Category: Staff Profiles

Writer known:

“Mr Badham, Headmaster during my time at School, rarely gets a mention in the Newsletters. He was the only man I ever met who regularly wore spats. He enjoyed quoting, in his slightly old-fashioned accent. “Joshua, the son of Nun, and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh were the only two who ever got through to the land of milk and honey,”

Mr Atkinson, Classics master, had a “thing” about the application of the birth qualifications for international Rugby. He would often interrupt a lesson by turning on a boy and asking him if he had a Scottish grandmother; and if the answer was “Yes.” He would say triumphally “Then you can play rugby for Scotland.”

Tich Wright was an elegant batsman who sometimes turned out for the School in matches against non-School (as did Sam King, the groundsman).

Mr Masters was always known as “Kitty” after a dance band vocalist popular on the radio.

Mr Searson was the Geography master and form master of Remove (form room, at least in my time, the first in the row of huts inside the New Inn Hall gate entrance and opposite the tuck shop). In 1933, when I was in his form, he used to organise unofficial boxing contests in the space at the front of the form room. I have no idea whether they took place in other years. (Ed: I remember boxing there against Tony Patterson. I won because he was even smaller that I was at that time, and he even more scared than me.) He also played a part in organising the annual outings of the School Geographical Society. I remember interesting trips to the Cadbury factory at Bournville, Morland’s match factory in (?) Gloucester, and the Imperial Institute in London.”

Stephen Peters writes:

“Further to the remarks of Colin Justin and Nigel Moulden about “Flea” Lee, another of his punishment options was to be beaten with a broken chair leg (wooden). What luxury to be able to choose between the metal pipe, the length of rubber and the chair leg!!

It is of little comfort now to know that he and several other masters of the period 1956-64 would these days be imprisoned for child abuse – and not all of it physical abuse.

Like John Geach, my (too many) years at COHS were far from the happiest of my life – though I do cherish the memory of several sympathetic teachers, particularly “Eddie” Swire, the musical Busby and “Titch” Wright.

Too many members of staff, though they may have had a knowledge of their subject were, as far as teaching it was concerned, way beyond incompetent. It is not surprising that in the post war years there were so many dropping out before University as several correspondents have mentioned.