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Forest Hill School
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BillMcL


Posts: 9
Joined: May 2012
Post: #21
25-05-2012 12:42 PM

Hi Chris - Yes I was in 1.3 and 2.3 before leaving in July 67. Now that you mention it I do remember the one armed maths teacher. I think he lost it in the war. I was in Browning too but I can't remember the name of my Tutor - he was an older guy witrh grey hair and glasses - I remember the name of an older boy in my Tutor group who was in 4th or 5th year called Mockeridge. Cheers Bill

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Horniman


Posts: 7
Joined: Jul 2011
Post: #22
25-05-2012 02:20 PM

Nice to hear from you Bill. I don't recall so many names now, but remember my tutor - Mr Stone - I was in B5. I also remember the music teacher, Miss Vaughn Jones, whom we called "Scraggy Annie". Mr Stroud, then Mr Brook were Browning housemasters. Have you visited www. friendsrevisited website, there are quite a few entries on FHS from that era. Cheers Chris

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BillMcL


Posts: 9
Joined: May 2012
Post: #23
25-05-2012 02:25 PM

Thanks Chris. I'll have a look at friendsrevisited. Kind Regards Bill

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BillMcL


Posts: 9
Joined: May 2012
Post: #24
25-05-2012 02:38 PM

Hi again Chris - did you mean friends reunited? Bill

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Horniman


Posts: 7
Joined: Jul 2011
Post: #25
25-05-2012 02:44 PM

Hi Bill, yes that's the one, I meant friends reunited. Were you the tall boy with glasses or am I thinking of someone else? Cheers Chris

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BillMcL


Posts: 9
Joined: May 2012
Post: #26
25-05-2012 03:24 PM

No glasses - tall with straight brown hair with a slanted fringe and quite sticky out ears - somebody in the class nicknamed me Haggis - because I was Scottish - maybe that was you!lol

This post was last modified: 25-05-2012 03:26 PM by BillMcL.

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Horniman


Posts: 7
Joined: Jul 2011
Post: #27
25-05-2012 07:35 PM

Thanks for the info Bill, I do remember you now. You might recall I was nicknamed "Ali" by Wally Knight, because my then surname was Barber. The name stayed with me until after I had left school.

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BillMcL


Posts: 9
Joined: May 2012
Post: #28
25-05-2012 08:59 PM

Ah - `Ali' I do remember - you were slim, quite tall with dark straight hair?

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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #29
26-05-2012 07:32 PM

Wally Knight. What a teacher. So calm compared to Mr Vogt in the next room who you could always hear shouting.

Who recalls the terrible Magoo's buses that took us down to Sidcup for sports.

Anyone recall Dr Wornham who was a local vicae but came in to teach RE.

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Shirikik


Posts: 1
Joined: Feb 2014
Post: #30
25-02-2014 06:09 PM

Have stumbled across this site/thread by accident....

I also attended Forest Hill School from July 1964 to July 1971.
I was in Tutor Group Newton 2.
If I remember correctly my Tutor Master was Mr Setram who I think taught German.
I believe that it was a Mr Smith who was the Newton House Master at the time who left and his position being taken over by a teacher who taught Maths but whose name escapes me for the moment.
In my early years I was taught French by a Mr Bowen.
I remember quite fondly Wally Knight who I remember always being very smart 'old school' and having highly polished shoes. He taught me English Literature. I remember a teacher called Abu Hassan (or similar sounding name) who taught English Language at 'O' level.
In later years I was taught Physics by Mr Fenton (the other class had Mr Poole).
I studied Engineering at 'A' Level which was initially taught by Mr Marler.
I recall him taking a group of us down to South East London Technical College in Lewisham Way in his Armstrong Siddely car. I recall that he was quite ill and I think he had to stop teaching and I believe passed away.
The remaining time at Engineering 'A' level was taught by a Mr Riley and later by Mr MacDonald.
With regard to other postings......yes I remember the trips in Margo's double decker buses to Sidcup and undertaking the cross country runs along the Sidcup-Bypass. I remember the initial construction work on the swimming pool at the bottom of the two main playgrounds.
I must see if I can locate some old school reports to see if there is any information on other teachers....i.e. the teacher that used to play the school organ at assembly and taught Music and Art......

Have rambled on for long enough so will end now.

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LawrenceL


Posts: 4
Joined: Nov 2014
Post: #31
24-11-2014 02:18 PM

I'm trying to track down a teacher who was running the Film Society around 1980. He had a film entered at Canne, either that year or the year before. Newsnight came to Forest Hill to do an item on him and filmed a group of us in the playground having a fight - approprately enough for the time!
Anyone got any ideas?
thanks

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cliveg


Posts: 3
Joined: Nov 2014
Post: #32
25-11-2014 01:18 PM

Hi LawrenceL, the teacher you are referring to was Colin Finbow.
He taught English and ran the Film Society at FHS. I think he was also involved in the Children's Film Foundation. Many films were made at the school including one I was involved in called Crying River made in 1974/75 at Aberllefenni. I have often wondered what became of the films and if the school still has them somewhere. Films were also shown in the evenings and provided you had your parents permission we enjoyed showings of A Clockwork Orange & Willard (about Rats!) amazing really.

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LawrenceL


Posts: 4
Joined: Nov 2014
Post: #33
25-11-2014 08:01 PM

Hi Colin that's wonderful thanks very much. I was actually in one of his films filmed on a canal boat in Birmingham. I left the following year and never saw the film.

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LawrenceL


Posts: 4
Joined: Nov 2014
Post: #34
25-11-2014 08:02 PM

I mean Clive !!

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LawrenceL


Posts: 4
Joined: Nov 2014
Post: #35
25-11-2014 08:04 PM

The Children's Film Unit was formed in 1981 by schoolteacher and ex-Avengers writer, Colin Finbow.[3][4] It had begun life as the film studies department at Forest Hill School in South East London. The standard of the work Finbow and his students produced so excited professional film makers due to its quality and freshness that, after one of their films, "The Custard Boys" (1979) received critical acclaim, it was suggested that more children should benefit from this unique experience.[5]
from Wikipedia

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cumbrianexpat


Posts: 3
Joined: Dec 2014
Post: #36
22-12-2014 07:29 PM

Hi, I attended forest hill school from 1965 -71 and was in Shackleton house S/6 tutor group. House master was Mr Haswell ,Head master was Potter and deputy Head was Mr Stansbury. Other teachers that i can remember ; "daddy Dawes (drama) mr Nagy (maths) mr Shum (maths) and mr Towler (english). I used to hang around with Greg Allen , Ian Way , and Neil Cleveley. Also was mates with John Ansty and Phil Godsmark. I also remember Ali Barber , John Murray , Mark Pinder , Michael Vines , Keith Madden , Barney Church , Steve Back and Alan Coates. I can recall David Bowie and McGuiness Flint doing sixth form concerts in the school hall and i also went on the school trip to Avignon in 67. I have two school group photos which i will try and find and if successful post on here.

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cumbrianexpat


Posts: 3
Joined: Dec 2014
Post: #37
22-12-2014 09:20 PM

The old memory is really hotting up now , here are some more teachers names from the 1960s ; Madam Davies (french) , Mrs Pukwana (french) wore micro mini skirts and always had a queue of lads behind her when she went upstairs , Mr Sampsom (chemistry. smoked a pipe) , Mr Wiltshire (music). Some more pupils names i've just conjured up ; Geoff "cherry" Newton , Steve Ponman , John Rudman , Mark Dorfman (his dad directed Top of the Pops) and Ronald Wood.

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longtimegone


Posts: 1
Joined: May 2015
Post: #38
22-06-2016 08:36 PM

Raising a dead topic, old age means i am living ever further back in the past;Sad
I went to Forest hill school 1958-1963, it must have been a different school to the one remembered here; the most miserable years of my young life, I was so glad to leave.
Being a new comprehensive state school it was eager to prove it was as good as the private sector and was obcessed with turning us into managment/university fodder. woe betide anyone who like me was dyslexic,I am numerically dyslexic, so was regarded as thick.
Bullying was rife, from staff as well as the kids; I remember one Brian Jacks as one of the worst, almost a thug then, and cocky with it because of the judo. I remember the school which was mad on sports, announcing one day Jacks win somewhere as a young judo champ, the whole assembly booed as one.
They didn't like that on the stage.

I was in Harvey4 , and Francis was the house master, If I knew of his grave, is he still alive? I'd make a long journey to pee on it, a nasty s*d all round.
His attitude to bullying? tell me boy, then he'd call in the bully, "did you bully this boy here?"
"Oh no sir"
"well off you go then"
All that meant was you were in line for another thumping later.

A conceited fool, full of himself, but he got me so wrong, all the time.

I remember Ashbee as a spiteful s*d, several other names here are familiar but I can't elaborate; I had an English teacher, I think his name was Clarke? youngish blonde chap, only decent one I can recall, who played piano to silent films after school and a decent old chap, who tried to teach us religion, he was a local vicar who had been an RFC pilot, the game was to get him reminiscing on the RFC, or rugby. I wish i could recall all his stories.
Biology teacher Called Mr Norman, a gentle man whose life was made a misery by the rougher element.

Only other pupil I remember is Alan Kent, who at one time ran the camera shop at Cobbs Corner

Bit of moan this, sorry after 60+years its bad how so much of it rankles.
just getting it off my chest after memory been stirred

Despite all their prophesies of doom and disaster and jail terms, I went to to do quite well for myself not ever needing one single thing I learnt there,well, except never trust authority.

Quote:
What abour Dr Wornham who was vicar at Christchurch and taught RI


that's the man,decent old boy all round.

I also recall a bad tempered grump of a metalwork teacher who had the foulest breath ever.

This post was last modified: 22-06-2016 08:45 PM by longtimegone.

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Perryman


Posts: 820
Joined: Dec 2006
Post: #39
23-06-2016 10:59 AM

Brilliant post longtimegone.
I guess it needs to be added before someone complains that one of your tormentors was her grand-dad, that while your experience is absolutely valid, the person sat next to you might feel very different about their time at school.

Generally schools are much much better these days largely because parents are much more active and their support of a school rightly is not unconditional any more. I remember my parents were terrified of my teachers.

All the same, if a child has dyscalculia, dyslexia, is introverted, or does not learn well in a class setting for example, then with the best will in the world, they are probably still going to have some pretty miserable times at school. Even the academically able ones.

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longtimegone


Posts: 1
Joined: May 2015
Post: #40
23-06-2016 01:04 PM

The problem, as I see it in retrospect, was the comprehensive school concept that mixing the brightest in a class with the downright thick and thuggish, would elevate the thick and thuggish to a higher level by example and association.

This has never been the case, what would happen was that the thickos would dominate and wreck interesting lessons by their behaviour. The inevitable outcome was teachers showing a level of brutality that would never be tolerated these days.
I was hit with canes. [ Francis], bunches of keys,[Ashbees favourite], plimsolls, board rubbers and in one case a javelin. Most of the time I was ignorant of why, and on several occasions set up by the class/house favourite,usually some sporting star of the moment [ I loathed sports, still do].

I was not the delinquent this would seem to be, mostly back chat, talking too much, or truancy [understandable] was my crime. I used to hide out in the little library in the Horniman museum,anyone remember that? Quaint little place, with some interesting reading, I was always a great reader, I can still recall the first book I got from FH library at 6yrs old.
A turning point in my life was the teenage surge in growth, and the realisation I could fight back.

Poor old Nobby Norman I saw reduced to tears a couple of times by bullying from the class thugs. A nice gentle man, possibly gay, who did not deserve to be treated like it.
Funny how its his name thats stuck firmest in my mind.

That wretched swimming pool money was raised by threats and coercion from the staff; "here's a bunch of programmes for the school fete go and sell them all; or we want to know why" parents got really fed up with constant demands for cash or other contributions for one thing or another, I remember one lad brought back an oxo cube. I'd resort to hawking those bleddy programmes door to door, Cliff Richards mum in Catford and Rolf Harris place in SE26 were always good for a few sales; I look back now feeling lucky.Wink

I suppose I sound a bit exaggerated, but in the 1950s the catchment area was undergoing a huge change, lots of east end slum clearance and rebuilding after the war years meant a huge number of families moved out of the east end into new buildings around SE23/6.
A lot of criminal inclined amongst them [Ever wondered why so much crime came out of the Crays and Orpington?

I'm 70 now and spend a lot of time wondering where all these memories are surfacing from, I think I can remember what I had for breakfast today....

Life got lot better after I left, and I never kept in touch with any of my school mates, didn't want to, which is I suppose why some of the posts here have set me off.........I must sound a miserable old geezer.

Quote:
I guess it needs to be added before someone complains that one of your tormentors was her grand-dad, that while your experience is absolutely valid, the person sat next to you might feel very different about their time at school.


Spot on, Perryman, but if confronted with any of those teachers or their descendants, I'd still tell them to their face.Fair comment and all that.
My school experiences made life a bit difficult for me in my teens, till I learnt how to overcome the attitude that resulted.

I do have fond memories of growing up in SE26/3 area, my mum lived in Stanstead road till she died; its a lot different these days, I'm glad to be a long way away.

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