I was interested to read the responses to the question posed by one of your readers - and have a few reminiscences of my own.
My father had attended the school between 1921 and 1926, his class teacher being Joe Lilliman - the same Mr Lilliman who was headmaster when I started at the school in September 1949 - which happened to be the last intake before the school was closed "with the complete absence of any ceremony whatsoever" - as mentioned by Martin Reed in last week's letter.
The intake was from such schools as Harvey Road, Croxley Green - Chater School, Watford - Leggatts Way and Borehamwood.
The school had a two-form intake, one each for boys and girls of approximately 30 pupils per class.
There were four "houses" into which all the pupils were placed, these being decided by calling out the first class register and each individual designated as - Cassio, Clarendon, Essex, or Monmouth, in that order.
The "house" system (inter-house football, cricket and athletics) survived the transfer to Bushey Grammar School, Aldenham Road, although the Honour Boards didn't, which was a cause of some upset at the time in certain quarters I believe - does the house system survive in the ex-Bushey Grammar - i.e. Queens’ School?
As far as I can remember, the roll call for that last first year was: Ray Anderson, Ed Bandy, Alex Beach, Gerald Brett, Tony "Biscuit" Brinklow, Gary Burgess, Stephen Cave, Colin Cheeseman, Michael Clay, Jim Cook, Dudley Coombes, Joey Floyd, Frank Inverarity, Ivor James, Richard Jordan, Martin Lester, Arthur Marchant, Jim Miller, Derek Miles, Tony Oiliffe, John Onyett, Ken Osborne, Ken "Spider" Price, Colin Seward, John "Tubby" Slade, Alan Pop" Taylor, Jeff Tibbles and John West.
That adds up to 30 boys, so I think I've left two or three out, apologies to those that I have, does anybody know who they might be? During my short stay at the Central School the teachers whose names I remember were: Mrs King form mistress and English teacher, Messrs Vary (history), Cameron (science), Steel (woodwork), Trigg (geography), Lilliman (maths).
Mr "Jock" Hart was the fifth form master and senior French master who, along with Mr Steel, transferred to Bushey Grammar.
At Bushey our maths master was Don Truss and the PT master was Syd Caffell, both of whom had (I think) attended the Central School as both pupils and teachers. The Central School operated a separate system for girls and boys and it wasn't until we started at Bushey that we were co-educated.
Of the girls in that last first year were - Jean Aspinall, Jean Hodgson, Mary Noble, Jean Bass, Brenda Mullins, Marion McMurtrie, Mary Bowdrey, Barbara Gimblett, Brenda White, Carol Reeves, Jean Slaughter, Evelyn Howell, Ann Sears, Judith Stanley and Doreen Bettle.
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