The names of the first three of Aston's head masters are forever etched on my memory: Temperley, Floyd and Manton. This is because they were used as names of school 'houses'.

The first headmaster, Joe Temperley, was known to me only from his portrait in 'Big School'. But Frank Jones has written at length about him in his 1949 memoirs, 'A Schoolmaster Looks Back'.

I knew three AOEs who had been pupils when Ernest Floyd was headmaster: Bert Hothersall, 'Billy' Chivers and Chris Whittaker's father, Vernon. It never occurred to me to ask any of them about him. Yet he must have been an interesting character, because I would imagine his appointment was unusual even in those days.

He became headmaster in 1894, after 11 years as a teacher at the school since its opening. It must have been unusual for a member of the existing staff to be promoted internally: it certainly doesn't happen nowadays, as my maternal cousin Gillian Fisher (née Shakespeare) would testify!

Joe Manton (1913-36) was headmaster during my father's time, so I used to hear a bit about him from Dad. I thought I remembered 'Len' (Brandon) announcing his death (at the age of 86) during a morning assembly in 1957, but all the records show this to have occurred in December 1958 - after I had left.

Part of my father's 1923 School Certificate, bearing Joe Manton's signature

My teacher friends tell me that no modern headmaster would wish to serve in the same post for as long as did L G Brandon - so we were present at a unique period in Aston's history. Because of his record breaking tenure 'Len' Brandon was always going to be a hard act to follow. My sources on the staff told me that (in their opinion!) his successor, Dennis W Hawley, found it so.

He retired in 1984, to be succeeded by Neil Gamble, whom I met at the AOE's Annual Reunion Dinner in 1988 when my brother was one of the speakers. Neil was known to my cousin, Richard Billingham (Aston 1954-61), because he had come from the north-west of England where, by this time, Richard was living. Neil left in 1992 to become Head at Exeter School (from which he retired in 2003) and was succeeded by Peter A Christopher whom I met before the Annual Reunion Dinner, 2003.

Peter retired in July 2004 and was succeeded (as the school's eighth Headmaster) by Colin Parker, formerly Deputy Head at Lawrence Sherriff School, Rugby. Colin had been head of History at Aston from 1992-9, which makes him only the second head (along with Ernest Floyd) to have served previously in the 'lower ranks'.

From the portraits in 'Big School', I believe that the school has been led by four Cambridge MAs and one London BA. As to the others, I know not.

I find it a sobering thought that I have known five of Aston's headmasters but, at the Annual Reunion Dinner in 2004, I met some AOEs who have seen six!!

Just one more record remains to be established: an AOE to become headmaster.