KEGS Aston - Longdon Hall

"One term away"*

Longdon Hall in the 1950s
(Postcard by kind permission of John Perfect)

The official story of Longdon Hall is recorded elsewhere so this is more of a personal, if somewhat haphazard, reminiscence. Strangely, it is a period of which I have no photographs.

My memories are of the humourless Scots housemaster, Hugh ('Pinky') Brown, his sidekick 'Farmer' Bill Riddell, record evenings with 'Len' - and going to church!

I went there in September 1953 and was allocated to the 'Garden' dormitory (I think that was its name - anyway it was the only one on the ground floor), along with Mike Jarman, John Donnelly, Tony Powick, Alfie Kendall and Peter Prole - amongst others.

Some of the staff came out from Aston which - on public transport - was quite a journey in those days. Harry Tyson (inevitably!) used to come on a Monday, and, on other days, 'Ernie' Pickering, John Milner and (I think) even Michael 'Cardew' Robinson. We seemed to see them in a different light out there and I particularly enjoyed the historical and biological excursions we used to make, respectively, with the two last named.

Among the domestic staff there was a rather colourless 'matron', a gardener and a slightly simple 'dogsbody' (Godfrey Wigley).

I'm afraid I can't remember all their names, but Martin Studholme** (AOE 1973) told me that a memorial bench had been installed in Godfrey's memory - not far from 'The Swan with Two Necks'! Carved on the back of the bench is the simple legend:

One of the Sunday night tasks, at which pupils were allowed only to assist, was to iron the snooker table. This was because it was known that Harry Tyson liked to play snooker on a 'fast' surface. Once the table had been ironed no-one was permitted to play on it until the Monday lunchtime battle between Harry and Pinky. At Longdon (unlike 'back at the ranch') we were privileged to watch the teachers playing snooker. 'Pinky' Brown rarely won!!

A measure of the monastic existence we led was the fact that the highlight of the week was Pinky Brown's night off (Tuesday?), when 'Len' was left in charge of us. It was typical of his style that we were all invited to his private quarters and given the run of his extensive record collection. Needless to say they were almost all classical music 78s. The most popular choice with which those evenings ended was 'Nessun Dorma' - long before Pavarotti hijacked it for the World Cup!! In later years I can remember Len complaining that lads^** brought their own records with them: 'Love Me Tender' by someone called Elvis Presley! I'm not sure whether he was more offended by the poor grammar of its title or the contents!

Above the light oak panelling in that room were shields of the three institutions dearest to Len's heart: Jesus College, Cambridge University and the school.

Two local events in which we took part were potato picking and the point-to-point. The former was run with military precision by 'Pinky', who had been captain of a 'beach group' at the Anzio landings during World War II. I can see him standing there in his beret with his stop watch ensuring that we gave the farmer value for money. If we didn't pick at a rate of 19 rows per hour there was hell to pay! It took us a week to clear the crop but at least we got some money - and no lessons! Despite this Harry Tyson still came out on the Monday and joined the fray! The point-to-point was a more 'diffuse' operation. So much so that I can't remember what our involvement was, apart from selling programmes and picking up litter afterwards.

I must have liked Longdon because I was allowed to stay on for a second term (Spring 1954) - though at this distance I can't for the life of me think why. At least it gave the lads and teachers back at Aston a break from me!! I stayed in the Garden dormitory but can remember only John Perfect as being one of its inmates.

*This was the title of a BBC Radio programme about Longdon produced in the Midlands during the 1950s by R D Smith (1926).

**Martin Studholme was in the last group to go to Longdon in the autumn of 1975. I can remember the sadness with which Dennis Hawley announced its closure, after nearly 30 years, in the AOE Magazine for 1977. 'Len', his predecessor, was still around at the time - probably living on Longdon Green. He, too, would have been very disappointed because it was very much his 'baby'. I believe he got the idea from his experience of evacuating the School to Ashby-de-la-Zouch during the War, and seeing how boys' characters developed when away from home. Whatever your views about Longdon (and some called it 'Longditz'!) you would have to agree that it was an experience. Even the other Foundation schools had nothing like it.

^**Ray 'Scrooge' Fellows (Aston 1953-8) tells me this was one of his contemporaries: Jim Fisher.

⁺Mrs Brandon died in Welshpool on 4th June 2006, 3½ months short of her 100th birthday.

	'Len' and his family lived at Longdon, but we never saw much of them: we were not allowed to use the main staircase! Mrs Brandon was most often to be seen wearing her WRVS uniform. At the suggestion of Martin Baker (1961) this photograph, taken during the 1960s, was very kindly made available by their family shortly after the death of Mrs Brandon in 2006⁺.
	On Sunday mornings we all trooped off to the parish church a little way down the hill. The vicar (Bill Vickery) had his own slant on the world, so his sermons were not without interest and, being an Anglican church, were mercifully brief! In October 1980 this church was to be the setting for Len's funeral, after ten years of retirement. St James the Great, Longdon

"One term away"*

St James the Great, Longdon