LEGSREUNITEDThe Long Eaton Grammar School (Reunited) |
Members Notice BoardArchive and Longer Messages |
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| Home Page | back | webmaster: John Simpson |
LEGSREUNITEDThe Long Eaton Grammar School (Reunited) |
Members Notice BoardArchive and Longer Messages |
|
| Home Page | back | webmaster: John Simpson |
This message board is discontinued. Any new messages can be posted by yourself using the New Message Board.
| DATED | NAME AT SCHOOL | YEAR |
YR AT 5th | COMMENTS |
| 26 Sept 2006 | John Simpson | 1968 | 1966 | in memory of David Wardell - died 18 Sept 2006 |
Lynne Gostick, Lorna Bryce, Prof Doron and I attended David's funeral on the 25th September at Wrea Green, near Preston. It is a pretty little village with a pub, a church and shop - all overlooking the village green, complete with duck pond! From the many tributes read out at the service it was immediately apparent that David fell on his feet when he moved to Wrea Green and was much loved by his neighbours, work colleagues and family alike. David's involvement and enthusiasm carried on from school into the work place and was also very much apparent with his many friends and neighbours. In his street there was this fantastic camaraderie and David was known for being the chief organizer and motivator for street parties, hiking and canal trips etc. David also was involved in the Village Web site: http://www.wreagreen.com/ On a personal note it was really through David that I started the legsreunited web site and as you know he has provided the bulk of the photographs that you see here today. I have still more to publish, given to me before his untimely and sudden death. Much, much unfinished business, however I know that he would have wanted me to carry on. He was a good friend and will be missed by many. I received many emails about David, which I bundled together and passed onto the family. |
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| 22 Sept 2006 | Stephen Ford | 1966 | 1964 | In Memory of David Wardell |
| I was very sorry to hear of David Wardell's death. I never
knew him very well because I was in the year ahead of you both. Even so,
David is one of the many names from your year who immediately conjure up
a face in my mind's eye. My first thought when I read your e-mail was to
have a look at the 1964 school photo and make sure I had remembered him
correctly - I had.
Most of us would still like to feel that we are the same youthful generation we were then. The idea that we are now older than most of our venerable teachers were at that time comes as a shock. Even so, the good book gives "three score years and ten" as the approximate average human lifespan, and it is particularly sorrowful to hear of a life cut short at, I guess, 56. In addition to restoring a number of lapsed friendships, the LEGS Reunited website has also created a new brand of friendship which never really existed before, especially between browsers and contributors from adjacent years like ours whose, experiences and memories overlap to a large extent. It is in that frame of mind that I sorrow at David's death. He is one
of these new cyber-friends who has helped me to remember. His photographs
represent a vast contribution to the website. Without ever really knowing
him personally, I remember him distinctly, and he was part of that cheerful
crowd who together made life at LEGS so enjoyable at the time. By his
evocative photographs David has brought back something of those happy
days. We and many others in our age bracket owe him a great debt for that,
don't we? |
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| 19 September 2006 | Phil Payne | 1969 | 1966 | In Memory of David Wardell. |
| When I arrived at LEGS into 4C, he was in 4B. We rapidly discovered
common interests (shared with "Prof" Doron and "Screwy"
Driver - his form master) in technology long before it carried that name.
Prof Doron set off on a project to build an 8-track stereo tape recorder
using this new "silicon" semiconductor and an industrial Ferrograph
deck (incredibly advanced for a home project at the time - the deck cost as much as a small car) and Twaddle decided to make an electronic flashgun by building a xenon flash tube into an old Agfa slide box. I think he wound up with the first electronic flash I ever saw. Saturating static inverters. The maths was _awful_, but we managed to agree in the end. Today they're 3mm x 5mm on every digital camera. Anyone seen a flashbulb recently? His was a potato-masher shape with a vast battery. My speciality was long-range radio reception, spending every late evening listening to Stuart Henry on the Good Ship Comet (Radio Glasgow) in the Clyde Estuary with a tuned medium wave aerial and a Hallicrafter receiver. And sharing tapes - long thin things, remember? Sometimes it took me three or four gos to get a good copy of the latest Kinks hit and pass it round. Then two years studying physics and maths together, sharing the school load of lighting effects, sound effects, film projection, etc. If the "performing arts" were at it, one or both of us would be there supporting the technical stuff. How many evenings did that cost us? David and I were the first to "split the sodium line" in the darkroom at the back right of the physics lab using a school diffraction grating. 14,000 lines per inch comes to mind. For two years, if electricity or technology was involved at LEGS it was one, the other or both of us. And LOADS of other bits of incidental fun. Ice skating? Hammering around Nottingham Ice Rink on Wednesday afternoons (provided you got to the sign-up form fast enough) right-foot-over-left like speed skaters on Stuburt Special hockey skates. I was a bit quicker, but not much. And I still have the skates. And I can still do it. Photography? I had a Miranda F SLR - a Nikon knockoff - and he used an Agfa Silette most of the time. I used to reload 35mm Tri-X that I got from the sister of a Derby School ex-pupil at Derby Co-op - David bought PAN-F from a chemist's in Long Eaton. You very rarely met him in a state not ready for a grin. It wasn't a ready or spontaneous wit - it was a wit that was the result of a little prior thought. But a confident wit. The world is a poorer place. Phil Payne |
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| 18 Sept 2006 | Anton Mall | 1964 | 1965 | In Memory of Stuart Nichols and my time at LEGS as a German Echange student. |
NOW ON NEW MESSAGE BOARD - OBITUARIES I am writing to you on a sad occasion: my friend Stuart Nichols from Sawley (LEGS 1965) was killed in a motorcycle crash in Italy a few weeks ago. I was staying with him and his family from summer through Chistmas 1964 as an exchange student (I was 16 years old at that time!) from Germany, and somehow we managed to maintain our relationship over the years, seeing each other from time to time. The last time I saw him was in London 2 years ago. We sat in there in a pub, had a few beers together and agreed that in the early days we had lots of fun together ....... Why am I writing you all this? Because when I spoke to Ann Robertson (also LEGS 1965) about Stuart, she told me about your website, and when filing through it, names and faces suddenly came back to my memory: The man who arranged my exchange was a Mr. Aldridge (he taught German), a guy with an impressive black beard. As teachers I also remember a Mr. Hough (English literature, but I am not so sure about this), a Mr. Gutteridge (German) and a music teacher (bald head and glasses) whose name I cannot recall. And the students? I do well remember Peter Blackhall and his sister Sally, Brian Tubb, Susan McCracken, Hilary Sinclair, Liz Ringrose, David Hackney, Robert (?), a tall guy with extremely thick glasses and many more whose names I have forgotten but whose faces I can see still before me. You see, something is still left over from my few months at LEGS !!! Very truly Joerg Anton Mall |
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| 31 July 2006 | Richard Mahoney | 1969 | 1967 | Re: Margaret Stevenson and Uncle Sam |
| I spotted my aunt in one of the PHOTOS
- Margaret Hickling ( maiden name Stevenson ) - my mother's elder sister,
playing violin in an orchestra rehearsal conducted by Philip Setterfield.My
aunt was at LEGS as a pupil in the 1920's when it was a private , fee-paying
school.She was very musical and also played the organ and the piano.She
lived in Westhorpe Drive, off Derby Road, near Trent College.Her husband,
my Uncle Alan, came from a formerly wealthy Long Eaton family involved in
the lace trade.My uncle founded a scout group in Long Eaton attached to
St John's Church and was a District Commissioner for many years.I believe
that my Uncle's father , Sam, was the first person in Long Eaton to own
a car !!
Sadly, my mother and my aunt and uncle died in the mid-1990's in their late 70's / mid 80's. |
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| 27 July 2006 | Stephen Ford | 1966 | 1964 | The Head's mannerisms - 'as it were' |
| Hi John,
Amused at Phil's comments about running a book on how many "As-it-were's" GDB would say during his last day of term speeches. But they weren't the only ones. I knew Ken Plampin outside school on a social level, and he once admitted that the staff usually ran an "As-it-were" sweep. As I remember Doc Burrow was the score-keeper. Best wishes |
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| 25 July 2006 | William (Bill) Stenson | 1941 | 1941 | Love to hear from classmates 1936 - 1941 |
If any of my old classmates are still surviving, I would
love to hear from them. |
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| 22 July 2006 | Phil Payne | 1969 | 1965 | Re: The 1930's? photo in the main Photo Album - 'Undated' folder and memories playing volley ball. |
| The building in the top right corner. I remember it only vaguely
- it was used as a storeroom for the gardening gear. The two old music huts
were connected to it by a thick overhead pipe covered in pitch paper and
chicken wire - we used to play volleyball over it during lunch hours. It
was built a bit like the old bomb shelter outside Breaston Village Hall.
I think it was demolished to make way for the Technical Block.
One day in 1965 we were playing volleyball. Girls on the school side, boys on the brook side. The banks of the brook were built up with the many dredgings. The girls were Jill Withington, Lesley Lawrence, Nina Marden and Sandra Robotham. The boys were me, John Stone, Phil Woodcock and Sandy. One of the girls hit the ball a bit hard and John Stone went back for it. He got it, but then teetered on the brink of the brook. For a few seconds it looked like he'd make it, and the girls were shouting: "He's in. He's not. He's in." And then he fell in. The girls turned into helpless giggling lumps. I think they all wet themselves to a greater or lesser degree. |
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| 18 July 2006 | Phil Payne | 1969 | 1966 | The Headmasters mannerisms |
| I saw an entry on your Members' Notice Board about Dr Gray's
first speech day. Brought back another memory:
We noticed that Dr Gray had a distinct mannerism - he used to take off his glasses, look at the audience, and say: "As it were." Once this was pointed out, we used to count at assemblies. One speech day the Notch Club ran a book on how many "As it weres" we would hear. Great secrecy prevailed. Speech Day proceeded normally until close to the end of Dr Gray's speech when he suddenly pulled his glasses off, said: "As it were" and then repeated the action very quickly about three times, ending with: "How'm I doing, Whittleton?" And also if memory serves, Paul Winter won the draw. |
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| 08 June 2006 | Trevor Wright | 1968 | 1966 | Re: The School Dinner Song |
| Dear John Great site! Well done! Just a couple of bits of info for you. The song about the school dinners was written by myself, Bill Musson (nb spelt with an o not a), Paul Footitt, Andy Henstridge,Brian Stacey, Dave Perry and Phil Roberts. This was part of the entertainment for the 6th form dance that we wrote the script for. It was a last minute thing as the original script that we spent a whole term on as censored by GDB Gray at the last minute. So as crude and filthy was out we opted for very corny! The highlight for me was Brian Stacey appearing as the Fairy in the fairy soap ad sketch to help another pupil wash her 'smalls' Also photo1967 29039 top row left is Bill Musson. Carry on with the great work! Kind regards |
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| 15 May 2006 | Phil Payne | 1969 | 1966 | School Swimming Gala, cross-country, racing bikes - beating the busses, rugby and bottle green knickers! |
| I remember taking part in the School Swimming Gala around 1966. I was the only person in our house to volunteer to swim a length of backstroke. I started with back crawl, but by the time I'd done 3/4 of a length everyone else had sunk. I had two to the left and one to the right - the latter kept up fairly well most of the way, but suddenly went down in the most amazing display of flailing and spluttering. I could hardly swim for laughing and switched to Old English to cruise home while watching the amusement. When I got to the shallow end I stood up without touching the side - Mr Hopkin was the judge and awarded me the win even though I hadn't actually touched, since I was the only one to finish. That lido was bloody cold, even after a few days' hot sunshine. Basset used to amuse me. I raced the buses on my bike to and from school
quite often - with "A new bike" was the ultimate prize that rich kids got if they
scraped through GCEs. Most of There was a sewer vent pipe just on the Derby side of Breaston Square,
know as "The Breaston I remember playing rugby in the "scraggs" - the ones that no
one wanted on their team. It was Prof and I used to wander round the wetlands in the fox coverts on the way back, looking for water fleas and similar. An incredibly rich environment that Mrs Maskell introduced us to in the fourth form. Remember the girls' bottle green gym knickers? Positively the least attractive
garment I have |
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| 15 May 2006 | Barbara Knowles | 1948 | 1948 | Austin Seven - on the steps - The original version c.1948 |
| The incident with the elevated Mini caught my attention because I thought that was an error. In fact, it seems it was probably quite accurate though not orginal. In my days it was Pop Bowman-Beer's Austin Seven that was raised to the top of the steps. We never did find out who did it. Pop had a sense of humour and would certainly not have wished to punish the boys for their efforts. I wonder if anyone would like to confess now. We assumed it must have been boys because it was on their side of the school! | ||||
| 15 May 2006 | John Richards | 1967 | 1965 | More about the Mini on the Steps |
| Ah, Mr. Stacey!.....yes I do remember. Strange as it may seem (I was not a very adventurous type in those days. My, how we change!) I was one of the culprits who carried the mini to the top of the steps. Seems to me it was parked right there by the "famous" holly bushes - which were in fact not holly at all, but "butchers broom" - quite prickly but not even close to holly. 'Twas a green mini van as it happens (if you can call that insipid BMC olive drab color green). I thought it was not Mr. Pont's, but one of the "younger" new teachers. However I may be confusing the ownership. I remember distinctly (I can picture it to this day) he was leaning out of the upstairs window above the big double doors telling us how stupid it was....blah, blah, blah.... and that we had better put it back where we found it - carefully!! Which we did, though we were not actually caught in the act of carrying it up the steps, so nothing came of the incident in terms of punishment as I recall. I can picture the face but not a name - guess I will have to study the school photo's. In fact now that I think about it, maybe it was Mr. Pont's minivan after all. I seem to recall him giving me a ride part way home in it once after I missed the bus due to one of his latin class detentions. Why, oh, why did I not drop that garbage as soon as possible...... oh, yes I remember...... waffle, waffle, blah, blah, .... got to have latin if you want to got to university.... blah, blah..... hmmmmm, for Engineering?!!!! what a bunch of BS, but of course "they" knew best! Getting back to the mini, I remember edges of the sills were quite sharp I was surprised how light it was and how easily we carried up the steps. Sometimes you wonder - if only we had digital cameras and camera phones in those days. | ||||
| 02 May 2006 | Brian Stacey | 1968 | 1966 | I must commend you on such a splendid job on the LEGS web-site. I was feeling a little nostalgic the other night and was pleasantly surprised to happen on you wonderful project - Kudos to you and all that have contributed. |
| Browsing through the Members Notice Board, I came across Daisy
Pitman's recollection of a Mini on the Steps. I must admit that I was one
of the group that was responsible for it, and a whole lot of other pranks.
The memory is a little cloudy, but I think that it was Mr.. Pont's Mini. We did the deed in the last few weeks before our final farewell. The car was parked somewhere near the Science Block, and we ( the "Clan" (Bill Musson, Phil Roberts, Dave Perry, Trevor Wright, Andy Henstridge) together with Dave Stone, and possibly Ian Adamson) carried the car to the top of the steps on the tennis court side of the main building. We did it late on a sunny afternoon, before the 4 o'clock bell. When the afternoon bell rang, and everyone was ready to go home, everyone was amazed at the Mini at the top of the steps - it was hard keeping a straight face. Other pranks we played for our final curtain were: (a) Decorating the outside of the Science Block with toilet paper - done late at night (b) Smearing Vaseline on the toilet seats in the Staff's room (c) Putting Potassium Permanganate into Toilet tanks in the Staff's room (d) Adding Senna pods (Laxative) Staff's tea Anyone remember these ??? Anyone want to ?? And who remembers the Nitrogen Tri-Iodide caper which cost me and a few others "6 of the best" ?? Do you know what has happened to the Clan members ? I would like to contact them and catch up on things. Dave Perry got a Ph.D in Chemistry and we both shared a flat in Birmingham in our 1st year of 2nd degree courses . Bill Musson got a Microbiology B.SC at Bath, married Sandra (?) and started farming mushrooms. Trevor Wright became a Dentist and married Belinda Walters and is maybe somewhere in Tasmania. Phil Roberts was killed tragically in a motor cycle accident around 1972/3. |
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| 29 April 2006 | Jacqui Wheeldon | 1969 | 1969 | Today at the upper site everything except the old school has gone and there is a sign saying the building is going up for auction very soon. |
| The new school has had a few teething problems and we seem to walk miles to each different subject area. Initially there were problems with the split lunch but as with everything the pupils are now getting used to the change. | ||||
| 26 April 2006 | Ivor Snell | 1954 | 1955 | I was delighted to come accross 'LEGS' on the Internet. |
| I attended Long Eaton Grammar School five decades ago in 1950
through 1954. I liked the school very much, but was a very poor student,
not the school's problem but mine. In my time, I have made many excuses
for this, although looking back on life, excuses are very weak in themselves.
But I should just comment that when my father took me to the school in the
second week of May, this was of course near the end of the school year!
I remember standing outside of 'DRACs" office and he said to my dad, 'Where do you think I'm going to put him?' You see my parents were ministers in the church ( The Salvation Army) who moved them every year or so. (Fortunately,the church doesn't do this now.) We moved from Maningtree in Essex, to the Rhonda Valley in Wales ( Oh, boy, what a poor school) then to Dunfermline, then to two schools in Bellshill, Glasgow, back to England attending 'LEGS'. Usually, schools for me were of one years duration in those days, with some being two years , and always moving in the second week of May!!!!!!!!!!!!! Figure out what that felt like as a student ! PURE FRUSTRATION! I think I repeated the same course in Algebra three times,so I'm good at simple maths , but missed a link in many of the subjects which was extremely annoying and further frastrating.So I naturally left after the fourth form.Of course my teachers didn't know my circumstances, nor students in the classes.I can just imagine what they thought of me academically. However, I must be grateful for good health. In particular as I keep in contact with a dear friend of mine, Ivan Hopkins, who was a brillient student at 'LEGS', who was always in the "A' form and upon leaving 'LEGS' moved up the positions as a civil Servant at Chilwell. We both served our country in the R.A.O.C. ( I went overseas to Singapore and Malaya, and Ivan stayed in Aldershot ) Ivan eventually moved along, and was posted to the War Office, as head of Records in London. Tragically, just after ten very successful years, he was struck down with M.S. and Parkinson Disease and now is unfortunately completely bed ridden, living in Luton, Bedfordshire. I revisited him again this last year, enjoying many wonderful memories including our time at 'LEGS'. |
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| 02 April 2006 | Chris Dominic | 1959 | 1957 | First speech day after arrival of Mr Gray as school head. (1957?) |
| Mr Gray wanted to make a good impression on guests from the
local education authority etc.,whom he had invited for the resurrection
of this event. To this end he had the entire school rehearse the event twice,
including all the recipients of GCE O and A level certificates parading
onto the stage and shaking Mr. Gray's hand to receive pretend certificates
- each rehearsal took all afternoon. Everything was rehearsed down to the last detail. On the actual day, Mr. Gray and the dignitaries were seated on the stage; Mr Gray got up from his chair at the front of the group, took three well rehearsed steps forward to give his speech. During the speech one more dignitary arrived unexpectedly at the back of the stage and looked around for a place to sit. The only chair available was the one belonging to Mr. Gray. The latecomer quietly picked up the chair, moved it towards the rear of the stage near his colleagues and sat down. This was observed by everyone except Mr Gray who was facing the audience, engrossed in his speech Speech over, Mr Gray took three well rehearsed steps backwards and without looking, sat down - onto the floor! |
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| 02 April 2006 | Chris Dominic | 1959 | 1957 | Earthquake of 11th February 1957 (see http://www.archive.long-eaton.com/extremeweather.asp). |
| Shortly before the earthquake struck at around 3pm, Mr Dillingham
was in the middle of a maths lesson for form VL and was having trouble controlling
the class. His unsuccessful attempts to restore order after some girls were
observed passing written messages then refusing to give then up, had him
up against the ropes. Seconds later a powerful tremor caused him to almost fall to the ground - he had to brace himself against the wall. I remember looking through the window and seeing the upper parts of the school jumping around. When the shaking stopped after ca. 5 seconds, Mr. Dillingham, who was visibly rattled, blurted out "Who did that?"- as if someone in the class had somehow conjured up an earthquake as one more challenge to his authority. This was greeted with howls of laughter from the class. I am sure everyone on the 1957 school photograph, taken shortly afterwards, has some kind of memory of that tremor which took place when they were all in class.. |
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| 28 March 2006 | Monica Newman | 1968 | 1968 | I loved school and can recall so many of my peers, as noted in the February 16th, 1968 Speech Day list of GCE 1967 candidates . I would love to hear from any that may remember me. |
| Your photo albums and past pupils recollections of school life and their teachers, have kept me at the computer for hours ( and for hours more - discussing them with my Mum, who lives with us). We still keep in touch with Long Eaton via Long Eaton & Sawley Archives, Nottingham Evening Post and Derby Evening Telegraph on the net & via the BBC and Central East Midlands news and teletext via the satellite TV. | ||||
| 20 March 2006 | Avril (Daisy) Pitman | 1968? | 1966? | At school I was known as Daisy Pitman (Avril) now Rodgerson. |
I certainly remember Philip Roberts bringing his boa into
school. He put it on the floor to show us how fast it could move and it
shot up the back of a fixed wall cupboard. the cleaner would not come
in the room and the Head Mr Grey came in and pulled the cupboard off the
wall. he though it was hilarious. |
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| 14 Mar 2006 | Phil Payne | 1969 | 1966 | Yes. I remember _a_ snake, but I don't know whose it was. |
| ISTR him holding it under his jacket on the left side with its head up by his shoulder in the yard between the boy's wing and the maths huts. This is really a thin memory - I only got a glimpse but I'd say it was a python. Not a massive one - about 3' or so? A bit less? I don't know. Do I also remember quite wide jaws at the back? I was in 4C at the time and quartered in the music huts. I rmember someone bringing in a grey fancy rabbit one day, and I also remember a big spider. And some frogs - bought for the "frog pithing" experiment - escaped in the biology lab. Months until Prof and I found them, totally dessicated behind the pipes in the conservatory.Prof and should have stuck to our guns with the Death Tank - Paramecium Bursaria in the Derwent? I've been thinking about the fancy rabbit. I think Nina Marden brought it in. | ||||
| 09 Mar 2006 | Lynne Gostick | 1968 | 1966 | Does anyone remember the day Philip (Pig) Roberts brought his pet snake into school? |
| We would have been in 4A with room 12 as a Form Room. Phil
kept the snake in his desk either all day, or he just brought it in after
lunch. Anyway, we got the snake out between lessons and the poor thing eventually
got really fed up and, having warmed up, suddenly slithered off across the
floor, towards the front right hand cupboard near the door and disappeared
underneath and up the back of the cupboard.
Unfortunately, we discovered the cupboard was flush and well sealed to the walls, at the sides and the top, tough emulsion in those days. The only gap was underneath, behind the pipes between the wall and back of the cupboard. We had to leave it up there during afternoon lessons but in between desperately tried to get it down, but the thing just went further up the back. I remember staying back after school with Phil and a small group of others trying to coax the snake down but eventually had to own up, and someone went to find a member of staff, (or a member of staff found us!), who brought the caretaker along, who had to wrench the cupboard away from the wall on the blackboard side destroying the paint and showing the dark brown varnish behind the cupboard. Anyway, Pig got his snake back and we all went home, and it all ended happily ever after. .................. or did it??? Things I can't remember: - I can't remember any type of reprisal or punishment at all. Am I alone in this reverie or can anyone else shed light on the matter.
Hope so |
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| 23 Nov 2005 | Anita Wormsley now Loxley | 1959 | 1959 | Many thanks for your time and effort with the website. This is the time of year our thoughts are with friends and family overseas, and I have put together a few words about Xmas here in South Africa. I don't know if it will be of interest, ( if not too late ) or maybe even inspire others registered on the website who live overseas to contribute too. I for one, would certainly like to hear others' experiences. |
| AN AFRICAN CHRISTMAS Durban in December is hot, humid and seething with crowds of holidaymakers and shoppers., and we are thankful to live a short distance inland and away from all the chaos. It is the main summer holiday season, schools are on vacation from early December to mid-January. The first sign of the Festive season for me is the appearance of roadside stalls selling huge mounds of watermelons, nectarines and peaches. Perspiring Santas look a bit out of place ringing their bells in bright sunshine and searing heat. There' ll be 'Carols By Candle-light' evenings , and Nativity Plays to attend at playschools. The malls are much the same as any in the Northern hemisphere, and we'll be taking the grandchildren to the Christmas displays---locally the 'Jungle Book' scene this year, and a photo with Father Christmas. The 25th starts early for us, to share in the excitement of Christmas morning with 2 of the grandchildren, Jenna age 8, and Gareth who is 2. It is our second Xmas in our newly built cottage which is the grounds of my daughter Debbie and family's home. I'll prepare a festive breakfast table for us all, we'll be joined by my son Michael and his family, and it's a very special Christmas this year for us all as they have a brand new gorgeous baby daughter, sister for Rhys, who is 4. Friends will join us later for a lunchtime braai (pronounced bry and = barbecue)----at the poolside. We have tried over the years all the traditional Xmas meals, but a barbecue is much more suitable for this climate. We'll still be having crackers and mince pies and cake , and all the trimmings. During the day we'll be phoning our other 2 sons, Robert in the depths of Somerset, and Mark who lives in Praslin in the Seychelles and he will be busy with his hotel guests . A typical New Year for us would be a 3 hour drive to a Zululand village to stay with friends---a journey through sugarcane farm areas and forestry, and near Game Reserves,--Including the oldest in Africa. New Year's Eve at the local village clubhouse is a chance for us to meet friends from the 1970s, when we lived there for 5 years, --now there's a second generation, and an expanded village from the original 30 houses----------- where have all the years gone? Folk drive in from the farms and the local people who walk to the club are often followed by their dogs, and it always amuses us that the animals, as well as most of the village people are related too! 3 years ago, during our 'Geriatric Gap Year' we experienced a UK Chrismas again, after 30 years .--So lovely to see Log fires, warm velvety winter clothes, frosty Somerset lanes, farm gates with heaps of Holly and Mistletoe, and signs saying 'Help Yourself' ------------all so refreshingly different, yet at the same time familiar. ----Auld Lang Syne Warm wishes for a wonderful Christmas and 2006 to everyone on legsreunited website, from South Africa |
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| 4 Dec 2005 | Phillip Jones | 1973 | 1971 | Posted a thanks and some more comments on the website but did not realise the comment section was so restricted!! This is some of what I tried to say. |
| Anyway I did enjoy myself although I was dismayed at how far
the buildings had deteriorated. The Science Block and the "new"
admin/hall/'gym complex were far worse than the old building though. It
was sad to see the general run down state but its no longer suitable for
modern life. The "new" admin block etc was actually being built
when I started although for several terms we still used Grange twice a week. I was disappointed that I recognised no-one from my time there either yesterday afternoon or in the attendance lists except Mr Dowers. He was my first form master (3Y 1968/69) it must have been his first year too - being Sciences I never had lessons with him though My musical ability also annoyed the strict (putting kindly) Mr Philip Setterfield (not BETTTERFIELD as I saw somewhere on the pictures pages) I am not sure why no-one else from my year was there perhaps they do not have any happy memories although I must confess neither do I. My school years will never be the best years of my life and the Grammar ones the worst. They actively persuaded me against my chosen career path (Chartered Accountancy) and had I been more stubborn perhaps things might have been much different. I even got to be a prefect. Perhaps some ghosts have been laid - there was supposed to be one you know Instead I wasted a year doing a Civil Engineering degree before ending up at a Chartered Accountants where I still remain 31 years now. I do not however regret at all where I have finally ended up so perhaps the Grammar did succeed after all? I was very pleased that you have set up this site and I do hope others will join and I will keep a look in if you still welcome me!? Thanks again for all your hard work. |
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| 18 Dec 2005 | Ken Fisher | 1955 | 1953 | |
| I’ve just “Googled” our school motto and
find that it is a quotation from Shakespeare in the play Henry 1V spoken
by a character called Feeble which just about sums up my Academic performance
at LEGS. He was being conscripted by Falstaff to join his militia and came
out with the immortal phrase, “You can only die once”, which
John Wayne repeated in countless films.
I do believe that when the battle started, Feeble took to his heels which again is indicative of my behaviour during those formative years. So in the end we can say that when he said “I’ll bear no base mind”, his intentions were good and, as with most of us, his inability to carry them out was probably genetic. We were the first age group to be exempt from National Service but that was OK as we’d learned the rudiments of skiving starting in form 2c. Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year and the Last Supper. Ken Fisher. PS. Found anyone famous yet? There was a chap who was in charge of the
London Underground which is pretty good going for a local yokel and our
fabulous athletics MBE whose name escapes me. |
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| 20 Dec 2005 | Norbert Wasserhess | 1961 | 1961 | I'm very glad to have now contact again to an important part of my life.
Since internet is popular, I searched for information about Long Eaton and it's grammar school. Some years ago, I wrote to a similar homepage, but I didn't get an answer. Thank you now!!! |
| I am now 60 years old. My 16. birthday was celebrated 1961
in Long Eaton. Ronald Summers, my exchange parter, left school in 1963. 1962 our partners visits us in Germany, together with younger pupils. Exspecially I know of course Ron Summers, Marilyn Calladine and Ann Roberts (left school 1966). I inspected every photo at your sides and read every list. I found some other names too and pictures I can remember very good. Ten minutes before I send an email to Ann, she lives in Germany and I found her adress. In that time it was very unusual to go to foreign countries. After that
In the history of the school nothing is written about the exchange Please excuse my bad English, I hope you could understand it. Norbert Wasserhess |
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| 4 Aug 2005 | Thomas Cooper | 1935 | 1933 | |
| The information you gave to me enabled me to visit Steve Lindahl
at his Home. He his far from well and I stayed reminiscing for an hour. A very much changed Steve.. We. were both 17 or 18 years old , and now close to 88, so its only to be expected but after a very few words I was seeing him as as I used to...he was struggling a bit because he kept saying I looked so young..but my Pal is far from well and I shall hope to see him in the not too far distant future. Time went too fast but the effort was most rewarding. He has his son Peter living with him and he was very helpful. Thanks a million John. If you wish to mention this on yout SITE feel free. |
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| 30 Nov 2005 | Jessie Baston | 1926 | 1932 | message via Roger Graham |
| Hi John, I have had a letter from Jessie Baston, an ex pupil and a donor to the Samuel Clegg Scholarship Fund, who is a retired teacher living in Sheffield. She told me that she was at School from 1926 to 1932. In this letter received this morning ( in reply to mine a few days previously ) she told me that she cannot come on Saturday adding that she is " too old to drive far these days ". She is 90. She and Prof. Alan Roper ( 1935-42 ) paid a nostalgic visit to the School in September 1994. Alan was a retired professor of genetics at Sheffield University and in his retirement he serves as a Quaker Chaplain. Shortly after their visit Jessie sent a sum of money to be added to the Samuel Clegg Scholarship Fund. I wrote to her thanking her for the donation and we have kept in touch ever since. Jessie had been one of the very first recipients of a Samuel Clegg award shortly after leaving school. She told me in a letter in 1994 that the grant to her " was an enormous help to me ". Both her parents died during her time at Nottingham University. She obtained a first in French and then embarked on a teaching career mostly at Woodhouse Grammar School in Sheffield. She became Head of Modern Languages, then Senior Mistress and finally Assistant Headteacher. She told me in a letter in 2002 that " Those days at LECS were really the happiest days of my life and I shall always be grateful for what they gave me. I didn't miss even one half-day of the six years that I was there." In the latest letter she also writes : " It's very sad that the school is leaving that lovely building. What memories come flooding back ! I wonder if any of my contempories will be with you - Peter Musson, Tagger Taylor, Philip Wright, Harry & Ernest Plackett, Joan Comery ? I shall look forward with great interest to reading/hearing all about it. " Other contempories of hers mentioned by her in previous letters were Gordon Hobday, Joan Knott and Enid Rowbotham. There is nothing confidential or similar in the 5 paras above & so please feel free to publish all or part as you think fit. Best wishes Roger. |
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