Memories Of Shooters Hill Grammar School For Boys

Happy days! I left in 1971, so all very familiar. 'Jock' Rudd was, in fact, very Scottish, and was famous for his shout at the start of every gym lesson "runnin' roond the gym ..... goop" .... at which point we did, indeed, start running around the gym by way of a warm-up. The surly caretaker used to sell all sorts in the tuck shop - including very out of date chocolate liquers which were all sugary in the middle, but nonetheless yummy! (Couldn't get away with it nowadays). "Max" Faulkner did run the Sea Cadets, also taught physics a I remember. Also due a mention are Mr. Nash (physics), Watson (chemistry), Henshaw (french) and Coutts (maths). The squash courts were, in fact, "fives" courts (if memory serves), which was a weird squash-like game played with a huge glove and a ball like a bullet. Other random memories: 2nd year always inhabited the balcony during morning assembly and sang descants; being allowed on the playing field if it snowed heavily; walking all the way to Footscray to the tennis courts (did we play rugger there, too?), the mega-grumpy groundsman at Footscray ( "... geroff t'bloody tractor!"), the sixth form "dance" where we had a band called "Pony" perform, as I recall ....

I was there from 1969 to 74. I am desperate to lay my hands on a school tie or badge, does anyone know of one that I could buy?

I was there from 1966 to 1971, left a year earlier than I should of as I got stupidly expelled for smoking by Tom Smith. When I think back it was a good school and I wished I'd kept my head down, but hey how, there you go. I remember Babbage pulling you round the class by your hair if you didn't do your homework, saying, 'Don't tell me, let me guess, you forgot!'. He wasn't as scary as Gaffney though, you never made a squeak in his class for fear of a well aimed board rubber. You'd have to pick it up and take it to him and get a whack with his cane sometimes on your knuckles. Spud Edwards too, teaching French and also acting as deputy head. Faulkner was PE but also started a navigation class as I think he had a boat and sometimes took boys on it. We all thought Faulkner was gay as he always made a point of pulling your shorts away at the front to check you had no underpants on. Jock Rudd lived just down the road from us in Eltham so we knew him fairly well, he was a good teacher I thought. I can remember Stringer for English, Nash for physics and a few others but a lot of names evade me, even my form teacher who taught German. There used to be a Scalextric club one night a week in the geography room, a massive circuit where we all took track and bits and pieces. Remember the tuck shop and the grumpy caretaker, funny cos my last job before I retired was as a school caretaker so I saw things from a different viewpoint. Think I can remember you, Dave Nash, also Les Moore, Phil Grigg, Hubbard, Irvine, Shaughnessy, Epps, Martin Brown, Varndell, Dunbar. We used to smoke in the fives courts, sometimes with Hubbard on look out with a pair of binoculars! Smoking up in the sanctuary was common but always a chance you'd get caught up there as it was off limits. The usual place was behind the groundsmans huts by the bike shed. It's where I had my last fag before getting caught and told to leave the school. Prefects were also smoking there and when they finished their fags they came and got hold of me. I wasn't actually smoking at that moment but had trod on someone else's fag. How cruel😁

Sorry, forgot to add, my name is Dave Brown. I had quite long hair and one day, queueing up for dinner, a teacher remarked in front of everyone that I looked like a shaggy dog. A friend shouted out loudly 'DOG!' . That became my nickname for quite a while

Hi Dave Brown. Ah, I miss the screaming! Still got the school photo 1970 - Think you may have been 2nd from the left top row?. I am 5th from the left top row. PS a few of the old boys have posted stuff on FB and I think the 1970 school photo is on there somewhere

Henshaw (French) was my father. Do you or anyone have any idea why he changed his name?

I left in 70. I remember all those masters but also - Butch( History) ! Edwards ( English), Percy Rhodes ( Art) , Gandhi ( woodwork). Always wondered what happened to friends Bob Stewart, John Hagley, Fred Sturrock, Clarence Benbow, Steve Beaumont, John Boyle, Doug Stoten & others. There was another guy used to walk the halls carrying a copy of Piper at the Gates of Dawn by Pink Floyd. Don't think I ever saw him without it.

I remember you Peter, and all of the others in our class, Mr Allinson was one name missing from the teachers, he taught biology, anatomy, and history, I recall. It was Frank Sturrock, I think not Fred.

Also Jack Vaughan, I think he went into acting as I am sure I saw him on TV in one scene many years ago! Was it Simon Capelin carrying the LP? Or Glyn Causey? He was into the Beatles, had every track they ever made! Ollie Davis taught French and German, as did Bert Stokes, who also taught us Russian!

I wonder how many of our class are still around today?

I should add I was there until 1970

Just found this site. Following up on Alan Furze's post - where are they now. Sadly my brother, Frank Sturrock, died in November 2020 after suffering a brain tumour for twenty years. John Hagley lives in Suffolk and was a Master Carpenter. My brother attended a school re-union in 2002 (when pupils where 50 years old) and met numerous ex pupils. I think that this was arranged by Brian Boynton. (?). I went to the school between 1965-1970 (left at 16) and remember a lot of the teachers mentioned plus some others - Dave Harvey (English), Sullivan (History), Parker (Geography), Lloyd (French), Cannon (Geography). Allison used to encourage the second years to whack short wearing first years around the leg with nettles on Oak Apple Day. Apparently this was a West Country tradition. Great Days