This article was produced by Don Seabright and Graham Long for the 1975 issue of the EGS Magazine.

July 18^th 1975 will be remembered as a sad day by us. We will have completed eight years at EGS, having stayed on for an extra year – which, incidentally, neither of us regrets. During our time the face of the school has changed to such an extent that the school when we started was very different for a first Former than it is today. For instance, how could one ever forget coming into school and having to change into plimsolls every day before assembly?

In those days the staff sat on the stage during assembly, and many wore the now out-of-fashion gown. Every day, sitting in the front row, we heard Mr Owen (Deputy Headmaster) repeating ‘Room 2 tonight!’ over and over again. Then, as usual, the Prefects (much worse then, as one bearded teacher will no doubt confirm!) would dismiss one row at a time. Mr Shaw and Mr Owen would remain behind until the last boy had left the hall and would sometimes be there during the first private study period, still nattering away. There were no ten minutes tutor group periods each day – it was straight into assembly and then into work.

Lunch times then, as they do now, brought utter chaos. The price of lunch was 7/6d per week and it was served in two sittings; it was necessary to use not only the canteen but also Rooms 6 and 7 and the space between now occupied by the drinks machine and Mr Negus. One boy from each table went to the hatch to collect a tray for his table. The Sixth Former in charge would divide the main course fairly (?!) into eight portions. You had four choices – take it, leave it, like it or lump it! As the potato often had this last characteristic, there was little choice. Also, the Masters did not dine with us, apart from one Duty Master, who would say grace or a few words to that effect. Unbelievably, the rest of the staff dined in the small room adjoining the canteen now used for the tuck shop for junior forms.

Teaching methods have changed quite considerably and today there is a greater link between staff and pupils. There were, however, superb moments of fun, such as the time when one person (who shall remain nameless) in Form 1F (Fielden) was quietly given the slipper for talking out of turn and the showed his appreciation by saying ‘Thank you very much, sir’! On another occasion, whilst attending a Maths lesson in Room 4, we were interrupted by a knock on the window and a small boy stood on the roof saying: ‘Please sir, my form-mates threw my bag out of the window and won’t let me back in’. The teacher (incidentally, still teaching maths and a great cricketer for the school as a pupil during the 1920s) replied ‘Go away, laddie!) and promptly shut the window.

School uniform is very much the same except for the fact that many first formers of our time arrived in school wearing short trousers and that everybody was obliged to wear a school cap. Indeed, a check was made every Monday morning during form period when we were made to hold our caps (and large red hymn books) in the air.

During our eight years we have seen many changes on the teaching staff and, in fact, only a dozen stalwarts remain. But how can one ever forget characters such as John Harrison, a very courageous and entertaining person; Malcolm Lewis-Morris, an accident-prone northerner famous for his statement ‘Every time I open my mouth, some idiot starts talking’; John Wheeler, a friendly and well-liked maths teacher; Dr Burdett, a great beard-stroker; and Roger Poulet, a loveable French teacher. Religious education was in the hands of Mr ‘Moses’ Grove (no relation to the new House) to whom we had the pleasure of teaching rugby. Geography was taught at lightning speed by Phil Stimpson, who made up in words what he lacked in height.

Of course, we could go on and on talking about these great characters, but two characters who remain constant in or minds are Mr Eric Fielden and Mr Bob Wisden – both eminent pipe-smokers!  Mr Fielden will always give us happy memories; he had a great gift of forgetting to turn up to teach French and many a time did we see him casually walking down the drive, pipe in mouth, and – on seeing us gaping out of the window, rapidly sprinting the remaining yards into the school. Bob Wisden will be remembered by us for one occasion when a boy entered Room 4 and enquired ‘Where’s Wizzy?’  Mr Wisden promptly appeared from the adjacent walk-in storeroom and replied ‘Here’s Wizzy, and he’s going to give you the slipper’. (Hon Secretary’s note: I recall just the same occurrence during an A-Level French lesson in 1964/65: the student arriving posed the same question mimicking Bob Wisden’s softly spoken burr. The sequence of actions were exactly as recorded above! CB)

Staff change, pupils change, even the Grammar School is about to change, but nothing can change the happy memories of our happy time at Eastbourne Grammar School.