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Sorry TBI. I really don’t understand why the system was junked - unless it was to bring “ equality”, meaning mediocrity, to every kid. We are NOT equally academically gifted, and thank God. I went to

I think the difference between Grammar and secondary education was vast,,, Qualifications GCEs etc were hardly in our vocabulary at Padstow............i soon realised after a visit from the ''Youth Em

I for one loved school.  Grew up on a Council Estate, passed the 11+ and went to Grammar School.  Not a perfect school but always grateful for a good education.  Both my Mum and Dad passed to go to Gr

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Welcome Dave and Fynger.

My Father in law (Now deceased) taught physics there. Retired around 1975 if I remember rightly. Bob McCandless. You may remember him. Hope he wasn't too hard on you.

He would have been sad to hear of it being closed. He was there a lot of years.

Dave

I remember him well, a Geordie if I remember right. He introduced himself by spelling out his name "Big R, big M, little C, big C". Thin face, looked as if he could do with a good meal. lovely chap.

Richard Brown 53-61

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"Spud" Morrell is the wrong name. He was Mr.R.S Morrow. Irishman - English teacher. Used to drive an old Bentley during my time at Mellish (50s/60s). Not very good at keeping control of a class. Ran the "Radio Club" and was an expert on things electrical. He claimed he invented radar during the war before Robert Watson-Watt. Left to teach at Carlton Le Willows.

Phil

Hi Phil, long time no see etc. OMG how we used to torment poor old Spud, I recall somebody going out of the window and coming back through the door during his lesson, I'm amazed he carried on teaching after us!

There's a lot of stuff on the Henry Mellish Memories Facebook page, most of it's from after we left but there are a few old photos that are interesting. As are Fyngor Cooper's cyber-models of the old school.

Richard (Dick) Brown

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Hello Dick. Well we're both still living! I remember the window/door incident. Wasn't me. We did give old Spud a bit of a rough ride. I believe he was our form master in 3a and it was not long afterwards when he moved on. l did go to the closing ceremony and it was sad to see how run down the place had become. I've also been to look at the ruins. I really enjoyed my time there, apart from rugger on that icy windswept field in winter.

Phil

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Hi dikdok. Glad you rememberd Bob McC. I could not have asked for a nicer guy as a father in law. Always treated me well and even trusted me with his daughter. :-). Yes, he always was skinny as a rail, but it was not from lack of eating. My mother in law always did great meals, i got to enjoy quite few. He was one of those fortunate people whose metabolism allowed him to eat as much as he wanted without adding on the pounds. BTW. Welcome to the forum. I look forward to reading more of your memories.

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Oh yes, rugger. I was usually the one trying to avoid contact with the ball. As in cricket. I have managed to retain my total disinterest in sport to this day. Ah well, you can't be good at everything.

Mention of the radio club brings back memories of the Model Club, run by Mr Sparrow. I had made a rather large elastic powered glider from balsa and tissue which took me weeks to make, I struggled on two buses to get it to school, kept it safe all day till the after school club, proudly wound it up and let it go - it hit the nearest rugby goalpost and disintegrated.

Apart from that I have mostly fond memories of the Mellish, it was sad to see it knocked down. why they couldn't have listed the main building I have no idea. Oddly enough it has been replaced by a school, albeit one which seems totally bland and characterless in comparison.

Can you help me out with something? I seem to recall Harry Hadwin teaching biology, but everyone else seems to think he was physics. If he didn't teach biology, who did?

Dick

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I remember that! Mrs Borton was the dancing teacher. She worked hard on me without success. I had two left feet and still can't dance to this day. No point in trying now!

Oh,heck, I remember that. I had an enormous crush on one of the Brincliffe girls and spent the whole evening blushing like an inferno.

I can still do the square tango and the Gay Gordons (try explaining that to today's kids) but not much else. Remember that black box record player?

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Remember these? Mr Sutherland used to have one in the late 50's, I think his was white or cream. He was a fairly strict PT teacher, I recall being given the slipper when I'd forgotten to bring mine. Also I was rubbish at handstands and overbalanced hurting my finger. He wouldn't let me stop and made me do it again, resulting in a rather impressive dislocation; I ended up at Highbury Hospital, where it was put back in place in spite of it being a maternity unit!

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Yes, Dick - Harry Hadwen did teach biology along with Jim Key who was senior biology master. Bob McCandles was overall in charge as "senior science master". Pablo Atkins was my favourite science teacher. I well remember the explosion that destroyed the advanced chemistry lab. I fell to the ground just after the bang and felt the shockwaves pass over me. Quite a lot of broken glass that day! He asked me to submit a written report on the explosion to be on his desk the next morning. The report was pure conjecture as it was nothing to do with me!

I also remember Fred Sutherland's Messerschmitt. It was white. He used to give me a lift home in it on a Friday evening after cross country running practice. I recall some reprobates picking it up and parking it halfway up the biology lab steps at the end of term.

Phil

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Apparently the Messerschmitt had a few adventures, it also mysteriously appeared behind the pillars of the bike shed one time.

I recall filling the sinks in the chem lab with gas and blowing the wooden sink cover off, I think it went about 3 feet, but I'd forgotten about the big explosion. Did anyone ever get the blame for it? Remember making nitrogen tri-iodide and putting it on door handles ( it exploded on contact)?

This is quite fun. My wife thinks I'm having an affair as I spend so much time on the laptop!

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Gordon Taylor, sadly no longer with us, shoved a filter paper of nitrogen tri iodide, which had been drying on a radiator overnight, into his pocket when Pablo came into the room. Disasterous consequences for the pocket! I could go on with reminiscences - must write a book someday.

Phil

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi

Mellish 71-74

I would have been in the hand pill Olympics team if we had one..

MR Best..Mr Oxley both history

Geography Mr Boles

Art..Bill Evans

Chemistry Atkinson

Not forgetting Driscol ..French teacher and deputy head...

Jones also did french..I think..

Srutt was the head..

Saddened to hear the school had gone...

Deserved better

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My old man went to Mellish, presumably in the '30's. He was the only boy from Hucknall in the school at the time. I remember him having a hissy fit when he heard they were letting girls in. Him and one of his mates that went there as well went to the school and played up hell with them but, of course, they couldn't do anything about it and it was too late anyway.

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Interesting to read the memories. Really sad to drive by last eek and see it all demolished. I note someone was asking after Taffy MacDonald. The last I heard he was in Northumberland. My recollection of Woodwork was Harry 'The Breath' Latto, had halitosis as I recall and would breath on you for a misdemeanour . Henry Turton was Metalwork. Interesting that he is in the Staff photo in 1954. I was at the Mellish 1961-65. I remember Hutchinson as a Geography teacher, nicknamed Hutchenswine, he had a nasty streak. I remember the incident with the Messerschmitt, which I thought belonged to Bozz Jones the Chemistry Teacher. The year above us put it on the steps landing on their last day. I recall standing outside the Staff Room and 'Bozz' looked at me and told the boy next to me that he could go. Many more memories for another day.

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Hi Brian.

Harry Latto was metalwork. He used to travel on the Daybrook to Basford North train with us every day. His early morning duty was to light the forge. Arthur Boddy was woodwork in the room next door. He was totally mad and used to throw chunks of wood around the room.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Apparently the Messerschmitt had a few adventures, it also mysteriously appeared behind the pillars of the bike shed one time.

I recall filling the sinks in the chem lab with gas and blowing the wooden sink cover off, I think it went about 3 feet, but I'd forgotten about the big explosion. Did anyone ever get the blame for it? Remember making nitrogen tri-iodide and putting it on door handles ( it exploded on contact)?

This is quite fun. My wife thinks I'm having an affair as I spend so much time on the laptop!

Hi Dikdok,Blackie here.Were you refering to the prank in the 60`s ? I thought we put it between the pillars of the bike sheds (oopps,I meant some-one,Ha Ha ! )

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Hi every-one ! Another Mellish old boy here.Was there in the 60`s Nickname Blackie. New to the site and computer illiterate, but I get by.Nice to see that some of you remember the old teachers,many of them I also remember. What about Dave Impey,"Aussie Whitworth" and the music teacher Mr. Hindle ? Fond memories of the school dinners,I was on the first table so I could see "seconds"coming. The "tuck shop" and smoking in the air-raid shelters behind the bike sheds.Left in 67 to join Notts.County Council as apprentice mechanic,then drove bus for N.T.C. until `76 when I emmigrated to Canada.Would be interesting to see if any-one remembers me.Cheers.

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Hello Blackie, hope you'll enjoy posting on Nottstalgia. I know nothing about Mellish apart from my big brother going there from 1947!! But I know several others will remember their days there.

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