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BS: My old school
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BS: My old school |
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Subject: BS: My old school From: MGM·Lion Date: 18 Oct 12 - 10:28 AM Mentioning the name of my old school, Hendon County, on the Jimmy Savile thread because for some reason a drift led to life in Middlesex ~~ a county no longer extant, tho still a first class cricket county ~~ led me by a train of thought to thinking how many people from this very ordinary local authority maintained Grammar School went on to some distinction. Before my time, Betty Huntley-Wright, singer and actress, had been there. Also Harold Whitlock, 1936 Olympic Gold Medallist in the 50 km Walk ~~ a tree called the Whitlock Oak, which had been presented to him in a pot by Hitler himself along with his medal and he had presented in turn to his old school, grew opposite the Gym. There was some talk at the beginning of WWii of uprooting it because of its Führer associations; but those who thought we should keep it in case means could be found to hang the old swine on it won the day. In my 6th form (1948-50), the future Radio 4 Today programme guru, at that time a great Marxist, Rabbi Lionel Blue, rubbed shoulders with Frank Williams, future Vicar of Dad's Army, who was in all my own 6th form sets. Ecumenical, eh? Also Peter Maitlis, now Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at Sheffield Univ & father of Emily Maitlis the Newsnight presenter. A few years later: Peter [Lord] Mandelson; also David Rattner, founder of the "crap jewellers" (his own description) chain. This wasn't a public school or any way posh. Just, as I said, an ordinary maintained Grammar. Any other such have so many quite interesting alumni? ~Michael~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: My old school From: Sooz Date: 18 Oct 12 - 11:52 AM That is an impressive list! My grammar school in Nottinghamshire (still a county as well as a first class cricket county) doesn't boast anyone famous. Unless you count me, of course! |
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Subject: RE: BS: My old school From: MGM·Lion Date: 18 Oct 12 - 12:05 PM Another two I'd mention: not household names but very distinguished in their fields {tho now of course retired - we are all 80} ~~ Jack and Dora Black, who met at school and married after ~~ dear friends: I was best man at their wedding and still see them regularly. He became one of the country's leading copyright solicitors; saw several distinguished autobiogs and memoirs thru the press from the legal aspect. She became chief child trauma psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital. When a man murdered his wife and went to prison for life, it was her job to sort out the children. She wrote textbooks on this work which I believe are now standard in that field, which she pioneered. ~M~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: My old school From: Bonzo3legs Date: 18 Oct 12 - 01:05 PM Bloody hell, my Dad went to Hendon County from 1937 to around 1942-43! |
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Subject: RE: BS: My old school From: MGM·Lion Date: 18 Oct 12 - 01:19 PM I went there in 43, Bonzo. Just missed him! |
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Subject: RE: BS: My old school From: Will Fly Date: 18 Oct 12 - 02:22 PM I went to Bolton School for Boys, which sits next door to Bolton School for Girls. Alumni both male and female: Sir Ian McKellen (actor) Monica Ali (author of "Brick Lane") Nigel Short (chess player) Mark Radcliffe (radio broadcaster) Ralf Little (actor) Leslie Halliwell) (film writer and historian) Kate Long (authoress) and many others too numerous to bore you with. The only one of these roughly contemporaneous with me was Ian McKellen who I saw act in the school play "Henry V". |
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Subject: RE: BS: My old school From: MikeL2 Date: 18 Oct 12 - 02:46 PM hi Michael I was a pupil of Altrincham Grammar School for Boys and not a very distinguished one !!! I must have been Ok though because they allowed one of my sons to follow me into the hallowed halls. Indeed now one of my grandsons has followed us and is a pupil there now. ( My eldest granddaughter is a pupil in the 6th Form at Altrincham Grammar school for Girls. Some of it's more distinguished ex-pupils -: Paul Allott - former Lancashire and England cricketer Roger Ashton-Griffiths - film actor Alan Barnes - jazz musician] Graham Brady - Conservative MP for Altrincham and Sale West from 1997 and Chairman of the 1922 Committee from 2010. Ian Brown - solo artist and former lead singer of the indie rock band The Stone Roses. Nick Cohen - journalist and author Ronald Gow - dramatist, who returned to the school to teach in the 1920s Prof Ian Hargreaves, Editor of The Independent from 1994-6, and the New Statesman from 1996-8 John Hopkins - conductor of the BBC Northern Orchestra from 1952–57, founder of the New Zealand Youth Orchestra and Director of Music at the Australian Broadcasting Commission 1963–73 Steve Jackson - Co-founder of Games Workshop and Lionhead Ian Livingstone - Executive Chairman of Eidos Interactive, co-founder of Games Workshop and publisher of Tomb Raider and Lara Croft Prof John Morrill, Professor of British and Irish History at the University of Cambridge John Squire - former guitarist of the indie rock band The Stone Roses Former teachers Fred Talbot, weather forecaster (taught biology) I can't say that I actually knew any of them except Paul Allott against whom I played cricket - both before and after he played for Lancashire and England. Great guy both on and off the field. There are some musical links too - very varied from Indie music to Symphony Orchestra. Cheers Mikel2 |
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Subject: RE: BS: My old school From: MGM·Lion Date: 10 Nov 12 - 02:28 AM Happening back on this oldish thread, recall a slight connection with MikeL's list above ~~ part of an evening of one-act plays in which I appeared while at Hendon County was one by *Ronald Gow* called Scuttleboom's Treasure, in which I played a headmaster who rescues a group of marooned purates from a desert island ~~ or something like that: it was a long time ago. R Gow was married to the distinguished actress Wendy Hiller; his biggest success was an adaptation of Walter Greenwood's industrial relations 1930s novel Love On The Dole. ~M~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: My old school From: GUEST,Big Al Whittle Date: 10 Nov 12 - 06:14 AM I once taught in a sec mod in Birmingham, where no less than three of the old boys had been hanged. We all strive for excellence and outstanding achievement in our own ways. |
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Subject: RE: BS: My old school From: Mr Happy Date: 10 Nov 12 - 07:24 AM Alumni of my old school, in addition to me! include Russ Abbott; comedian & actor & Keith 'Orville' Harris, the ventriloquist! |
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Subject: RE: BS: My old school From: GUEST,Big Al Whittle Date: 10 Nov 12 - 07:47 AM What a class that must have been - you with your mouse organ collection, Keith Harris with Orville, and Russ Abbot singing I love an atmosphere. Teacher: Today I'd like you to do some sums... Orville: Ah can't...! Rest of Class: Yes you can Orville! |
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Subject: RE: BS: My old school From: MGM·Lion Date: 10 Nov 12 - 11:21 PM I forgot Miles Spector. Forgotten now, but v distinguished at the time, because while still at school at age 17, he played regularly for a season at outside left as an amateur for Chelsea, and two matches, against Wales & Scotland, for England Amateurs [they used to have amateur internationals in those days, 1950]. On Saturdays when Chelsea were not playing, or had picked another player for that day, he would turn out in the morning for the school's own 1st XI of which I was goalkeeper at the time; so I played in the same team as a current 1st Division & Amateur International player!. I remember one match we won 9-1, in which Miles scored 5. ~M~ |
