Where are they now?

(facts were correct in 2001, so we need some updates!

Ablitt, Ray	Has a wife Pam. His folks are still in Bognor. Became a Samaritan in 1998

Allen, Kenneth	Married with 2 children and live in Worthing now. Left WF in 62 or 63. Was in the infants,juniors and senior school, sharing classes, and also knowing in other classes, Lionel Voice, Michael Marsden, Alan Teer,Alan Court,Derek & Norman Chapman,Peter Bacon, Dave Harrison, Dave Murrey, George Moulson, Denise Jones Alan English James Hollywood, Billy Ayling, Alan Boltwood, Kenny Keywood , Mick Ketley Alan (Chuck) Fryers, Ray Flack,Chris Boxall, Rick Bean, Ray Peters, Brian Cox, Sheila Whittall,Sandra Kalli, Patricia Brown, Barbara Holden,Doug Porter Later worked at The Shoreline Club, from the beginning.

Barlow, Vere	Cabinet maker living in South Bersted. By the time he went to William Fletcher he was living out at Nyetimber near the mill . Is a cabinet maker and French polisher now and restores antique furniture and clocks

Beeton, Martin	All these messages reminded me of my own life in and around Bognor, especially the secondary school years between '59 and '64. Way to go, I thought those memories were long gone! The year I started secondary school the name changed from "Westloats" to "William Fletcher."I believe that was also the first year they tried mixing the boys and girls - what a novel idea! Does anyone remember who were the teachers then?

Budd, Harry	Harry Budd worked for the railway but, according to David Pay, was unfortunately killed on the track a few years ago

Counter, Chris	Now living in Australia Boys I remember from school, most from my year but others maybe not. If you are not here its because these first spring to mind. Ray Ablitt, Jim Carey, Nigel Mercer, Joe Hudson, Douglas Barlow, Graham Smith, Owen Street, Harry Budd, Tim Murgatroyd, Roy Young, Robert Foreshore, Michael Oliver, ? Bonner, ? North, ? Morgan, Christopher Bryan, David Edwards, ? Chapman, Norman Wells, Ronald Dance. Girls I remember, Patricia Arnell, Susan Grainger, Rosita palmer, Brenda Haynes, Gillian Ede, Dorothy Jarrett, Alison Mayle, Rosemary Mayle, Angels Barqancal. Teachers, Kendall, Minns, Shapter, Burrows, Jones 1, Jones 2, Lane. One year I went to Jersey. I know Roy Young was there, I have a feeling you might have been there Martin. I was a member of 10th Bognor Cubs, Ist South Berstead Scouts, 2351 Sqdn ATC. Left UK Dec 1966 after completing a hairdressing apprentership and arrived in Aus in Jan 1967. Got called up into Australian Army for 2 years National Service in 1968. Missed going to Vietnam spending the majority on time in a Militaty Band playing clarinet. On discharge in 1970 found I did not want to return to hairdressing. {Army was the best thing that happened to me} Started work in the finance industry & remained in that sort of work for some years. Became a Justice of the Peace in 1972 ( no big deal, more to verify documentation etc ) Married in 1975, wife went off to find herself in 1991 & did not come back leaving me with 3 terrific boys 8, 12 & 14. Boys & I coped very well, I remarried in late 1995 & inherited a stepson & stepdaughter. Now in 2001 their ages are 27, 25, 24, 22 & 18. Only the 18 year old lives at home, none of the others are married. I have been Administration Manager for 11 years with a small family owned company with 60 employees. Metal Recycling Hobbies are Genealogy, Local History, Bonsai. One of my heroes is Vincent van Gough, does anybody remember the print on the wall opposite Mr Withans office, it was a Van Gough bridge. Bit of trivia for you. Two more names came to me this weekend David Outen & Joy Janman.

Grinton, Jim	Was at Lyon St. School. Left in 1957. Do you remember Mr. Thomas he was my last teacher there. He had a peice of wood on top of his cupboard from the 'Terra Nova' I think. I also remember the revolting stews they used to serve up for school dinner. I would save my dinner money and go to the Trident chippy. you got a lot a of chips for 9d. Left in '63 fro the upper sixth. my form master was 'Big John' Roake. My friends were Terry Smart, Keith Oliver, Reg Eschbacher, Chris Janman, Roy Hutchins, Jan Ragless, Jill Saunders and Terry Ide.

Ketley, Michael	Don't remember the the fish and chip shop but I do remember Cid's Cafe'. Beans and chips 1shilling and 3pence - old money !! Fantastic I can still taste them, a bit smelly in the afternoons though.!!!!! I remember the back alley to school We used to have a smoke down there during lunch times I got caught one day by Drushker the old German teacher. He reported me to Mr Minns. I was called out of Mr Woodheads' "woodwork" class ( what aname for a woodwork teacher !!) I got 2 on each hand - he hit me with such force the third time the cane actually broke. Didn't stop me smoking - just made me sure not to get caught next time.

Prior, David

Sharpe, Phil	is in the dribblers photo

Memories of our teachers

Meggitt (math),

Bronco Lane and

Thomas (art),

Mr. Thorrell or ''throttle'' as everyone knew him was our T.D.master and good at it too I liked him and always tried hard to do stuff as well as I could . he told us boys once how his nickname came about, evidently just after the war ,.....before our time, he rode an old BSA motorbike and of course the rest is history.......what a great shame he did gas himself in his cream and maroon Fiat saloon.

Mr Minns (he was OK, one of the vice-heads who always wore a brown pin-stripe suit! - math and music),

Roake (vice head who always seemed to make himself
unpopular no matter what he did),

Lister (good man, math and science),

Robinson (science, Biology),

Woodhead (what else - woodwork),

Shapter and Burrows (P.E. and field),

Cows (P.E.),

the frightening Mr Kendall (Religious Knowledge),

King the crazy Russian teacher,

Mrs Mellors (history)

Mr Kendal.... short , Welsh, very strong , considering his age 273years old we all called him as generations of Bognor kids did '' killer Kendal'' you must remember the occasion when one of the more unruly boys at the back of the class was skylarking and this little man surged up the gangway like a torpedo-boat , grabbed whoever it was Butcher ? Blackman? by the neck and arse and threw him headlong into the corridor -- no carpets in those days --just concrete so the unfortunate boy landed in a very painful heap. But , no trouble from anyone after that! Kids don't know how easy they've got it these days , they should be thrashed senseless every day whether they need it or not :-)

and to head then all up: Mr Witham the headmaster.

I can't remember the metalwork teacher, nor the music lady, "Miss --." They must be long gone by
now.

The assemblies used to be held in the old boys gym on the west side but around '63 a new auditorium was built, somewhere in the norh end of the school. The bike sheds were located in the north area and the girls gym
and the lunch room (five shilling per week for a good lunch) were in the south wing. The inevitable air-raid shelters on the left side of the playing fields were dank stinky places! My friends used to tell me that some of the more friendly girls used to hang out by the ditch between our school and the Grammar school....

At that time my school chums, friends and / or "aquaintances" were people such as Vere Barlow, Richard Prior, Hugh Watton, Chris Mcleod, Ian Grant, Dennis Caiger, Johnny Ede, Peter Hicks, Alan Bartholomew, Richard Beresford, "Pug," Tim Shackleton, the Ketley brothers, David Majors, David King, Peter Frampton, Dianne Briton, Janet and Jennifer the Cowen twins - does anyone remember Christine "Keeler...," how about that Raymond Marna, and who could forget Sid Pitman...(if one was unfortunate enough to be tagged as a "Sid" you were in deep doo-doo).

As for Mr. English (the skinny one with kinky hair) yes, he was a cool customer - by cool I mean a stone cold fish.

A list is a great idea. H'mm, that will take some work as there were quite a few classes spread over the year and they (the classes) changed names somewhat as we got into the 4th and 5th years. Let me see if I remember this correctly, there was 1A, 1A1, 1B1, 1B2, 1C, 1R or something like that. I will start with the names that were most likely in my class and then I'll just keep adding as I remember the names.

So as a start, in no particular order, there was Vere Barlow, Dave Prior, Chris Mcleod, Hugh Watton, Ray Ablitt, David Higgs, Mick Ketley, Chris Counter, Owen Frampton, David Outan, (?) Williams (he was Welsh), Johnny Ede, Alan Boniface, Dennis Caiger, Nigel Mercer, Michael North, Ron Dance, Roger Nash, Phil Sharp, Tim Shackleton, Gary Tyldsley, Dianne Briton, (?) Robinson, Eleanor Watts, Cheree Jones, Joy Janman, Peter Hicks, Owen Street, Raymond Marna,
John? Morgan, Harry Bud, Raymond Flacke, Sid Pitman (!), Jim? Carey, Roy (? - red hair), Richard Scofield....HELP! I know there are many more mentioned over the past weeks but my brain died. The biggest thing will be to organize the names into their respective classes!