Reflections from a pupil Having read your blog with haunting memories I wonder if your regret and shame extends to the impact yours and others behaviours had on some of the pupils at Old Swinford. What a jolly reminiscence you have produced. Perhaps reflecting on what choices you made during your time as a teacher at this school and an acknowledgment that not all the pupils that experienced the barbaric corporal punishment that was dished out by you and others was so easy to laugh off as ‘that’s the way we did it here’ and of course my favourite ‘it’s character building’. Every teacher at that school had a choice yet many were not brave enough to make a stand instead choosing the cowards way out.
OSH Photos I am very interested in obtaining full copies of the OSH school photos for 1969 and 1975 since I attended the school during that period. Unfortunately the photos on your site are cut-off on either side. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
Thanks for a really interesting read You taught me at Old Swinford in the mid 1980s. You introduced me to the work of Laurie Lee, for which I am truly grateful. Hope this finds you well. Best regards. Julian Windmill ( now aged 51).
Greetings from your elderly neighbour's grandson Hello Kevin
I remember you and your mum from Hatherley Road as my grandparents, Will and Katy Wiggins, were your neighbours. Your mum's softly-spoken Irish brogue made her seem somewhat mysterious to my infant self.
Your comments about the apple trees brought back memories of happy times. I can remember the smell of the apples when they were kept in their lean-to wooden shed each autumn, sandwiched between sheets of dimpled cardboard.
The primitive urinal, of which you write, was built at the instigation of Will's father, who lived, and worked as a barber, in Addington Road towards the terminus. At the time, Erleigh Road and Crescent Road were not connected, at least for motorised or horse-drawn traffic. The residents became increasingly frustrated with the deliverymen and Reading Corporation drivers who asked to use their toilets; and so the pissoir was commissioned. I remember it still being there in the 1970s and after it was shut, the wrought ironwork remained for some years in between the advertising hoardings.
What a find I was a blue coat 1971 - 76, and cannot believe I found this post - many thanks for your memory and research. I'm embarrassed to say, I don't remember you at all! Perhaps you didn't teach the 'remedial day boys' that I was definitely part of! Greta to read more about the staff i DO remember: Dozy Wood who directed me in 2 scholl pays, 'The Hag' Haggerty that encouraged my theatre ambitions, 'The Kruk' who terrified me. Mansell's son was part of my year. I have been fondled by Griff Bradley and caned often by 'Noot' Davies. He had his cane blu-tacked to a sign over his flat desk that stated "It;s what your right arm is for."
Of course, I never knew about the staff personal problems, but your 'bad teacher list' now makes sense.I remember leaving 6th formers taking Longstaff's bike apart with a wrench and presenting it to him in component form in a bag! Your unknown on the left of the middle row was one of the school nurses. Nicknamed 'Randy'? There was always school gossip on whom she was having sex with among the staff. We use to call Richardson 'Bread' and 'Lamb' because of his love of hymns. Kirton was my first Golf teacher. Naylor was nicknamed 'Nutty' or 'Zutty', the latter due to his speech pattern. My biggest shock? How young they all were! Many thanks again - great memories. Hope you are well.
OSH Staff 1971 The woman sitting between Prince and Bradley is Penny? Watson who was the House Mistress incharge of all the domestic staff. She lived in the main building and was not so friendly, Milner was closely involved with resident nursing sister for a number of years.
OSH Staff. OSH Staff. I was a student at OSH from I think about 1959 to 1967 and finished as Foley House Captain and Head Boy of the school. I loved reading your very true writings about the staff, the staff that I knew anyway. I especially loved your description of "Bruiser" Bradley Foster House Master, cricket coach (hopeless) and thorough bastard, he would stand on two steps higher than the student to cane your hands. He was also a hopeless drunk who would return to the school with a guy called George Heslop a rugby loving rotund chain-smoking useless teacher and my house master. Ison, Milner, Krukowski, Wood, Mansell, Prince, Johnstone were all easily playable but harmless enough, there were others. One was sadistic miserable guy called "Tex" Hunt he was house master of Prospect House where all the new intake of borders were housed. Hunt used a slipper and absolutely delighted in belting the new kids into submission he was the original sadistic sad guy, he must have been bullied mercilessly when he was at school. Headmaster was Sheppherd a decent enough ineffectual bloke who once had to "gate" me for drinking in a local pub. I remember him saying he had no idea what to do with me as. I was the Head Boy I then had to meet with the Feoffies which was a laugh and they "gated" me for a term which I totally ignored and was caught again in a local pub by Bradley and Heslop who threatened me with expulsion but myself and others had too much dirt on the pair of them. My absolute favourite and great all around guy was Spud Bartlett, who when he wasn't picking his nose and rolling snot was a good senior boarding house manager who in reality ran the school. Spud caught me many times returning to school late in the evening but was very decent in warning me every time. Ray Milner was a good drinking mate of Ken Ison and the pair of them loved getting into their cadet gear and play at being army officers. Mansell was also a decent guy who didn't really fit in with the rest of them. Prince, Wood and Johnstone were there but didn't really do a great deal. I have to say I enjoyed my time at OSH, loved the sport, I was fortunate enough to have some great guys in my years at the school, we all loved our cricket and rugby and did our fair share of hopping over the fence and going for a drink. I have always wondered if after I left the school my name was rubbed off the list of head boys in the Great Hall. I must go back one day and have a look. I have lived overseas in various places since I left the school in 1966/67.
Such Belated Sad News I knew Ken when I was a young boy at Primary school at Awali, Bahrain in the mid 70’s. He was the most effervescent teacher on the roll! This extended into the social life of the community - I often wondered were he went on to - he was a wonderful teacher and held us all in the palm of his hand when he taught us history. His mock up of a Spitfire cockpit in papermache was a triumph of enthusing young boys minds - such a sad loss, but I am glad I knew him even for so short a time.
Hi,I was a boarder at OSH from Sept 78 - June 82 and enjoyed very much your blog recounting your time there.It was great to read about all the old masters I remember from that time and brought back some stories to mind about them that I'd forgotten about.i spent my first year in prospect before moving to founders for a year then ending up under the supervision of Peter "newt" Davies for the rest of my time in Heath.I remember being taught in the old wooden classroom by mike Beale and mr griffiths often came through from the other classroom (in the autumn) to challenge him to a Conker fight.....I remember getting the slipper off Neville and poke.the rope off dozy wood and the cane off newt for various offences ranging from messing about in class to being caught having a crafty fag in Mary Stevens park,back then you just took it with no questions asked.i do remember you patrolling the dining hall trying to catch us making dairylea stalactites that we managed to stick to the ceiling by the bottom exit door....good times
Oldswinford Hospital School ! I have just read your 2 articles about Oldswinford hospital school which I found to be very interesting and accurate in their reflection of the school in the mid 1970's. I was a Lyttleton boarder attending the school from 1971 to 1977. In terms of corporal punishment I recall many beatings including receiving the rounder’s bat from Peter Davies for taking the piss out of one of the teachers that was taking his dog for a walk one evenning around the Maybury building. I also recall waiting outside Newt's room and being asked to bend over and place my hands on the arms of Newt's arm chair and being hit with the bat. I actually asked Newt if I could sign the bat, which was a privilege bestowed on those that had been beaten with the bat. I also recall that in the 6th form (lower?) a number of us pupils regularly played bridge with Newt - these session were often smoker/boozy affairs lasting right through the night – often both the cigarettes and sherry being supplied by Newt.
PS could you send me an Image of the 1975 school photo – I have one for 1973 which I could send to you if you are interested.
Many Thanks
Mike Gittoes
What an couple of interesting blogs you have written ! I did time at OSH 1965- 1971 . I love your description of the school as a “rum place”.
I never thought of it as evil but it was an odd rather demented environment , outside the railings it was the 1960s but inside almost a Edwardian time warp. Love the insights into the staff , explains a lot. Thanks for the insights. Regards Lewis Ottewell
Always an enlightening read Kevin, I always enjoy and learn something from your writings. I was raised a Southern Baptist by my very devout grandmother. Neither of my parents gave a hoot about religion, but my grandmother certainly did. So, I can relate to this story. I converted to Roman Catholicism in university and was intrigued by the pomp and ceremony of the rituals of the Mass and other services of the church. Alas, today I have taken Krishnamurti's advice and shaken off my conditioning, both as a Protestant and as a Catholic and am a dedicated semi-atheist / Buddhist in perpetual training. Good work here, Kevin.
Fond Memories Any death is a loss but in certain cases is much more than that. The period of time of Ken Stebbing's teaching and mentoring our children, were light and enjoyable years that stayed pleasantly in their memory. Kevin Macqueen, was also a great addition to the BISC and so was Neil Richards, a great team of scholars as well as persons. They offered their best to their students. Life goes on, as we all know, but the valuable input in early life years will carry on, something that I consider as a great achievement.
Wonderful article I had the pleasure of being taught by Ken During his time in Kota Kinabalu, my father was an engineer working on water projects in the area and my younger brother Lucas and I were sent to Kinabalu International School, with Mr Stebbing as the headmaster and the teacher of every subject for the 12-13 year olds. The class had between 6-10 people throughout my short year there and just around 70 in the school.
Ken's style of teaching was unique, I have had the pleasure of attending 11 schools in my lifetime, thanks to the transient nature of my fathers work / tax avoidance so I feel I'm in a position of authority and am qualified to make this statement. Every lesson had a story, describing how a discovery was made, how he found out about it or a hilarious joke that helped to cement the knowledge into place, I can't claim to say that his lessons steered my career choice, as I'm an IT engineer, but you can rest assured that if it wasn't for my IT skills I'd be an archaeologist. Six months ago I was watching the BBC's 'Tutankhamen' - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04n6scp and found myself shouting out names, dates and facts like it was a game show, using knowledge I'd gleaned from Ken. I was 12 when I was taught about Tutankhamen, I'm 39 now. Before hearing of his death I had managed to track him down googling his name and emailing any random "Ken Stebbings" that I could find on the internet, when I had contacted the man himself I told him, that there is always one teacher that every person remembers throughout their lives, that one teacher that inspired you, believed in you and more importantly made you want to learn, it was him. Everyone from that small class of 6-10 people had uttered the same words on a Facebook discussion that was started when one of us found out about his passing. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155794157645990&set=a.10150117867530990.320906.540975989&type=3&theater&comment_id=10155795530010990¬if_t=like¬if_id=1506760474007501
Thank you Hi Kevin,
Thank you for the warm tribute to Ken Stebbing. He was an inspiration to many, and your words captured him perfectly.
Wishing you all the best,
Charles
Fond memories My late wife Carola and I were teachers at BISC from 1979 to 1982 and worked and relaxed with Ken when he joined the school.
As has been said, a very well respected teacher and a genuinely good and gracious gentleman.
I have so many fond memories of BISC and most of them involve Ken.
He will be deeply mourned
Ian
Short but Sweet Unlike many readers, I only knew Ken for a short period of time in my very early days in Cairo, as a part-time teacher at BISC. I likened Ken to a slightly eccentric public school master, capable of discussing a wide range of subjects; erudite and not, contemporary and historical, technical and ethereal and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations. It was wonderful to read the story of the 'Ramadan tea', I was there! This is one of many very happy memories I have of that period, Ken and Stella being an essential part! Thanks for reviving the memories, Kevin, RIP Ken Stebbing.
I've been teaching English for 48 years - in England, Egypt, Tanzania, Argentina, Venezuela, Ghana and now Vietnam. At 71, I'm still going strong and have no wish to retire. I enjoy my job, which gives me plenty of time to relax and travel. In toto, I've visited 66 countries. I'm married to a Vietnamese woman and have been living in Ho Chi Minh City since 2001.
Outside of work I am a chess fanatic (Tanzanian National Champion in 1991), devotee of blues and jazz music, imbiber of fine malt whiskies (especially from Islay), bibliophile (Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy, Brian Moore, Philip Larkin, Di... full info
JS
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Reflections from a pupil
Having read your blog with haunting memories I wonder if your regret and shame extends to the impact yours and others behaviours had on some of the pupils at Old Swinford. What a jolly reminiscence you have produced. Perhaps reflecting on what choices you made during your time as a teacher at this school and an acknowledgment that not all the pupils that experienced the barbaric corporal punishment that was dished out by you and others was so easy to laugh off as ‘that’s the way we did it here’ and of course my favourite ‘it’s character building’. Every teacher at that school had a choice yet many were not brave enough to make a stand instead choosing the cowards way out.