Frithsden.co.uk

Miss "Nora" Adams

"Bonjour mes enfants, comment allez vous?  Asseyez vous." Good teacher.

Mrs "Dolly" Atherton

Taught chemistry.  Had a walking stick.  Was very proud of her son who was an officer in the Royal Navy.  Not to be trifled with.  Good teacher

"Dickie" Bullen

Taught Mathematics.  Wore a white summer jacket that had definitely seen better days.  Somewhat of a strange manner but a good teacher.

"Gerry" Grange.

 Taught modern languages including Russian.  I guess the "Gerry" nickname came from his German teaching.  He was my form master for two years and was probably one of the best teachers I had.  He, apparently moved from AGS and became a form master at Rugby School.

"Jock" Grey

Chemistry and Senior Master.  Thrashed me with a slipper and a Bunsen Burner tube - I probably deserved it.  Good authority figure.

"Holy Jo" Halkins

Taught Religious Education.  Can you imaging his amazement when Baz Stepto and I signed up for O Level Scripture?  It was a one year course and we both got a grade 9!

Miss Joyce

Taught English and was our form mistress in 2X

"Bo Bo" Lambert

No idea where the "Bo Bo" came from.  He taught English and was one of the most entertaining teachers I had.  He was inseparable from his chair leg and often sat akimbo on  top of a desk. He made English Literature come alive for me.  When my daughter went to school in Dunstable he was there teaching English

"Ted" Lowther

Latin Master now  living in Berkhamsted.   In the fifties and very early sixties it was an entry requirement for Oxbridge for students to have 'O' Level Latin or Greek.  A and B streams therefore were compelled to do Latin.  I was lucky as after 1st year Oxbridge changed the rules to accept a modern language as an alternative to the classics.  Latin therefore declined (sic) and I think 'Ted' taught some English as well. 

Ruth Millbank

Taught me History.  She was able to make the subject come alive for me and stimulated an interest that exists even 40 years later.
Now, apparently, our Ruth played Test Cricket for England.  I always liked her anyway, but had I known about the cricket well....

I did hear that she took up a job in the County Education Authority.  Something like a school inspector, but senior stuff.

Miss Monteith

She taught me something - can't remember what.  I am sure she married another teacher at the school.

"Fred" Moore

Taught Art.  Was related to Dr Barbara Moore who was famous in the sixties for giving birth at about 60.  Took Mary Moffat and me for A Level.  One of the best things about art was that the art room was right on the boundary of the school and it was easy to climb out of a window and bunk off early.  Fred never minded, we did the work and he was a bit of a rebel.  I loved his lessons and despite the number of times he called me a "Philistine" we got on well.

Walter Morley

Taught French.  His mother's name is Brés, his mother was French, hence his eligibility to play rugby for France.  He also played regularly for Rosslyn Park.  According to my source, "he was useless as a footballer - just flattened first years".  Now I didn't know this and I am indebted to John Calvert for the info.

"Doc" Ouvery

Taught music.  I suppose the "Doc" came from his PhD?  I avoided him but did enjoy the whole school rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus (Handel)

Miss Parr

Taught Geography ( I think).  She was my form mistress one year.  A gentle and refined lady, quiet but forceful.  She became senior mistress at Hemel Hempstead School and was there when my daughter attended.

Roy Parslow

Taught PE. Really good bloke.  More like one of the lads at times.  No messing about though.  I was never one of the stars at sport but got my chance to play for the school at Rugby and Basketball.  After school I played rugby at Camelot thanks to Roy introducing me and half the first XV to the Camelot Colts.

Mr Pemberton

Hazy memories here as I think he left us not long after we started.  I think he was head of Maths.

John Gurney recalls
"An ex-naval officer. He was also head of Hatfield House to which I was 'seconded' at an early stage ( Hatfield always came bottom of every inter-house competition staged) and a thoroughly nice bloke although he didn't suffer fools gladly.
 I used to swim for the House and actually won a race  during the School Gala and he came and thanked me personally."
 

Clive "Crusty" Rutt

In the words of Pete Currell;  "He definitely taught German. He once dragged me from the games field and announced to his class that if I could pass German then there was hope for them!! He was a really nice bloke who played cricket for my club Leverstock Green.

Sadly I hear that he died "on the pitch"

Miss Scott

Taught French.  Tall and graceful.  I got in awful trouble with her in about the fourth form when I placed in the vent of her classroom heater a test tube containing ferrous sulphide and hydrochloric acid.  They reacted and Hydrogen Sulphide resulted ("bad-egg gas")  The room was uninhabitable for hours!

V J Wrigley

Headmaster.  A major authority figure.  He only ever taught me once.  It was a one lesson sex Education lecture.  I recall how he explained to us boys that the human race use the fireman's hose method of reproduction.  He has and had my utmost respect even though he caned me at least once.

Sadly died in 2001.