My time at Buttsbury Junior School
Teachers and Sport
The first school I went to was Buttsbury Junior School. I used to go up there on bicycle and my mother used to go up with me until I was about nine years old and then she considered that I was old enough to go up there and come back by myself.
The teachers I had were Miss Watson, then Miss Jones who was very keen on handwriting and then Mr Unwin who was my hero because he was dead keen on all sports and athletics and that’s what I was interested in.
When I was in the penultimate year of school I was made Vice Captain of the school football team and in the top year I became Captain. In the whole time I was at the school I never lost the sprint race, I ran it every year which was amazing really. I used to go to the District sports and on one occasion I won that too.
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I started a Buttsbury around 1961. Mr Bromhead was the head and I think Mr Unwin was the (smashing) deputy head and my junior yr2 teacher. In junior yr3 (year 5 these days) I had Miss Clegg as teacher. She became Mrs Whitmarsh in yr4… lovely lady. Mrs Gale taught the other class. My report says we had 48 pupils in our class.
Anyone know where Elizabeth Woodhams went?
I remember Mrs Rae giving me a lunchtime on my 1st day in 4th year Junior. Around 1976ish. All because a certain Steven Sexton who I sat next to spoke to me and I spoke back. And Barbara (Rae) told me off and gave me a blooming detention. Little did she know I was a swot!
And a Fraser Simpson to this day I still owe a kicking and punch to. (I still hold a HUGE grudge to BULLIES)
Yes, those were the days. Can’t say I miss them. In fact, life’s been a lot better since then.
But a big shout out to all the following people I remember (in no particular order)
Tim Legge, Amber Yates, Gillian Pinner, Rachel Frampton, David Leaves, Gary August, Paul Willoughby, Adam Witcombe, Pete the Punk (lived down Knightbridge Walk or Atridge Chase I think – lent me a Sex Pistols tape), Graeme Smith, Gillian Roberts (my next-door neighbour at that time), Peter Cripps, oh jeez I wish I could remember more names!
Oh, and Steven Sexton – thanks buddy.
I attended Buttsbury in the early 60’s. The junior school was brand new, we moved over the road when I was in the third year. Teachers were Miss Randall, Mrs Hall, Mr Astell, Mrs McCurdy, Mr Hayman and Mrs Rolfe. Mr Bromhead was the Head with Mr Unwin. Very happy memories, still got good friends from school. Mrs McCurdy, if you are out there, you are one of the reasons I live in Oz. You gave me a project to do on the platypus and started my fascination with Australia
I attended Sunnymede junior school in the 80s and Ian Bennewith was my teacher in year 6. He didn’t like me much as I never stopped talking. 😂
I hated Mayflower, but Buttsbury was a very happy time. I can remember every teacher I had, Mrs Crossley in the first year, I still remember her fish net stockings…. Mrs. Russell, then over to the main building with Mrs. Hearn, the next year was with Mr. Thomas, a decent Welsh chap keen on sports. My final year there was with Mrs. Rae. I think she was an excellent teacher. There was a “family” kind of feel to the class, always the same group of kids. I remember pretty much every boy in mine, John Gilbert, Mark Harrington, Neil Green, Peter Murphy, Chris Russell, Colin Lovegrove, David Lucas, Neil Claydon, Paul Jacobs, Peter Irvine, Martin Hughes, Colin Fielding, John Hussey, there may have been a couple more. Glam rock was the music of the day, platform shoes, long hair, playtime was football with a tennis ball, there were school trips to canals, and Mole Hall where we watched chimpanzees consume their own excrement. Wonderful, special days. Unless you were one of the chimpanzees.
I attended Buttsbury Infant School in the late 1960s, the headmistress then was Mrs Brownsall and the only teachers I can remember are Mrs Stranc and Mrs Branton-Speeke. Our classrooms were those prefab buildings and I have memories of them being rather cold in the winter. I think I was only there for a while, I went to Brightside Junior School as it was closer to our home.
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