Reigate Grammar School

Below are five images which as a whole form one panorama of the staff and pupils of the Grammar School in April 1946. The top picture is the right hand part of the original and they overlap slightly as they progress in order down to the left hand side of the picture. The picture was sent in by Mr Keith Fuller, who appears in the first picture below (picture 1/5) on the far left of the fourth row up.

Picture 1/5 Reigate Grammar School April 1946 courtesy Keith Fuller

Picture 2/5 Reigate Grammar School April 1946 courtesy Keith Fuller

Picture 3/5 Reigate Grammar School April 1946 courtesy Keith Fuller

Picture 4/5 Reigate Grammar School April 1946 courtesy Keith Fuller

Picture 5/5 Reigate Grammar School April 1946 courtesy Keith Fuller

Keith has racked his memory to add some names to the above. Remembering that the top picture is the right hand side of the original photo, the bottom picture is its left, and that they overlap, the names are as follows: -

FRONT ROW: 3 from Right. Barry Belton(deceased) 5th from right Tyler Junior
SECOND ROW KNEELING: 14 from RIGHT.  Symes, 15th ditto Bull, 16  ditto Tyler Senior, 17 ditto Kerstein, 19 ditto Clarke, 23 ditto Hawkes, 24 ditto Ron White(deceased), 38  ditto Barnard, 39 ditto Cant.
                     9 FROM LEFT. Muggleton, 7 ditto Aspinall (father invented the Adana printing machine), 5 ditto Graham Jay.
 THIRD ROW SITTING   Staff and Prefects. 16 from LEFT. "Serg."(caretaker &CCF Inst.) 17  ditto Mr.Brooks Woodwork, 26  ditto Mr Penn,
                     32 ditto Headmaster."Boke". Replaced 1948? by R.W.Holland.   19 ditto Mrs Brooks. Junior School. 27 ditto Dr. Montgomery. French. 28 ditto "Tojo"!
                     12 FROM RIGHT. Osborne 25 ditto Mr. Thompson. Music.
FOURTH ROW. 5  FROM RIGHT. Cook (name!).  17  ditto K.Fuller, 18  ditto Ian Branch. 19 ditto Tony Christmas, 21ditto Brian Bennigson,                     26 ditto Williams, 33 ditto Woolford.
SIXTH ROW. 7  FROM RIGHT Alan Durrant.(Redhill C.L.B. Drum Major), 10 ditto Couling. (Merstham Farmer!). 11 ditto Walker, 14 ditto Hagerty, 19 ditto Spriggs, 20 ditto Dench
25  FROM LEFT. Peter Bartlett.
SEVENTH ROW 30 FROM RIGHT.Gerald White. 

Email from Roy Sims: - I was delighted to discover the '46 group photos in which I appear in Nos 5.

Top left.

Purchase, Henderson, McGee, Carr, Brownlow, Saserath, Holder and Sims.

I hope to be able to identify a few more.

Email from Clive Gilbert:- I am sending a few more names. Picture 4/5 Bottom row 2, 5 in, was Les Mann, then Clive Gilbert { I am writing this email } with a dark jacket then Mickey Robb.  Do you also know that fellow in row 4 from top ran around the back and appears in right hand end. He has a lock of hair over right eye.I was very surprised to see all the information about the school, It brought back memories. My only claim to fame was being in the first 15. and winning the 100yds sprint in my last year.

I emmigrated to Melbourne in 1960. and have enjoyed the life immensley.

Hope this is of interest to you.

Email from Michael Funnell: - I started RGS in September 1954 so I think all the pupils in the photo would have left at that time.
However several masters remained at the school and the ones I remember are as below Name "Nickname" Subject(s) Staff and Prefects Row

15 from left/50 from right Mr Woodhead - Physics lab assistant/technician
16 from left/49 from right Sergeant Cuss "Serg" - Caretaker & CCF(Combined Cadet Force)
17 from left/48 from right Mr Brooks "Daddy Brooks" - Woodwork & Art
18 from left/47 from right Mr Eric Coupland "Happy Jack" - Maths
19 from left/46 from right 20 from left/45 from rightt Mr Horton "Horace" - Biology
21 from left/44 from right
22 from left/43 from right Mr Ron Adkins - Religious Education & Maths
23 from left/42 from right Mr Shaw "Snoz" - Latin
24 from left/41 from right Mr Edwards "Taffy" or "Taff" - Chemistry
25 from left/40 from right ? Mr Lewis? - Physics
26 from left/39 from right Mr Penn "Puffer" - English
27 from left/38 from right
28 from left/37 from right Mr Hart "Charlie Hart" - French & Railway Club
29 from left/36 from right Mr Atkinson "Nobby" Atkinson" - Maths
(I am not sure if my memory is letting me down!! 29 from left/36 from right Mr Atkinson "Nobby" Atkinson" - Maths may be a Mr Clark - not the head! If it was Atkinson it should be Nubby not Nobby)

30 from left/35 from right
31 from left/34 from right
32 from left/33 from right Mr Clarke (Headmaster) succeeded by TWH Holland
33 from left/32 from right
34 from left/31 from right
35 from left/30 from right Mr Andrews "Sid" - Geography and French
36 from left/29 from right
37 from left/28 from right Mr Sweatman - Art
38 from left/27 from right
39 from left/26 from right
40 from left/25 from right Mr Thompson "Tomcat" Music & Woodwork
41 from left/24 from right
42 from left/23 from right
43 from left/22 from right  Mrs Knight "Dot" - Chemistry

Many old Reigatians  seem to have descriptions and memories of these teachers. The female teachers were employed in the war and when I started Mrs Knight was the only one continuing. 
The building on the right of the first photo looks like the science lab - one of a block of two built end to end in the playground. In the last photo I think the church can just about be seen through the (Larch) trees.

Email from Allan Friswell: - I think Mr Funnell may have made a slight error in his otherwise excellent identification of masters.   Given Mr Coupland (Happy Jack) and Mr Ron Adkins as correct Mr Horton would be the middle one of the three masters in between, not sitting next to Mr Coupland. Mr Funnell seems to have missed one master out.   Grand pictures, though. They were taken outside the end of S2. Some instantly recognisable faces – Adkins, Puffer, Schnozz, Sid. Charlie Hart stayed looking like that till I last saw him when I left RGS in 1963. A great teacher.   Best regards   Allan Friswell

Many thanks to Roy, Clive, Michael and Allan for writing in.