New Forum Section - Hertford Memories

[Euterpe13]

Hey Vonny - give Miss Morrison a bit of respect! She was fatty m probably before you were born! She knew that we called her that as well, she was a bit like Matron in the carry on films! (except she didn't wear a cap!) As long as you didn't get on her nerves too often she was a welcome change from some of the other female staff!

Well personally I thought FM was OK and I know she did know we called her that. I think if you stayed on the right side of her she was fine - she could appear "stern" but I also think she did have a good sense of humour. She was quite a formidable figure to us in the lower years of the school though.

FM joined the school at the same time I did (1965) and became deputy head around 1970. Dr retired when I left (1972) and Miss tucker was appointed.

FM was always very popular when I was there. she never actually taught me. I always had Mrs Betterton for Englisha, a tiny little bir-like lady who was an OG too. She was lovely.

I remember Betty Jean joining, and had her and Betts for english through the rest of CH - in fact they split the A level syllabus between them. In my humble opinion. BJM was a manipulator, whereas Betts was a true intellectual, and one of the most honest and egalitarian people I have ever met.

"Angel" will remember the way BJM passed 2's over for Speech Day in 1970 - I never forgave her for it, it was petty and unfair of her - but true to form...
B.

[englishangel]

"Angel" will remember the way BJM passed 2's over for Speech Day in 1970 - I never forgave her for it, it was petty and unfair of her - but true to form...
B

My memory fails me on this one.

[Euterpe13]

"Angel" will remember the way BJM passed 2's over for Speech Day in 1970 - I never forgave her for it, it was petty and unfair of her - but true to form...
B

My memory fails me on this one.

We won the acting competition with " taming of the shrew", and CH tradition had always been that, if any drama ( in the loosest aception of the term) was planned for Speech Day, it was always the winning house who re-performed.

Instead , she had 6's " Dream" because, she said, it was funnier. I went to see her, and said that if her choice was because I was playing Kate ( and let's face, BJM really didnt like me) , I was prepared to hand the part over to someone else - but that it wasn't fair on the rest of 2s. In fact the whole of the school was on my side ( with the obvious exception of 6s) , but she wouldn't budge, and DR refused to overturn her decision, although I think that she agreed with me.

B

[englishangel]

"Angel" will remember the way BJM passed 2's over for Speech Day in 1970 - I never forgave her for it, it was petty and unfair of her - but true to form...
B

My memory fails me on this one.

We won the acting competition with " taming of the shrew", and CH tradition had always been that, if any drama ( in the loosest aception of the term) was planned for Speech Day, it was always the winning house who re-performed.

Instead , she had 6's " Dream" because, she said, it was funnier. I went to see her, and said that if her choice was because I was playing Kate ( and let's face, BJM really didnt like me) , I was prepared to hand the part over to someone else - but that it wasn't fair on the rest of 2s. In fact the whole of the school was on my side ( with the obvious exception of 6s) , but she wouldn't budge, and DR refused to overturn her decision, although I think that she agreed with me.

B

That must have gone right over my head.

I know DR didn't like me.

Had to give me a prize in my final year becasue I was soooooo good, but it really stuck in her craw.

didn't get me the book I wanted, said it was too expensive. I have just bought it for my nephew and it is not expensive at all.

The book I did get my kids are still using.

BTW 'Taming of the shrew is on the Beeb tonight,in 'Shakespeare Retold', a modern version, where Kate is a banker I think.

[Alex vS]

I don't remember Miss Tucker and Miss Morrison as being particularly hideous, but maybe I was a girly swot! I know Miss Tucker is responsible for me not taking up smoking - fear of God of being called to see her! [Edited for content - JT] And we had Miss Jukes for cookery, reading some of the other posts, she must have been about 473 by then. I loved those classes, getting to take cakes and puddings back to the house.

I remember watching Duran Duran videos during mock 'O's when I should have been revising, so maybe I wasn't a girly swot, just..........(shudder). Still get a shiver when I hear a DD song!

[Vonny]

[Edited for content - JT]

[Jude]

"Angel" will remember the way BJM passed 2's over for Speech Day in 1970 - I never forgave her for it, it was petty and unfair of her - but true to form...
B

My memory fails me on this one.

We won the acting competition with " taming of the shrew", and CH tradition had always been that, if any drama ( in the loosest aception of the term) was planned for Speech Day, it was always the winning house who re-performed.

Instead , she had 6's " Dream" because, she said, it was funnier. I went to see her, and said that if her choice was because I was playing Kate ( and let's face, BJM really didnt like me) , I was prepared to hand the part over to someone else - but that it wasn't fair on the rest of 2s. In fact the whole of the school was on my side ( with the obvious exception of 6s) , but she wouldn't budge, and DR refused to overturn her decision, although I think that she agreed with me.

B

That must have gone right over my head.

I know DR didn't like me.

Had to give me a prize in my final year becasue I was soooooo good, but it really stuck in her craw.

didn't get me the book I wanted, said it was too expensive. I have just bought it for my nephew and it is not expensive at all.

The book I did get my kids are still using.

BTW 'Taming of the shrew is on the Beeb tonight,in 'Shakespeare Retold', a modern version, where Kate is a banker I think.

the bbc taming of the shrew Kate is a rising female in the land of poltics (sounds rather familiar??) who after being "tamed" has children and becomes the 2nd female Prime Minister!

I never won any awards - but the Air Force girls had HUGE circular badges which they wore from day one - so much for all being the same!!

[Jude]

[Edited for content - JT]

[Edited for content - JT]

Ok - from 75 - 80 at Hertford - Mr Peter White (from North Wales, Colwyn Bay) was the maths teacher , Mr Bacldwin was the physics teacher - [moderated - JT] he married Claire Bovey, an Old Blue from 1's - but the marriage failed and they soon divorced (or so I am remembering from the goss ). Mrs Rhodes took History - but she was a Miss who went away one summer holdiay and came back married!!! I always though Miss Champion was my first primary school teacher in West Sussex - she was a Irish as they come, had fingers at least a foot long all boney, bright orange hair - perhaps she followed me to CH! argh!!!

We had a female Biology teacher for Biology - she was young, a Mrs, who left just before we did our O levels to have a baby - which was totally shocking as we then had someone who hadn't a clue for Bio... Chemistry was a man - we were pretty bad about mixing up certain acids....

Needlework (how I shudder to even say the word) was done by a fiery old dragoness whose name has just slipped my brain, I hated needlework and she hated me (so there we go!) on the top floor off the science block was history, needlework and one other room, middle floor were chemistry lab on left and Biology side on right, ground floor - geog room on left and physics lab on right -

I met up with Peter White when I was visiting a school and found him teaching there - we had had squash games together. [Moderated - JT] I recall Rosemary Oakes - her nickname was Wuggy, she was in 5's.... I bumped into her in Sussex eons ago, she was still single but enjoying life..

Anyone remember the girl who got pregnant ? Or the ones who went out and got totally boozed out of their heads? I remember some of them - they had a way of getting the gateman to open up for them - I would hate to think how!!!

[Vonny]

The only reason I knew 100% that Mr Baldwin was definitely seeing Claire was because I walked past his house near the Meads somewhere & saw them both coming out of the front door

Mrs Newbold was our needlework teacher - wonder if you are thinking of her? She could be quite stern.
Biology was Mrs Giarchardi (quite young, well, young compared to all the other teachers!)
History was Mrs Roxburgh - remember her fancy writing?!
The chemi teacher was female - her name has slipped my mind

[englishangel]

Needlework (how I shudder to even say the word) was done by a fiery old dragoness whose name has just slipped my brain, I hated needlework and she hated me (so there we go!) on the top floor off the science block was history, needlework and one other room, middle floor were chemistry lab on left and Biology side on right, ground floor - geog room on left and physics lab on right -

When I was there,
Top floor lef t- Needlework and History
Miss Richards and Miss Mercer/Miss Farrow
Top floor right - Biology
Name escapes me (Pic on FRU -and I did it for A Level)
First floor left - Cookery
Miss Jukes (of course)
First floor right - Chemistry
MIss Thompson (Chemi T)
Ground floor left - Geography
Misss Wilson
Ground Foor right - Physics
Again I did it for A Level but I forget the name She was doing an Astrophysics degree herself (PhD?)

Games,
Miss Norman and Miss Gravett
RE
DR (and Miss Farrow history did some I think)
French Mrs Williams and Miss Rutherford ( and then a man came)
German Miss Rutherford and Miss Von Stettin
Maths
Mr Mulholland and Mrs Thomas
Latin
Miss (Queenie) Blench
English
Mrs Betterton and Miss Morrison
Music
Miss Cordery and Miss Taverner

[Jude]

Needlework (how I shudder to even say the word) was done by a fiery old dragoness whose name has just slipped my brain, I hated needlework and she hated me (so there we go!) on the top floor off the science block was history, needlework and one other room, middle floor were chemistry lab on left and Biology side on right, ground floor - geog room on left and physics lab on right -

When I was there,
Top floor lef t- Needlework and History
Miss Richards and Miss Mercer/Miss Farrow
Top floor right - Biology
Name escapes me (Pic on FRU -and I did it for A Level)
First floor left - Cookery
Miss Jukes (of course)
First floor right - Chemistry
MIss Thompson (Chemi T)
Ground floor left - Geography
Misss Wilson
Ground Foor right - Physics
Again I did it for A Level but I forget the name She was doing an Astrophysics degree herself (PhD?)

Games,
Miss Norman and Miss Gravett
RE
DR (and Miss Farrow history did some I think)
French Mrs Williams and Miss Rutherford ( and then a man came)
German Miss Rutherford and Miss Von Stettin
Maths
Mr Mulholland and Mrs Thomas
Latin
Miss (Queenie) Blench
English
Mrs Betterton and Miss Morrison
Music
Miss Cordery and Miss Taverner

EnglishAngel you are a blessing -
i had Miss cordery for piano and she was so sad to see me leave she bough a brilliant music book for the piano ( I'd got to grade 7 by then!!) and signed it!!
Miss Taverner was the fantastic choir mistress - who knew people in the Bach Choir (she was a member I think) and I was chosen to go to sing the Messiah with the Bach choir in the ripeano group - the mistress in charge of us was to be in my Gloucs days my conductor for Cirencester Choral Society!! She remembered me (no doubt it was the strange surname - Kelynack) and I actually had voice lessons with her for years - she wanted me to go to London to join the Bach choir but it's 90mins from here to Paddington, and my then husband refused!

[Content removed due to breach of Appropriate Use - Moderators (JTaylor & SPalgrave)]

Mrs Roxburgh was my history teacher - perhaps it was my french teach who I remember - she was Miss Lane - went away came back married as Mrs Rhodes (we pun'ned that to death)

Mrs Newbold the feiry dragoon for needle work
and Miss Rutherford was the one with the blue rinse hair who did German - until the Wilson's arrived - then we had Mr Wilson for German and Mdm Willson for French...

I was a Pav girl for 2 years (unheard of!) But Miss Gravett seemed to loike me so I got the job a year early, and had it again the next year - I have a scar in my left hand where the pav key was thrown at me and I caught it and it embedded itself in the fleshy part of the part next to your thumb!!

[englishangel]

When we returned from USA 12 years ago we lived in Fairlight (near Hastings) for 5 months and bumped into Miss Cordery who had retired down there. Miss Taverner used to visit her and paly the organ at the local church, but unfortunately not while we were there.

Poor Miss C tried to pound piano playing into me for 3 years but she didn't get anywhere.

[Vonny]

Games,
Miss Gravett

Still can't get over Gravvy teaching when you were there - I always thought of her being fairly young but obviously she was older than she looked!

[Jude]

When we returned from USA 12 years ago we lived in Fairlight (near Hastings) for 5 months and bumped into Miss Cordery who had retired down there. Miss Taverner used to visit her and paly the organ at the local church, but unfortunately not while we were there.

Poor Miss C tried to pound piano playing into me for 3 years but she didn't get anywhere.

I adored Miss Taverner - She allowed me to learn (a bit on the quiet as there were "Organ Scholars") the organ, one Christmas at the Church my parents took me to there wasn't an organist, so I was asked to play - it was an electronic one - in it's day I suppose very expensive! It had a knob so that you could read the music but the organ played the notes lower or higher....... as most of the congregation were elderly, i switched it to lower for O come all ye faithfull - but forget to press it in..... half way through the 1st chorus it gradually wound itself back uuuuuup...as did the ladies in the congregation!! I wasn't asked to play again (phew) and the only organ playing I have done since has been on the odd occaision when out walking I had come across a church with a pipe organ - a few times they allowed me to play - sadly I haven't played for over 10 years now, and the piano is so out of tune I can't play it!

[englishangel]

I can just imagine those old ladies. I sing like that anyway. My kids hate me singing along to songs, they say I always sing as if I am in church.

If you check Veronica Gravett's FRU details she graduated in 1967 which would make her 59 or so now.