Probably the most momentous aspect of my life at Windsor Boys’ School came at the very, very beginning.
I was met off the plane in Gütersloh by Geoff Telling from the English department. He took me to the where I was to live in the Officers’ Mess in Ost Strasse, Hamm. The next person I met was the Head of Drama at Windsor Girls School, namely Su Penney.
It soon came to light that we’d been at college together and had overlapped for a year, although I was unaware of her at the time, she had been aware of me. We amalgamated our activities almost immediately and married less than 18 months later.
As far as the teaching was concerned, I’d come from a rather rough comp. in the east of Basildon where I’d spent the previous five years. Therefore, the change was drastic: single sex; foreign land; boarding duties, et cetera it was all a bit of a jolt to me.
However, it did not take long to overcome the shock of change: the remoteness, the combination of oddness of a boarding experience as well as being in a foreign country. I got used to the lack of TV and enjoyed the Sunday night film show for the staff; found the NAAFI useful; the strange and ancient traditions of the school became familiar and the arcane argot that goes with institutions - viso and privs etc soon became my own expressions. Above all, the people, the staff and colleagues were warm and welcoming and the pupils were bright, attentive and keen.
My previous headteacher in Basildon informed me after my appointment that I would find Windsor Boys School different and interesting because he himself had taught there and at other schools in BFES prior to his return to Essex in the late 60s, his name was Bob Ford.
I did teach English as well as drama, which suited me perfectly well. I was left very much to my own devices as far as drama was concerned and therefore thoroughly enjoyed all the contacts I had with pupils whether it was in class or in extracurricular activities and sports.
A vivid impression at the time was the influence of “Punk”. The chains, piercings and ripped nature of clothing adopted by a growing number of the pupils, much to the mystification of fellow students and the annoyance of adults.
I was particularly impressed with the headteacher Paul Gysin who had interviewed and appointed me in July. At the time I thought I’d got the job because I was available, I had resigned from my post in Basildon in the spring, determined to work abroad - preferably in France. Later on in my time at Windsor, Gysin said he respected the robust virility I had brought to the subject of drama, a comment he wrote in an appraisal document.
I started my boarding duties in Hillsborough House, with Haydn Jones. By the end of my first year I’d escaped to be appointed as a Assistant Housemaster in Edinburgh house which was brilliant because I was able to take a flat and move out of the mess. Incidentally my flat was only metres away from my English teaching room in block one. I did not find the boarding duties, particularly onerous. I worked with a very good housemaster, Dave Riddle and the harmonious nature of Edinburgh House, a single-floor house with a small annexe, made for a very pleasant experience.
I can also say that the eventual move from block one to block 5a within the Edinburgh/Balmoral block made for a very comfortable life in a large and homely flat, where, in July 1982, we greeted our first son, Owen.
In the case of drama productions it was notable that the opportunities for boys to associate with girls were seized upon by a great number of both, so our school plays were very popular.
Our first production was that of the “Dracula Spectacula”. I had brought the script and music from my previous job so it was easy to take it on very readily Geoff and Su directing it with great gusto. I was happy to take on the role of staging, lighting, stage management and general production matters and this was to be the case for most of the School productions we presented.
Subsequent productions were “Crease” in 1979, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Changing Places’ in 1980, “Jack Shepherd” in 1981 and “Baloney” in 1982.
(If one has read Stephen Green’s 2023 “Concordia” the history of the Windsor Schools one can see the accounts and reviews of actors in the school productions which relevantly and quite appropriately communicate the tone of the times and the productions - especially Alan Gardner’s and Paul Capon’s remarks about “Skungpoomery”, our final production.)
That last production was a blast! We had a six-month old baby so it was directed by me. It was a swift silly panto and went down very well as a final minor flourish.
We had a terrific following in the school productions. Drama was a big thing, developed and promoted by both Su and I. We attracted the brightest and the best of the students - probably, on reflection, because it provided a very plausible opportunity to meet members of the opposite sex!
"Dracula Spectacula” in 1978
"Crease” in 1979
"The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Changing Places" in 1980
"Jack Shepherd” in 1981
"Baloney” in 1982
"Skungpoomery” in 1982
As well as the Drama CSE, I was particularly pleased to be able to introduce the Drama & Theatre Arts. O/A-level qualification which enabled lower sixth students to have practical and theoretical involvement in the world of drama. But this meant that one element required external assessment. An external examiner therefore came to assess the practical work of the students. The preparation and performance by these students provided a further opportunity in the summer term for an evening of drama for a limited audience. We were extremely successful in our results.
I consider myself to have been very fortunate to have spent six years in Hamm. Family matters aside, it was an educational experience which contributed valuably to my personal career progress founding an enormous affection for the system which proved to be, after nearly thirty years, the culmination of my teaching life.
