Chapter 10
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Chapter 11
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"I dropped!"

CHAPTER 10, page 2

His footsteps, easily identified, hurried past our house at precisely five to seven every morning to catch the seven o’clock Special to Rolls Royce to ensure, as foreman, he was at work before ‘the men’ clocked on at seven-thirty. 
I caught the eight o’clock from the same stop at the 



top of Western road. ‘Tuppence’ clutched in hand for bus fare gave a choice of a penny Single (White ticket) each way or, a penny ha’penny Return (Blue ticket) and save a ha’penny for an extra biscuit at break. Whichever, issued by the all-powerful Conductor from his wooden-framed ticket holder, he ‘punched’ it with a musical ‘ting’ in his shiny portable machine hanging from its shoulder strap to ensure it had a little round hole in it, invalidating the single, and punching the ‘Inward’ or ‘Outward’ side of the return! But just take care not to lose the ‘return’ during the day or you’ll be walking home! 

Occasionally Dad would be leaving at the ‘right’ time in the Firm’s car and offered a lift, happy to pick up any of my pals we saw on the way. They’d save a penny of their bus fare to buy more biscuits at break – one for me between them as a reward for Dad’s lift!

But the bus journey had its compensations. Parkfield Cedars girls (Jean amongst them) would be on the same bus. We boys always claimed the back seats. Communication with the girls in our younger days was restricted to catcalls, or well aimed bits of chewed screwed-up paper. Weren’t we sophisticated! As time went on, we became marginally more civilised, and only shouted! Later still, individually we even spoke secretly to them... hoping no one else saw us! 

On the first day of each academic year we were allocated our Form room, desks in a rows six by six, and timetables. I was proud on the momentous day of my first year to become a fully paid-up Member of Burke House. 

Each Year was provided with a list of the year’s textbooks needed for each subject. Although Derby’s bookshops hopefully stocked full-price pristine-new copies, the preferred economic alternative was to buy second (or third!) hand from the previous Year who by then considered they had no further need of them. Teachers had assessed their condition, rejecting those too ill-treated – a massive encouragement to look after your books to subsidise future purchases. A ‘fair’ price was put on the rest from which, on that first day, you grabbed to complete your list – first come, first served. It gave me my first business lesson! It wasn’t always most economic to buy the cheapest. Bear in mind onward sale next year!

Each day started with Assembly in Hall when autocratic Headmaster W. A. MacFarlane, his be-gowned staff thronged in support behind him on the stage, addressed the assembled multitude sitting before him crossed-legged on the parquet floor in rows by Form, youngest at the front, eldest at the back. In his most imperious tones, he relayed news of relevant events inside and outside school including, when the censor had allowed, details of brave wartime exploits of past pupils. Sometimes, sadly, a death in action would be announced followed by a respectful minute’s silence. Assembly concluded with prayers and a hymn before we returned to our Form rooms for the Register. Auto-pilot clicked in for the next few minutes. All I needed to remember was....
......
Garrett
Grimshaw
Groombridge......
Garrett meant I was next, and Groombridge meant I could relax!

School Law was considered fundamental to the smooth running of life itself! I can’t understand how so many can play truant these days! Our occasional absentees were immediately reported to the Office after the Register. Unless their records showed permission already granted – for illness, a family bereavement, or some other special occasion – a letter from the Office would be sent home by Post (not by hand!) to elicit the un-notified reason for the heinous crime of absence. It requested, by return, an answer by Post! No reply was assumed to prove unauthorised absence and on the first occasion, again notified home by Post, incurred Detention for an hour after school on a Thursday – productively doing sums. Any inadvisable repetition decreed a visit to Mighty Macfarlane himself to determine how many strokes of the cane would be administered. After the terrifying interview, the decision was always delayed a day or two – for two purposes! It indicated the matter was being fully considered before being notified to parents, again by post, before ignominious public announcement at Assembly. Perhaps more importantly, the wait between seeing ‘Himself’ and being caned was psychologically worse than the caning itself – though that hurt – I know! Only once! The embarrassment to parents, and their obvious displeasure with often further punishment at home was even worse. All combined to create a powerful deterrent to truancy or any other indiscretion.

Each Thursday, our first period was ‘Form Time’. Form notices were conveyed, and individual creditable achievements during the previous week were praised in front of the Form. Public acclaim for good work was considered encouraging reward to persuade others to 

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