Photos from 1950–1951

Maurice Crewe has scanned the panoramic school photo taken in September 1950. The image above links to the full size image.

'The glamorous ex-Commando' Mr Wilfred Hall.

Those are Beryl's words and the picture comes from her personal collection. The front of the school is instantly recognisable in this photo. Mr Hall took over Boys' P.E. from 'Bruiser' Bruyneels.

Miss Mavis Emery and Dr Galin.

This photo features two of the long-time favourites in Miss Mavis Emery ('Emma') and Dr 'Solly' Galin. 'Solly'had been with the school since day one and retired in 1956. Miss Emery had been with the school since the 1930s (her name appears in the school magazine in 1938).

Mr Frank Lowe with his daughter Wendy.

Frank Lowe taught Woodwork and Metalwork. A story told about Mr Lowe (which may or may not be true) is that he escaped from a German prison camp by borrowing some overalls, picking up a ladder, and walking out. This is another photo from Beryl's collection.

Back row: T. Baker, Marian Quartermaine, P. Symonds, Audrey Brookes, K. Mack, Joyce Thornton, C. Vaughan.
Front row: R. Deans, Margaret Worthington, M. Ardouin, Beryl Levett (Head Girl), J. Fraser (Head Boy), Beryl Buckingham, P. Batchelor, Annabelle Yugin, E. Jay.

This photo of the Prefects was supplied by Jan Mills who had been trawling for source images from old newsletters for use on the web site and we can certainly date this one to 1950–1951. This one doesn't seem to have been used in any of the back issues on the site. Beryl exchanges her hockey kit from three years previously for the smarter clothes of the Head Girl and there's that man Eric Jay again.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Beryl supplied two photos of the production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' which she dated as 1951. David Day suggested they were actually from the 1951–1952 academic year and added a third photo, but the programme for the event reveals it was indeed performed on 31st January and 1st February 1951. The three photos were taken professionally by Camera Craft of Palmers Green.

Roy Stainton as Oberon and Nina Mariani as Puck.

Titania, played by Maureen Clarke, and her attendants (Viola Akhurst, Stella Wilkins, Hazel Welch and Heather Granger).

This photos shows the mechanicals performing Pyramus and Thisbe and was contributed by David Day who writes:

Apart from Jack Gold as Theseus and me as Snout (The Wall) and Lewis Yugin back left I can't remember the names of anyone else in this photo. As Producer/Director, Mr. Doubleday rehearsed us for six months with helpful suggestions from Mavis Emery. We played it for two nights to a packed house. What luck that the GCE O-Level English Literature exam included the play as our mandatory bit of Shakespeare. We knew it by heart after six months rehearsals.

Although the performers might not have been identified by David in the photo, they will not go completely uncredited as a photocopy of the programme for the play has been passed on to the website, and a signature on it (which has been removed from the online verstion) suggests that it may have come from David himself.