Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

a new lightweight "Raleigh" bicycle, with dropped handlebars and 3-speed gears; it was a
glorious shining metallic powder blue and I was very proud of it and kept it in tip-top
condition. I was expected to cycle to school during the summer months. For many years
my Father was an active member of the Panama Swimming Club at Whitley Bay - he
later became its President. We boys were expected to have an early morning swim in the
North Sea each day, year-round, rough or smooth, wet or dry, stormy or not, and no
doubt it toughened us up. Dad set the standard by hopping into the sea on his crutches,
which he then threw ashore and swam off very strongly using a trudgen stroke. So the
days were quite long and I tended to procrastinate over my homework - which was I
think set every night - often ending up doing it on the train on the way to school. That
was more difficult when I cycled!
I don't remember too much about my early days at Dame Allan's. In my report for
the first term I was second out of 29 in the form; "Biology 1st - Excellent. A thorough and
interested worker"; "Geography lst - V. good indeed"; "Drawing 2nd - Excellent. " Other
subjects were not so good. It was all rather novel of course; we wore school uniform a
black blazer with the school badge - a gold shield and cross - a red, black and yellow
striped tie and grey shorts for the younger boys (and trousers later on), with black shoes
and grey stockings. My mother took me shopping in Newcastle, to Isaac Walton, the
school outfitters, with a list of required clothes, including rugby outfit, cricket flannels
and school sweater, black house shoes and physical education kit; everything had to be
just right. Each morning school began with Assembly and hymns in the school hall.
A report from summer l938 reads: "Biology 2nd - V.good indeed. He likes this
work"; "Geography -1st - V.good"; "Drawing 1st - Excellent"; December 1938: "Biology lst
- V. Good indeed"; "Geography - 2nd V.good"; "Drawing 2nd. Excellent"; "Maths not up
to usual mark." I had my brushes with authority and several painful canings from the
Headmaster, though for what transgressions I can't recall. I don't suppose they had any
specially good or bad effect upon me and maybe I was slacking. Clearly I went through
‘a 'bad patch.' By July 1939 the School Reports were not so good: - "slacking over past
year". "Biology 4th in term, 10th in exam - good as a rule"; "Geography - 1st in term; 11th
in exam - Exam. poor for him"; "Drawing 1st - Excellent".
I don't recall too much about the lessons either, but I think most of the masters were
good and some were real 'characters'. Mr Mallinson taught us maths and biology. He
was rather irascible and would sometimes chase us around the classroom trying to hit
us with a length of heavy rubber tubing; when it connected, which fortunately was
seldom, it was really salutory punishment. Mr Pennington was the Physics master; Mr
Walker taught Geography; Mr Little, Music and Scripture (neither of which I was much
good at), "Sandy Haggis" (not his real name!) taught us Latin but not very well; I don't
remember the French master, except that he was very tall and ginger-haired, with a low
level of tolerance; we didn't get on well and on at least one occasion I received a painful
clout to the head. In contrast, there was a very gentle, likeable chap who taught
Carpentry, which came in very handy later in life and we had Art classes, mostly still
life and design as I recall.
Charles ("Charlie" to us boys) Hay, the school chaplain who later became a Canon of
Newcastle Cathedral, was a great rugger enthusiast, having played for some good teams
in his younger days. He taught games and ran the school Scout Troop - the 22nd
Newcastle - and we had some lively and enjoyable times. I was quite keen on sports, but
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