An archive of earlier contents III

Summer 1997

HUISH HISTORY X

The Magazines for the period late 1944/early 1945 are still 'economy' versions:

News of serving Old Huishers continues, with records of decorations, deaths, prisoners and "missing" old boys. One was shot while trying to escape, another lost his life in an air crash on the Blackdowns while returning from leave to the Far East. Schoolboy heroics and a tragedy are recorded in the attempt to save a Huisher from drowning in the Parrett and the successful rescue and resuscitation of a four year old girl at French Weir.

The unique dialect of the period when so many boys travelled by bus and train from the surrounding villages is recorded in many humorous contributions. If anyone imagines that being at Grammar School had anything to do with speaking the King's English, they would certainly think again after struggling with such gems as

Willy: Yerza natles 'Arry. Jus founan wimmy mafs fings. Izzer yourn?

'Arry: Tin mine. Speck tis Arfur's. Sawun untin forn smornin, anny toleye eed wannun friz Jogafy. Seddy coon fink weareed putten, an thur wannenny ope uv fyninun.

Willy: Waddidder avter dowyun?

'Arry: Erradter drora fizzicle wattymacaulet uv Stralier, puttenin thights wiv figgers, soeel wannun seavenin.

Willy: Fuel kummwimmy eekanavun, cuz twone beza farfrus fwe skram. Wanna getsum torfy azzeye gossum kewpuns leffover; anif yukum wimmy yukinavsum. Less gwan.

The return of the Head from war service and fulsome tributes to 'Ginger' Rutt, together with reports of other staff changes reflect the more serious side of school life at the time. The Education Act of '44 put the school under local authority control, 'but not until next April' (1946) but also meant the closing of the Junior School, 'an integral section of our establishment since 1917'.

HUISH HISTORY XI

I had hoped to bridge the period 1945 to the forthcoming grand synopsis of the post-war years with a few words on the immediate postwar period 1945-50. A break in the production of the School Magazine for the three years ended 1949 deprives me of a most valuable source for this important period in the life of the school. The effects of the 1944 Education Act have already been mentioned and these years include the transition from 'School Cert.' to 'G.C.E'. It seems likely that as the School Certificate syllabus gave way to the GCE, so too the old 'four pounds a term plus books' admission standard was giving way to the 'Scholarship', later called the 11 plus and, officially at this time, 'The County Examination for Entrance to Grammar Schools'.

We learn that the Scouts had enjoyed continuous existence during the War years through the efforts of Mr. Eele, who handed over the Troop to Mr. R. 'H-squared' Branton (Bob Branton, 'Skip' to his boys). He was shortly joined by 'Tarka' Harewood and 'Bosun' Cobbe and under their leadership the Troop enjoyed great success in everything they did through the 'forties and 'fifties. In those days regulations regarding Rover Crews were somewhat looser than they became later on and in addition to their three 'Scouters' the Scouts and Senior Scouts enjoyed the support and inspiration of quite a large number of former Scouts who were always willing to lend a hand with the varied camps and expeditions. The Army and Air Cadets were similarly successful and, as befitted a military man, the Head always announced with pride their latest successes in Certificate work or the achievement of a particular individual in getting into Sandhurst or Cranwell.

The Magazine for 1951 is the last to record the Oxford School Certificate results (for July 1950) and from the issue for 1952 onwards the GCE results are recorded. The Bristol Higher School Certificate results gave way to A-levels in the same year, so some will have taken first the School Certificate at 16 or so and then A-levels at 18. The report (Magazine, Spring 1953) of the 1952 Speech Day records that in that year the standard of GCE had been raised to that of the former School Certificate 'Credit'. Remember, you either passed or you didn't; no 'Grades' to begin with! (Even the old School Certificate had its grades: 'Pass', 'Credit' or 'Very Good', according to the Magazine reports). The Sixth Form at that time appears to have numbered around a couple of dozen boys, clearly demonstrating the fact that Sixth Form education was then the exception rather than the rule.

The Staff, Dec. 1949 (jpeg - 867K)

As a finale to this account of the early post-war period, here is a rather nice picture of the staff, frontispiece to the 1950 Magazine - just twenty-two in number! It is a very large file by Web standards but should be worth the wait to those who remember that period. Sadly, most are now dead and I recently noticed that the Sequoia tree planted in memory of Jack Wickenden is looking very unhealthy, perhaps a victim of the recent dry years. The Estates Manager has told me he will arrange for a tree surgeon to advise him on this.

HUISH HISTORY XII

As this 'History' moves into the post-war years, the era of Lt. Col. E.H. Peel Corbin's headmastership, it becomes possible to rely rather less on recorded histories and more on personal recollection. In passing, it is perhaps permissable to record that one or two readers have commented that Gordon Baker's 'History' often makes it appear that Huish's represented the best of all possible worlds. That would not be altogether surprising, bearing in mind the nature of the commission he was given. My own observation that at times the material appears muddled and confusing, chronologically speaking, is partly explained by Baker's selection of themes for his Chapters which themselves defy strict chronological treatment. It has further been suggested that his illness (from a tumour, I believe) had something to do with it.

Certainly, the post war years saw material shortage - but Huish's was no stranger to that - and, with hindsight, it may be added that there is evidence of a fair amount of improvisation in, for example, teachers teaching subjects other than their own. Despite all this, a fair amount of the pre-war tradition spilled over into the post-war era: Goodliffe was already a legend and the sixth-form were recognisably an elite. (A glance at any of the school photos of that period is evidence enough of that). Even today, the stalwarts who maintained the Old Huish Association through thick and thin, are largely from the late pre-war, wartime and early post-war years. So, if maybe things were not always as idyllic as Baker suggests, there must have been something!

The old school (huiair.jpg - 319kb) is included in an aerial photograph dating from 1950 which shows quite clearly the main school buildings, the gymnasium and dining room, and the WWI huts backing onto the houses on the north side of Mansfield Road - then still tree-lined and two-way! The Silver Street playground containing the library and music room leads down to the entrance opposite Silver Street Baptist Church.

Steve Harrison, now an Assistant Principal at the College, is an Old Huisher who continues what was once a strong tradition of old Huishers returning after graduation as teachers. It was he who received Clem Nettell's e-mail from the States, inquiring whether 'this College is indeed the school that I remember'. Steve's reply covers in some detail the development of the school into a college and I propose to quote sections of it in the remaining instalments of this potted History of Huish's.

Almost from the moment of the return of Peel Corbin from war service the thoughts of the whole school were directed towards the goal of a brand new school in South Road...

HUISH HISTORY XIII

The '40s gave way to the '50s and, with the loss of the evacuated boys it seemed to the Head that numbers would inevitably fall. Baker records that another factor was 'the lessening number of "free place" entries' but does not make clear what these were. In addition, the Head was also concerned at the loss of the dozen or so able boys to Taunton School. (Then, and for some years afterwards, the County provided a number of means-tested places at Taunton School, and other places including some for boarders at other schools in the County. I remember being involved in these arrangements when I worked in the Allocation and Awards Section of the Education Department in the late '50s. There were a few boarding places available in the county schools themselves as well as those assisted by the Local Education Authority in independent schools. If anyone can shed any light on the free place entries or indeed on the Huish admission procedures at any time prior to the '11 plus' I would be glad to hear from them).

In the event it was suggested that the post-war birthrate 'bulge' would solve the numbers problem, and it did. This enabled the Governors and the Education Authority to proceed with plans for a three form entry school. These were prepared by Dennis Tabert, an Old Huisher then on the staff of the County Architect's office. Baker's History records that the Governors were concerned about several aspects of the design including the number of toilets for the numbers anticipated (what would they have thought about the recent demolition of A Block toilets as part of the Library extension!). The proposed dual use of the Hall as a Dining Room was unsuccesfully objected to but the recent reorganisation has belatedly achieved a separate dining area in the new Buttery adjoining the Staff Room. The discussions on the plans then proceeded to consideration of a Pavilion on the edge of the sports field, to be used also by the Cadets and Scouts and also incorporating a groundsman's room. This was agreed and assisted by the local Territorial and Air Forces' Associations, and the Scouts, the Pavilion was built and included a 'secure arms area' for the Cadets' weapons. The Scout Troop and Air Cadets have long since disbanded but, at least until very recently, there was an Army Cadet Platoon bearing the Huish name although no longer directly associated with the school. Now in use by the electronic music makers, the barred windows can still be seen in the old Armoury room.

Eventually all these plans came together and the buildings were erected and finally occupied in 1963. Steve Harrison's forthcoming contribution covers the last few years of the Silver Street school and the opening of the new School on the Elmfield site in South Road.

OLD HUISH DINNER 1997

The 1997 Dinner will be remembered as the largest gathering since 'Ginger' Rutt's retirement. Numbers were over 100, with this column making a modest contribution through the author's efforts, with instigator Pat Bird, to track down 'the Class of '47'. Some 16 of the 30-odd we cantacted made it to the dinner and I'm sure I heard Pat say something about 'next time' despite his earlier protestations about its being a strictly one-off occasion.

The Old Huish Annual Dinner saw over 100 Old Huishers and guests at another highly successful gathering.

The Guest of Honour, John Spiller, ably introduced by John Sparrow, described his career with SWEB and the contribution his earlier brush with Latin and his ability in English essays made to the presentation of major schemes to the Board. Earlier, John Sparrow introduced us to John's skill as a marksman, with amusing anecdotes of firing a test line over power lines to ensure they were indeed 'dead'. In particular, John Spiller mentioned the high quality of the traditional Huish entry to the local SWEB organisation, as seen from his later positions in senior management - an observation which must also be true of many other local concerns, including the Post Office, local government and Westlands.

In a brief address the President, Fred Hutchings, stressed to the Principal and all those present the need for the Association to attract more of the under 40s if it is to continue to thrive. This page wholeheartedly seconds this observation and, while it was started with the aim of providing a 'modern' contact point for a modern generation, this most enjoyable and successful Dinner has proved once again that there's no substitute for a good get together. If any of my younger readers should be free on the first Friday evening of November 1998, I'd be delighted to introduce them to what the Principal referred to as an event with a 'palpable' atmosphere of respect for all that is best about Huish - and the food's good, too!

I will be updating the 50 Years page with a note of those attending and an indication of the whereabouts of those we traced.

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