Remember this?
Here are a few memories extracted from email messages from a variety of people who
attended ABGS during the years 1957-64 approximately. Some of the cleaner, more decent,
and hopefully honest stories have been selected! Any contributions which fit these criteria
(more-or-less) would be welcome.
When Mr. I B Evans, (Welsh), first came to the school he was introduced to the school
as “I B Evans” which, in the days of the goons, got everyone saying "I
B Evans" in an Eccles voice. Terry Evans was particularly good at the Eccles voice,
hence his nickname. (Doug Baguley)
The Kelts, a local band, played at “The Mem”, The Memorial Hall church
youth club. They wore kilts for their stage performances. Among the band members from
the school were Euan Jones, John Merriman, and John Rivers. Euan Jones’ son now
plays in the band Stereophonics. (Doug Baguley)
Your recollections of cubey (Mr. D D Davies) and my father (Mr. Griffiths) reminded
me of the office/storage area between room 10 and the Biology lab. Together with John
Oliver the three of them set up a photography area for developing their black and white
photos - a hobby to keep them out of mischief. (Bob Griffiths 1959-64)
... the day we had O-level English Literature (examination), we were sitting in the
gym and the papers were distributed. After about 5 minutes it was Dylan Morgan
who put up his hand and told the invigilator that we had been given an alternative
examination paper that catered for candidates who had studied a much broader
range of texts than the ones we had prepared, involving a close study of Henry
V, Under
the Greenwood Tree,
and a selection of set poems (Ode to Autumn, The Lake Isle of Innisfree, etc).
We had been issued with the wrong paper! As a result the headmaster Jess Warren
motored towards Cardiff and was met by someone from the WJEC hastily travelling
in the opposite direction from Cardiff. The courier handed over a replacement
set of examination papers and eventually the headmaster arrived with the correct
set. (Colin
Rees)
I think the film Henry V, starring Laurence Olivier, was shown in Long
Tom’s
Geography classroom, Room 8, the first on the left as you entered the double
doors from the main playground. The walls of this room were boarded to about
3 feet from the floor, and on these boards there were some alarming indentations
in the wood, reputedly due to the impact of surveying poles thrown by Long
Tom at the class when he lost his temper! Two forms were packed in the same
room to see the film, which was to be studied as a set book for O-level in
the following year. (Colin
Rees)
Under the staff room there was a ‘shower room’ where many of us learned
to play 3-card brag, 9-card don and other mathematical/memory aids. I seem to remember
a rather ‘smoky’ atmosphere down there too! Certainly a vital part of my
education.....(tongue firmly in cheek). (Brian Jones)
... Mr Warren (Bunny) who lived in Pontypridd... Mr Jones (Dalla), his brother Gwyn-Lloyd
Jones was in the year above me... In September 1964 Mr D N Williams (Yogi) was Form
Master of 1 alpha, I was in 1A, my Form Master was the Reverend Ivor Parry (RIP)...
Mr Venn (the school caretaker) eventually had a posh new house in the new school grounds...
Mr D D Davies (Dai Cubed), his son Noel played rugby for Wales against England at under-15
level. A school trip went to Twickenham, and I was there (shades of Max Boyce)... (Mike
Kerslake 1964-68)
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