John Humphrey - Grenville House 1951-1956

A Boarder’s Diary

Well, there it was, I had passed the academic entry requirements and  the decision had been made. I was going to Boarding School. Still, at least Shoreham Grammar School was near the sea (for those who do not know, Shoreham Grammar was in Shoreham-by-Sea, very near to St Mary’s Church. The School is now the Health/ Community Centre).

A large trunk at home was filled with personal items together with those of clothing that were specified on the list sent to my parents by the School, and  it was duly dispatched  by train from Croydon to Shoreham-by-Sea railway station. It was then collected and transported to the School.

With a touch of sadness, I was duly delivered by my Mum, at my tender age of 13, for the start of the Michaelmas term in 1951. I was put in the very capable hands, as were the other new pupils, of the Matron - Mrs Watts and the Sister - Miss Andrews. Both seemed at the time as being very old, but then for us, anyone over the school age was considered to be very old indeed!

The Matron took us all to our relevant dormitories and showed us our beds. Mine was in 8 Dorm (I had no idea why it was called ‘8’ Dorm because I am sure there were only 4 dormitories in the School!). Anyway, 8 Dorm it was. It had, I guess, some 25-30 beds, and there, at the end of my allocated bed, was my trunk, which was to become my personal storage area for all my possessions for the duration.

The day would start at 07:00hrs when the school bell was sounded (this bell was not electric but a large brass type hanging in the courtyard which had to be manually sounded by way of a length of rope). We all had to then get up and get washed, dressed and make our beds before going downstairs to line up outside the dining room for breakfast at 08:00hrs. After breakfast, there was free time before lessons started at 09:00hrs. If however, the bed inspection carried out during breakfast meant that a remake was needed, your free time was cut short!  Remember that lessons were on Saturday morning as well!

The school day did not vary significantly over the years. We were not only taught the essentials of Maths, English and Science, but also History, Geography, French, Latin, Art and Scripture (we were allowed to drop Latin when we reached the age of 15 years, although at that time, Latin was an essential subject for the entry to University).

After tea, we had to then return to the classrooms to do our Prep (homework) - this was a compulsory event. After this, provided that one did not have a detention, one was free until supper at 20:00hrs.

There were many clubs that one could join. I was a member of both the Model Aero Club and the Stamp Club. This provided some alternative to the regimented school life. I also joined Ballroom dance classes!

It was not only lessons that filled our days. Every Saturday afternoon was dedicated to sport - Football in the winter and Cricket in the summer. As boarders, we were compelled to participate, either as players or supporters. If you could get into the school team, there was the benefit of travelling, normally by coach, for away fixtures, which provided the opportunity of making new friends and participating in the after match refreshments provided. It was little different to that provided at the School, normally comprising sandwiches and a liquid refreshment. No cream cakes!

Being a boarder had its own set of personal restrictions. Apart from the first Wednesday in every month and every other Sunday, being outside the confines of the school boundary without permission was strictly against the rules. Punishment ensued if one was caught. The first Wednesday in every month was a whole day holiday, as was every other Sunday, when we were allowed to travel home to see our family. On these days, we were allowed to have an early breakfast to allow us to catch the 08:07 train bound for London Victoria. We all had to return to School before Supper at 20:00hrs. We had to report to the Duty Master to confirm our presence.

Having the opportunity of spending a little time at home, obviously denied to the overseas boarders, did have great advantages. We had the opportunity to bring ‘tuck’ such as sweets, chocolate cakes etc, which one would share with best friends. One item which was very prized, were tins of Heinz Baked Beans. This I will explain later.

The punishments that were inflicted for minor infringement of the School rules were mainly dealt out by the Prefects, some of whom were well known to be avoided at all costs! Two I remember very vividly were named Stein and Creasey (everyone was only addressed by their surname). These individuals were well known to be the most severe. The punishment from the prefects was normally what were known as ’TABLES’. Now one TABLE consisted of writing out in longhand, the list starting at 1x1=1 up to 12x12=144. The starting punishment was 6 TABLES but would rise according to the present mood of the Prefect. Now you may not appreciate the amount of time it takes to complete even 1 TABLE, but try it and see! If, when presented to the Prefect in question (within the time span set), it was not up to the accepted standard of neatness, one was faced with a complete redo.  Remember that these had to be completed in ones free time. Many occasions they were still being completed in the dormitory before ’Lights Out’.

More severe punishments were administered by the Headmaster, Mr Bruder, if the major school rules were breached. These were the days where you could find yourself meeting ‘Mr Whack‘. ‘Mr Whack’ was, I believe, a willow branch fashioned into the shape of a cane. For serious breaches of school rules, such as smoking, open abuse to teachers,  continued  disruption of class, persistent  absence without due reason, amongst others, these breaches resulted in feeling the cane across ones buttocks. This punishment was only administered after careful consideration by the Headmaster, and as a recipient of such punishment, I can accept that is was duly deserved!

One such occurrence that I can recall was when I had moved up to, what was called Centre Extension Dormitory, which had some 15 beds, which was next to the most senior dormitory. We had a window overlooking the passing road. One evening, after we had all washed and prepared for bed, it was noticed that across the other side of the road under the street lamp, was an individual leaning under the bonnet of a car. Naturally we thought that we should give him some advice as to what he should do with regard to his obviously ’sick’ car! That was a big mistake! When the said individual leaned back from his car, we realised that he was none other than our Headmaster! We all met ‘Mr Whack’ with one stroke. In ones pyjamas, we felt the error of our actions!!

Eventually I graduated to the Senior Dormitory Centre. Here, the rules still applied, but the Dormitory Prefect was somewhat influenced by a Senior Master called Mr ‘Willy’ Wills. Mr Wills had a room very close to the Centre Dormitory, so he was really the only Master available for emergencies during the night. He was somewhat more lenient in regard to our misdemeanours and boarding school became much more like that which one can presently read about, with such envy, in some of the novels that have been published. Yes, one still had to obey the rules, although other activities became possible. Mr Wills was not only responsible for the smooth running of our dormitory , but he became our friend. Even after we had departed the School, many of us still kept in touch and assisted him in his passion for photography.

I mentioned earlier about tins of Heinz Baked Beans and how these were an integral part of a Boarders existence. Well, as was always the case at supper, there were plenty of well buttered slices of bread. These were not the thin slices of bread that one sees today, but proper ’door steps’. One could easily conceal two slices of bread under ones shirt for transport to the dormitory for what was called ’Midnight Feast’. Naturally, it was held long before Midnight and did in fact take place very soon after ’Lights Out’.  Cold Heinz Baked Beans on bread! Don’t turn your nose up, TRY IT, you will be surprised how nice it is.

The rules regarding leaving the school premises without permission were still enforced, but really only by the Duty Masters, since most of the prefects were friends and very often joined us in our ’trips to the outside world’. There was a particular young French girl named Lilly, who lived on a houseboat on the beach side of the Shoreham Foot Bridge. On most Saturday evenings, she hosted a party for her friends, to which we were always invited, if we could sneak out. I, together with my good friend, James (Jimmy) Butler, went off to some of these party appointments but we were fully conscious that we had to be back at school for supper at 20:00hrs. Unfortunately, we lost track of time on one occasion and this resulted in our having to run. When we were on the last leg across the St Mary’s Church grounds, who should be coming the other way but our beloved Headmaster! There was a very large tree (which I believe is still there today), behind which we were forced to hide. Great, except his dog knew we were there and did its best to give us away! However, we were not discovered and survived without any repercussions. In the dormitory later in the evening however, Jimmy showed me the imprints of my fingers on his upper arms from when I had stood behind him!

We were now in 1956, well into the time for our GSE ’O’ Level Exams, set by Cambridge University. These needed considerable efforts in revision if we were going to stand any chance of passing.  Since I had much more ability in the Science subjects than the Arts, I had long since ditched Latin, Scripture, History, Geography and Art. My successes in the exams were Maths, Physics, Mechanics and Chemistry.

That was it, the end of my experience of Boarding School. I look back on it now as an experience that I was very glad to have taken part in and learning the three ’R’s -  RESPECT,  RESPONSIBILITY and RESOLUTION. I am so very grateful to my parents for having given me the opportunity.

Moving on to Brighton College of Technology enabled me to obtain the qualifications needed to enter the world of, firstly Applied Physics Research and then Electronics Engineering. This enabled me to secure a working project in Spain, where I found, courted and finally married my wonderful wife………….That is another story!

John Humphrey     (Grenville House)     1951-1956