Dellfield (Newtown) School
By David Evans
I hold quite mixed memories about the primary school. I spent the first 20 years of my life in Hatfield Newtown and, as everywhere was new at the time, Dellfield school seemed quite old when I joined it at 5. Miss Cotterel, the first teacher, was kind enough, with the alphabet letters arranged around the room and her well worn Wendy house to play in. But you had to stand and face the wall for a while if you forgot your fresh cotton hankie each day!
The following year was with the more strict Miss.Robinson. ‘Strict’ was the order of the day really from the Headmaster Mr.Preston, later ordained a Vicar. We called him ‘Press Button B’. Then through the more psychopathic old-type of school teachers such as Miss Allen, who would hold Country Dancing classes in the hall – standing to one side by the record player, tapping her foot to the beat of ‘The Brighton Reel’ whilst we would form groups and nervously perform the dance routines waiting for her to race across to you in long energetic strides, to hold you up by your shorts with one hand and repeatedly smack the backs of your legs with the other if you’d missed the sequence. This frequent act would completely spoil and change the atmosphere in the room and leave it completely at odds and in contrast to the jolly background music, thus putting me off dancing forever.
We also had ‘Music and Movement’ in the Hall, where the teacher would just tune into a BBC Radio programme at a certain time and you’d just follow the radio broadcast. ‘Now children – Make yourself BIG like a tree … stretch those branches … skip around the room again and now make yourself small – as small as you can’. Good bludge for the teacher, who was usually Miss. Allen.
Mr Pomfrey was reserved for the older children. He had an almost bald head and a strange almost Nazi-officer kind of a sweat on his top lip. He always seemed to be just on the edge of exploding I felt, finding it quite hard to contain himself. His frequent use of the ‘slipper’ (a black plimsoll) on children’s bottoms for little reason was probably, I later deduced, concurrent with his betting shop losses. He could frequently be spotted hurrying out of ‘Uncle Stan’s’, one of the bookmakers in the town centre. Indeed – His only real interest it seemed was sport and certainly not teaching.
Mr.Rhodes and Mr.Jolly added to the above, with their dark green, leather-elbowed jackets and were, to my way of thinking the old order. Poorly trained, untalented, uninterested and just pounding their feet to their pensions on the whole. But there were shining lights. The post-war late 1950s / early 1960 era was a time of great change and not least within the teaching profession. New staff were coming into the school and one such teacher I recall with great affection was Miss Shutes – gentle, calm, unflustered and good humoured. Her craft class was heaven to me. She was young, looked nice (she had coloured ‘wings’ on her glasses which she’d change each day) in her bright print ’60’s shift dresses. She always smelled nice too and she and Mr Graham were the opposite of the old timers I thought. I always helped Miss Shutes tidy her classroom after school.
Oddly at 60, I can still recall some of the people in my classes and generally within the school: Brenda Kirby, the Caretaker’s lass (wee’ed herself in class on occasion), Carol Perrett (I had to be seated away from her at the request of her Mum, as she was pretty and I kept ‘bothering’ her!), my mate Stewart Bullen with his amazing white hair, Steve Wasnock (excuse the spelling Steve!), Dennis Day, Barry Osbourne, Linda Reece (who once had a cat-fight after school with another girl, to everyone’s delight), Tony Bell, Michael Carney (strange!), Billy Lacey (who must without doubt have ended up in prison), Billy Pratchet (poor lad had a bad stammer), Gary Sage (a really likeable chap who had to wear calipers for a while through polio), Alison Dunn, and for a short while the red-headed Sorcha (Sor-ka) and Pichot (Pee-ko) Cassidy (The twins) who were nicknamed Pinky and Perky and who moved on to a Catholic school after a couple of years.
About the school – I can certainly recall the stinking outside toilets – uncleanably heinous and vile. I’d hold myself to the point of busting rather than ever use them, with walls and floors dripping wet in water and urine, the green-streaked dark satanic urinals were a taboo, no-go area to all but the sick or the desperate! In fact, one of the playground taunts included threats along the lines of, ‘Do that again and I’ll chuck you in the toilets’.
There was an attractive line of conker trees to the rear of the school in the seemingly large playing field over which I’d day-dream my time away. Miss Ingrey, the cook, would come each mid-morning, pushing her bicycle towards the kitchens to produce the usual school food of the day – liver and bacon, boiled fish, mash and cabbage, spotted dick. I was lucky; I could go home for lunch!. In fact, one classroom only had a thick-grey curtain partitioning it from the dining room/kitchens and you could hear and smell the food being produced.
The old building did have something about it I suppose. With its dark-maroon windowed doors, parquet-floored corridor and hall, it served (as did all new town’s) the over-spill of London together with the children of the swathes of workers up at ‘De Hav’s’ more or less adequately. But to me, it seemed a place uncomfortably wedged between two worlds, the old and the new and never quite managing to be one or the other.
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I was at Dellfield from 1959 to 1965 with my brother Graham Page and sister Lynn page. I remember poor Brenda Kirby weeing in class too. I went home on my first day at lunchtime because I thought that was home time. My dad took me back on his bike crossbar. I was very shy and cried at the gates because I wanted to go home.
Newtown School,Lets throw a few more names into the mix. I remember out teacher in the last year or so (I was as pupil from 1956-1962) was Miss Tomlinson, she drove a grey Mini van./not many teachers had cars then,and as for pupils getting a lift, forget that, you either walked, or if you were lucky you had a secondhand bike, usually a hand-me-down. Now a few more names I remember are, SallyAnn Scott,who lived in one of the houses just outside the school gates, Lorna Buxton-Smith,whose Father used to own the Photographers shop near the Cinema, I believe they lived above the shop. Peter Weatherman, his family lived in the big house Galleycroft,that was demolished to build Hatfield Swimming Pool, I was a friend of Peter, and we used to play in the vast attic room of the house. John Reith, I think he joined the Army.Janice Collins and her friend Frances Manning, they used to sit next to each other in class, Mr Manning was our milkman, he worked for Holliers Dairy. Glen Tipping, was only at the school for a short while as I recall his family Emigrated to either Australia or New Zealand. Brian Kirkby, his Father was the School Caretaker, they lived in Dellfield Road. I was in The Life Boys with him.(Brian not his Dad) John Glascock,after he left Secondary School (Onslow) he started to carve out a career as a musician,and he eventually joined Jethro Tull as bass guitar player, but sadly John died of a heart defect when in his early twenties, whilst he was on tour. If any other former pupils has any more to add,it would be nice to hear from them also. I expect like myself you are all retired.
Good Lord! Carol Pearrett! I’m so sorry i spelled your name incorrectly…I never even looked at the Newtown School comments until today. Funny what rersides in the memory isn’t it?
Also Stewart Bullen…I would absolutely love to get in touch with you…Of course I would!
Stay safe and well, my old memories…David
Well, David Evans, my country dancing partner in Miss Allen’s class. You used to make me laugh so much my knees used to buckle. And then we’d get a whack from Miss Allen. I’ve just discovered this at 00.20 am. So it’s a bit late to write more. I can still see an image of you trying to keep a straight face having just said something that made me collapse with laughter. And Billy Lacey??? I have to get back to this after a good night’s sleep. What a discovery! Carol Pearrett x
I was at the school until1962 when I went to Onslow.
I remember one or two people from my class there. The people include John Hewitt, Dave Rawson, Pete Mc Donald, Jim Bullimore and Phil Carter apologies to those forgotten (after some 60 years passing!)
I remember being ok at sport and did quite well in that area. John Hewitt was an absolute brainbox and went on the be a university lecturer in genetics I believe. Needless to say that I sat next to him in class and the temptation to copy was great!…
Teachers I remember include Mr Fisher, Miss Allen and Mr Pomphrey and the Head teacher. The building needed attention, particularly the stinking toilets but there was a large field and conker trees to enjoy.
Just to add to my comments….I think David Evans summed it up really well and Moore with his memories ….I also remember Graham page, Lynne page, Steven Rathbone, David Brown…I think David Brown and I did a play Jack and the bean stalk at the Girls Grammer. We were the two giants, we got good reviews as I recall. After my mother and father died i found in her knitting box of all things the review cut out . She had kept it all those years. As I remember names I will post them, unless anyone remembers me….
Hi people,
I was also at Dellfield in the early 60s. I think I was in Miss Lambs class first. Went home sulking on the first day because I was asked to give the books out to the class, I thought it was was a punishment at the time. Yes I remember being given the slipper by Mr Pomfrey, standing under that dreaded clock every time you heard the close of a door or someone’s footsteps along that long dark hall you’d cross your fingers tighter that it wasn’t time to get the cain this time !! Find memories are the cooker trees in Autumn trying to find the best bonkers . Playing war, you had to charge at someone pretending to fire a machine gun at you and whom ever died the best got to fire the pretend machine gun , bit weird but kept us amused. I remember getting covered in ink! Making ink balls and flicking them with my ruler! Also the smell of the cook house wafting through the class room. Playing the usual kiss chase. I also remember Mrs Pelham knocking some poor lad spark out in the dinner quew for talking! The trip away to where ever it was, hot coco, pouring rain, they made us all send a post card home to say what fun we were all having! I suppose we were really. People’s names …..yer I remember a few, Dean Roley, Ian Stead, Dean Car, Roger someone. Lesley Dowedell, dear Lesley Armstrong who has sadly passed away. Probably a few others if my memory is jogged.
Just discovered your post, Shirley, and am wondering if you remember my sister Sheila who lived on Selwyn Crescent? She was born in 1936, so she was probably a year below you. She went on to St Audreys. I was at Dellfield from 1952 and, apart from Mr Pomfrey, have very fond memories, probably because I kept a low profile – or the teachers were too scared of my mother! I quite appreciated Miss Allen’s discipline and remember learning quite a lot in her class, times tables and spelling.
I was born in Hatfield in 1935, lived at 61 Wellfield Road until marrying in 1956. I went to Dellfield School from 1939 to 1945, passed the scholarship (11+) at age 11 and went on to WGC Grammar School.
Miss Boyle was the baby class teacher. On my first day in school mum proudly dressed me in a yellow smocked dress. When the monitor brought the milk bottle to me I promptly spilled it down the front of my dress. When I went home it had dried and stiffened and I stank of sour milk.
My next teacher was Mrs. Walby and my classmates included Shirley Monday, David Dunbar, Jean Chapman, Audrey Peyton, Rosalind Selous. I have a photograph of this class with Mrs Walby which I will try to post soon.
I am now 83 years old and live in the USA but I will never forget my days at Dellfield.
Hi there, just flicking through and saw the Caretaker mentioned. Brenda his “lass” just happens to be my mum and said Caretaker is my grandad Reginald Kirkby. I have a few memories in the early 80’s of visiting my grandpa who still worked at the school, on summer holidays. I must have been 4-6 years old and the school was very haunting at that point, and he too lived in Dellfield Road for a very long time.
Fantastic reading – exactly how it was, school dinners conker trees. I was in Mr Barnes’s class then Mr jolly next year Miss Allen (lake district trip) then we finished the last term back with Mr Barnes, where me and my mate Charlie Tutton did our impression of Peter Cook & Dudley Moore for the pensioners.
Just a couple of additions to my previous post. I spoke to my Aunt, Kathleen Halsey, about what I’d written and she added the following tale about Miss Cottrell. Apparently my Aunt committed some misdemeanour for which she was told to stand on a chair with her hands on her head. Such was the fear instilled by Miss Cottrell that she was found some considerable time later by the caretaker, after everyone else had gone home, still standing on the chair with her hands on her head! She had apparently wet herself rather than getting down to go to the toilet! She was duly packed off home. When my Grandmother heard about this she was so upset that the following morning she waited for Miss Cottrell to walk by (they lived in Dellfield Road) and then gave her a piece of her mind! Save to say my Aunt received slightly better treatment from then on.
David, if you’re interested in getting in touch I’m on Friends Reunited under Newtown Primary School, Hertfordshire.
Well David, after all this time! Your memories are very vivid! OK, the white-blond look, well my hair’s not quite so blond and not quite so much these days, but that’s time for you! I remember once that there was a fire in the space under the Hall where chairs and other spare stuff was kept, probably arson. I do remember the school was closed for a while and also that some of us older lads were used to help clear the burned material away, something that would be unlikely today! I remember the long corridor along which we progressed as we got older, entering the school at the right hand end as seen from the front and gradually working along it as time passed, eventually leaving from the other end, in our case from ‘the huts’. Those toilets, enough said really! I remember country dancing well. Miss Allen and as we described it, ‘heel and toe, heel and toe, gallop, gallop, gallop’ will stay with me forever. There was an incredibly tall teacher, by our standards anyway, called Mr Willis who was quite a pleasant guy. Miss Cotrell it shall be noted had a fairly fearsome reputation with my mother’s generation before me, as did Mr Pomphrey!
Those conker trees were very productive. My Nan lived in Dellfield Road which meant I had plenty of opportunity to get into the field out of hours and get a good haul of cheese cutters. Then there was the marble season when the playground became a battle zone and walking became hazardous. Some lads had family members who worked at British Aerospace who, as a consequence, had ball bearings with high tariffs on them, something the rest of us could only aspire to! My best marbles were ‘fourers’, very run of the mill.
One of the greatest indignities was to be sent to stand under the clock near Mr Preston’s office. I can’t remember which was worse, the looks of the other kids, a mixture of pity and joy that it wasn’t them, the thought of what was to come, or the actual slippering that was often administered by Mr Pomphrey as a consequence. Mr Preston as a man of the cloth did not not use corporal punishment himself!
I take issue with your calling Mr Rhodes and Mr Jolly ‘untalented’. Mr Jolly never taught me, but on a school trip when I was taken ill he (and Miss Gregory) were extremely kind and caring.
Mr Rhodes, my form teacher for two years, was a genius who knew everything (it seemed to us). I would often come home and tell my parents some fascinating new fact – “Mr Rhodes says …”.
They did both wear tweed jackets, though.
I was at Newtown from 1960 to 1966.
I have fond memories of Newtown School Mrs Cottrell was my first teacher and I remember the wendy house in her classroom. There was a teacher Mr Cann either from Oz or NZ and Mr Bradley who drove the Land Rover. I was in Mr Jolly’s class when it was in the hut and the heating was via a stove burning coal. The Art room was next to the kitchens and I remember the smell of school dinners, very glad I went home for lunch. As for the school bully I believe Billy Lacey died a while back.
I too remember the name Billy Lacey friend of John Ellwood to say the least they gave me a hard time. Would be so nice to catch up with them now.
Gosh, so many memories. I also remeber a lot of the names mentioned. I remember Mr Jolly teaching us to write in italics. I had very blonde hair and was best friends with David Seib and Gary Hopkin. Remember |Mr Barnes and going to Windsor Castle. The memories go on!
Reading this has brought back so many memories of Newtown school I have a inkling David you may have been in my class some of the names you have mention are very familiar.