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Date Posted: 05:51:38 04/06/04 Tue
Author: Steven Nicholls
Subject: Re: old boys 1966/67
In reply to: Mick Hayler 's message, "old boys 1966/67" on 13:51:28 02/28/04 Sat

Hi mick,

I was there in 1967 in Benbow, and I remember everything you say about especially about the camping trip it was bloody freezing, and snowing!

I also went back there in 1980 and took a good look around! Inside and out :-) sad feeling!

I don't think that we ever cared about the cannon to be honest, as far as I was concerned you could've kept it all the time you were there! no hard feelings. We did get on our hands and knees and took four planks each in the dorm and from end to end we would polish the floor with the strong smelling wax with steel wool!

Even burning polish on our boots to make them shine then in little circles we would spend quite a time turning the ends of our boots to look like mirrors. Things that we did!

Yes you were right about Markham he did look old and sluggish but so did Campbell all alone in his great big house. When I visited the place in 1980 I took a walk along the river and went into the houses where all the staff lived what a funny feeling that was. I remember one of the teachers dying of cancer he was a nice enough bloke but can't remember his name. I know that he taught the kids to make brooms out of branches to sweep the yards, but that's about it. His name is on the tip of my tounge! oh well something like Richards??? Richardson??? could've been Smith!

little cheif what a character someone out of the goons hehe!
I remember a Gillespy who was in Benbow he used to do these pranks like get out of the window at the top of the building and walk around to the office on a small bloody ledge and see if he could get in why i have no Idea! But he did nearly fall to his death and he managed to put his fist through the window to save himself. He ended up cutting a major tendon in his arm and he had to have surgery to connect it again. I guess if he didnt do what he did he would have fallen to his death!

Did you think the time was tough there in the 60's? for what reason did you go there? from what I remember of anso it had kids from the north of Britain and hood a lot was from Wales. I can remember so many faces but few names!

Yours aye,
Steven Nicholls (nick)
Pressganger for http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nationalnauticalschool


>well i have just read rogers firth's message and it
>bought back so many memories for me, mostly good ones
>though, when i was sent to the nash it wasnt what i
>expected really but i had a good "Tug" Micky
>Stratfull, and boy did he show me the ropes, i learned
>so much so quickly, he knew all the scams, postage
>stamps in the glen, (the little shop at the edge of
>the wood)i think he was the blues boy then. I
>remember when hood and benbow tried to come over
>during the night and steal the cannon what we kept
>winning, for the best dorm, the best at sports,
>remember the bloody wirewool and polish, never forget
>that smell on a sat morning after roll call when old
>John cambell would stand there giving out his
>orders,poor old markham really looked old then didnt
>he, and perdy i think his name was, little chief in
>the AB's class, wilkinson in the engineers, big johno
>with his big mouth, i still have the scars from the 12
>cuts he gave me. i was in the engineers class as a
>welder, me and edwards made the steelwork for the
>window that had the 3 pictures in admril benbow, hms
>anson and hms hood, looked lovely it did. stuart
>giberson burned himself badly when we were burning
>rubbish in the incinerator, hope he is ok still he had
>a few scars. a few names i remember, dell crabbe who i
>heard had sadly died, dave bicker, coyle,big chris
>smith from bermondsy, john gillespy wholived in
>sheerness who i have seen on a few occations, poor old
>gordon wart died in a bad car smash just after i left
>there in sept 1967. there was mr tuffery, and what
>about the camping in south molton and the days out to
>barnstable devon, so many memories about the place. i
>think thats enough for now would love to here from
>anyone who can remember me there i visited in 1980 and
>it was derilict but i got in and took my kids around
>the place (never saw the goast) was in such a mess
>then. memories eh
> you all take care now. anyone wanting to here more
>about the place please contact me
>regards to you all
> mick hayler

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