School Buildings

The former New Tredegar School now flats

Bedwellty Grammar and Comprehensive

Teachers Remembered:

Added by Allan Jones on 01/03/2005 21:38 year: 1988
jed morgan

will never fortget him catching me hittin the fire alarm first he hit me with his ring houch'then came 6 of the best off jones and then they made me sit out side the headmasters office...Got on o.k after that with him..!!!!!


RAdded by Lyndon Jones on 07/12/2004 10:35 year: 1976
Charlie Prosser

remember him for the " I want to be known as the quiet man. "

Added by Alastair MacSorley on 03/06/2004 14:24 year: 1949
Miss lewis/Mr e jones

Glad to see miss Lewis get a mention.She managed to keep control of some Ill-behaved louts in my day with such good humour.Immensley popular lady.
No mention of E. Jones--yes another one!! He was head master and whenever he had to take a class would draw a map of the Holy Land and tell stories about his service there in the Royal Army Medical Corps

Added by Arthur Roper on 29/09/2003 01:09 year: 1965
Mr A G Watkins

The chemistry lab was on the second floor in the corner of the building. It had large "desks" with an excessive number of bunsen burners! It had a permanent "chemical" smell! We carried out experiments with sulphur, phosphorus, etc. which nowadays would give the Health & Safety Executive a field day! Mr Watkins frequently reminded us, in his clipped tones, that we were "the cream of the crop". This meant that we should not sit on our laurels now we had reached grammar school! Unfortunately I did -hence my lowly station life. Nonetheless, great days with many memories.


Added by Geri Thomas on 08/09/2003 13:56 year: 1969
Ikki Lewis (Physics)

This story is'nt so much about the teachers as the crazy sense of humour some of the 6th form pupils had:

One afternoon, Dai Flow' (Dai Roberts[PE]) collered me from the prefects common room to find Clive Hughes, Captain of the rugby team, to check he had the jerseys ready for our match after school. Clive was in 'double physics' with Ikki Lewis. I knocked and entered half way through the lesson. Ikki was scrawling some obscure formulae on the blackboard.....
"Excus e me Sir, Mr Roberts has sent me with a message for Clive Hughes".
"Sorry Geri,he's not in school this afternoon".
" Yes he is",came the chorus from John Rees, Sid Thomas, Jeff Arthur, Pete Napier etc "He's in the cupboard up the back". (MUCH LAUGHTER).
" Now don't be silly boys" said Mr Lewis.
" He is Ger, second cupboard from the left" said John.
" Excuse me Mr Lewis" I said and walked to the back of the lab and to play along with the joke, I knocked on the double door below the bench. To my suprise and delight, "Come in" came the muffled but unmistakable voice of Clive from the cupboard. I opened the door to find our illustrious Deputy Headboy sitting hunched on the floor of the tiny cupboard. I seem to remember he was reading a book with a small torch!
"Dai flo wants to know where the jerseys are".
" They are in the bottom of the cupboard by the door in the common room. Shut the door on your way out".
I did so and left. Leaving a bemused Ikki open mouthed at the front of the room.
I still grin when I think about it. What tickles me even more is that the 'wicked prankster' in the cupboard went on to be assistant headmaster of Bedwellty!!!! John Rees went on to be a Headmaster and I also ended up as Senior Master in charge of years 10 and 11 in a neighbouring school.
I like to think that our fond memories of our own school days helped us to be better teachers our selves. I know that a sense of humour certainly helps in the job.


Added by Darren Evans on 24/06/2003 21:37 year: 1986
Mrs Pick & Flick

Anyone remember this little gem? She was quite a frail
old bird with something nasty behind each ear.
Enjoyed picking her nose then flicking discreetly.
What a woman !


Added by Kevin Hillman on 20/06/2003 13:17 year: 1972
Mr King (Fudd)

Always looked as if his mind was elsewhere, but he didn't miss a trick. I remember somebody lighting up a cigar at the back of the class, thinking Fudd had fallen asleep. Somebody pipes up "Sir, the classroom's on fire!"

Fudd didn't even flinch, he just called back "Well you won't burn, Whetter. You're too green."

That's one school moment I won't forget!


Added by Arthur Roper on 21/05/2003 00:43 year: 1965
Blod

Remember that rather large lady "Blod" - I am afraid I have forgotten her full name. She taught maths. I recall that following terminals she used to burst into the classroom and exclaim "Do you want your list?". This actually meant "Do you want to know your position in the maths exam!" Knowing that I would be at or near the bottom of the list, I tended not to respond. However, the class swots enthusiastically shouted "Yes" - clever gits!!

Also Mr King, aka "Ferdi" was another eccentric character - he had a series of symbols in his attendance book indicating your attendance, homework sub/ not sub, etc. On a minor point, I recall he had acute dog-breath!

Mr Prosser (PE) was legend - I wonder what he did after his secondment from the Waaffen SS??

There was also an art teacher called Prosser - had small bear and a large ego! Used to impose discipline by means of a plastic tube he lovingly called "The Tickler". He appeared to enjoy striking students, including me, across the buttocks! In the present climate, he would probably be serving time for child abuse!

Remember "Ikki" the physics teacher?. A very tall chap who lived near Fairview crossroads. A rather anodyne character....enough said!

All things considered, we can all look back on our time in Bedwellty Grammar School with great fondness, and can but only be grateful for the start in life those teachers gave us.

A. Roper



Added by Keeley Bennetts on 29/04/2003 17:38 year: 1987
Re: Cornflake

Wasn't Cornflake Mr. Richards?


Peter Thomas on 08/02/2003 21:27 year: 1980???????????

AKA CORNFLAKE {sorry cant remember name}
THE BEST MATHS TEACHER I EVER HAD.......
Always made sure you understood what he was teaching.
was known for his ginger wavy hair hence "cornflake"
An allround nice chap who encouraged us thick types to ask questions when unable to grasp subject matter.
STILL REMEMBER SOME OF IT.


Peter Thomas on 08/02/2003 21:14 year: 1980
MR WATKINS

Taught chemistry ,made my life difficult ,I always missed his triple lesson on a thursday due to Hospital Phsio on legs .Always gave us a test on monday .Never could get anyones book to copy up,subsequently never passed a chemistry test.
He liked to point that fact out to the class.
Thank You MR WATKINS.


Richard Isaac on 25/01/2003 14:27
Mr Davey

English and Drama. He introduced us to Dennis Potter plays with Vote,vote vote for Nigel Barton, when his son Charles Jr. took the role of the eponymous hero. Strangely the Christian Union boycotted the production, allegedly because of one 'illegitimate' word included in the dialogue. Seems very tame now. Mr.Davey was also a Plaid Cymru parliamentary candidate (unsuccessful alas).
Interesting guy.


Richard Isaac on 25/01/2003 14:17
Ray Thomas

History/economics, although he never taught me, he was a great stalwart of our school plays and musicals. Who could forget his Emile DeBeque in South Pacific. It was a toss-up who had a worse accent - Ray's French as Emile or Dick van Dyck's cockney in Mary Poppins. Great fun though and an unforgettable experience.


Miss Lewis

French teacher, quite strict, wore a gown in class. Can anyone recall the 'arm dance' we were taught to help us remember the accents? Acute, grave, circumflex,cedilla!


Mr. Watkins

'Anyone can make a mistake, but it's a fool who makes the same mistake twice' and 'an easy question is one when you know the answer' are two pearls from Mr. Watkins. He was a good teacher with whom I felt we had a good rapport.


Added by John Prosser on 03/11/2002 22:20 year: 1971
Charlie Prosser

Re messages from the late seventies and eighties:

It's not Edward Charles Cuthbert Prosser, it's Edwin Charles Cutler Prosser. He didn't teach me at Bedwellty because when I was there, he wasn't, thank goodness.
But he is my father.

John Prosser


Stephen Griffiths on 30/09/2002 21:38 year: 1970
AKA

Strict and had his favourites never really inspired me but he had some good staff. There was a love hate relationship with the emphasis on hate. Never felt you could talk to the man and all to often I ended up getting critisised. Saw him a few times after I left as he lived near Blackwood cricket club. I played there from about 15, returning to play in the holidays. He never use to acknowledge my existence. It was almost like the black sheep had returned.


year: 1970
Fudd

What a character. I recall the lessons as a mixture of what am I doing here, what is he doing with that chalk I understand this now. Also I somehow recall the smell of the class room somehtingt o do with the preserving fluids I think.


year: 1970 Mr Cawardine

I echo the comments a real gent. he nearly persuaded me to do History A level and if the school had been more flexible at the time I would have done Maths Physics Chemistry and History


year: 1970 Charlie Hurn

restored my love of Maths after a hopeless time with Miss Bowen. I remember her because she completely turned me off the subject she probably thought I was the lazy no it all in the corner. Charlie made me work and gave me a challenge. A teacher you remember.