I would like at this stage to talk about some of the staff who influenced me interspersed with more anecdotes / further explanations.
I may not have warmed to him personally as much as I would have expected, but to begin with ,I had enormous respect and admiration for the 'great communicator.' It goes without saying that I had a utopian view of the school at first; I felt privileged to be there; I was not to be disappointed by its founder. In case anybody should think of this as 'sucking up,' it was not a 'put-on.' I felt that way probably for two or three years….. At first I only really experienced him as the 'Sunday Assembly speaker' He had a great ability to awaken the curiosity of an 11-12-13 year-old mind, explaining relatively complex ideas from the fields of psychology and philosophy in terms that could be easily understood by a novice like me.
I well remember the sense of awe and wonderment that he infused into his sex education class, given in the informal surroundings of his flat, when I was still only 11. Although some of his other 'sex talks' (or - more accurately -'personal relationship talks' ) could be tedious at times he was capable of handling the subject with great finesse when he wanted to. On the other end of the scale, however, I also recall his sense of outrage when quite a number of pupils had been wearing the 'Make Love Not War' badges. One Morning Assembly, (in the summer of 1965), he fell very much into the vernacular to make his point, explaining that there were people out there who would take that message literally; to emphasise his point, he invoked an Anglo-Saxon word not normally heard in polite conversation-it had the School's undivided attention anyway!
As I moved up through the school I found that he had a clumsier, more impatient side and learnt to keep out of his way. I also formed the opinion that, as a psychologist he was far better in theory than in practice. That didn't mean that I was no longer interested in what he had to say, but the initial sense of admiration had worn off somewhat. In the Sixth Form he also became the form-master which meant that we got to know him in a more personal way. While I never entirely let my guard down this did amount to probably the greatest privelege of Sixth-Form membership. In the Sixth Form meetings he would hear us out, as if to encourage the 'emerging adult' in each of us. This could also be true of the 'General' class which was basically a discussion group which followed a BBC 'Religion and Philosophy' broadcast. I was no fan of that class-I may have emerged slowly and painfully into adulthood, but it wasn't there, I'm afraid.
I wasn't going to write about her at first, but in my younger years I did feel that she had a genuine concern for my welfare although it tended to come across as a series of parental 'don'ts.' In particular she would walk in on my piano playing and tell me, in no uncertain terms, that I should not be wasting my time on the popular stuff, but seriously practising classical pieces, studying harmony and counterpoint etc. It would take a little more persuasion than that before I 'came around,' however.
In my first year, Frances produced the play Toad of Toad Hall by A. A. Milne. She had no difficulty choosing people to play Toad, Ratty and Mole, but the part of Badger was more of a problem. She (somewhat arbitrarily) chose me for the part, based on my ability to do a 'gruff voice' The character was supposed to be like an old man, given to pompous, long-winded and over-complicated explanations. I was to find some problems with the part myself. I had come into the school with some educational difficulties; I was definitely not well-read, had some difficulty with verbal self-expression and was perceived by a certain number of kids as being 'thick.' As far as this part was concerned, I had no difficulty memorising the words, but I didn't have too much idea of their meanings (the word 'narrative' is an example of a word that I did not know the meaning of). All of this would finally get to me on the morning of the final performance. I became very upset, to the point that I didn't think I'd be able to go through with it. I was excused from final rehearsals, given glucose to drink and ordered to rest in a darkened room for an hour or so When I arose, despite feeling a little 'fragile,' my composure was regained, I played the part and I actually regard that day as a personal triumph. (I would not claim any artistic merit for it, however).
I'm sure that Frances must have been interesting as a younger teacher; after all, you don't inspire words such as 'bolshevik' from your peers without having something interesting to say.
I'm not sure that I ever saw her name on any staff lists, but she came to Wennington from Stavanger, Norway as an 18 year old school leaver, to work as a helper (domestic or kitchen) and to practise her English. At the end of my first term, the Junior School (Courtyard Block) Matron left at short notice, so Ingeborg stepped in to look after us,-with certain restrictions due to her age etc. However, she proved to be a 'natural' for the job. If I claim that my first year at Wennington was the happiest, then I'm sure that her influence had a lot to do with it. She probably found her vocation at Wennington.
In my first year, although the Junior School had been closed for a year or two, the 'transition' was not complete. The building known for most of my stay as the 'Courtyard Block' was still being referred to as the 'Junior School' back then. This was also reflected in the layout of the dormitories - with the boys occupying one end of the building and the girls, the other. There were separate entrances at each end, as I recall, but the main boys and girls' dormitories were connected by an adjoining door. This would have been a complete 'non-issue' when the Junior School was operating. I recall that, at certain times of day, there would be some traffic of girls taking a 'short cut' through the boys' dormitory to reach theirs. I was young enough for my years not to be bothered either way, but it must have been a bit of a stretch for some individuals…..In any case, by the beginning of my second year things had changed around. The Girls' Wing was now consolidated in the front part of the Main Building, Kenneth and Frances were given a self-contained flat, with the Boys' Wing occupying the rear part of the Main Building, together with the newly- named Courtyard Block.
Some of the non-teaching staff I remember from my earlier days would include Nicoletta and Tomasso (from Sardinia), Herbert Fox, John Harker and, last but not least, John Swift.
Nicoletta did an excellent job running the kitchen; after she left it was downhill from there on. I really can't remember who succeeded her, though it seems that there could have been quite a high turnover. ( One of the cooks was given the nickname 'Rubberlips' - I can't think why……..) Then there was her husband Tomasso- quite a character as I recall, exuding 'Latin temperament.' He sometimes used to supervise the Coke Shovelling, which was one of the least popular 'Outdoor Work' assignments. It was really too much for most 11 year olds to handle but he sometimes got a bit impatient about that…… Herbert Fox was the 'Groundsman' (I think that's what it was called ) responsible for general maintenance, -- he was later succeeded by Jack, (whose last name I've forgotten), but I remember he had a portable electric organ which he brought up to the school to entertain us with once or twice. John Harker kept bees, - the hives were located near the entrance to the woods-and lived in the small cottage at the entrance to the Drive. He may have also been knowledgeable about 'folk remedies' of some kind, but it's hard to tell because, when I did hear him talking about it, he wasn't being taken as seriously as he might have been… John Swift hardly needs an introduction from me, except to say that he really believed in the school and sacrificed a great deal to be there,.- so it was sad to read, when the school was in its last year, that he had been treated so negligently by the 'regime-in-force' before he left. As I remember him he was highly knowledgeable, nothing was too much trouble for him to explain and that I always felt glad to have asked him a question, no matter how trivial.
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