Jenner Park School
Memories from Mr Gerald Copp Jenner Park Boys - 1946-52
The teacher at the back on the left is Mr Harry Arnold. He was related (through marriage, I believe) to the family of John Jones, the large drapery store that used to be in Holton Road. He was extremely strict and somewhat eccentric, using an economy of words and hand gestures to rule the class, not with a rod of iron, but 'Mr Stingo'.
He taught us RI. Lessons invariably began with the whole class, arms folded, reciting aloud a biblical text that he'd chalked on the blackboard. He dictated the slow rhythm of our chanting by pointing to each word in turn with a ruler. The passage that comes to mind is 'The - Beatitudes - Blessed - are - the - poor - in - heart - ... '. At the end, without saying anything, he'd wave a pointed finger in a circular motion, indicative of writing, which meant we had to start copying the text from the board.
He didn't give us exercise books, we had to copy the text on the backs of counter foils of receipts from John Jones' shop - an economy of recycling that would be praise worthy today! We first had to draw pencil lines across the counter foils and then copy the text in neat handwriting, using the pencilled lines.
While we were busy doing this, he'd quietly patrol the aisles. If your handwriting wasn't neat enough, you'd receive a sharp poke in the back from a bony finger and he'd sit next to you and pencil in some of the text. You then had to go over his copperplate handwriting in ink. When he wasn't patrolling the classroom he often sat at the front of the class sharpening pencils into a wastepaper basket with an ivory penknife that he kept in his waistcoat pocket.
Once or twice in the lesson he would utter in a thin pedantic voice the words "Pens down" which, without saying anything further, meant you also folded your arms and sat up straight. Again without saying anything, he'd point to the words on the board and the whole class would again slowly recite the chosen passage. This was ritualistically followed by the pointed finger waving in a circular motion and everyone returned to copying out the passage from the board.
In my final year we had RI twice a week, last lesson in the afternoon. At the end of each day, just before the final bell for 'home time', he would take out of his cupboard a small leather case in which he had a clean pair of socks and, in front of the class, he'd change his socks. That was inevitable followed by one of the class having the blackboard duster pointed at him (never her) and then a gesture was silently made indicating that the board should be wheeled out into the corridor and cleaned. He would never allow the board to be cleaned in the classroom.
To get out of the class you had to 'Sit up straight' and we were released one at a time, depending on how straight we sat!
'Mr Stingo' was kept in his cupboard and recalcitrant individuals were threatened with 'him', but I don't remember anyone actually being caned. We were generally as well-behaved and as silent as Trappist monks in his lessons.
I think the teacher on Mr Arnold's left is Mr Wrigley who had been a Japanese POW in WWII. Unlike Mr Arnold, he was hopeless at discipline and used to get very frustrated and angry with himself because he couldn't keep order. We played him up terribly, until one lesson the headmaster, Brynmor Evans, came in and took over. He explained how Mr Wrigley had been treated very badly during his captivity and had spent months in hospital recuperating after the war. He appealed to out better natures - and it worked. We then had great sympathy for Mr Wrigley and never gave him any trouble after that