Ian Mitchell 1967 to 1972
I hope my limited memories will trigger memories from other old boys.
I had previously attended St. Joseph’s Convent in Hatherley Road, Sidcup, until the age of eight when our parents took us out and sent us to a school in Blackfen due to the strange and antiquated teaching methods of the nuns at St. Joseph’s. So I came to St. Mary’s in 1967 from Our Lady of the Rosary primary school. The only other classmate from that school who also came to St Mary’s as far as I can remember was Peter Strangeway.
My earliest memory of St Mary’s is of the first day in the playground in the morning being lined up in our respective classes – mine being 1 Alpha – and marched to the classroom. Our classroom that first year was the hut to the side and behind the main building. We had all our classes in this hut apart from woodwork, art and music. One of the earliest memories I have is of Fr Eric Shorttle caning some of us when he caught us playing crab football in the cloakroom between classes. And it really hurt; no holding back from Eric.
After the first year we moved to the main building.
Form 1 Alpha (1967 intake) pictured that autumn. Ian is back row, third from left.
I remember our sex education lessons in this room too. I can’t remember who took us unfortunately but we had these little books which skirted round the subject for pages and pages until finally there was a page near the end which dealt with human reproduction. Finally, the day arrived when we all knew we would get to this page in the lesson. We were full of delighted anticipation but when the time came to turn the page the teacher said we would skip the next page. I remember groans and cries of ‘But Sir!’ from around the class. He made some ridiculous excuse for not reading that page and we never came back to it.
In the first year we had the sports master, Peter Lawson, for history. I think this was his final year teaching at SM and we did Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’ that year so our first history lessons were actually Greek myth. I really enjoyed it. After the first year and Homer’s Odyssey we had Father Murphy for history. I loved this lesson.
I left St Mary’s after doing my O-levels. I wasn’t interested in working towards university at that time. I left with just three O levels; history, geography and engineering drawing. No English and no maths. My parents persuaded me to try to get more O-levels and so I signed up for Orpington College of FE which was newly built and just opening, but that’s another story.
Some Random Memories
The Playground
We were allowed onto the fields at the side of the playground. There was a steep slope up to another level of playing field and me and some mates were rolling down it. I disturbed a sixth former on my way down and he said to me: “I hated first years when I was one and I hate them even more now.” I wonder who he was.
The boys talked about sex sometimes during playtime. Second years knew everything of course and I knew nothing. I remember one lunchtime a second year asking me if I had ‘had it off’ yet. I hadn’t got the faintest idea what he was talking about. I don’t think he knew what he meant either.
Music Lessons
These were held in a classroom high up in the school building with a master who couldn’t keep discipline. His last resort was to bring a boy to the front of the class and rap him over the knuckles with the edge of a ruler. Very painful! I don’t recall this being done to me but it was quite a regular occurrence. I don’t remember much about music apart from that.
Classroom Horseplay
I don’t remember the teacher’s name but we used to line up with our homework at his desk. One day he stood up to tell off a boy who was talking at his desk. A boy from the queue went up behind him while he was distracted and moved his chair back. When he sat back down he ended up on the floor. He got up and glared at us all in the queue. For some reason I blurted out ‘it wasn’t me Sir!’ his reply was ‘ What wasn’t you?’ I had made a blunder as I don’t think he had suspected foul play, he was just glaring at us to make sure we wouldn’t laugh at him. Of course he then realised what had happened and there was an inquest.
Woodwork & Engineering Drawing
What a great lesson! Our teacher was of course Chippy. He seemed ancient but he was great. I remember the pot of rabbit skin glue, or whatever it was, constantly boiling away at the back of the room. We made a coffee table and had to French polish the surface. It took hours but was so worth it. My dad used the broom rack I made for the rest of his life and I still have the stool with the woven seat.
I think Chip took engineering drawing too which was probably my favourite lesson and I still have all the drawings I did. Projection of the cross section of a cone; a cross section of a tap, etc…Marvellous!
What happened after St Mary’s?
I started my working life in Hatton Garden as an apprentice manufacturing jeweller but for various reasons it didn't suit so I changed tack and went into rating, first with the Valuation Office and then various local authorities. For the past five years I have been gamekeeper turned poacher and work for a company of surveyors advising clients on how to reduce their business rates.
Family wise, I have been married twice and have three sons and one stepson and have just seen my youngest get married in Devon. Although I have just received my first lot of state retirement pension I intend to continue working until I feel the time is right to call it a day.