Post by Les on Nov 2, 2017 18:40:55 GMT
Country: Denmark Maidstone I remember it well: I was born in Maidstone in 1949. after a couple of moves my parents ended up in Bearsted where I lived until I left home and went to Denmark in 1970. I went to East Bourough primary school and I still remember getting caned by the headmaster when I was only about 7 years old. After we moved I ended up at North Bourough Primary. Mr Jones was a great guy and the headmaster loved music and dancing. Failed my 11 plus and got sent to Vinters Boys' Secondary Modern on Huntsman's Lane. I was there from 1961 until 1965.There wasn't anything 'modern' about that school. I hated it. The Headmaster Alf Read also caned me. I must have been a very naughty boy!!! Huggins the metalwork teacher was a real sadist and loved knocking us boys around the head for the slightest thing. 'Shank' Sheldon was great but Mr Dearn really took it out on those boys he didn't like! Mr Lewer 'Lenny' Lewer was King of the Dog and Bear at Lenham, he lived there actually, and 'Pop Graham was a great history teacher. Mr MacKay taught us loads of science.The French teacher, a lady, was nicknamed 'Fifi'. It must have been a tough job for her teaching all those teenage boys!! One day Mr. Kirby (english teacher)told me that I was wasting their time and wasting my own time and my best bet would be to leave school, at that time I was 15 years of age. It didn't take me many minutes to make up my mind to leave that dump! Thank you Mr Kirby!! My best memory however is of another pupil named Keith Parkes. He played guitar and he could play all the new pop songs. He inspired me to take up guitar playing and I soon got into a local band called 'The Rimshots' after that I joined 'Krishna Kudu' and even though I'm 62 years of age I still play in a band in Denmark and I love it.I've been playing for 49 years! Thank you Keith Parkes!! And I'll just tell all those awful teachers from Vinters, if they're still alive, that I've had a great life, I became a teacher in Denmark and swore that I would never be like those terrible teachers from Vinters Boys'. I've got a wonderful family, children, grandchildren, all that I could wish for!
Between leaving school and going to Denmark (5 years) I worked as a trainee salesman at Times Furnishing at the top of Week Street, then at Dunnings, in the carpet dept. Mr Smith was a great boss, then I did management training at Sainsbury's in Gabiels Hill. Mr. Gregory was a strict but fair manager and there were lots of very sweet young female assistants employed there!! Those were the days! I always visit Maidstone when I'm in England. Great memories of the place.