[Misc] Rumbles between schools

[Gwylan]

This thread should be renamed the Harry Allt thread. Once experienced, never forgotten. He was a teacher from a bygone era.

Yes he was extremely violent, but he was OUR extremely violent history teacher at Varndean. Nobody will ever take those memories away from us.

Before Crazy Harry there was Butch Hutchins, the headteacher before Molly. He terrified my dad and hosts of other OVs. Varndean seemed to attract a particularly fine set of psychos.

 

[pasty]

There were a few, mostly small but a couple of big ones between Holy Trinity and St. Wilfred in the 80's. I was at Holy Trinity, when we went to them it would happen in the entrance to Goffs Park or on the grass by the Mormon temple, if they came to us it would be Cheals car park. Fights were usually arranged by the lads from both schools that bussed in from Horsham. I had to walk past St.Wilfs on my way to and from Trinity, would sometimes be eventful. I was invited to attend a couple of after school bust ups between St.Wilfs lads, and most of their school would be there, could sometimes get big as quite a few of the kids there had several brothers (Catholic families).
There was a big one between Hazelwick and Ifield mid 80's. Thomas Bennet had a small gang of 7 or 8 lads that would pay visits to all the shopping parades used at lunchtimes by other schools kids, from time to time, and kick something off. No one took a mob to Bennet, too many nutters there.

A bit after my time I think. I left Trinity in ‘82

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Before Crazy Harry there was Butch Hutchins, the headteacher before Molly. He terrified my dad and hosts of other OVs. Varndean seemed to attract a particularly fine set of psychos.

Including Sammy Turner with his infamous “Sammywhack” and proclivity for lurking in the showers after games.

 

[Baldseagull]

A bit after my time I think. I left Trinity in ‘82

I started there in '82, so yeah, all would have been after your time.

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Varndean '86-'91 was basically a period of calm from what I remember....absolutely no recollection of any rumbles happening, although lots of rumours of course

 

[AnotherArch]

Before Crazy Harry there was Butch Hutchins, the headteacher before Molly. He terrified my dad and hosts of other OVs. Varndean seemed to attract a particularly fine set of psychos.

Ah Butch! His preferred words to attract your attention were: "Hey you! Dogsbody!". Probably the last Varndean head to use the cane regularly.
He was only 5 feet tall, if that, but would reach up and grab errant huge sixth-formers by the earlobes and drag them out. Had 'Personal Appearance Inspections' for shiny shoes and length of hair not to touch the shirt collar. The night before he retired, the leaving boys got up on the roof and painted on it 'Bye Bye Butch we'll miss you'.
Then came Molly. Tall, huge stride, flowing robes. Later in life, Darth Vader bore a likeness to him.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Ah Butch! His preferred words to attract your attention were: "Hey you! Dogsbody!". Probably the last Varndean head to use the cane regularly.
He was only 5 feet tall, if that....

There is the issue right there....

 

[BrianB]

Hassocks County Secondary ( now Downlands) late 60s , the geography teacher was a man who Iirc had been a prisoner of war held by the Japanese , a chap who these days would be getting ptsd treatment , he could flip too full-on psycho in seconds ...
A pity because the one class I liked was geography.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Hassocks County Secondary ( now Downlands) late 60s , the geography teacher was a man who Iirc had been a prisoner of war held by the Japanese , a chap who these days would be getting ptsd treatment , he could flip too full-on psycho in seconds ...
A pity because the one class I liked was geography.

I think you will find a lot of veterans from WW2 became teachers and what they went through affected them, with probably no support whatsoever, in a way you have to feel for them as you get older you understand why they were like they were, at the time you thought wow, or it was actually the norm.

 

[Perry Milkins]

I'm finding it a little hard to believe that Varndean were a bit rebellious at all but if that is the case then ok.

 

[Eric the meek]

I think you will find a lot of veterans from WW2 became teachers and what they went through affected them, with probably no support whatsoever, in a way you have to feel for them as you get older you understand why they were like they were, at the time you thought wow, or it was actually the norm.

My Dad was posted to Burma in WW2, but he never spoke about it. Not once. I don't know whether he actually fought, and/or suffered terribly or not at all. It didn't ever occur to me to ask him about it. As a young lad, I was too wrapped up in myself. Now he's dead, it's too late to ask him.

 

[Weststander]

Hassocks County Secondary ( now Downlands) late 60s , the geography teacher was a man who Iirc had been a prisoner of war held by the Japanese , a chap who these days would be getting ptsd treatment , he could flip too full-on psycho in seconds ...
A pity because the one class I liked was geography.

Tideway's head Mr Rothwell through the entire 70's, had been a Japanese POW. He reacted the other way, he was a libertarian e.g. the only senior school in the UK where you could wear casual clothing of your choosing. Briefly at age 11 kids were bought the uniform including orange jumpers, soon ditched for Adidas, Levi, Wrangler.

 

[Weststander]

My Dad was posted to Burma in WW2, but he never spoke about it. Not once. I don't know whether he actually fought, and/or suffered terribly or not at all. It didn't ever occur to me to ask him about it. As a young lad, I was too wrapped up in myself. Now he's dead, it's too late to ask him.

So was my paternal grandad. France, Dunkirk, then Burma for all 6 years. He passed when I was 30, he never reminisced.

 

[GJN1]

Do you think rival schools in Swansea have rumbles in the Mumbles?

 

[Gwylan]

Do you think rival schools in Swansea have rumbles in the Mumbles?

Yeah, after eating apple crumbles

 

[Van Cleef]

I'm finding it a little hard to believe that Varndean were a bit rebellious at all but if that is the case then ok.

Exactly. At PCC back in the day, I always imagined Varndean a bit like this. Then again we were too busy with Hove Park to worry about those poshos.

 

[Eric the meek]

Exactly. At PCC back in the day, I always imagined Varndean a bit like this. Then again we were too busy with Hove Park to worry about those poshos.

Ripping Yarns was inspired.

'I managed to get 17 miles before the school leopard caught me'.

 

[Sirnormangall]

I'm finding it a little hard to believe that Varndean were a bit rebellious at all but if that is the case then ok.

I’ll have you know that although a grammar school, it had some very clever thugs - pupils as well as teachers

 

[Eeyore]

My Dad was posted to Burma in WW2, but he never spoke about it. Not once. I don't know whether he actually fought, and/or suffered terribly or not at all. It didn't ever occur to me to ask him about it. As a young lad, I was too wrapped up in myself. Now he's dead, it's too late to ask him.

My Uncle went over on DD + 6 and was among the group that liberated Belsun. Never talked about it. All I knew was that he had seen terrible things.

 

[Wardy's twin]

My Dad was posted to Burma in WW2, but he never spoke about it. Not once. I don't know whether he actually fought, and/or suffered terribly or not at all. It didn't ever occur to me to ask him about it. As a young lad, I was too wrapped up in myself. Now he's dead, it's too late to ask him.

you could try to find his military record....