OSAmag87_library

T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 8 7
CORRESPONDENCE
Received before Geraint’s passing
I was very interested to read Russell
Plumley’s letter about Messrs Sloggett and
Naylor in issue no. 86. I have a few
recollections of both gentlemen which
might be of interest.
Mr Sloggett was certainly someone who
did not suffer fools (or quite possibly
anyone) gladly. He used to patrol the
woodwork shop and upon spying an error
would call the whole class to a halt and
would then berate the unfortunate
miscreant in front of everyone. He had a
couple of memorable expressions which he
used in situations like this delivered with
quite some volume in his wonderful Welsh
accent. The first was when someone
inadvertently made a mistake using the
marking gauge and finished up with two
lines instead of one - "What do you think
these are boy? Tramlines!" The other was
reserved for when a piece of timber was
ruined beyond rescue - "What do you
think wood grows on boy? Trees!" It was
difficult to keep a straight face when he
came out with things like this but it was
certainly the most sensible course of action.
In retrospect I think he probably preferred
rugby to teaching. He certainly took his
rugby training on to the football pitch. I
have an enduring mental image of him
charging down the middle of the pitch at
Winchmore Hill in one of the School -v-
Masters matches with sixth formers
bouncing off him like nine pins.
Mr Naylor, known as ‘Nick’ for reasons
which I did not understand and still don’t,
was a more kindly man. He taught me
woodwork and technical drawing both of
which I enjoyed very much. Some of us in
the O Level technical drawing class
decided that we would like to take the
subject at A Level, something the school
had never offered before. Mr Naylor took
up our case with enthusiasm and succeeded
in getting the course up and running. He
even went to the trouble of making a dozen
or so slopes on which to rest our drawing
boards. As I said, a kindly man and
someone I, and others, owe a debt of
gratitude to.
Alan Currans
Bishop House 1960-67
PS - does anyone remember seeing the cut
away engine donated to the school by Colin
Chapman founder of Lotus Cars and an old
boy? It was mounted on a trolley and you
could turn the engine over and watch the
operation of the valves, pistons, con rods etc.
Very instructive.
Geraint, I am enjoying this edition of OS.
Can recognize many of the staff pictured
on p 19, and name many of them.
The letter on p 22 from contemporary Roy
Plumley mentions Mr Sloggett. I remember
him mostly in the gym. Used to exhort
us to "get more heighth boy", pronouncing
the final "th" for emphasis. I didn’t realise
he played rugby but he had the build for it.
I made an ashtray like the one pictured but
without the fish motif.
Like Roy I have found DIY skills very
valuable but it was maths, physics and
chemistry that paid most of the bills.
Best wishes
John Carey 1957-64
Rodney Naylor was a school contemporary
of Joe Symons. While his dinghy project
served as a school demonstration activity,
his greater pride and joy was his car, a
luxury few teachers could then afford.
Living on an interwar “garden city” style
semi-private estate meant no garages, so
he housed his car in an adjacent small
complex comprising lockups, a vehicle
repair service, and a few workshops. There
my father ran an upholstery and furniture
repair business, and there every weekend
car owners would chat and tinker with
their cherished vehicles, while I earned a
few coppers cleaning our furniture vans.
As our period furniture repairs sometimes
needed a craftsman’s delicate wood and
metal skills, our teacher was offered the
opportunity to “moonlight” after school,
which arrangement did not protect me
when in year three I committed the
ultimate woodworker’s crime of desperately
securing a reluctant dovetail with a nail;
the class was summoned round to witness
my “dovenail” shame…
The school’s Chemistry teacher, Mr Nash,
and the families of at least 3 Stationers’
pupils also lived on the estate in the 6
years I daily patrolled it delivering papers.
Two O S Hornsey councillors, Capes and
Collerton-Cave, likewise chose to buy
houses in this bijou enclave.
Peter Lack
Dear Geraint,
I have just read the latest issue of the Old
Stationer with interest and noticed the
letter from Peter Limebear and there
being no other Old Stationers in St.
Albans.
I have lived here for 50 years and been a
non active member of the Association
since 1986. There are two others, John and
Michael. Michael was only a Stationer for
a few years however John was a pupil
probably within Peter’s time.
I also enjoyed Russell Plumley’s letter and
agree with him about Messrs Naylor and
Sloggett, I still have the ash tray, similar to
the one in the photograph, mine has a cat
on the inside. It amuses our grandchildren
especially as none of the family smoke.
The staff photograph shows some very
stern looking teachers, discipline was never
a problem. They could also show incredible
kindness as I well knew when my mother
died unexpectedly in my first year. The
level of tolerance, understanding and
compassion they showed was something
that I never forgot and influenced me
when I became a teacher. Incidentally
standing next to Mr Nunn is Mr Baxenden
the 6th form physics teacher. I always had
to try hard in his lessons as he knew my
father.
Looking back I often wonder what the
staff of that time would make of today.
Michael Shaw
Caxton House 1952 - 1959
Dear Geraint
I enjoyed reading the letter in issue 86
from Russell Plumley, a class mate of
mine, in praise of Messrs Naylor and
Sloggett. Sadly for me the legacy of double
periods spent in the woodwork room
under their tutelage has not been nearly so
productive.
For a start being left-handed did not help.
Most, if not all, of the benches were set up
for right handers, which made even the
relatively simple task of planing a piece of
wood a major exercise as the "stop" was at
the "wrong"end. Many’s the time my
efforts either finished up on the floor or on
the adjacent bench.
Being an inveterate chatter-box did not
help either. I well remember having to
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