Heart attack

Tuesday, May 06, 2014

Even More School Memories

Not only did we have those trips to London to see those shows I mentioned in the last post, but I seem to remember being taken on several other trips. One being to St Alban's, to view the Roman remains. Why we went there specifically I have no idea as we weren't studying the Romans during history lessons. In fact, I don't remember ever studying that period in all my school career. As it was a Saturday, the teacher who took us must have given up his own time to take us. We used to have school on Saturday mornings, for a few hours. As Rushmoor had boarders I suppose it made some sort of sense to have classes if there were pupils already there. I was threatened with being boarded out by my mother, but it never happened. It would have seemed a bit pointless when you think we lived only five or so miles out of Bedford. We used to be taken to school in the morning in a sort of system set up between my mother, the family who lived next door to us in Cardington, the Porters, and my aunty Chris who lived in Ickwell, a village around ten miles towards Biggleswade. Ann and Alec Papworth  went to schools in Bedford, Ann to St Andrews, which I've mentioned being virtually opposite Walmsley House School in Kimbolton Road, and Alec to Bedford School. Some days we were collected by one or other of the team, Uncle Ralph Porter (not actually an uncle, but you always seemed to call people 'Uncle' or 'Aunty' out of respect.) Nancy Porter went to the Bedford Girls High School in Bromham Road and Charles to Bedford School. The Porters had a farm in Cople, the next village to Cardington, but lived at Pleasant Place, a large house next door to Malting Farm. Some days we were taken by Geoff, their pig man, in an ancient car which always seemed to smell of gone-off milk, no doubt because they used to carry vast quantities of milk to various places and some would no doubt spill, hence the unpleasant milky smell. Then Aunty Chris would come and collect us in her ancient Morris Minor estate. I can always remember we used to eat imperial mint sweets in that car as there was always a bag of these in the front glove compartment and we ate them on the journey home. The sound of a Morris Minor is quite distinctive. I doubt that you can get even old models now as they must have gone out of production years ago, but this model was the one with the wooden panels on the side.

When my father was detailed to collect me on a Saturday morning there was always the chance that he would actually forget to come and collect me. He did this on several occasions, and I would be left standing outside the school for an hour or two, no doubt because he had stopped off on the way to have a chat with one of his friends and had just forgotten to come and collect me. It's not like today when we have mobile phones and you can just phone up whoever and they come and collect you. I think on this particular day it rained and I must have got soaked to the skin.

Later on, I got the bus home and the first time I was helped by Nancy Porter who was going home from school at the same time as me on the bus from Bedford Bus Station. It was quite a long walk down Warwick Avenue and into Bromham Road and the bus I caught went from bay 8 and the cost of the journey was around 3 old pence. Amazing how you remember all these tiny little details. I imagine that this was the only time I ever caught a bus as I don't ever remember going anywhere with my mother or father on a bus. I just don't think busses were ever considered an option when I was growing up, as my parents had cars and it was probably simpler to get in and out of Bedford by car. Not like today when there is so much being talked on such subjects as 'The Environment', 'Sustainability', and no such thing as 'Park and Ride' etc.

Those were the days when there was a fairly strict form of discipline in place. I don't exactly support any form of punishment, but if you did anything wrong at school you knew that if you were caught you would get caned. I never got to being caned. I was a bit of a goody goody I suppose. There was one incident I remember when I was a Rushmoor. In one of the classrooms, there was a large cupboard which contained all the art materials. Somebody had been found to have meddled with the lock and put a screw in the keyhole and this prevented anyone opening it with a key. The teacher, Mr Crutchley I believe, wanted the culprit to come forward, but nobody did. So he made the whole class stay in after school (it may have been during school time. It was a long time ago, so I can't remember the exact details.) As nobody was brave enough to come forward we all got punished, each of us going forward to the front of the class and being hit on our open palms with a ruler. If you flinched he did it again. It really hurt and even thinking about it now, it brings back the memory and I can almost feel the sting that was left after he hit our hands. I don't suppose you would dare do that sort of thing today. It would be in contravention of your 'Human Rights' or something, but as any form of corporal punishment in schools has been outlawed you certainly wouldn't get away with it.  Well, whether it was right or wrong you did, at least, know what would happen if you did something wrong. I think today children appear to have no boundaries (perhaps most do, but when there is a behaviour problem it is usually because the parents give their children any boundaries.) When I was about eleven or twelve I was supposed to be in and getting ready for bed. We didn't have all the gadgetry that we have today such as mobile phones, the internet, gaming consoles and all the other electrical gadgetry you can get. I can't say I'm any the worse for not having all those things. If we had a mobile phone I'm sure we wouldn't have been able to take it to school with us as they do over at the Milton Keynes Academy. I think people spoke to one another more in those days. You see people walking about with iPods plugged into their ears, so they can't hear what's going on around them. Rather dangerous if you can't hear traffic that is coming when you cross the road. Or else have you face permanently turned towards a mobile and texting all the time. It's a wonder some people don't get killed because they walk out in front of a moving car because they're concentrating on texting someone instead of taking notice of the traffic.

There were quite a few quite strict school rules you were expected to keep to. You were supposed to wear your school uniform at all times in school. None of the modern 'thing' about wearing your 'everyday clothes.' The uniform consisted of grey flannel trousers, grey shirt and blazer in dark blue with a cap, both of which had a badge of a red 'R' in a sort of shield. The cap was the same colour as the blazer and had a red section in the top. You were supposed to wear this at all times outside the school, or if you were in school uniform. I think there was also a tie which was striped red and dark blue, again to match the rest of the uniform. You also had to wear black shoes, which were expected to be cleaned for daily use. There was a winter and summer version of the uniform. The summer one I think had a light short-sleeved shirt (I think the brand was Airtex, but I'm not sure.) For games, we had to wear light brown shoes with a crepe sole for cricket and the usual football strip for games and no doubt shorts and t-shirt for gym. As I detested games anyway, any excuse to get out of it and into 'normal' clothes meant I was never in games clothing for long.

There were other rules, one being you weren't supposed to go to the cinema during term-time. I don't think this was adhered to very much as I remember going to the Granada cinema in St Peter's Street in Bedford to see the Disney animated film "Jungle Book" with one of my brothers, no doubt Sandy, as he went to Bedford School, and their rules about where you could or couldn't go during term-time were even stricter than Rushmoor's. We were also not supposed to go into what were called 'chain-stores.' To this day, I don't know why. I think this referred to such stores as Marks and Spencer and Woolworth's, but I cannot think of a good reason why this was so. I don't know what would have happened if you were caught in Woolworths or wherever, or in a cinema. Were you taken out and shot at dawn?  Taken out and caned in public? To this day, I don't know and know of no one who ever fell foul of this school rule. Oh well, as I say, rules are to be broken and it all remains a complete mystery.

Seems amazing that you always referred to everyone as 'Murdoch', 'Smith' or whatever a pupil's surname was. It seems amazing that you never got to know anyone's Christian name. What was the point? I can't think of any situation where you would be known by your surname alone. You never work anywhere (at least I haven't.) where you would be referred to by just your surname.I just hope if I was they would, at least, call me 'Mr.' Otherwise, it sounds so deferential and out of date, rather stuck in the Victorian or Edwardian period.

I remember when I first went to Rushmoor I was intrigued by several things. What was all that mesh, netting and suchlike over the windows? Was it to keep the pupils in, or prevent them getting out? The fact is, it looked quite sinister. Thinking about it now, as a 9 or 10-year-old at the time, it must have made the place seem like a prison or a zoo. Even at Whipsnade Zoo, today they don't have so many cages and enclosures for the animals that have old fashioned bars or cages with netting, or else they use some modern alternative to keep the animals in. I expect this netting and chicken wire was to prevent balls from breaking the windows. I was further intrigued by the green corrugated construction in one of the playgrounds. It resembled a somewhat ramshackle chicken house, made to seem more so bay the fact that it had chicken wire over the windows. I may have confused if for a chicken house because there was a similar construction on my grandfather's farm. Whether that was to house chickens I rather doubt, but the two constructions were very similar. Anyway, I soon found out that the one at Rushmoor was used as a gymnasium and also used for school assemblies which we had each morning. It smelt horribly of sweat and horrible rubber shoes, the type we wore for games and P.E. i think there was a cupboard in there which contained a load of such shoes, and you have an idea perhaps that the pong came from sweaty, unwashed feet that lingered in these disgusting old shoes. Not pleasant. Also, the smell of that chalky stuff they use in gymnasiums, the stuff ballet dancers use, is it rosin or something?

One incident comes into my mind. We used to go into that tin shack (for want of a better way to describe that shed or  gym.) and have morning assembly. The owner of the school, Mrs Richardson (I believe she owned the school when I was there.) a strict woman of indeterminate age, used to come in and play the piano for hymns. The words of the hymns were put up on a sort of song-sheet arrangement, rather like a massive book, perhaps six feet by four, which was suspended by a length of sash cord that was hauled up and then tied off on a cleat (all this quite familiar to me now, having worked in stage management, with song sheets used in pantomime and cleats and ropes on a fly floor. I have operated many in my time so a cleat is very familiar and I know very well how to use them.) Anyway, I digress. One morning someone hadn't cleated off the hymn sheet or else the sash cord was wearing dangerously thin, because on this particular morning, as Mrs Richardson was plonking and plunking on the piano, a rendition of something like "We Plough The Fields and Scatter" or some other hymn, and we were in fine, full voice, the whole contraption came crashing down, causing the assembled masses to laugh out loud. Whether we were supposed to or not, I don't know, but it certainly caused a great deal of amusement.

I recall a gym display was put on by pupils of Rushmoor. It wasn't put on in the 'tin shack' as I like to call it, or the so-called gymnasium. It could never be put on there as there was barely room for the 'performers' (or whatever you want to call them.) as well as the audience of parents and teachers. Instead, it was staged at the drill hall just off Ashburnham Road in Bedford. There was a great deal of showing off, jumping over wooden vaulting horses, marching around, all set to music. I can't think what the purpose of this display was about, who was supposed to be impressed, what it ever lead to. But it seemed to take up a great deal of time and effort. I don't think that drill hall is still used for such events. I'm not even sure that it's still there, but if it is I suspect it's for a different use. There used to be another similar building somewhere in Ashburnham Road, I think where now there are blocks of flats and where once the Job Centre used to be. Anyway, I can't even remember my role in this gym display, even if I was involved at all. Such are memories.

I have not made a great deal of effort to keep in contact with Rushmoor School. Well, to be honest, with my rather bad memories of the place, I didn't entirely want to. My younger brother, Andrew, spent a few years as a pupil at the school, but I'm surprised my parents sent him there after my experiences of the place. I do recall going to a sports day when he was at Rushmoor, when the sports field was somewhere along Clapham Road. I think, perhaps, on the ground where Sainsbury's now have a superstore. I can't say I remember now much about it and I don't think I met any former pupils or staff from my time at the school. As regards meeting any former pupils, I did bump into one, working in  a camera shop on Bedford Bus station when I used to use it on my way home, but that was a good 40- or more years ago. His name was Peter Sutton and I think he used to live in Sandy. Also, I had a friend called Andrew Allen who I used to have home for tea (as you did in those days.) and I think I went to his home in Biggleswade. He visited me some years ago and we had a chat about our time at Rushmoor and then I went to stay with him in Norfork when I was working on the television show "Allo, Allo."  I believe he was managing a garage or something in the Norwich area, but I'm not sure where exactly. A rather unpleasant individual, whom I recall was probably called Ward, and I believe came from around the Northampton area, who's family were in the shoe industry, used to be on holiday at the same time as we used to go to Frinton-On-Sea, was something of a nasty little pip-squeak. I used to spend a lot of time on the beach at Frinton, building really complex structures out of sand, roadways and rivers with water which rand along these dug-out channels from rock pools. He went and distroyed the hard work I had put in by jumping on it and breaking it up. Shows how spilt and unpleasant he was. I don't know where he is now, but I hope he doesn't continue with the sort of behaviour that he got away with then into his adult life.

I left Rushmoor in around 1965. You were supposed to go on to a 'big school', presumably one of the Harpur Trust schools or a grammar school. There were several in Bedford at the time. One being Pilgrim School, which is no more. It merged I believe with another, I think one at Biddenham if I'm correct. Can't be sure. The building, in Brickhill Drive, was taken over by various Bedford County Council departments in the 1970's and the Registry Office moved there and it's where you go to register a birth or get married. I did go for an interview at the old Pilgrim School, presumably to complete my education and do my G.C.E. exams, but I didn't get in. I eventually went to Abbey Secondary Modern School in Elstow and completed the final two years of my education there. I didn't actually do G.C.E.'s but instead did the then fairly new C.S.E.'s. I did five subjects, English, Biology, Art, Geography and History. The biggest culture-shock going there was that there were GIRLS! I think I actually benefitted from going there, after going to Rushmoor. Looking back  think I actually learnt far more. In fact, I don't remember actually learning much at all at Rushmoor.

From Abbey, I went to Mander College in Bedford (now Bedford College. I never knew why they changed the name.) I began an 'A' Level course, doing English and History, with the intention of eventually going to Bristol University to do a drama degree, as I had wanted to get into television production. I suppose in those days a degree in drama would have been a good path to getting into television production. As it turned out I didn't do particularly well in my mock 'As' at the end of nearly two years. I applied to several 'rep' (repertory) theatre companies to find out if I could get into stage management as I had been told by the BBC that in order to get into floor management I would need to have several years of professional stage management behind me before I could apply for any floor management jobs. I wrote to as many reps as I could find in a directory called 'Contacts' and got an interview at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, and was interviewed by the then Artistic Director of the theatre, Michael Ashton. I had also gone for an interview at the Royal Theatre, in Northampton, which would be the closest professional theatre to Bedford, and which I knew relatively well as I'd been to see several plays there over the years. I didn't get the Northampton job, but I was accepted at Cheltenham and worked for around a year as a Student A.S.M. (Assistant Stage Manager), and it was how I learned the various functions expected of an A.S.M. I think I might have got the Northampton job, except the Cheltenham offer came up first. The job began on the 16th of February, 1969. How well that date is permanently etched on my memory!

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Orchart and Sutton were in your year

Anonymous said...

You were in the same class as Paul Orchart and Sutton

Anonymous said...

You were in the same year as Orchard and Sutton.

John Murdoch said...

Love to know who commented on my post. No great memories of Rushmoor School. Not particularly happy, unfortunately. Really detested the place. I never know why my parents wasted good money on that place. But never mind. Good background material for my writing, though.

Anonymous said...

September 1962. Class 3C. Clapham, Goode, Hunt, Budgeon1,Gudgeon1,Brown, Davis, Fahey, Ferguson, Kemp1,Kemp2,Mepham, White, Wholly. I'm in there somewhere.

John Murdoch said...

Just say who you are. I really can't say I remember that far back. I remember some of the teachers though. Crutchley, Deeks, Eden. More like Dotheboys Hall in 'Nicholas Nickleby, which I re-read recently. Having to trudge up a hill to play games in biting winter winds, snow and rain. Put me off football for life. Being made to go on long walks through the Bedfordshire countryside. Having to clear snow off the playground during the really awful winter of 1962. I suppose it was that year, the year I had my appendix out!

Anonymous said...

I am Steven Fahey. Was at Rushmoor school 1962-1968. I never enjoyed one single day there. Awful place and a waste of money like you said. Bedford Modern School swimming pool was my main dislike, the smell of chlorine, Robin Eden taught at the school until quite recently.

John Murdoch said...

Oh well, have it your own way. It's all so long ago it hardly matters.

Anonymous said...

I did reply, my name is Steven Fahey.

John Murdoch said...

Sorry, I don't remember you. I think we all had our little 'set' of friends. Are you telling me Mr Eden stayed on there until recently? He must have been ancient when he finished. In his 70s-or 80s or older. I was there 50 years ago and I'm 65 now. Goodness, can't believe anyone would want to go on working into their old age. I remember the swimming pool at Bedford Modern. I did at least learn to swim at Rushmoor, even if I didn't get much else out of the place. Yes, it did have a terrible smell of chlorine.

John Murdoch said...

If you have another look at the post you will see I have made a few amendments. Have you kept in contact with any former Rushmoor pupils? I had a look at the Rushmoor website and I see that girls are now going to the school. I bet that set the cat amongst the pigeons. Also, I see the school has merged with St Andrew's, where one of my female cousins went to school. They are now planning to move the school to a completely new site off Manton Lane in Bedford.

John Murdoch said...

Orchart's father was a painter. I don't think his son followed in his father's footsteps. Not a particularly great artist himself. I have seen quite a few Stanley Orchart paintings in various places in and around Bedford. I doubt he is still alive. Please tell me Mr Eden wasn't teaching into his 70s- 80s? Did he live in the school or something? Seems more likely he lived in a flat there when he retired.

Anonymous said...

Read your ammendments, Rushmoor had such a bad impact on my earlier life that I remember everything you added. School meals were a disgrace, all of jammed up on long tables and sitting on benches, trying to eat that dreadful fish and mash. Bakehouse cod we called it, I remember Hawkins purposely making himself vomit so he didn't have to eat it. End of term boxing was torture. I remember Donnelly 1 beating Church, served him right as he was a bully. Mr Appleton, sadistic, Colonel Phipps, Mr Deeks. Definitely a pervert. Crutchley seems to get great satisfaction by tormenting the boys in the Junior school, my dad wrote a real nasty letter to the school about him and he had it in for until the end.

John Murdoch said...

I could make myself ill so I didn't have to go to school. I was quite clever at making myself sick so my mother didn't send me to school. Sounds crazy as an adult, but that's the effect that place had on me. I had a problem with maths. It has always seemed to hold me back. Also, mildly dyslexic. I always dreaded maths lessons. I think Deeks was the maths teacher. Yes, he was a bit odd, to say the least. Not sure whether today a teacher would get away with his sort, what with child protection and so on. Having worked with people with learning disabilities and how you needed clearance before you worked with vulnerable people, I know about all that. Also, my wife is a teacher and they have strict protection safeguards in place. What was that boxing thing about? Some contest or other I seem to remember, in that old tin shack of a gym. No good me being involved, as I wasn't in the least bit sport-minded, as I have mentioned in my blog posts. Yes, Crutchley was quite good at tormenting boys. Kept picking on me, for some reason or other. There were quite a few bullies, but I had my methods for dealing with them. Good at Chinese burns. Fortunately, I left Rushmoor to be sent to a secondary modern school and to be honest, it was the best thing that could happen to me as I really blossomed there. Did you stay to do G.C.E's because they weren't available there when I was a pupil which was why I left when I did. I can't imagine my father writing to complain about a teacher. I think you were expected to just shut up and put up.

John Murdoch said...

Donnelley was excused assembly. I think because he was Catholic or something. His father ran a building business around Bedford. I think he later became Mayor of Bedford. I'm not sure the business still exists. I went past Rushmoor a few years ago and I noticed that the three classrooms which were on the road-side had been demolished and replaced by two-storey 'houses' which match the building design of the rest of the road. Probably a better use of the space and would no doubt be built to a higher standard to conform to modern building regulations. I doubt the old tin shack gym is still there. Past it's best when I was at Rushmoor. Health and safety would have put paid to it, or at least, I hope it did.

Anonymous said...

In the Tin Hut that was The Gym was a rope hanging from the roof, took me years to climb to the top of it and touch the roof. Then there was the box that you had to jump over using a small trampoline for lift off, I just managed to jump over it, all the clever clogs could do cartwheels, handstands. When Colonel Phipps started the playground became The Quad. We were relentlessly marched round it to be beat of drums to keep us all in step ready for the end of term drill at a hall down Ashburnham Rd I'm front of the parents. I was in Sydney house.

John Murdoch said...

I remember the gym display at the drill hall in Ashburnham Road. Not sure what part I had in it, though. Not sure what house I was in. My memory doesn't stretch back that far. What on earth age was Eden? He must have been ancient. In his 80-90's surely. Crazy to have a teacher that age. I remember Colonel Phipps. I'd love to know what sort of qualifications he had to be a teacher. When you think today you need to have a degree and then do a p.c.g.e etc to become a teacher. I did quite enjoy gym, but not cricket and football.I did manage to climb a rope and crawl along the beams in that tin shack. I bet they wouldn't allow that today, what with health and safety. What about police checks for he teacher, C.R.B. (Criminal Records Bureau) which you need if you work with children today? I bet none of them had any sort of check.

John Murdoch said...

There was someone called Cameron in my class. I think his first name was Duncan. Strange I can remember his Christian name, even though we were called by our Surnames. I think he lived in Sharnbrook. I believe he must live around here (Milton Keynes) and his son runs a restaurant in Stony Stratford, called (imaginatively) Cameron's. I think he also owns a pub out in the country near Salcey Forest, near the Grand Union Canal. I think I've been there with my wife. Also, a boy called Prentice, who lived in Pavenham, or one of the villages out that way, Stevington perhaps. He was in my class at Rushmoor.

John Murdoch said...

The pub is called The Navigation.

John Murdoch said...

We were taken on long walks on some afternoons. Miles and miles, along Clapham Road towards Clapham and also along Bromham Road. I recall crossing the golf course and someone, some bright individual, collecting stray golf balls, I'm not sure what he did with them. Perhaps he gave them in at the clubhouse or sold them. I could never see what purpose these walks had, all of us, strung out in a sort of crocodile along the path, with possibly no educational value whatso ever. Did our parents know about this sort of thing? I doubt not. A poor way to spend our school fees in my opinion. The someone told me they thought it was a really good way to save money on heating and lighting, particularly in the winter. Still doesn't convince me, but it might have been why we traipsed around the Bedfordshire countryside,

Anonymous said...

I remember queuing up for Dinner as it was called then. The queue stretched from the Dinner room where we were served into the Hall .And there it stood .The Rushmoor School Role of Honour .Top of the list was M.B.A.Dyer-Smith 1956. Strange what I can remember ,must've been because I stood in the same place every day for 6 years .

John Murdoch said...

Remember school dinners all too well. Old Mother Richardson doling out custard and gravy with a giant ladle. Straight out of 'Oliver Twist.' But I don't think we ever asked for more. We did a stage version of 'Oliver Twist.' I got to be the matron in it (!) I know, looking back, quite awful. It was given a modern treatment by Crutchley.Pity there's no photographs, It was after that we were taken to London to see the musical 'Oliver!' which made a huge impression on me. I ended up working in professional theatre myself, but non too successfully, I might add. So who was M.B.A, Dyer-Smith and what did he go on to achieve? I'd love to know. I'm trying hard to try and remember which house I was in when I was at Rushmoor. I just can't remember the other names. We had to be in the choir and then be part of the Christmas service at St Martin's church in Clapham Road. Mr Crutchley was a keen sound recordist and had a tape recorder which got me hooked on sound recording myself. He taped the service and it was produced as a record. Probably on a 78 rather than a modern L.P. I never had a copy but I know someone who did, Andrew Allen, who was a friend of mine at Rushmoor. Probably quite a prized collectable today. I don't suppose many were produced. I think perhaps Mr Eden, who was the music teacher, would have been in charge of the choir and probably organist in the church. We had been entered for the Bedford Music Festival, but for some reason didn't get to actually appear which was a pity, looking back on it.

Anonymous said...

St Martins Church ,yes I remember that. The Very Reverend Father Challen maybe.I recall the whole school walking down the road to the church on Ascension day which is 40 days after Easter .Mrs Richardson with the ladle ably assisted by Matron who duelly hung herself one night in the boys dormitory. You said you remembered Prentice ,do you also remember Bletsoe, Brodie and Broome ?

John Murdoch said...

What's this about the matron? Did she commit suicide? What ever caused her to kill herself? I remember my brother Andrew went to Rushmoor some years after I was there. Goodness knows why my parents sent him there after my experience of the place. He told me, I don't know if it was true or not, that a boy jumped through an upstairs window or something, or a teacher went crazy in front of a class and jumped out of a window or something. What was it about that place that people would do that? How was it ever kept out of the newspapers? Yes, those names do ring a bell, Bletsoe, Brodie but not sure about Broome.I wonder what happened to any of them.

Boca Abierta said...

Mr Abrams was the PE teacher. Mr Deeks was queer I'm sure. I remember he smelled quoted bad, and yes he was the maths teacher. I was a boarder with Cattermole, Maughan in the mid 60s. Went on to Bedford Modern also as a boarder in Culver House.

John Murdoch said...

I always suspected Deeks of being somewhat odd. Abrahams was a bully. I think most of the teachers were. In today's world a lot of them would be done for abuse. I never knew why my parents wasted good money on sending me to that place. I never really learned anything of any use except possibly swimming.


P G said...

Hi All, I was at Rushmoor in the late 60's. I was weekly boarder in the house they bought next to the old school, chaos !! Headmaster was a chain smoker as was Eden and we did whatever we wanted, madness. Malcolm Melville was a homosexual maths teacher and Critchley was a bully ! Phillips was a sad ex army officer trying to expand the Empire ! Loved my time at Rushmoor as you can tell, and thinking of taking my experiences further !! Any comments ??

John Murdoch said...

My time at Rushmoor waS not happy. The place should have been shut down years ago. Just no educational value at all.

Unknown said...

I went to Rushmoor 1970 to 1977. Name - Goss
Dreadful school, the teachers all smoked in class. Sadistic teachers Mr Horrocks, Crutchley, Shelton. Mr Abel was head. He smoked in class too. Shelton would cradle your head and stroke your hair!! Crutchlehad a slipper called Enoch! He would beat you with this.
A teacher was actually murdered in class by I believe her estranged husband. Thus was c1973. My friend Pibworth and I still keep in touch but cannot find out any more detail of the murder.

Anonymous said...

I was at Rushmoor 1970 to 1977. Goss
Alot of the teachers were psychopaths. Horrocks, Crutcley, Shelton for starters.
Anyone remember the murder of the teacher in class approx 1973/74. I remember it as if it was yesterday. One of the flat roofed classrooms opposite the gymn (tin hut)
Does anyone else remember this horrific incident. Nothing on the Web.