Guestbook

hi all I was the last year group to have their g.c.s.e in Bedwellty and if i could go back I would go back tomorrow (DEAN RICHARDS)

i think its sad that the school is closing its been great the time iv been here & i dont think it shouldant close.

I am sad that the school has to close.I have only been here for 2 years but it seems that it has been longer than that.I have made lots of freinds most of them are coming to the the school that we have to go to coz the school is closing.The teachers have been great exspesily Mr Walbeoff he has supported us all the way he sorted all our problems that we had.I hope that my freinds will still stick by my side exspecily when we are separated from one another.I would like to thank all the teacher.

Bedwellty School 1945 - 52

When I first entered Bedwellty School to take the 11 + Examination, the Second World War was still in progress. On my return as a pupil the war had ended and Victory In Europe and Victory in Japan celebrations had taken place. However, rationing continued throughout my time at school and did not end until early 1953.
Coming from a village school the new school seemed to be quite large but in comparison to other schools it had a relatively small number of pupils. This became evident to you when playing team games against other schools in Monmouthshire. The school was very proud of its cricket square and I recall a County Secondary Schools cricket match being played on it. When Glamorgan won the County Championship some pupils were sent for coaching at Caerleon College.
One of my early memories was taking part in a Christmas pantomime which had been written by our form mistress Miss Lewis based on "Ali Baba and the forty thieves". Pyjamas and scarves for turbans, were the order of the day. Another was the occasion when everyone went to the Maxime cinema in Blackwood to see the film "Great Expectations".
On your first day at school everyone was allocated a House and no doubt the houses of Caradoc, Glyndwr and Tudor remain in the memories of most former pupils. School competitions were based on the House system and friendly rivalry took place at the annual Sports and Eisteddfod .
Pupils from Maesycwmmer travelled to School by West Mon special bus but in 1947 we experienced one of the worst if not the worst winter ever. On two days when the bus was not able to run, some pupils took the train to Pengam Mon station and walked past Brittania colliery to school. The railway line and colliery no longer exist. On arrival at school we were given a cup of hot chocolate and sent home again. While we were used to cocoa, drinking chocolate was something new to us and had apparently been a gift from the people of Canada. Two days later we suffered a complete "white out" with blizzards and drifts. Some of the drifts were up to the height of bedroom windows and the country came to a standstill.
On the arrival of Mr Evans to teach English, pupils went to see Shakespearean productions by Sir Donald Wolfit and his company of "TheTaming of the Shrew" and also "Twelfth Night". The school also put on its own productions. In "A Midsummer-Summer's Night Dream" an ultra violet lamp was used to turn the costumes of the fairies into a sea of colour and created a magical affect on stage. The school's production of "Twelfth Night " was also a success as it was chosen to represent at the Festival of Britain celebration held at Newport. The cast found it no easy matter to act in a marquee.
The school had quite a successful Literary and Debating Society which planned a visit to Oxford with the intention of visiting Blenheim Castle, unfortunately on the day chosen it was closed. Another occasion which sticks in my mind is the time we went to play rugby against Newbridge School but the game was cancelled and we ended in the local cinema's Saturday morning matinee for young children - quite an experience!
No doubt many former pupils will recall the visits from the Cardiff trio but that's another story. There are possibly many more tales that one could tell and others which are best forgotten. In terms of a life of a school Bedwellty's has been comparatively short and it is hard to realise that our Alma Mater will no longer exist in bricks and mortar but will live on in the memories of many former pupils. It is good to know that the school badge will live on in the Phoenix project, all we need now is for someone to adopt the School hymn "These things shall be a loftier race ....."

Allin Jenkins

Dear Sally,

When the GCE exams finished in June (or was it July) 1961, I 'celebrated' with another railway enthusiast (who I can't remember) by cycling to have a look around Aberdare Motive Power Depot (for steam locomotives). We had an official permit which we presented at the Foreman's Office. The man who came to the window caused me some problems as he was badly cross-eyed. i just didn't know whether he was looking at me or not! That same day another Railway enthusiast (Edward Combstock - we called him Eddy) decided to 'celebrate' by going swimming at the Caerphilly Baths. When I look back I thought that this was unusual and that he ought to have come with us. At the Baths it is said that he dived off the top board and hit his head on the bottom of the pool killing himself. This was briefly on the front page of the following morning's Daily Express.

The night of the accident I was with my girlfriend (now my wife of nearly 38 years). I got home after my parents had gone to bed. Mum called downstairs as I got in that Gwendeline Jones had called around to report the death of Eddie. The following day I went around to the home of john Evans (with whom I regularly walked to school with) and told him the news. We both went straight into school where others (from Eddy's year) had dome the same thing. As we were on block release, we basically hung around waiting for further news. I believe that the Headmaster (Mr A. K. Gibson) and the Headmistress (Mrs Burton) went down to Bedwas (where Eddy lived at 34 Bryntirion) to seek further information. If I remember correctly a bus was organised for his schoolmates to go to the funeral. I was honoured to be one of the bearers. The bearers wore school uniform. I couldn't then understand why the minister of the church (Baptist?) was so cheerful. After all this was a funeral until a minister friend of mine said that people often were cheerful when someone came to the end of their life and were going to Heaven. Eddy is buried in the cemetery at Bedwas just off the main Caerphilly to Newport road. A wreath was placed on his grave from the Monmouthshire Railway Society of which he and I were members.

I did 'A' level Chemistry, Physics and Pure & Applied Maths. I remember sitting the Physics Practical exam. For my experiment I was on my own in a side room off the Physics Laboratory. I remember setting the equipment up and then the external examiner came in and 'messed it all up' and so I had to start again. I was not amused!!

When I was in the 5th or 6th Form I was the Musician in a play called 'Le Bourgeois Jentilhomme' i was the first on stage and had to play a piece of music on a borrowed harmonium for the Gentleman of the House. I was then supposed to just walk off. However I thought that the Gentleman ought to acknowledge my playing for him. This I mentioned to the English Teacher, Mr Fred Evans, who said that this was a good idea. I respected Mr Evans for this as I was 'chuffed' that he took my idea into consideration.

Talking of English teachers, one of them at that time (Ray ?) had an eye for one of the 6th form girls - June Rose Spear, who lived in Bryngwyn, Fleur-de-lys. They fell in love and got married and I remember seeing them when I was on my honeymoon in Torquay towards the end of August 1967. June was good at hockey and I believe she was the school hockey team's goalie. When the staff played the school at hockey, Mr Charley Hearn (Maths) played in goal and some of us boys would be behind the goal shouting mathematical terms to him to 'help' him work out where the ball was coming from!!

When I was in the first year we had Miss Shirley Burton (who lived across the road from where I lived in Bedwellty Road, Cefn Fforest) for Mathematics, and Chemistry. I thought that we had her for Physics but that couldn't have been as I'm almost sure that we had Mr Bevan with his solar battery car that i have already mentioned. As she was almost a neighbour, the first time I met her in the corridor (I remember it well, it was outside the Men's Staff Room; the Female Staff Room was on the opposite side of the Assembly Hall) I called her Shirley. She quickly corrected me and said it was Miss Jones! The Male Staff Room was separated form the Male Staff Toilets by the Boys Staircase and similar thing for the Female Staff Rooms and Girls' Staircase. I believe that sometime during my schooling the rules for the Staircases were changed but I'm not sure.

In the first year there were 2 Keith Jones'. There was Keith J. Jones from Sannan Street, Aberbargoed with whom I was more friendly probably because he was a railway enthusiast - we did go train-spotting to Shrewsbury on my 14th birthday - and there was Keith Jones from New Tredegar who was the shorter of the two. Keith J Jones often went to the staff table in the Dining Hall (in the days before the Dining Hall 'moved' to the 'old' Assembly Hall) to see if there was any spare food. I believe he got a sort of ticking off from Mr Dally the Music Teacher one day.

One day I had called Ian Jenkins from Aberbargoed names and he wanted to sort it out by means of a fight. Being a coward I tried to get out of this one day by volunteering, much to the surprise of Mr Pritchard the Art Teacher, to clear up after the lesson. So I got out of the fight that day but not the next. It was arranged that the fight took place in the Park through which I used to walk to and from school. So a group of us walked to the Park and I suppose the fight took place, something which I can't remember. What I do remember was after the fight was over (who won, does anyone know?) the thought occurred to me that Ian Jenkins would have to walk back in the school direction in order to get to his home. En route he might meet Mr Gibson who then used to walk through the Park on his way home to Gordon Road, Blackwood. Would the Headmaster ask questions? What questions? What would Ian say? I don't know the outcome but I do know that the Headmaster didn't want to see me the next day.

the Headmaster did want to see me one day in my schooling to discuss why I hadn't done the 'lines' for John Mantle of New Tredegar. It was over some incident at the dinner table but I can't remember what. To this day i know that I was innocent. I remember complaining to the Headmaster about the unfairness that prefects dished out the food and that they had bigger portions for themselves and their friends.' He po-poed the idea I was prepared to get the cane (which would have been the second one I had received in my schooling, the first being at Junior School for 'nicking' a piece of paper). Mr Gibson told me in front of John Mantle that I had to do the 'lines'. I remember John smirking at this.

Dinners. The teacher on dinner duty always said 'Grace' before the meal. One day Miss Jones (Blod) was on duty and to get our attention she got a spoon and banged it on the pile of plates. The top plate broke. We all laughed. So did she!
On another occasion Miss Shirley Burton was on duty and the second sitting decided that it would play her up by having a 'go-slow.' So everybody took their time. The next day Miss Burton was on duty again and this time we decided to go as fast as we could. At the end she said words to the effect that we could now sit there for some while!
Another occasion when Miss Jones (Blod) was again on duty she announced that Miss Prosser, The Head Cook, had forgotten to put salt in the potatoes!

When I was in the First Year I joined the Chess Club. We often had competitions with other schools but I wasn't good enough to be in the team. However I did help with serving the refreshments in which I got a cake! The Chess Club was held in the Biology Room upstairs.

I was Form Captain of Standard 2A and our form teacher was Mr Mervyn Prosser. Our room was the Geography Room on the Ground Floor. As Form Captain I was responsible for collecting the P.E. Cons but I 'forgot' to keep a list of who paid me and that didn't go down well with Mr. Prosser. When in 2A I remember on the day of the Eisteddfod that I opened one of the teacher;'s drawers to get a stick of chalk to write something about our School House - Mine was Glyndwr, the others were Caradoc and Tudor - on the blackboard. The Geography Teacher, Mr Haydn Jones caught me and clipped me hard across the ear. I was told that it was still red when we went into assembly - that was in the days when the whole school would fit in an Assembly Hall.

That's all I can think of for now. Previous e-mails to you I have also sent to my friend Anthony Price (of Stanley Nicholas Funeral Directors) to see if anything i have said jogs his memory.

Best wishes,

Ken Mumford - Swindon

Regarding the School Rugby Team. In my first year we had a very strong team. near the end of the season our team and the team from Nantyglo Grammar School were undefeated. It was very interesting that the last two games of the 1955/56 season were with Nantyglo - at home and away. One of them we drew and the other we lost.

As a first year I enjoyed going with the Rugby Team to their away games. (I often went down to the school on a Saturday morning to support the team - I was no good at rugby. Mr Prosser referred to such people as 'Nig-Nogs!' Mr Prosser encouraged supporters. He charged one shilling (5p) to travel anywhere in the county. Some of the bargain trips were to St. Athan's RAF Camp (Mr Prosser did not travel with the team on that occasion - it was Mr Haydn Jones, the Geography teacher who did) and Larkfield, Chepstow.

I'm not sure when it was but the school hosted a North Wales v Monmouthshire Rugby match and souvenir programmes were produced on a budget.

As for the flagpole-It was outside the Goegraphy room that was, which was the field side of the school where there were (I think)long patio type windows with a patio effect area and a few shallow steps.Clive Walbeoff would know,I gave him lines often enough when I was a prefect.I can't ever remember a flag flying from this though but I may be wrong.I really must think of more items for you to add to your website

I've just remembered - Mrs Burton's car (KWO633) was a Standard Vanguard.

Ken Mumford - Swindon.

i remember clive walbeoff once asking me what i would prefer, a trip to see bill rowlands or to use his own discretion, ( after i had looned about in his woodwork theory ), use your own discretion i confidently replied, so he belted me around the ear and hung me up on a coat hanger by my blazer, wouldn,t happen today would it, but you didn,t question it back then.

I was a pupil at Bedwellty Grammar School from 1956 to 1963. When I was in Standard 2A we had a new Physics teacher - Mr Viv Lewis. He was a Christian and he was a supporter of the school's Christian Union. One 'incident' I remember about him was when another pupils -William Edwards (who has since passed away because of a drink problem) was having problems with another pupil. Mr. Lewis said, "Boys, live in harmony with one another." This is a Scriptural quotation.

Before Mr Lewis I had Mr Bevan for my Physics teacher as a first year pupil. He had a 1939 Hillman Minx and we often said that it was a solar battery car because he only came to school in it when the Sun was shining!! I did well in Physics under Mr Bevan being in the top five in exams but when Mr Lewis came I slid down to the other end of the scale. I just did not understand Physics with him.

regarding things we got up to in school. yog jog 69 walk from cardiff to porthcawl raised 30 pound. killed my feet. during mr gibson's last year he helped us to organise a charity week of events to raise monies for local childrens charity. they ranged from washing cars disco, charity walkn and a few of us ran in relay from carmarthen town clock to school in a day and then went to the disco in the night. was presented with, along with richard isaac, the headmasters prize for services to the school, my the new head mr rowlands.

hope this helps
if you need more
let me know
regards
grahame bartlett

With regard to school uniform I remember wearing short trousers for the first year and I thought to myself that if my parents made me wear short trousers at the start of the second year I would not go to school. If I remember right a pupil named Ian Jenkins from Aberbargoed did wear short trousers at the start of the second year but not for long. The blazer was green in colour with the school badge on the breast pocket. I think the tie was green. Socks, I'm not too sure but I can't remember any rebellion against school uniform. I do remember we had to wear a green cap.

When I was in the sixth form one day I bought an ice cream from Mario who used to park outside the bottom of the field at the junction of the main road and the side road that led to what was known as Harry's Hill (why it was so called I don't know). The headmaster came along in his Singer Gazelle car and offered me a lift home to Bedwellty Road, Cefn Fforest. He hadn't long passed his test. Before that he used to walk from Gordon Road, Blackwood where he lived to school. I must have been somewhat embarrassed as I sat in the front seat holding the ice cream which I felt I couldn't lick. I did when he dropped me near my parents' home.

Mr Fred Evans (Head of English) and Mr Haydn Jones (Head of Geography) both lived in Sunnybank Road, Blackwood which was near the Showfield where the Bedwellty Agricultural Show was held every year usually in August or the beginning of September in those days (1955-63 when I attended Bedwellty Grammar School). They both walked to and from school much of the time. Hadyn Jones had a pre 1950 Hillman Minx which I can't remember seeing in school although he did use it for taking the few 'A' level Geography students on field trips(?). Fred Evans did have at one time a black Austin A50 (PAX 281). Haydn Jones had a battered briefcase which we took to and from school. It had what can best be described as a 'list' to one side and one year some pupils took pity on it and bought him a new one. I don't know if it was a Christmas present or not.

With regards to cars during my time there, Mrs Burton (Deputy Headmistress and Latin Teacher had a Standard ?? (KWO 633), she usually wore her gown and lived somewhere in Cross Keys or Risca. Mr Charley Hearn (or was it Hurn?) had a Ford Anglia with a sloping back windscreen which one winter's day arrived in school with steam coming from under the bonnet - he had blocked off too much of the radiator with card! I don't know the registration of it but he always bought Miss Lewis (Head of French?) with him from somewhere near Risca. One day he drove his car round the back of the school (i.e. alongside the field) which was very unusual for teachers to get to the staff car park which was at the top of the drive near the quadrangle when I was in the 5th or 6th form and going out with Sylvia Moss (from Fleur-de-lys). We were talking to one another sitting on the wall outside the Boiler House. I maybe had my arms around her. Later Mr Hearn wanted to see me and gave me a good ticking off saying that I was not to be seen with Sylvia. He must have had words with the Headmaster (Mr A. K. Gibson) because all the courting couples in the school were asked to go (separately) before the Headmaster though I can't remember what he said to us. Mr A. Mervyn Prosser (head of P.E. and lived in Lilian Road, Blackwood) had a Morris Minor (blue? registration number? seemed to be a bit of a sporty model) and later a Singer Gazelle. The latter car he and Mr. Alan Watkins, Chemistry, (we called him Spotty Watkins) went up the M50 to try the car out. Mr Watkins said that the top speed was 93, but Mr. Prosser said that it was 96. I remember the day well when I was in Standard 2A and I was not enjoying Latin. I remember getting 24% in one of the Latin exams. I just couldn't work out the endings to nouns and adjectives or the order in which the English words went when they were translated from The Latin. i can still remember the first page of my Latin exercise book. It had on it specto, spectas, spectant, spectarmus, etc. I think!! i asked Mr Watkins if I needed Latin to become a Chemistry Teacher. He said, "No!" I was so relieved!! There was a Mrs Porter who had a Standard 8 or was it a 10 (modern design) - NKG 11. I had her for (General Science) Biology in the first year and she promised our class that she would take us on a nature walk - I'm still waiting!! For years 2 to 4 I had Mr .King who used to live in Bargoed. We called him Furdy, I don't know why. With him if we didn't know the answer or got the answer wrong he had a pet phrase - Pass him a piece of paper. On that piece of paper we had to write the correct answer as many times as there was space. I believe he originated from Gosport, Hants as my first real girlfriend, Sylvia Moss, was a sort of laboratory assistant for him. Jonathon Bright (from Maesycymmer) was laboratory assistant for Mr Watkins. Laboratory assistants got paid. Mr. Watkins sometimes came to school from Pontllanfraith on a moped which he sold to Jonathan. Mr H. O. Jones lived next door to Mr Prosser. Mr Jones had a 1939 Morris Ten (Reg - AUH 99? Not quite sure) which he used to drive quite fast around the Bryn before there were speed restrictions on the road between the school and Pontllanfraith. His nickname was Togo. he was my French teacher for the first year. After that Miss Lewis took over. When I was in one of his lessons, it was in Room 7, our tutor room which was used for mathematics. He said what the French word was for something and I thought that it was important enough to write down on my rough book. He saw me and gave me a right telling off in front of the whole class!! Mr Cowerdene (not sure if that is the right spelling) lived in a large house near the Crown P.H. just beyond the Bryn, near Pontllanfraith. He was the History teacher and at one stage he had an MG Magnette (I think that was what the model was called? - NJT***?). He used to bring Miss Jones from Maesycymmer with him. We called her Blod or Blackout. She rarely went around the school without her gown. She taught Maths and i had her at one stage for R.E. In one R.E. lesson Colin Thomas (who lived on the corner of Bevan Crescent and Greenwood Road, Cefn Fforest) misbehaved. She called him out to the front of the class and proceeded to hit him across the knuckles with two rulers back to back! After one or two 'hits' he said, "Have you finished?" She was astounded and repeated what he said. I can't remember what happened after that. The room was one that was used for English upstairs next to where the library was. There was a Mrs Rita Evans who lived in a house at the top of Harry's Hill. I can only remember having her for R.E. Mr. Pritchard (Art) lived in Bargoed and usually walked to school across the valley. Mr Viv Lewis (Physics) had a Morris Oxford (the box type) in which he brought me back from a Christian conference in Bristol one year. He loved tooting at the birds (feather variety) on the journey back - don't ask me why! Then there was Mr Dally (Music) who was really surprised when I just failed 'O' level Music and wanted me to resit it again the following year. Music seemed to have been an exception as other subjects you could resit the following November.

With regard to examinations and perhaps I ought to start another paragraph!! When I got to the start of the third year the 'old' second year was divided into three groups - 3X, 3Y and £z according to ability. I was put in 3X, the top group. This group did a General Science, English Language and English Literature 'O' level course in two years instead of three which meant that we sat those 'O' levels a year before we should have. I passed the first two, having the highest mark in English Language and getting a prize for it, but much to the surprise of Mr Fred Evans I failed English Literature by ONE MARK!!