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I was at Fairham from 65 to 73. Fleming house. If you do the maths and notice I was there 8 years. When my fifth year spectacularly failed en masse to achieve the five O levels required to go on to ta

Attended Fairham Comp'  September 1960 to July 1964.  Managed to keep my head down for the 4 years. Escaped the floggings though.  Made my first and last theatrical appearance having a two word bit pa

This is the photo I mentioned. I think I grabbed it from Friends Reunited. I had no involvement with the Penny Farthing; it was a few years before my time.   The location is still reco

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Fleming House 1959-1965.  Mr. Hind housemaster, a wonderful man, and Mr. Bradstock, then Mr. Penchion as tutor.

I met Lady Fleming when she came to the school.  Sir Alexander Fleming was dead by then.

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On 27/11/2016 at 1:28 PM, plantfit said:

Our paths must have crossed at some point Norm,I was there 64-68,Fleming house under Mr Hind first then Mr Smart took over

 

Rog

 

On 14/01/2017 at 0:21 PM, Smiffy49 said:

Fleming House 1961 - 1965 House Master Mr Hind.

 

41 minutes ago, Bing said:

Fleming House 1959-1965.  Mr. Hind housemaster, a wonderful man, and Mr. Bradstock, then Mr. Penchion as tutor.

 

I'd never realised there were so many on here.

 

Add me to the list. Fleming House 1966-73.

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There's a few on here, but we don't shout about it,slywink our paths must have crossed many times Cliff,I was under the wing of Mr Brittain (tutor),started off with Mr Hind as house master and finshed with Mr Smart,all three very good teachers,Others I remember teaching me (well trying to) Mr Burns,Maths,Mr Dobinson,English,Mr Walsh, geography,Mr Wright Science,Mr Grief maths,

 

Rog

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Anyone remember Mr Warren at Fairham? Also Doc Chapman the French Master?

One name that escapes me is a teacher who left to go to Africa and about 6 months later we heard that he had been killed over there in a road accident I think?

 

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I remember Richard Warren; he was an English teacher and in my later years became Housemaster at Hunt House.  Several years ago I used to occasionally see him around Nottingham city centre still looking exactly the way he did in the 60s and 70s, apparently ageless. I haven't seen him for some time and I had wondered what might have become of him.

 

I also remember Bill Chapman; he taught me French in the first half of my first year and he left Fairham in the early part of 1967. He also had a great singing voice and I remember seeing him perform in a school production of 'Pirates of Penzance'.

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I remember Mr Warren and Doc Chapman,Mr Warren sometimes took the bird club (Ornithology club) on day and weekend field trips along with Humphey Dobinson,I have some great memories of those trips,

 

Rog

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smiffy49   hi I remember doc chapman  the man with the golden size 12 slipper,, Christ that buger hurt when you got a dose ,it felt like one had  had  an arse transplant.  he was in Elliot house, my house master was ridell what a pleasant human being he was, he was a sadistic bully,, no matter what  you had transgressed against it was the cane!!!  Idid not know any lad that liked  him , he ruled with fear, and of course there was good old  tom the head master if you did not do your detention your name was called out  in assembly and you  were called to his office ,he opened a cupboard and in it were a verity of canes (about a dozen of them), he would take one out at a time and wafted it thro the air a time or two, by which time you feeling a bit norceous  and  losing the will to live , then you got six of the best  (cane I mean)  kids nowadays don,t know they are born.

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Don,you are right about Fred Riddell,sadistic toad,I think he hated boys in general,he was something to do with the education department of the local council when I was serving as a school govenor and strangley enough he campaigned vigorously AGAINST any form of corporal punishment in school,strange world innit

 

Rog

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Doctor Chapman did have a wonderful voice.  i was in the chorus of the Pirates of Penzance as just another pirate, but if I remember correctly Bill Chapman was Frederick, the pirate King.  For some silly reason i also remember the name of the lad who played Mabel, the Major-General's daughter.  his name was  John Balchin.  I think Roger Thorne played the Major-General.

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  • 1 month later...

I attended Farnborough on the first day it opened and  Fairham on its first day. I left in 1960 though so not there at the time you're talking about. I was in Kenyon house.

 A few of the teachers names:

Doc Chapman - French

Mr Burns - aka six foot of misery - Maths

Sid Bolton - PE

Mr Wallace - English

Mr Dawkins - RE

Hinds rings a bell but don't know his subject

Thom - Head Teacher

We had a geography teacher I think was called Bradshaw. Absolutely potty about Canada. In all the time I was there we never discussed any other nation that I can recall. 'Listen to this boys, Woooo wooooo. That's a recording of a train going across the great plains'.' Wooo woooo that's the sound of it coming back.'  Riveting stuff don't you think?

I can't remember his name but the metalwork teacher hated me and I hated him. We had to make a coat hook. Start with a mild steel plate about 2" square and file until it was a perfect 90 degrees on all corners before brazing a hook to it. He made me file that damn thing for a whole term until it was eventually a fraction over one inch square and I never did get it right.

 

In my junior school I can remember a teacher My Keyes. He had a false leg as a result of being wounded in the war (RAF). Even at that tender age we knew how to manipulated him. Wait for an opening and then ask 'was it the same during the war sir'? and that was it for the rest of the lesson. ;)

 

My sisters went to Charnwood.

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On 9/3/2016 at 3:42 PM, 2mortar1 said:

Bing my brother is 6th from left on the top row, Bob Parkes,

he was mostly pole vaulter, l , his brother got bit of a name on cross country running and liked to spend time in the gym at lunch times...

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  • 4 weeks later...

Retired and living in the South of Italy listening to the build-up for the Reds game on Radio Nott'm. Thought I'd take a trip down memory lane and found this forum. Well done to all the contributors - it's been great reading all the posts. I attended Fairham from 67 - 73 (or thereabouts) and was in Penney House. I remember many of the teachers mentioned and can honestly say that I think most of them were pretty good and some outstanding. One in particular who I'd like to track down is Barry Whatling. He taught English and also ran the rugby team whilst I was in the 4th year. Brilliant bloke who I would like to thank in person for his input into my life. He's not the only one but, as has been mentioned, Martin or was it Martyn Byrne died suddenly. One humorous memory on the subject of discipline - Stan Bullard (another top bloke) - would have the offender bend over and draw a wicket using chalk on the victims bum (trousers on). He'd have a metre long stick and would draw a dot at the end as the cricket ball. As all who knew him will testify, he's a big chap with a strong arm, so all you could hope for was that he got you out first ball!!! Happy memories. As many have stated, it's very sad the school has closed and to see the state of the campus. It's nice to know there are many others who feel the same. 

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8 minutes ago, Badger1 said:

... Barry Whatling. He taught English... 

A name I'd forgotten. He taught me English in the 6th form. Tall and thin with glasses. Not a bad teacher.

 

17 minutes ago, Badger1 said:

 Martin or was it Martyn Byrne died suddenly.

Mick Byrne, eventually became Lovell Housemaster. Died unexpectedly of a heart attack on holiday in the USA some time in the late 1970s.  Never taught by him but only ever heard good things about him as a person and a teacher. A massive-built man who no-one would argue with, but he got respect through being a decent bloke rather than by fear.

 

16 minutes ago, Badger1 said:

 Stan Bullard (another top bloke) - would have the offender bend over and draw a wicket using chalk on the victims bum (trousers on). 

Hmm. A teacher would - rightly - be questioned about that these days. I remember him as a metalwork teacher who could be very funny but with a slightly nasty side if someone tried to get the better of him.

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Anyone remember a 'trainee' drama teacher - Mr Blagg? Eyes like Marty Feldman. I say trainee as ours was a class when an inspector came to assess his abilities. I'm pretty sure his future as a Teacher was determined that day. He must've been dreading it because we usually ignored every instruction he gave and just messed around. Don't know how the other forms behaved but he was inexperienced and Fairham wasn't a good place for someone to be cutting their teeth. One thing I am particularly proud of is that in realising the gravity of the situation, I got all the guys together before the class and suggested we follow his every command. He nearly fell over with disbelief when upon uttering his first instruction, we responded like our lives depended on it. The entire lesson followed suit and he had the humility once the inspector had excused himself of saying 'thanks lads'. I hope he had a successful career.

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I was there from the first day and left 59/60/ Kenyon house (Kenyon was chairman of the education committee that oversaw the building of the school, the seventy first and largest comprehensive in the country at the time).)

Several outstanding memories though few of them good. Being 'slippered' for walking round the cross country course (my best friend was fat!) then kicking the crap out of Sid Boltons shins during the teacher pupil rugby game in retribution.

Mr Wallace my English teacher had the most beautiful italic handwriting I've ever seen.

Anyone remember Mr Rogers? (Maths) Seriously scary. Skeletal physique and an unpredictable nature. A classmate called Goodwin asked him if we were to continue the stick of the figure 9 below the line the way he had written it on the board. Rogers literally went mental. He had what I can only describe as a leather truncheon about two feet long and went for Goodwin with it. He didn't call him to the front of the class, just attacked him where he sat. The class was in total uproar as Rogers forced the kids head down onto the desk and just went wild thrashing him. Two teachers pulled him off and we never saw him again, I think he died.

 

I was only caned once. The next time a teacher tried it I snatched it away and broke it into three pieces, did again when he replaced it. Strangely enough nothing was ever said about it.

 

One thing I'm curious about, was the school motto always 'Towards Fulfilment'? I seem to remember it as one word originally - 'Forward'

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Brew,Towards Fulfilment,thanks for the post,how can you forget the violence metered out to the boy's? not from all the teachers I might add,just the very minority,still we never knew what was troubling these people to make them like that,the second war was not that far in the past with all the trauma that caused

 

Rog

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On 2/18/2007 at 7:44 PM, plantfit said:

Ayup All,

I see from the lack of replies to this post that no one wants to own up to attending this school, Clifton in the 60s was full of folk from the Meadows and St Anns, and to some extent the close knit community came with them. All right I know that inside toilets and back gardens went to some folks heads but they still worked down the pit or at the gun factory or players, and after all their roots and memories were still of the Meadows era, so Who went to school at Clifton? Go on don't be ashamed to admit it.

Rog

Na inside toilet with Izal toilet paper (shiny on one side and smooth on tother) and back garden mate.

 

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Normski,Thanks for the posts and welcome to the site,the folk on here are a great bunch,proper Notts folk,you would be at Fairham about the same times as me,do you have any memories of classes,other pupils,things that stick in your mind such as school trips or clubs,just trying to jog my memory a bit as most of it seems to have got lost in the mists of time

 

Rog

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  • 4 weeks later...

Looks like Fairham school was burnt down last night according to reports on Radio Nottingham....

Mixed emotions of my time there from 1961 - 1966.

Not sure of the damage but maybe time for redevelopment?

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The site has been closed for several years. Half the buildings had been demolished anyway, and the whole place was a ghost town with weeds growing through the tarmac and grass covering the paths. Presumably the city council have plans for it, but they don't seem to be in a hurry.

 

This is how it looked a few months go. For those who know these things.....on the left is 'Little L Block' and the building on the right was 'M Block'.

7OLqYjf.jpg

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Although I didn't enjoy any of my time there it is still a shame to see the old place in such a state of decay

 

Rog

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  • 1 month later...

Brew,  (post # 101)  could your Mr. Bradshaw be Mr. Bradstock?  If so he was my tutor in Fa when there was only Fa, Fb, Fc, Fd.  

Everybody remembers Dr. Chapman.  If only for his slipper!   Mick Burns was far nicer than he looked, but I agree that was his nickname.  Sid Bolton I loathed.  I'd be banned if I said what I felt about him.  Only he  and that swine Fred Riddell do I remember with hatred.  I didn't like PE.  Mr. Wallace we called Pigeon Wallace because he was always adjusting his collar bobbing his head like a pigeon.  He took us for handwriting.  The only metalwork teacher I remember was Mr. Mander.  Chemistry was Mr. Bates, biology Mr. Brooks, maths Mr. Mulaney, english Mr Allen, geography Mr. Baron, history Mr. Merritt.  These are  memories from 50 years ago.  But I can't remember what I did last week.

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