights he had for us.

 

When you think what Eric Dibb did for Claremont pupils he certainly deserves some recognition. Presumably  he's no longer with us. Did he have any children does anyone know?

 

The postings from other (older) contributors make me realise just how talented some of the Claremont teachers were. For example I never knew Mr Turner was an Oxford man (incidentally, he was on East Midlands today in the not too distant past - I can't remember why though.)

 

Anyway, having read this thread from beginning to end it's been a great trip down memory lane - thank you to all who have contributed their memories.

 

Steve Fewkes

[fewkeste 8]

Reading all of these memories has reminded me of a story my friend Steve Newbold told me. It concerns Mr Naylor the science/chemistry teacher. It may or may not have happened at the Seeley annex. Apparently Mr Naylor was demonstrating the differing levels of reactivity of the alkali metals and was using a pneumatic trough (a big glass bowl) filled with water.  You drop a piece of an alkali metal into water and the reaction gets increasingly lively depending on which alkali metal you use.  Presumably he started with Lithium, then Sodium and then, when he got to Potassium, apparently he put a slightly too big a piece in and the whole lot exploded sending chunks of glass into the classroom embedding them into the benches where his class was!! I think this happened at the Seeley annex but I can't be sure. If it was it would have probably been '69 or '70. Anyone else remember it or was there? Health and safety - pah!  Steve would have probably been in 1B or possibly 2B when it happened. I never saw him (Mr Naylor) from roughly that time on - I wonder.....

[Frank Johnson 24]

Hello! My name's Frank and I was at Claremont 59-64, before going on to High Pavement. I also attended Claremont Juniors between 56-59. Finding this thread really interesting.

Does anyone remember the day the cup winning Forest team came to an assembly in 59. Jack Birkett's son was a pupil at our school?

[Frank Johnson 24]

Unless there were two "potassium" incidents, both at the Haywood Annexe, this happened in the academic year 61-62 and I was in the lesson. I don't remember shards of glass, but do remember pieces of potassium ' out of control' racing along my workbench, searing the top.

Most exciting Science lesson of my school career!

[fewkeste 8]

This was definitely in '69 or '70 because we only used the Seeley Annexe for one year because then we moved into the old Forest Fields Grammar School (and so presumably no longer needed to use the Seeley Annexe.) I was at Claremont from '69 to '74 so the incident you describe pre-dates this one by years.

 

[zab 46]

On 27/01/2018 at 2:16 AM, fewkeste said:

Zab - are you any relation to Ben Zabulis by any chance? - he was in my class during my time at Claremont. I  made contact with him a few years ago when there was a school reunion at Llyods Bar in Hockley in 2003 ish. He is or was working somewhere exotic in Asia I think.

 Hi Fewkeste, sorry for the late reply, only just noticed this!  Yes, I am, Ben is my younger brother, he came make to the UK briefly but emigrated back out to Hong Kong in 2015.  He's on Facebook if you want to make contact or I can provide an email address.

 

I've also recently heard that David Wheatley (famed maths teacher) is still going strong, he's in his nineties and is now a vicar!

http://nottingham-north.org.uk/?page_id=396

 

[GrumpyOldKev 2]

On 3/5/2014 at 12:02 PM, GrumpyOldKev said:

As usual I'm a bit late to the party on this one, but the names you have so far are correct. The other David (the bottle collector) was David Hamilton - he also got on Blue Peter with his collection. It was class 2G, our first year full-time at the Forest Fields site. As 1G we had been based at the Claremont Road/Hucknall Road site. The year (for 2G) was 71/72.

Here's my version of the photo with more of the names filled in. At the time I couldn't remember the tutor's name, but someone got it earlier when the said Milne.

I can't believe it's taken me 4 years to get this right.

 

My original post said it was David Hamilton, it wasn't, it was David Hampton. Sorry David.

Simon was also correct about me confusing Pete Bott and Pete Boot, they were two different people and the one above is Pete Boot.

 

Glad to that David Wheatley is still going strong.

 

Anyone know what happened to any of the other teachers, Marcel Hudon (seem to recall he was a heavy smoker), Eric Dibb, Turner, Milne, McPhereson, etc. be nice to think some of them were still around.

[Patrick Humphreys 0]

I attended Claremont School when it was on Claremont Road, 1963-67

[Patrick Humphreys 0]

On 8/19/2016 at 3:55 PM, Simong W said:

My father Michael (Mick) Wright used to go to Claremont Secondary Bilateral Modern, he would have left in 1964. Does anyone know which building it would have been then? I believe the family lived on Tissington Road. Perhaps some of you may remember him?

that would have been the site on Claremont Road. I was there fro 1956-67.

[Patrick Humphreys 0]

On 2/9/2016 at 10:11 PM, zab said:

There's also quite a few photos on Facebook, some featuring Mr Dibb.

https://www.facebook.com/Claremont-Boys-Comprehensive-School-376500869043880/timeline

that's mainly the forest fields site around 1970s

[Patrick Humphreys 0]

On 1/2/2013 at 7:50 AM, zab said:

Working on farms and allotment, the first I've heard of that but I'm not surprised as it was the war years.

The sign above the door on the Claremont Road building suggests the school was established in1844.

do you know who the architect was?

[Patrick Humphreys 0]

On 2/4/2009 at 5:28 PM, zab said:

Craig - you mentioned the woodwork and metalwork teacher, was one of them Mr Shooter? For some reason the name rings a bell. Other names that spring to mind are Salter (English?), Capper (Chemistry) and Green. Up until a couple of years ago I used to see Green around Sherwood - I think he used to teach the kids that had learning difficulties.

Pryce was the other one.

[katyjay 4,607]

The architect was T. C. Hine.

[Patrick Humphreys 0]

On 7/17/2009 at 1:04 PM, Craig Strongman said:

Mr Pidd......now if I could only remember what he taught there........... Im thinking he was the Cooper driving PE teacher.........

Mr Riddel I think. Yes PE and games, took me for swimming. I was in the school team.

[AJH 0]

On 12/30/2008 at 1:24 AM, Craig Strongman said:

Blimey Pete, its an even smaller world than you think, back then I lived on Northgate, obviously just up from Haydn Rd, you were at the school a little after me, but there is a bit in the middle when we both attended.   Im trying to think of the metal and woodwork teachers names...........?

And who could ever possibly forget Professor Dibb, with his Noddy bike and car!.    Also what was the Scottish PE bloke called, i recall he had a Mini Cooper.....? There was also Mr Leafe who did sport, footy especially, as I recall him being either a former pro, or a famous ref..........? And the Canadian teacher..........name has gone out me head!!!

On a different note, I had a text from Kerry Maras at xmas, and now see Phil Henery regularly. (both ex Dixons) and a pm from Roy Bakewell.

 

 

Daddy Graham (Canadian) and Mr Riddell (Mini Cooper)..realise this is about ten years too late but I've just joined...well...rejoined the site!

 

[AJH 0]

On 6/23/2009 at 9:34 AM, thebluebeard said:

Hells teeth - what a forum!! Robert Anderson here, ex Staunton Drive Sherwood and then Bread and Lard island! Ginger haired fat git with short long trousers. My folks used to be the stewards at The Masonic Hall at the side of the suspension bridge on the Trent.

 

 

Robert Anderson...where are you now?! Still in Lincs? hope all is well. Andrew Harper

[Frank Johnson 24]

On 12/30/2008 at 8:04 AM, Ashley said:

Damn! I did forget to mention Eric Dibb, for those not in the know he was a Jimmy Edwards lookalike, with an old open top car and an LE Velocette motorbike both of which were hand painted red and yellow, Bet you don't know where he lived?

Dibby lived on a small holding in Derbyshire . Re. Sam Salter ; he not only played pocket billiards, but used to have a questioning technique involving a smack on the head with a board ruler! I always tried to sit behind a kid who enjoyed History!

[Waddo 919]

21 minutes ago, Frank Johnson said:

23 minutes ago, Frank Johnson said:

I always tried to sit behind a kid who enjoyed History!

 

How could you tell which one's enjoyed history ?

[Frank Johnson 24]

They would always know the answers so I would’nt get whacked. Nice ‘Kwacker’ by the way!

[kevin darby 0]

hi my name is kevin darby claremont was a excellent school 

[Fred Harrison 0]

Did we ever have a reunion, I was there 64-68,

Reg leaf

Mr Burton at the annex 

Mr Bell woodwork

Mr Shooter and Price metal work

Mr Salter

Mr Green

Mr Lee

Mr Hurst

swimming at Noel street baths and football at Vernon Park !woodthorp Park cross country

 

 

Does anyone have a staff photograph I have seen one without Jack In it?

[Ror 0]

I remember Eric Dibb sadistic man, loved the strap and cane, I was at Claremont from 1955 - 1960 it would have to be the worst school in the universe, does anyone remember the science teacher, he was a great teacher. the biology teacher on the other hand was horrible, loved to make people look like fools. I can remember Hamilton Rd. annex, if fact that is where Eric Dibb taught us English. I went on a school excursion to Haddon Hall, I thought it was a great place, I revisited it in 1979 on a return trip to England, I came to Australia in 1962, and lived in Sydney for 23 years before moving to Brisbane, love it here would never go back to England.  

[lamley jack 0]

Well, what a site for sore eyes!

 I’m John Leadbeater (aka ‘Lead’) and attended Claremont between 1959 and ’64.

I think it was an excellent school in many ways. Small enough for the masters (there were no women) to make a difference to some of us who had been resistant to being educated, but with some strange philosophies. Jack Aram was on the whole a good Headmaster but maybe not very progressive. He had firmly Christian beliefs which he promoted to the exclusion of other religions, and even denied evolution in favour of strict biblical teachings. You always knew where you were with him. He was compassionate and fair, but what an authoritarian! I had represented the school and City at cross country, but he still held a school special assembly to punish three of us for defying him, including a ceremonial reduction from prefect. Happy times though. Corporal punishment was dashed out liberally ‘because it was good for us’ and you had to keep your wits about you to avoid flying blackboard rubbers, rulers etc.

Mention has been made of Stevenson, the maths teacher. Unkindly know as Olli Beak after a popular cartoon character with a large nose, he was one of the most well liked and effective to take us. Other progressive and effective teachers were (Charlie?) Lee,- English and Upperdine (aka Up and Down) –Geography, who would take us on many good field trips at a time when other teachers shunned the responsibly. I also remember a Canadian (was it a Mr Graham?), who took the school team on Saturday mornings, cheering us on with enormous enthusiasm even though he knew nothing of football. Reg Leafe, the International Referee, took us for games. I remember him as being the dirtiest player I have ever come across.

Can anyone expand on this?

[Mess 449]

I read somewhere on here that Oliver Barnett taught Maths and maybe Latin at Claremont in the late 40s and 50s before aspiring to Head Teacher. He later became head at Forest Fields on Stanley Road when it opened in 1956. Interestingly he was also called Ollie Beak after the puppet who appeared with Fred Barker on the ITV children's programme “Five o'clock Club” hosted by the lovely Muriel Young. 
BTW I also had two pals who attended Claremont in the 60s they were John Sanday and Ian Grey. Did you know them John?

[lamley jack 0]

Not sure, Mess. I don't recall Muriel and I'm hazy about your pals but it was 50+ years ago!