110 replies to this topic

[Alan]

Somebody suggested a Cowley horror story thread.

My starter. The sadistic nature of a certain Latin teacher by the name of "Flash" Clifton in the early fifties and the "First Fifteen" culture whereby everything revolved around rugby union

[familyman]

Anyone remember Little Eb the physics teacher. For the life of me I cant remember his name

[Olliebeak]

I was at Cowley from 1962 to 1967 - but at the GIRLS. We used to go to the boys school for a discussion group held there on a Tuesday evening after school, and supposedly supervised by Ray French. Was suppposed to be called 'Christian Union' but I don't remember the discussions ever being spiritual in anyway - more like trying to get us to think about things in a broader context. George Sherwood and Griff Hosker both used to be there, and loads of snooty upper sixth types - who didn't even look at us lowly 4th years. We didn't count on two bases - 1) we we were a couple of years younger and 2) we were considered 'silly females'. Got that way that we didn't venture to disclose an opinion on anything!

There was alot of snobbery around Cowley in those days - both social and intellectual. If you didn't come from Eccleston, or get A's in everything, then you struggled for recognition as a student.


I posted this on a different thread and then realised it should have gone in here.

[terry shute]

Li'l Eb was Eb Frodsham...physics master supreme. He was small and wizened, but I don't think he was that old. actually, probably as old as I am now! I remember his sighs of exasperation, because no matter how he tried he could never drum Faraday's Law into me.
Remember that physics room, with the high-rise rows of benches. we used to have record sessions in there at lunchtimes, entrance fees to charity - I think that was probabl where I first heard The Beatles - Please Please Me - played on a Dansette.
Right. Hands up anyone who remembers Effort Letters. If you got an E (for excellent, strangely enough) you got named in Assembly. Then came G, M, S and P, not worth a mention. And at the bottom of the heap, named and shamed, came those with a U. For Unsatisfactory (no, looking back, life wasn't that complicated after all).
Once awarded a U, then U were put on report, which meant you carried around a card for the next month, which was marked with effort letters after every lesson. If you got a P on report, then woe betide you. And those who got a U on their card...well, especially if they came from Parr, they were never heard of again.
I think it was Walter 'Fred' Wright's method of ethnic cleansing.
Ollie, nice to hear from someone in bottle green knickers from the other side of The Hill. You must appreciate, you were alien creatures to us. I think I've mentioned before, when Cowley Girls came to do games at Cowley Boys, we were warned that anyone trying to peek through the showers windows would have their knackers clamped in a woodwork vice.
Let's have more of these memories. Anyone here remember Taffy Williams of chemistry, Don Lang of English, Dan Roddan of English Lit, and the fearsome Kong of French? And who did detention?

[Olliebeak]

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............. when Cowley Girls came to do games at Cowley Boys, we were warned that anyone trying to peek through the showers windows would have their knackers clamped in a woodwork vice.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You what!!!!! Did I miss out on something? I never knew that some of us got to go to the boy's school for PE. What year was that, derbyhill? The nearest I ever got to games at Cowley Boys, was sneaking onto the Hard Lane playing field in the evenings with my mates from Hard Lane Estate. Then the cocky watchman, who lived in the little cottage near the cemetary gates, would let his flock of geese out to chase us off the field. We all had to try to climb back over the six foot high concrete fencing back into the gardens with the geese trying to attack us!

[terry shute]

definitely, I remember the dire warnings when the other gender were due to arrive, must have been to use the playing fields or the gym, you don't forget the first stirrings of lust. Never mind Ollie, you were probably a slip of a thing, perhaps it was the girls rugby team they used to send over.

[Alan]

That Dan Rodden was a real character. We once got him talking about his time piloting Mosquitoes in the war. He was the one who first told me about intercepting V1s and tilting their wing with the wing of the Mozzie to de-stabilise them and get them to crash into the Channel

[Olliebeak]

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Never mind Ollie, you were probably a slip of a thing, perhaps it was the girls rugby team they used to send over.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Believe me derbyhill, I've never been a 'slip of a thing', lol. Maybe it was for cricket - I know we had a girls cricket team but no pitch to play games on! We had a very good gym of our own, as well as tennis courts - in fact the upper sixth boys used to come to our school for 'mixed doubles' - at least that was the excuse!

[Veronica]

A Mr Adshead (known as Kipper) used to teach my husband Latin at Cowley School. Very strict teacher he was.

[eddiedunc]

Does anyone remember P A Morley(PAM) French teacher known as the galosher man
Bilinki history teacher with no control
Jo Lytton french teacher of Polish extraction

eddie

[Veronica]

Suddenly remembered another teacher my husband spoke about Jock Stronnach he lived in New Street, Sutton I believe.

[Alan]

Quote

here remember Taffy Williams of chemistry, Don Lang of English, Dan Roddan of English Lit, and the fearsome Kong of French? And who did detention?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Kong was a name for him that became popular after I left. We called him PAM after his initials. One that I remember was Roy Hordley who took chemistry. A quite mild mannered guy but there was one lad from up Clink who was the class comedian and who infuriated Hordley. One lesson we had just filed into the lab when he called "Ingham, come out here" made him bend over and gave him the stick across the arse.

"What was that for Sir?" moaned Ingham. "Well, you're going to earn it at some stage in this lesson so I thought I'd give it you now while I'm fresh!" was the reply

[Ledi]

I'm actually sorry I didn't goto school back then, life sounds so less complicated, i'm saying this as a nearly 22 year old student whose been in full time education all his life and is now pretty much hacked off with the pressure i'm going through (Its exam week), I think qualifications are bullshit, give us a grounding until 16 then kick us out, let the companies do the hard work of selecting who they want, how they want, I swear i'm going to enter politics to change our out-dated education system.

[Catrena]

My Brother went to Cowley from 1945.
The headmaster was a Mr Dowse ( I think ) He once caned my brother for being late,He came home with great red marks across his back .
My Mum was furious and went to see him the next morning .She told him he was a wicked so and so and he ought
to drop dead-=====He did the next morning in assembly.