Author: Chris Simpson

My earliest contact with Winbury was seeing this guy on a bicycle wearing a hooped cap. Later, I found out that it was David Harrold, who lived nearby and has become a lifelong friend.

Some memories, in no particular order

With Adrian Dean and others, building "Adrian's Wall to keep out Pitts and Scott" on the East side of the playground. We made 'Mortars' which flung bags of grey dirt and sometimes root vegetables, probably turnips, high into the air in the general direction of the 'enemy'.

The replacement of the wilderness on the East side at the High Town Road end with 3(?) new classrooms to supplement the old timber building along the West Road boundary. This somewhat curtailed the building of forts, but made us less academically-cramped.

At the time of the General Election the boys polarised as "Conservatives" who were in a considerable majority, and "Labourites", including Oliver Pitts and (I think) Scott; a minority who copped a lot of Flak. Then Gerratt confounded us all (and avoided conflict) by being "Liberal".

Walking down to the Town Hall with a sizeable crowd from School, almost exactly 60 years ago, where there was an army drummer, with his drum covered in black cloth, and where someone (the Mayor?) announced "The King is dead. Long live the Queen!"

In the upstairs classroom, with Mr Smerdon listening to Ernest Lough(?) singing "O for the wings of a dove" and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, on 12 inch 78 rpm records, played on a wind-up gramophone with needles of 'Japanese thorn' (as he objected to the use of the more-common steel needles).

Mr Quentin-Barber convincing us that we could all play the ukelele for the School concert. This culminated in me, wearing my cousin Jennie's' cut-off plaits and a long dress, as Columbine, sitting on the top of a shaky ladder, being serenaded by Ratcliff, as Pierrot, singing "Who stole my heart away?". The massed performance of "I want to be happy" had us all concentrating so hard on playing, that my parents said they had never seen such an unhappy lot! My cousin's plaits got two other work-outs in plays: One was as the Jailer's Daughter in Toad of Toad Hall, where I remember Cave-Chinn and Rowe as Albert the Horse with whoever was the back half saying just before the performance "You pong and I'll pinch !". The second was as the gullible Annie the Maid, having her fortune told, in a thriller (What happened to Georgy?), where Harrold played the Colonel. I find it hard to reconcile 6 foot, 16 stone, and white hair (what there is of it) with 3 female parts!!

In the remaining school play, I was in the Inn's Company in Treasure Island, sitting at a bench with some others. My knee britches were contrived from a few large buttons and the long knickers my mother used to wear under her skirt when watching Rugby (trousers on women in those days was a rare sight!) Because we were in full view someone had thoughtfully provided a beverage, probably Ginger Wine, in our tankards. Someone (Hamilton?) standing behind me 'cadged' a swig from my drink. I think Benaim played Long John Silver.

In the West Road building, I remember a French lesson listening to some French resistance songs "….le vol noir sur nos plaines…..…qu'on enchaine" "Ohe saboteur, attention a ton fardeau; dynamite"

For a couple of terms, towards the end of my Winburian years I became a weekly boarder (we were moving home and my Mum was having my second sister in the new house): In the dorm I clearly remember Ratcliff doing a forward somersault onto his bed (off the mantelpiece?). Thomas got some chewing gum that he had just deposited on his bed-head stuck in his hair, and we had to remove it, plus a large wedge of attached hair, with scissors. It quite spoilt his looks on one side for some time. There were about 6 of us in the dorm. Chapman was one, and I think Dean was one of the others

I was a peaceful guy until seriously provoked, but at different times, under some provocation, I remember bloodying Warburton's and Macer's noses; the latter at Stafferton Lodge.

Crocker reciting "Albert and the Lion", which gave me a taste for the Holloway monologues, some of which I have since learnt. Vooght (I think) playing a selection from 'Choo Chin Chow'; "We are the robbers of the wood…."

The despair of the Staff at the cricketing ineptitude of Harrold, Brodie-Griffiths, Ashton, Vooght?, and myself, until they let us play in our style in one corner of Stafferton Lodge as the OWL (Old Women's League).

Having a pissing contest on the back wall of the pavilion at Stafferton Lodge.

Playing a muddy game of Soccer in Grenfell Park

One of the masters got a bee in his bonnet about Heraldry, and the class mass-produced coats of arms of British cities and towns, copied from a heraldic map of Britain, using poster paint on stiff cardboard. Subsequently these were used as markers on sports day.

Watching a World Heavyweight Championship boxing match on Mr Spicer's Television. (but I can't for the life of me remember the names involved)

Nervously waiting outside Mr Spicer's study for a wigging or beating. The interest in the budding romance between Mr Clegg (an Australian who played sports in bare feet, and was popularly believed to be a retired criminal) and Miss Reeves the art teacher.

Miss Brown teaching piano and playing for singing lessons, she also taught me at home without much success.

Other teachers I remember well and by name included Mr Dundas, nicknamed 'the Puffin', Mr Mercer and Denis Spicer.

I remember with affection Mrs Ivan-Smith, who never taught me, but was a family friend who lived in our upper flat for a couple of years.

The sheer humanity of John Spicer; able to joke with us, and to be severe when necessary. He really loved his self-appointed task. We really did get a first rate Junior and intermediate education (There are some separate schools for this in NZ)

A week before I was due to write the MCS Scholarship Exam, when I was a prefect, I was trying to stop a classroom fracas when someone slammed a window which broke, carried on, and slashed my left wrist to the bone, fortunately missing the artery. I was rushed to Maidenhead Hospital where stitches were inserted. As I am left-handed, this was of some concern, and we had to experiment with bandaging so that I could even write again. Fortunately it was satisfactory, and I won the Scholarship, joining Harrold who had done the same the previous year.

Other Winburians, who were at MCS when I was there, included Gerratt, Vooght, Pitts, both Randles, both Wards and Cox (who I met in Sydney a few years ago): a sizeable contingent when the boarding house had only 64 members.

In around 1966-7 I came back to Winbury on some Saturday mornings to teach some basic science to a volunteer class, after extra Latin. (I am still occasionally doing something similar in NZ, working with a group of aviation enthusiasts, for the benefit of kids in the 9 - 13 age group).

Since then, a bit has happened.

43 years ago, having recently been awarded a Doctorate (in chemistry) at Oxford, I left England for Australia: I usually cite Harold Wilson as the reason! I married , we had 3 kids, and then tragedy struck 7 years after the last of them was born, when my wife, Penny, died at the age of 44. Twenty years ago (and 5 years later), I met Karen who was brave enough to marry me and take on the kids; then 18, 15 and 12. A few years later I was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers, Australia.

3 years ago, having decided that another Sydney summer was the 40th too many, we went to live in Christchurch, NZ "for the weather". 15 months later it also became known as 'Wobbletown'. Even today there have been three Magnitude 4+, plus several lesser aftershocks in the area! A month ago we moved to the 'Boutique Township' of Oxford, on the edge of the North Canterbury Plain and nestling under the mountains, 55 km WNW from Christchurch.

Recently, as a total surprise I received a Special Award from the International Electrotechnical Commission, in Geneva, for the work I have done in International Safety Standards, particularly Gas Detection and other Electrical Equipment in Hazardous (explosive) Areas, representing both Australia and New Zealand (we now have joint National Committees), over the last 20 years. I still keep a few irons in the fire!!

Chris Simpson - 01/05/2012