Roger Davies (1948 - 1953)

Colts Cross Country Team 1951 - 1952

The back row - from left to right - Ted Maun, Keith Cattermole, Colin Rackstraw
The front row - from left to right - B E Crook, Roger Davies, K C Jones, John Norrish

Roger writes:-
I was at RGS from 1948 to 1953 - being a Day Boy, studying modern languages, prefering athletics and cross country to cricket and rugby and being in the Army section of the CCF it was obvious to all that my future was severly limited.
As it turned out I didn't do too badly in my working life. I have to say that the education I received at RGS stood me in very good stead in my career and I still benefit from a superb education.

I read the notes on A S Hett with great interest and I can add one small gem that always sticks in my memory.
During one lesson somebody had used the verb 'prendre' as conducting a person and it fell to our arch enemy to explain that one did not use the verb ' prendre ' in this way as it meant hrumph, hrumph..........to have sexual intercourse with that person. I am sure you can imagine the guffaws of laughter from the pupils and the red face from ASH.

Another recollection about 'Jimmy' Cowan. He also drove an ancient Bradford Jowett which appeared to only just make it up Amersham Hill. Jimmy was a great teacher of German as I found out on a recent holiday in Germany.
He taught us colloquial German as well as the formal. The main problem most of had was that if our homework was less than perfect it was returned with the endorsement 'melde dich bei meir' - this meant that tou presented youself to Jimmy with a size 10 gym slipper ( with a good tread on it ) for suitable punishment.

The Minister, A C Hills, Senior English Master used to arrive at school perched on his upright cycle sporting his Homburg hat. As I remember this was fitted with a Cyclemaster motorised rear wheel - the Head Boy, Gardner arrived somewhat more stylishly on a Vincent 500 motorcycle!