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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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  • 3 months later...

I remember Roger Gaspar....I was in the same year. (I left in 1964, after the 5th form, to move to London.)

I recall many of the teachers mentioned, plus the French teacher Mr Burton, who had a superb voice and sang in the choir every Christmas. I have fond memories of Latin with 'Labby' Hurst, and I also remember the nutter who was inclined to throw board rubbers around, and used a slipper to threaten pupils (called Rota Rua,if I remember correctly). He would threaten '6 of the best' and write a 6 in chalk on the sole of the slipper before whacking the pupil concerned.

I used to play the handball game (and did OK most of the time). I lost count of how many times I went onto the roof, but I tended to be a bit cunning, and often asked 'Froggy' Marshall for permission, so I could then use the ladder in the quad and walk quite openly to get the ball back! (I did once climb the tall drainpipe to get a ball from the guttering, but I now shudder at the thought of that.....idiotic youth!) The best player of handball in my time was 'Taff' MacDonald.......where is he now?

I have a couple of the long school photos on my wall at home, from 1961 and 1964 (and can easily pick out some of the names mentioned). Great for nostalgia.

Glad I found this forum!

Cliff

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Welcome to Nottstalgia Cliff!

A few lads who were neighbours of mine in Arnold were at Henry Mellish around your time. I don't normally put living persons names on here (just in case they google themselves) but I'll make an exception this time as their families moved away when they were teenagers and I have always wondered what happened to them. Dave Benjamin, who moved to Ilfracombe Devon when he was about 15, and Brian and Gordon Davey who moved to Esher Surrey as teenagers. Dave found me on Friends Reunited about 10 years ago and we were in contact for a while then he disappeared off the radar again.

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I once knew a guy called Ian Pennington who was from Hucknall, he went to Henry Mellish in the 1950's.................

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  • 2 weeks later...

I also started there in 1970 as well and remember Matt quite well. Didn't you used to knock about with Featherstone?.....If I remember rightly, you were in the "A" classes throughout your time there

Wow - I'm intrigued. Yes, you got me. David Featherstone and I were friends (both from Radcliffe-on-Trent), but met at that school - I went to R-o-T Juniors, I think he must have gone to a private junior school, as he had quite well-to-do parents. He also had a brother in the year above us (Stephen) who we figured would be good insurance if things got dicey - but we were sadly deluded as he and his mates were a bunch of bullying psychopaths, in my view at the time. I didn't like that school very much and I certainly wasn't a gifted scholar - very mid-stream I recall, though I did talk a good game. My over-riding memories were that the dining hall always smelled of stewed cabbage, the chemistry labs of sulphur and the changing rooms of stale sweat. I also remember trudging down the main road to the Swimming Baths - which were medieval - the changing cubicles were arranged all along the length of each side of the pool and the roof was like a mouldy old greenhouse.

So - come on then - how would I remember you?

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A few more names from the 1960s - George Dutton - History, Barry Done - English, Mr Dunleavy - French (or was it Spanish??), Mr Tomlinson - Chemistry. No girls (apart from in the school office and canteen) and I remember doing some gardening for Mr Watchorn on Kersall Drive to kill some time after O levels were over and there were no more lessons. The place seemed very big and intimidating in 1965 but now is obviously just a small piece of wasteland now it's been torn down.

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Welcome to Nottstalgia, Jazzman and underthewideandstarrysky. I look forward to sharing your memories... hellothere

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Was a smart looking building, so sad it's gone - what will they replace it with ? - Another Tesco or Asda........

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Happy memories of The Mellish from 59/60 when the 5th form of Brincliffe had dancing lessons with the lower 6th of the Mellish after hockey on Friday afternoons. The combined Christmas party was the social event of the year.

They were known as our 'brother school'.

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So great to read about Mr Morrow as he was my English teacher at Carlton Le Willows from 1975 to 1979. I loved listening to him recounting his wartime experiences and have long wondered about him since a I left school in 1981.

Thank you so much for these insights into him.

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Any of you Mellish boys remember an Irishman called Mr Murrell (or Morrell) who taught English in the early 60's? He left Mellish around 1967 to teach at Carlton-le-Willows Grammar. He lives close to me and I see him virtually every day striding along the road carrying bags of paraphernalia that he's usually picked up in charity shops. What's amazing is that he's now 95 or 96 and is still very upright, active and alert.

I miss Mr Morrow so much. He was such a role model for me and for years I looked for his book in second hand shops. An edit of a Henry V text. He was such an influence in becoming a writer. I would willingly travel to visit him at the drop of a hat. So glad to know he is still 'active and alert'.

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Sturge, I haven't seen Mr Morrow in the neighbourhood for at least a year. I have a feeling he's gone with his wife into a care home now although his house hasn't been sold and his car is still in the driveway, No one has seen either of them for a long time which is rather sad.

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