Dockenfield Manor Farnham Surrey

A Memory of Dockenfield.

I was a student at Dockenfield Manor in the 1940's. Looking back, the entire faculty should have been arrested for child abuse, fraud, and a host of other charges. At the time, the Headmasters name was Dr. Hastings, other teachers included Dr. Franks, (whose every second sentence was "Oh God, please help me"), Mr. Nehoff a Dutchman that may have been a Nazi in disguise, a Miss Saunders (Dr. Hastings squeeze) and the best of them that had more integrity than all of the rest, a Miss Weir-Rose, whom I was in love with at the age of six! Punishment was handed out by sadistic teachers and prefects, that included from three to six cuts on the hands, being held down naked on a bed and being whipped with a stick, pulled hair, kicks on the behind, etc, etc. The food mainly consisted of banana sandwiches, margarine and jam, fried 'stuff' and tapiocca pudding. When the holidays came, old Bailey's Yellow and Black Bus would arrive and take the students to the Farnham Railway Station, leaving me behind in an empty school for six weeks or more, and being fed by a lady from Gochens farm that was a little distance from the school. Although looking back at my years at Dockenfield Manor (School), I feel that I was left with no psychological damage, but I have retained some awful memories of that dump, such as being locked up in an old barn for hours on end on stormy nights and fearing that the barn rats would bite me, and of course the daily abuse that was meted out regularly. I have to add, that the barn taught me how to overcome fear, and the beatings taught me how to be brave and not cry. I oft time thought that I should write to my parents and tell them how bad conditions were at the school, but knowing my great late father, he would most likely have said that I possibly deserved it. I only ever received one letter from my father while I was at that school, which stated in one line, "Whenever you write to me, never mention money or the weather". My closest friend at school was a certain Michael Helm, who is an architect living in Tortola BVI, and another close friend was Jeremy de Sirham, whose stage name became Jeremy Spencer of "The Prince and the Show Girl" fame, staring Marilyn Monroe and Richard Burton. At the age of 77, I do not recall any of the other students names, but I would certainly enjoy hearing from anyone else that may have been at Dockenfield Manor during the years 1940-1950.