Michaelmas Term Lads. Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Neil

Many thanks for your birthday wishes. I imagine I am lucky to have had 14cards although several of them were for 4 year-olds with a badge to suit and with an 8 written in front of the 4! Especially good to have a phone call from my daughter in Adelaide supported by emails from my two grandsons there.

What memories you evoke in mentioning Dr Toms. I lived in Romola Road at Tulse Hill and every morning as I walked to and up Tulse Hill itself I would see Dr Toms get off a No.2 bus and set off in the same direction. He always wore a trilby hat and a long raincoat (without a belt) and carried an attache case - as we called them then. I had to look out for him in order to put my cap on! He was a really nice guy and as I remember taught science of one description or another - so I am interested in your reference to Religious Studies.
In my day that was the fief of one Rev Arthur Charles Digby French. I still have all my Journals (did they exist in your day?) and one comment of his was 'Does nothing apparently'!

Bearing in mind I was taliking about 1934 onwards it is apparent that Dr Toms went on for some time. Have I already told you (short term memory loss is part of old age!) that a few weeks ago I had a visit from a Douglas Roberts - Yates House 1939 - who I last met on Sunday mornings in 1938 at the Milk Bar in Streatham Hill? He brought me a copy of a School Photograph of 1937 and so far I have been able to name 42 boys and pretty well all the Masters.As I look at them now from left to right: Alnwick, Cushion, French, Pearce, Yates, Towler, Adair, unknown, Medley, Toms, Round, McMinn, Warren, Dawe, Pitson, Wilton, unknown, Herrick, Pack, Dark, White and 2 German Students/Assistant Masters named Herr Feller and Herr Vatter (should be an umlaut over the a).

I wonder how many were still around in your time - would I be right in pitching that around 1954-1958?

Richard