Memory Lane 03

A Few Recollections of School Life From Malcolm Reip 

a) Mr Tilbrook regaling a full assembly at the start of a new school year with his experiences of a summer holiday spent in Japan.  In the course of which he introduced us to two new pieces of Japanese technology, namely; felt tip pens and singles records made of unbreakable plastic, which he proceeded to throw like “Frisbees”, (not that we had them then!), across the hall. 

b) The Lower Sixth Geography Field Trip in 1961(?), at Malham.  Most notable for Mr New not achieving his 50th ascent of Ingleborough, when we were ambushed by a severe blizzard halfway up the mountain. Given that our equipment at the time resembled an urban version of that used by Scott and Oates at the start of the century, it was fortuitous that there were no serious results. The outcome was made the more galling since the day before we had walked twenty miles through Hellifield and Long Preston, in the same gear, but with an ambient temperature well into the 70’s!  

c) A Saturday cricket match against Hayes County Grammar at their ground.  Their team had eleven fast bowlers, (the wicketkeeper spent much of our innings demanding to be allowed to bowl, to “sort us out”), and the experience was perfectly framed by a black thunder cloud which hung over us for the whole match without shedding a drop of rain but provided a perfect Wagnerian setting. We managed to win, but not without many frights and some bruises. “Taffy” Thomas was particularly pleased with the result since most of their team were descendants of “sons of the valleys”, who had moved to the area during World War 2. 

d) Hayes got their revenge in rugby matches, where their average size advantage counted for more, as well as their ability to grow a beard at age fifteen! 

e) Holding the cricket nets on the matting on the playground on a Wednesday afternoon, and Mike Barwick the school wicketkeeper deciding, against all the rules, to stand in the net. Needless to say Mike Smith over-rotated in trying to hit a pull shot and hit the ball straight backwards, between Barwick’s gloves and hit him at the top of his nose. Lots of “claret” stained the matting, a lengthy visit to Mount Vernon ensued, and the story that an inch higher would have guaranteed a fatality. This was the only time I saw Messrs Lee and Thomas lose their customary sang froid and ebullience.I never did find out who had the brilliant idea to issue eleven programmes for the School Fair to each of us, of which we had to sell ten at a shilling each for the school, and could do what we liked with the remaining programme.  We could also sell as many other sets of ten as we wished.  I think some entrepreneurs were formed that year.  In addition it helped get our income above £1000 within (four?), years of the school’s foundation, and gave us huge bragging rights over John Lyon School who had been trying for over fifty years to achieve it!  

f) In the Sixth Form we had to use a classroom at St Mary’s for some geography lessons, and we were astonished by the order and cleanliness.  Even the ink wells had ink in them!  However this image of restraint and decorum lasted only until it was suggested for our cricket team to play the girls at hockey. It was undoubtedly the most painful blow to my ego as a sportsman, (we lost badly), and to my body, in spite of all the blows being below the knees.   

g) Maths lesson with Mr Walker.  He took umbrage at Tyler’s attitude and sought recompense by throwing the board rubber, (hard!), in Tyler’s general direction.  Five minutes later Tyler walked to the front of the class to give Walker the rubber back.  Walker’s face went deathly white.  What none of us could see was that Tyler was bleeding from a nick to his forehead, and being the guy he was had deliberately let it run down his face and soak into his collar! As I recall Mrs Tyler turned up at the following day’s lesson with a senior master in tow, (can’t remember who), and waving the stained shirt like a protester at the barricades in Les Mis. Tyler, (and many others), could barely suppress their delight at this result. Did this have any affect on Walker’s career? 

h) Fifth year school house cricket finals, Abbots v Bec, attended by the Headmaster and Mrs Watson. Peter Lawson for Abbotts bowling sharp medium pacers. Batsman missed with a forward defensive stroke and it hit where a “box” should have been. Very loud expletive, of the type not used by nice guys like us reverberated around Northwood Hills. As captain of Bec I had the honour of sitting next to Mrs Watson. My eyes did not stray from the front for the next ten minutes, and nothing was said. After the presentations, and with a broad grin on her face she asked me to pass on her commiserations to the pained batsman. Geoff Lee was not as generous.   

Paul Reip wrote the following on the school Facebook site in early November 2023.  FYI sad to report my brother Malcolm passed away two weeks ago, aged 79. He was one of the first year to attend St Nicks, and spoke so much about he loved the place that 13 years later I followed him there. He was very sporty, and I think was captain of cross country, and also did well in cricket and athletics (I think javelin was his favourite event). When I turned up there were still original members of the sports teachers there, and they looked upon the arrival of another Reip with great enthusiasm - they were sadly to be deeply disappointed (allegedly school record for slowest ever 400m, 1972).