Mervyn Wrote -

Hi Dermot,

I am seventh from the left in the front row, and was at Swanage Grammar from 1948 or 49 to 1952 I think (well it was a long time ago !! )

 The only teachers names that I can recall are “Boss“ Day ( whose son was in the same form ), “Prez” Sellick, and Mr. Gaskell. There was a lad called Ford from the Corfe Castle area, Victor Diment, and, for a while at least, a German lad called Eke Demant ( spelling may not be quite right). One time in Geography Eke was the only one who knew that Dorset did not have “shire” after it. Just shows what silly things stick in my mind from years ago. Another name that comes to mind is Drake, who I think is second from the right of the front row boys. Sorry about only having surnames but that is how we were addressed by the teachers. Among the girls I only recall Hannah Pinchbeck, although I don’t know why. I think she was at Bovington, as I was.

 Going to school entailed catching a bus outside of the Garrison cinema at Bovington to Wool, then train to Wareham where I think we changed to the Swanage line. The carriages for this final part of the trip were non-corridor, and the junior kids were sometimes either put up in the luggage racks or stuffed under the seats up against the heaters. There was a long hike from Swanage station up to school, quite a hike especially if the train was late getting in. We didn’t get to see much of the town except on Prize Giving day, this was held down in the town and some of us just bunked off instead of being bored to death watching the great and the good being rewarded for their efforts. Needless to say there was never going to be any danger of me being called up on stage !!

 I have pleasant memories of when the dentist called at the school, we would be sent down to enjoy what ever treatment he thought necessary; and the school canteen was a prefab which screened you from the school when you did a bunk to get up onto Ballard Down. I managed to get transferred to the girls cookery class instead of doing woodwork, because the woodwork teacher seemed to spend more time heaving lumps of wood at you, and at least you could eat what you made ( most of the time ). I left school when my dad got demobbed from the army, so never took any O levels or what ever they were called at that time. Whilst serving in the R.A.F. (20 years service) I ran into a lad called Chalky White when I was on Christmas Island for the H bomb tests in 57 or 58. Other than that I had lost touch with the school until I came across the SGSA site via Friends Reunited, although when we moved down here to the New Forest I went to Swanage in 1987, to have a look at the school but it had closed and was some sort of activity centre.

 Well, Dermot, that’s enough reminiscing , it’s making me feel old !! Perhaps the 1951 photo will bring back memories for others who visit your website. 

  Kind regards from Merv Broom.  mgbroom@hotmail.com

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