We where living at Highlands above Warmington, so each day, including Saturdays, I would ride my bike to school, in my fancy suit. The school was divided into forms from form 2 to 6. I don't know what happened to form 1 so we all started in form 2. We had three terms a year and at the end of each term you took exams to determine your progress.
Sports where mandatory which was fine. With the exception of cricket I enjoyed all sports, especially athletics at which I had some success. The only sport we didn't play that Oundle school did and was big on, was Rugby. I would have loved to have played that, great contact sport. We played tennis, shared a great Gym and Gym teacher Mr Hogg. Excellent swimming pool and many other facilities.
You where given the choice of joining the Boy Scouts or the C.C.F. ( kind of army set up) Wanting to "be prepared" I joined the boy scouts.
Discipline was strict and administered by the head teacher Mr.Leach (Quack) a real nice man, who was succeeded by Mr.Stretton (Tas), a true disciplinarian. At the bottom of the discipline totem pole where half a dozen prefects. These where the elite pupils in the 6th form who had some ill conceived notion they could whack you across the back side, with a cane, in their study, when they considered you had done something wrong. Not complying with this humiliation, placed you in Tas's study to bend over for much of the same. He could leave some pretty fancy welts, if you could bend around far enough to inspect them. Complaining to one's parents was not a wise option, as further chastisement would be likely.
It happened a few times.
I started off at Laxton pretty good, studied and behaved most of the time. But after awhile would kind of slip during the term and then cram for the exam and fly through, no problem. Most report cards came back "He could do so well but does not try till exams" Oh Well !
I used to enjoy the boy scouts. We would have some week end camps during the Summer term at local areas such as Wadenhoe. then go further afield for a week at a scout camp site, at the end of the school year.
At this time we where an "All Boy" school and all you ever saw where guys. Every day, every activity was with guys. In the early years, we would even get into trouble for trying to talk to girls in town. Sexual education was almost non existent... taboo. A few fleeting minutes looking at a roughly illustrated text book, amid giggles. There where no porn mags available at that time and certainly no internet, to fill in the gaps left by your floundering imagination. A girl's anatomy was a veritable enigma.
So here you have all these young men, in their most formative years, with their hormones rushing around trying to tell them something.
For anyone with a propensity to "walk on the wild side", the environment was fertile to say the least. Of course one is not aware of the amorphous developments occurring.
I make no apology for my sexual orientation, neither do I believe it is a direct result of this situation. But I do believe you can be influenced by your environment and this helps you make choices.
Homosexuality is happily tolerated in S.E.Asia and especially in Thailand because they believe everyone is partly male and partly female. In the Western world we know male/female chromosome splits effect orientation. I firmly believe there are some people that are 100% straight and some 100% gay with an awful lot in between that can go either way. This middle group I believe can be very much influenced by their circumstances and the people experiences they have.
While I am perceived as gay and accept that, I barely qualify in a truly gay situation in as much as I am not into consummation in this culture and also do not agree with gay marriage I feel there should be an option for gay couples to register a civil union, which should give all the benefits and liabilities associated with marriage. This commitment should also be ceremoniously blessed in Church if requested.
I am not getting into details with this blog but suffice to say, I like to socialize with primarily males, particuarly males that have not lost their natural beauty to poor life style choices and the inevitable decline with the ravages of advancing years and I enjoy interaction with same.
Some may argue that as I settle into my twilight years, having long since past my "best by date" I myself fall into this category that has slipped from this criteria. Yes I do, but it does not mean I can not mix with people who have not, if given the opportunity.
I really did not plan to get into this much discussion on the subject, so will move on.
Overall looking back I guess my Laxton Years where pretty good, although I always had something of a problem with authority.
Left to Right.
Dad, Uncle Bernard.
me with Dixie and
Cousin Eric.
Uncle Bernard was
influential in introducing
me to
Christian Science.
During this time I was becoming increasingly interested in Cycling, exploring territory further and further afield.
When Mum and Dad decided we would visit relatives in Kent, the thought of being cooped up in the back of the car for hours, instigated me to request I bike down and meet them there. I was pleasantly surprised when they agreed and had a great ride down to Sevenoaks and back the next day I believe.
With my school buddy Ian Whitehead and his brother Trevor along with a few others we started a cycling club, which we called "Oundle Wheelers" Our green jerseys with yellow bands would later begin to be noticeable in local races ( sometimes at the front).
Meanwhile back at the ranch, things where not running smoothly.
Mrs. Oakley moved into the bungalow she had built, next door to ours. I believe the economics of the small holding concept where not coming together too well. To exasperate this and accelerate the inevitable, she decided she wanted to cash out. I was not privy to the financial details, but looking back it would appear to have been a difficult time for Mum and Dad and the end of the dream.
We moved into 100 West St. in Oundle, owned by Dad,s sister Aunt Lucy. In previous years they had operated a bakery and shop at this location. Mum had to go back to teaching, at Warmington and Dad took a job at Bramston Gardens for the Oundle School. It was a walled in garden set up with greenhouses, to provide plants etc for all the school properties. Grandma Fife was still living with us, but passed away during this sojourn.
Behind the house was a yard and outbuildings, then a hovel going through to a parcel of land and several pig sties. Dad began pig rearing again and I even got in on the action.
I was given the use of a small pig sty and brought in 2 piglets for £5.00, feed for 6 months another £5 then off to market with a £20.00. return. I never did a costing on hours involved and other variables, but it seemed a lot of money at the time and sure helps with bike equipment etc.
The problem with the piano playing was that I could not play the kind of music I liked. Now if I could have worked with the material Jerry Lee Lewis was starting to play at that time, those keys would have been smokin. I liked some classical, but not the dreary stuff they seemed to push on me. But I was told I had a nice touch and am pleased to still hear that 60 years later, although I haven,t played the piano in quite awhile.
Each year the school had a Speech Day, when all the parents would attend and hopefully be impressed by their sibling's accomplishments. A concert was put on at the Great Hall and one year I was selected to perform a piano recital. Before the concert we sat down for a meal. I carried my recital music sheets with me which I rolled up for convenience. I straightened them out to place on the piano, but obviously not enough as half way through my pianoforte they rolled off. Fortunately another student was standing by me to turn the pages so quickly retrieved them, so I didn't miss a beat.
Laxton school is the gabled building at the right. Notice on the first one the doorway is straight at the top, but on the second one it is arched, as it is today.
In my time this arched doorway led into an open cloister area which has since been glassed in. The "Longroom" seen below is above this area. This photo taken the year I started there. They call it the "Schoolroom" in the photo.
I do hope I did not expedite his retirement.
He is sitting in the Grocers Chair (circa 1855) shown in the picture above.
I have fond memories of these visits. They had quite a few books on gardening and we would go through as the seasons changed and check out the recommended activities. This I believe was my grounding and influence towards the start of a career in Horticulture.
I have to get it enchansed or replaced. I am back row, second from left, flanked by Messrs Clark and Clark, then Keith Diggle and Ken Harbour who sadly passed away last year. Front row Messrs Bamford, Essam and Atlee.
Keith sent me this picture when I was in Canada, so maybe I can get a better copy from him.
I really enjoyed running, especially longer distances. I was not explosive enough for sprinting. Each Summer we held the school sports day on Home Close and I could strut my stuff. I believe Dabber Clark (on my left pipped me in the half mile and I revenged him in the mile. But the Cross Country was my baby.
We had a meet with Kings School in Peterborough but it is a huge disadvantage not knowing the course and they where the host. They took first two places with me third. To be fair there should have been a run at each school, as we would have trounced them on our course.
My running was complimented with the cycling, not ideal for specific muscle development for each sport but good for building endurance.
Everything is so scientific, with every top athlete having a team of people working with him, from psychologists to therapists, masseurs, dietian, coaches. physiologists etc.
But the bar has been raised so high, this kind of support is essential to be competitive.
But it was kind of nice back in the day when you just got out there and did your best.
I decided as soon as I was old enough to leave school, probably to the disappointment of Mum & Dad . I am sure they would have liked me to stay on and take the G.C.E.s. But I don,t think it would have really made much difference to my outcome.
My last activity with the Laxton School was the scout camp at the end of the school year 1955. About 25 of us went down to a scout camp at Dover. We had a great Scout Master Mr.Mansfield.
The jockey was Brian Jackson.
I heard as a helicopter pilot he was killed in action in N.Ireland. How very sad, he was a fine young man.