by "Jack and Bev"
The daily effort for survival in this demanding twentieth century may have dimmed our memories somewhat of events which happened forty years ago, but we think that the first attendance register at the school should have read something like this:-
Bacon J; Bevington D; Brunet M; Butterworth B; Cranfield K; Carter T; Essex J; Heath C; Hughes H; Kersey D; Slark V; Wharton F.
On that first day we had the consolation that everyone was a stranger - there were no experienced forerunners - and soon out of sheer necessity we got to know one another very quickly. In that first school uniform there was certainly unanimity as well perhaps as anonymity! We wore long olive green jerseys with a wide collar; both the collar and the bottom of the jersey had a band of bright yellow; short grey trousers and grey woollen socks completed the uniform, except for the cap which was grey with a green peak and a front green panel which had embroidered on it in yellow letters the Salvatorian symbol - S.D.S.
| Boys at school at present may be a little surprised to learn of the daily hours of work - 9 am. to 4p.m. from Monday to Friday; 9a.m. to 12 noon on Saturdays! Yes, a five and a half day week, with the usual imposition of homework every evening. Indeed it is probable that if the priests had not been otherwise engaged on Sundays we would have had classes on Sundays also! Homework which was incorrectly done (or 'left at home') had to be done in school after school each day. It was not uncommon for some poor little green clad blighter to be making his way home around 6 p.m. This was not known then as detention - it went by the title of 'REJECTIONS'. |
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In our very first weeks at the school a football team was organised and you may be sure that the whole school turned out - 11 to play and two reserves!! It is difficult to recall the teams that we played in those days, though I can recall the Alpha school and Caves school, but the needle match was always with Finchley Grammar a very much contemporary school in East Finchley. Our playing fields were the lawn in front of the Priests' House and two very derelict allotments alongside the original corrugated iron parish church.
The teaching Staff was, understandably, rather small - Father Cuthbert Smith, more commonly known among the boys as "Cuthy", but beloved by one and all. His special cross in life at that time was to try and teach us Religious Instruction and Latin. Father Charles taught German and Ancient History but with little response, I fear, from us. The third member of Staff was Mr. F. C. Rose, known very affectionately as 'Pop Rose', a man whom all the boys held in high regard and it is only in later years that we came to realise that he gave us his all. Sometimes, by way of relaxation and entertainment he would play for us on the grand piano. Most of the boys would most willingly forego their playtime to listen to Pop on the piano and if any of us still have a love for music it was from Pop that we learned that love. One small boy was even privileged to sing while Pop accompanied him - Paul Keyte (now the Very Rev. Fr. Paul S.D.S., superior of a Salvatorian Mission in Australia) - and we were sometimes permitted to join in a chorus. As well as Music, Pop was responsible for all the other subjects on the curriculum - a mammoth task.
The first part of the College was built as an extension to the House about the end of 1927 and whether we were a help or hindrance to the builders is not recorded. We can, however, recall and record that one more adventurous boy tried his hand at 'walking the plank' along the top of the scaffolding, fell off and was lucky enough to fall into a pile of soft sand! On the completion of this school block, our new playground was a fifty feet square of concrete, an ideal area for the rage of the day in playthings - spinning or peg tops. It was also a useful area for trying out Yo-Yos, games with cigarette cards and conkers.
The cricket table was what now remained of the field at the back of the school. One soon found that a well pitched ball on the leg side could quite easily be diverted towards one of the new, but as yet unguarded, windows of the new school block, and resulted in an investigation which meant that at least one of the afternoon periods was missed. This satisfaction was, however, short-lived as the windows were covered with fine wire mesh.
We can well remember the day that the lavatory block was raided. The older boys had climbed on to the flat roof of the lavatory and it was the duty of the younger boys to storm the building. The attackers did not succeed as they were pelted with small green apples, ready to hand on the trees in Brother Trudo's orchard. It was all great fun and bears out what the fathers of the boys who may be reading this may often say to their own sons - 'one made one's own fun in those days'.
Looking back once again we are glad and grateful that we had the good fortune to go to the College when we did, though seeing the College as it is today, we cannot help feeling that perhaps, we were born forty years too soon!
